Red shoulders and golden crowns - 28 Nov 2010


I drove down to Pt. Mouillee HQ and Lake Erie Metropark this morning to see if any interesting birds were about.  As I drove south along West Jefferson just past Van Horn I spotted a Cooper's Hawk being chased from a flock of Rock Pigeons by another flock of European Starlings.  It flew off, leaving another hawk perched on a telephone wire to my right.  It flew up the road as I arrived and disappeared just into the woods.  I was able to verify, however, that it was a Red-shouldered Hawk! 

As I scanned it with my binoculars it flew directly toward me and landed on the wire directly over the car.  I had to lean across the passenger side to get pics through the window, but it paid me no attention.  I was even able to get out of the car and rattle off a couple dozen images, get back in the car and drive off w/o it flushing.  Good start to the day!


Jefferson and Van Horn Roads, Wayne, Michigan, US
Nov 28, 2010 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Protocol: Stationary
4 species

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon))  12
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)  1
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)  1     As I drove south along West Jefferson just past Van Horn I spotted a Cooper's Hawk being chased from a flock of Rock Pigeons by another flock of European Starlings.  It flew off, leaving another hawk perched on a telephone wire to my right.  It flew up the road as I arrived and disappeared just into the woods.  I was able to verify, however, that it was a Red-shouldered Hawk!  As I scanned it with my binoculars it flew directly toward me and landed on the wire directly over the car.  I had to lean across the passenger side to get pics through the window, but it paid me no attention.  I was even able to get out of the car and rattle off a couple dozen images, get back in the car and drive off w/o it flushing.
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  12

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S42375596

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


Campau Rd. was relatively quiet, but I managed to pick up American Tree Sparrow, Carolina Wren, Northern Cardinal, White-throated Sparrow, and a possible Winter Wren.

The HQ was void of birds save for duck decoys planted at various locations along the North Causeway of Pt. Mouillee.  So I drove out and headed for Lake Erie Metropark, but not before watching a Norther Harrier cut across the fields toward the east shore of Lake Erie.

Pte. Mouillee SGA--HQ, Wayne, Michigan, US
Nov 28, 2010 10:00 AM - 10:20 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
6 species

Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)  1
Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis)  1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  1
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)  1
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S164996397

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

At Cove Point (off of Lee Rd.) I walked out to the lake and immediately watched a Peregrine Falcon take an American Coot among the rafts of ducks swimming 100 yds out from shore.  A pair of Herring Gulls took off after it and made it drop the dead Coot and fly off empty-taloned toward the shore.  A scan of the lake yielded hundreds of American Coots, dozens of Bufflehead, Ruddy Ducks, and Tundra Swans.

As I returned to the car a pair of Golden-crowned Kinglets were chasing each other among the phragmites and scared up a Swamp Sparrow for a brief moment.  Before leaving I enjoyed gorgeous looks at a Song Sparrow through the new Zeiss Victory 8x42 T*Fl binoculars.

Cove Point, Lake Erie Metropark, Wayne, Michigan, US
Nov 28, 2010 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Protocol: Stationary
10 species

Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)  12
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  2
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  1
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)  2
American Coot (Fulica americana)  99     there was 100 until a Peregrine took one off the water...
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)  1
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)  1
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  2
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  1     stunning views from 3 feet with brand new pair of Zeiss Victory 8x42 T*Fl binoculars
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S42375691

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

I then drove over to the boat launch to check out the hawk watch.  A female Long-tailed Duck was swimming out among several Mallard and offered a few minutes of view through the scope.  A pair of female Lesser Scaup flew in and landed about 50 yds. out. 

Before leaving a small flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets flew into a nearby spruce and offered some wonderful photo opps from just a few feet away.




Lake Erie Metropark--Detroit River Hawk Watch, Wayne, Michigan, US
Nov 28, 2010 11:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.1 mile(s)
4 species

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  6
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  1
Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis)  1
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  4

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S164997035

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