Weekend Hawk Watching - 20, 22 Feb 2011


Pretty good weekend of birding in the s. Wayne Co. / N. Monroe Co. area.  This American Kestrel was digiscoped this afternoon on Rheaume Rd. just east of the entrance to the Rockwood Quarry.  I was about 150' away.

On Sunday morning I decided to make a quick jaunt south before the big storm was to arrive and dump 0.5 - 2" of snow and sleet*.  Campau Rd. was quiet, yielding only a few Northern Cardinals and Black-capped Chickadees. 

The parking lot was more productive, as open water was now being filled with the likes of Lesser Scaup, Common Mergansers, Mute Swans, Canada Geese, Gadwall, Redhead, Canvasback, American Black Duck, and dozens of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls.

Pte. Mouillee SGA--HQ, Wayne, Michigan, US
Feb 20, 2011 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     0.5-2" snow expected
12 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  12
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  4
Gadwall (Mareca strepera)  2
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)  2
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)  12
Redhead (Aythya americana)  8
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  6
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)  6
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  20
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  6
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  2
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  3

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S164827938

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

Roberts Rd. was a bit slow.  An immature Red-tailed Hawk flew across the road behind the car and got away without being photographed.  As I turned the corner at Rheaume and Roberts Rd. another immature Red-tailed took off from a tree and provided this composite image as it passed by.


Just up the road a third juvenile bird was perched high in a tree and provided a few long-distance images with the D300s.


Stoneco/Rockwood Quarry, Monroe, Michigan, US
Feb 20, 2011 10:00 AM - 10:10 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
1 species

Red-tailed Hawk (borealis) (Buteo jamaicensis borealis)  3

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S164828235

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

This afternoon I left work and headed back to the area, taking advantage of the clear skies.  As I drove through McDonald's to pick up a Diet Coke a Peregrine Falcon flew over the building and continued west across Biddle Ave.

McDonalds, Wayne, Michigan, US
Feb 22, 2011 3:00 PM - 3:10 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.1 mile(s)
1 species

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)  1     Flyover falcon w/ pointy wings, black cap and heavy mask. Local bird presumed (pair seen nesting at Wyandotte Municipal)

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S164828781

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

As I reached Roberts Rd. a Red-shouldered Hawk flew across the road.  After digiscoping the American Kestrel, I flushed one of the immature Red-tailed Hawks as I drove along Rheaume Rd. but couldn't get a photo. 

At the corner of Roberts Rd. I threw out some seed and was immediately greeted by (3) Song Sparrows, a Northern Cardinal, a pair of White-throated Sparrows, a pair of B-C Chickadees, four American Tree Sparrows, and a Dark-eyed Junco.  The late afternoon sunlight provided some nice color for this Song Sparrow.


As I drove out Roberts Rd. I spotted an immature Rough-legged Hawk far out in the field to my right.  Too far to digiscope, I hunched by the side of the road and enjoyed 5 minutes of nice views through the spotting scope.

Stoneco/Rockwood Quarry, Monroe, Michigan, US
Feb 22, 2011 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Clear skies
10 species

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)  1
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  1
Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus)  1
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)  1
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  2
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)  4
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  1
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  2
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  3
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S164829173

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Returning north, a quick stop by Pt. Mouillee HQ yielded 8 Hooded Mergansers, a 2nd year Great Black-backed Gull, the aforementioned ducks, and a pair of Bufflehead.

* - Our local, crack team of Doppler weather forecasters were a bit off; we ended up getting 8-12" of snow...

Pte. Mouillee SGA--HQ, Wayne, Michigan, US
Feb 22, 2011 4:00 PM - 4:20 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
11 species

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  6
Gadwall (Mareca strepera)  5
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  6
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)  12
Redhead (Aythya americana)  6
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  12
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  2
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)  2
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)  8
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)  6
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S164829493

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