Pt. Mouillee SGA - 31 May 2010


I arrived at the Mouillee Creek entrance of Pt. Mouillee SGA at 6 this morning. It was warm and partly cloudy with rain forecasted for later. While most of Wayne Co. was under clear skies, Monroe Co. was under heavy, dark clouds that were predicted to bring thunderstorms later in the day.

The usual Swamp Sparrows and Marsh Wrens were singing in the Walpatich Unit. A Great Blue Heron and several Blue-winged Teal were found in the Lautenschlager Unit.

I turned north along the dike separating Nelson and Long-Pond Units and immediately heard the 'kik-kik-kiddik' of a Virginia Rail. Farther up the trail a very soft 'coo-coo-coo'of a Least Bittern was heard in the Long Pond Unit. I failed to hear any King Rail calls, however. I also did not see the Cinnamon Teal among the several American Coot, Common Moorhen and Blue-winged Teal that were visible in the early light. A nice consolation, however, was a Short-tailed Weasle that bounded up the trail ahead of me.

The North Causeway was quiet. Few birds were seen in the Huron River and in the Long Pond Unit. As I reached the northwest corner of the Vermet Unit I decided to turn back south toward the Middle Causeway. I walked the bike, stopping several times to watch the delicate flight of hundreds of damselflies in the vegetation to my left. I took several photos hoping to capture the mini-spectacle.


I have to get a dragonfly field guide. I spent several hours this evening trying to ID one particular damselfly with a green thorax and blue-tipped abdomen. Initial internet searches brought up images of a Blue-tipped Dancer, but it is a rare damselfly in the UK. I then found references to Ischnura ramburi (Rambur's Forktail) and finally Eastern Forktail. The differences between these two Ischnura sp. is the extent of blue on the 8th and 9th segments of the abdomen. My little guy here may be a 'male-mimicking female' that has a dark line separating both blue segments. I'm going w/ Eastern Forktail for now, until someone corrects me (please!).


A Green Darner pair were busily mating and provided several nice pics. An Eastern Cottontail rabbit posed momentarily on the trail to my left before scampering into the brush. Up ahead a small Racoon padded across the trail.



As I reached the junction of the Middle Causeway / Lead / Vermet / Long Pond Units I heard an Indigo Bunting. A bright blue male bird was singing in the phragmites to my left. I spent several minutes trying to digiscope it in the morning sunlight, only to be frustrated by single swaying phragmite stalks. I managed a couple of keepers, but missed a wonderful shot of the bird atop a phragmite - it was obscured by a single stalk between me and the bird. It flew as I moved to get a clearer view.


A Song Sparrow provided better looks and some nice digiscoped images.


Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
May 31, 2010 6:00 AM - 8:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     I arrived at the Mouillee Creek entrance of Pt. Mouillee SGA at 6 this morning. It was warm and partly cloudy with rain forecasted for later. While most of Wayne Co. was under clear skies, Monroe Co. was under heavy, dark clouds that were predicted to bring thunderstorms later in the day.
9 species

Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  2
Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola)  1
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)  2
American Coot (Fulica americana)  2
Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis)  1
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)  2
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  1
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  2
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S42349249

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

I decided to forego the Banana Unit this morning, instead heading out to Hagermann Rd and the antennae farm to look for the previously-reported Dickcissel. I slowly drove up the dirt road as the rain began to fall, getting nice views of the dozen or so Savannah Sparrows singing next to the road. Horned Larks were also present and singing. I managed a few pics of one individual from about a 30 feet.



The fenceline surrounding the towers held more Savannah Sparrows. Beyond the fences were singing Bobolink , Field Sparrows and Eastern Meadowlarks - neither bird close enough to photograph.

As the rains began to come down (hard) I headed home. 8:30 am.

Antenna Farm, Monroe, Michigan, US
May 31, 2010 8:00 AM - 8:20 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Rain
5 species

Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)  2
Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)  2
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)  4
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)  2
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S165328775

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