Birds and Butterflies - 10 Jul 2010

I got a late start this morning, arriving at Pt. Mouillee at ~9:30 am. It was going to be a hot one today, with temps pushing 90ºF. And, when its this hot, it means that the winds are going to be blowing, as well. So, one has to worry about the quality of digiscoping during the hours 'between' the golden hours of 8 - 10 am and 5 - 7 pm.

I headed up the Middle Causeway and stopped long enough to digiscope some Bank Swallows that were roosting in the phragmites to my right. Unfortunately the birds were between me and the sun, so lighting was less than optimal. Still, I got some nice portrait shots of the 'smallest' of swallows and watched Barn and Tree Swallows join the morning roost of ~100 birds. Up ahead a pair of Least Sandpipers were slowly working the exposed mudflats along the south edge of the Long Pond Unit, but flew before I could get the scope on them.

I found Mary Trombley and Scott Jennex scoping the pair of Plegadis ibis in the Vermet Unit. The sun was backlighting the birds so no identification efforts were made. We chatted a bit, and I headed on toward Banana Unit while they were heading out. Mary would later report a male Yellow-headed Blackbird. While on the subject, I'll also report that Jeff Schultz found a third Glossy/White-faced ibis with the original two and a Wilson's Phalarope later in the day.

Me, I rode to Cell 3 to look for shorebirds, and found a pair of Lesser Yellowlegs, several Least Sandpipers, and dozens of Killdeer. I also counted 16 adult and 12 juvenile Common Terns roosting among the dozens of Caspian Terns and Ring-billed/Herring Gulls. An adult and juvenile Bonaparte's Gull were also present, and I scoped the young bird for several minutes to confirm its ID.

Nearby I found dozens of Cabbage White Butterflies flying among the roadside and gathering near small mud puddles w/ Clouded Sulfurs.

I would not find any Forster's Terns until I headed to Cell 4, where I counted ~70 adults and 30 juvenile birds roosting on the sand spit and associated rocks. One bird was roosting farther up in the Vermet Unit and allowed several digiscoped images from about 70 feet.

Meanwhile, below me in the canal a family of American Coot were feeding and oblivious to my presence. I had wonderful views of the little orange-headed babies as they chased and fed alongside mom. Too cute!

Dozens more of Cabbage Whites were feeding on the mud at the bottom of the dike, while several Red Admiral Butterflies flew ahead of me atop the dike. Monarch Butterflies are starting to gather here, as well. I saw a half-dozen or so during my ride.

The highlight of the North Causeway was a Black Swallowtail Butterfly that landed just long enough for a quick burst of photos.

Taking the trail separating Vermet and Long Pond Units I managed to photograph a flying dragonfly that hovered just a few feet away.

A pair of Indigo Buntings have been hanging out at the junction of Long Pond / Vermet / Lead Units so I stopped to see if I could get any digiscoped images. I dipped on them, but was there long enough to watch three Short-billed Dowitchers fly and feed on the mud flat near the drain. These birds looked very much like the hendersoni SBDO's I'm used to seeing, so I spent the next half hour digiscoping them as much as possible. Unfortunately the sun was now high enough to play havoc on lighting, especially with birds feeding on shiny, shimmering gray mudflats. Still, I managed enough keepers for future study and reference.

As I returned to the car I noticed several tiny Summer Azure Butterflies flitting near the car and in the shade. Lovely, fluorescent blue butterflies appear quite plain with their wings folded.

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Jul 10, 2010 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Hot, humid, 90F today
15 species (+1 other taxa)

American Coot (Fulica americana)  4
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  22
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)  3
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  2
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)  6
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  2
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  24
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  10
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  18
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  70     Cell 4 on sand spit
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)  28     16 adult and 12 juvenile in Cell 3
Glossy/White-faced Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus/chihi)  2     Vermet Unit. Backlit brown ibis pair so ID was unavailable. Jeff Schultz would find a 3rd later in the day.
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)  30
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  30
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  30
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S165276270

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