Glaucous Gull! - 10 Feb 2012

I took a bike ride at Pt. Mouillee this morning, hoping to get a few miles of exercise before the weekend. It was somewhat dark and overcast this day, and cold enough that I wouldn't have to worry about the trails thawing.

I took a ride by the antennae farm just south of the SGA, and found a female Northern Harrier sitting close to the road.  It took off and flew toward the car, but veered away so that I was unable to get any photos of it from the driver side. 

I then parked at the Mouillee Creek entrance and rode the Middle Causeway toward the Banana Unit. My first Red-winged Blackbirds of the year were singing "konk-la-ree" near the parking lot. Ring-billed Gulls were actively flying along Mouillee Creek, but I was unable to turn up any other type of gull.  Mallards and Canada Geese were the majority in the Walpatich Unit, but I managed a few Redhead Ducks and a single Bufflehead.

The Humphries Unit held hundreds of American Coot, at least three Green-winged Teal, and a few more Canada Geese.  A half-dozen Mute Swans were roosting on the ice near the SW corner of the Vermet Unit, and another half-dozen Tundra Swans were found near the SE corner.  A pair of Bald Eagles were roosting in their typical haunt in the middle of the unit.

Cell 4 was open, and Lesser Scaup, Redhead and American Black Duck busy scattering from the near shoreline.  It was not hard to notice that some of the Herring Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls were already sporting their dashing breeding whites - really quite beautiful!

I scanned the mudflats of Cell 3 for the Snowy Owl, but failed to find anything w/ feathers.  I left the bike and walked around the east shoreline of Cell 3, and was able to see 30 Great Black-backed Gulls along the lakeshore and out on the small mudflats midway toward the SE corner of the cell.  I photographed this (presumed) 1st-cycle Herring Gull near the shore, but have some doubts as to its origin.  The beak seems a bit large, and suggests a possible GBBG X Herring Gull hybrid. 

Luckily, I was quickly distracted by this 1st-cycle Glaucous Gull that came flying in from the lake.  I sanpped several frames as it banked to the south and landed among a few Herring Gulls swimming near shore.  Note the dark eye and black-tipped bill, white wings and tail.  Quite a magnificent bird - I couldn't help but think of Dad at this moment.

I rode back to the car, and then headed north for home.  I stopped momentarily at Riverside Park and found a half-dozen Common Merganser males swimming near the boat launch, but was unable to get any worthwhile photos.  I continued on to Pt. Mouillee HQ, where I managed a few frames of a Lesser Scaup that was swimming near shore.

After leaving the parking lot I stopped for a few minutes at the gate and threw out some seed.  A Black-capped Chickadee landed on my mirror, and would've flown into the car if I had seed in my hand to offer.

Four White-throated Sparrows, several Dark-eyed Juncos, and a single American Tree Sparrow were unconcerned w/ my presence.  The two-dozen Northern Cardinals were a bit more pensive, but offered numerous photos from just a few feet away. 

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Feb 10, 2012 7:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
8.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Remembering Dad and the gull attributed to him. Temps in the mid 20's, cloudy, cold
21 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  24
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  6
Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)  6
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  24
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  3     Humphries Unit; small gray dabblers w/ tan tail, red head and green mask; 2 males, 1 female showing green speculum. Distinctive
Redhead (Aythya americana)  16
Greater/Lesser Scaup (Aythya marila/affinis)  24
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  1
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)  6
American Coot (Fulica americana)  250     Humphries Unit; large raft of white-billed black birds. Numbers in the 1000's are typical this time of year.
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  6
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  6
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)  29     Large black-backed white-headed gulls along Lake Erie shoreline next to Cell 3 and small mudflats ; toward SE corner of Cell 3. Exact count
Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus)  1     was quickly distracted by this 1st-cycle Glaucous Gull that came flying in from the lake.  I sanpped several frames as it banked to the south and landed among a few Herring Gulls swimming near shore.  Note the dark eye and black-tipped bill, white wings and tail.
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)  1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  2
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  1
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)  1
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  2
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  4
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  3     singing "konk-la-reee' near Mouillee Creek parking lot. First of season! Black birds w/ hint of red epaulets on wires and snags along middle causeway
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  24

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S100123675

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