Pt. Mouillee SGA - 17 Mar 2010

A beautiful, sunny afternoon beckoned a bike ride at Pt. Mouillee, so I pumped up the tires and headed south toward the Middle Causeway. I parked at Mouillee Creek and gathered my gear. Overhead three Red-tailed Hawks were soaring close together, so I stopped to grab a few flight pics. Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds and Northern Flickers were singing near the parking lot, so the promise of a good ride was at hand.

I rode up along Mouillee Creek and found little bird activity. The phragmites lining the Walpatich Unit had been plowed under, leaving a nice clear view of the waters to my left. Only a couple of Canada Geese were present, however. Toward the east corner, however, a pair of Greater Scaup swam out from shore and flew off before I good get any pics.

As I neared the Lautenschager Unit the huge sink hole in the path had been dug out, and currently the path to the unit has been blocked by an even bigger hole and mounds of dirt. Nearby fields of the Long Pond Unit were flooded but showed little in the way of waterfowl.

The Long Pond Unit held several pair of Green-winged Teal, numerous Redhead, and scattered pairs of American Wigeon.

The most action appeared to be in the Vermet Unit, where a huge flock of hundreds of Redhead lifted out of the marsh in front of me. Among them were single pairs of American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Ring-necked Duck, Green-winged Teal, American Coot, Canada Geese, Greater and Lesser Scaup, and Gadwall. Along the shoreline just a few feet away three American Tree Sparrows were feeding and making for challenging digiscoping. A nearby Chorus Frog was singing, but I couldn't locate it. A muskrat was swimming just a few feet out from shore, and provided a decent digiscoped image.

The first Killdeer of the season were were nearby and raising their typical racket. I managed a few flight pics as they flew by.

To my right, in the Humphries Unit (formerly called the Lead Unit) Pied-billed Grebes were calling/courting, a few more American Wigeon were flying by, along with more Redhead. Several pair of Mute Swans with last year's young were feeding near shore.

As I scanned both units I heard the familiar bugling of a Sandhill Crane and looked up to see one flying overhead. I had only moments to grab a handful of photos as it passed overhead. As I continued up the trail toward the Banana Unit a Northern Harrier passed by in the distance, followed by 3 Bald Eagles (all adults).

Reaching the Banana Unit I stopped to scan Cell 4 in front of me, which hosted several Herring Gulls and dozens of Ring-billed Gulls. Among them, though, were a pair of juvenile Great Black-backed Gulls. Toward Cell 5 a small raft of 2-dozen Bufflehead were swimming together. As I approached them, though, both Common and Red-breasted Mergansers swam out from shore. Out toward Lake Erie the only ducks seen were several Common Goldeneye swimming among the still-numerous ice-drifts.

Cell 3 was empty.

I turned back and rode toward the North Causeway. Along the east shore of the Vermet Unit Northern Shovelers seemed to be the most numerous duck, followed by Mallard and a few American Black Duck. A pair of juvenile Bald Eagles were roosting in the dead trees along the northeast Banana Unit, and a scan of the trees yielded only a few more Common Grackles.

Out on the Huron River small rafts of Canvasbacks were visible from shore. Another 2-dozen Bufflehead were nearby, along w/ more Greater and Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Ducks, and Common Mergansers. Another Bald Eagle flew by before I headed back toward the car.

I stopped back at the Walpatich Unit just long enough to digiscope a singing Red-winged Blackbird across the channel. Although bird numbers were generally down, it was still a good 2-hr. ride. Back in the car and heading home by 6 pm.

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Mar 17, 2010 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Sunny; mild
33 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  16
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  6
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)  12
Gadwall (Mareca strepera)  8
American Wigeon (Mareca americana)  16
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  26
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)  4
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)  6
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  12
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)  125
Redhead (Aythya americana)  76
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)  6
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)  42
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  76
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  46
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)  6
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)  16
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)  8
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)  16
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  2
American Coot (Fulica americana)  12
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)  2
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  4
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  26
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  6
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)  2
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)  1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  6
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  3
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  2
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)  3
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  18
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  9

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S165416527

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)