There be Crows! - 31 Oct 2010

After yesterday's failed attempt at finding Cave Swallows I wanted to go back and try again.  So Robin and I drove down to Pt. Mouillee HQ to look for a second time. 

We arrived at ~9:30 am just as a major push of American Crows began moving from Canada to the west.  Steve Crocker was already at the observation platform and reported no Cave Swallows.  A few Tree Swallows were moving by, but not at the numbers seen yesterday.  Groups of Bonaparte's Gulls were also flying, and provided a few fly-by flight shots.

As clouds of crows passed overhead we spotted a Red-shouldered Hawk moving our way.  The juvenile bird passed directly overhead, and even circled several times before moving on.  I managed a few dozen captures as it flew by.

For the next 2 hours the crows continued to move in waves of hundreds of birds, but few raptors were among them.  We did see a few Sharp-shinned Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, and a Cooper's Hawk.  And just as Jim Fowler and Tom Heatley showed up a Merlin moved high overhead.  Small flocks of passerines included American Pipit and Horned Larks.

Out on the sand spit several hundred Dunlin continued to be seen along with a dozen or so Black-bellied Plovers.  Though we continued to look there were no signs of swallows in the area.  Chuck Owens showed up and joined us for a bit.  He was able to see a passing Cave Swallow just as he arrived at Riverside Park, and saw another just as he arrived the LEMP boat launch.  But that would be the last sightings of this southern bird for the day.

Just around noon the crow flight finally slowed enough to clear the skies, so I decided to head out.  A group of four Lesser Yellowlegs flew in close enough to allow a few digiscoped images before leaving.

 

Though we failed again to see a Cave Swallow, it was still a fun morning seeing so many crows moving overhead. 

Pte. Mouillee SGA--HQ, Wayne, Michigan, US
Oct 31, 2010 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Checklist Comments:     After yesterday's failed attempt at finding Cave Swallows I wanted to go back and try again.  So Robin and I drove down to Pt. Mouillee HQ to look for a second time.
12 species (+1 other taxa)

Black-bellied Plover/golden-plover sp. (Pluvialis sp.)  12
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  4
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)  150     sand spit out near mouth. Hundreds of Dunlin
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  12
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)  1
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)  1
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)  1
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  2
Merlin (Falco columbarius)  1
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  100     major push of crows w/ numbers in excess of 100
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)  2
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  3
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S42375182

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