Salvaging a Cold, Dreary Day - 26 Jan 2020

Despite the dark, cloudy, drizzly, cold morning I decided to take a morning walk along the North Causeway of Pt. Mouillee SGA to see if anything of interest might present itself. A stiff wind was blowing from the south despite the forecast for stiff winds in the afternoon. That, and the dark, cloudy, drizzly, cold morning made for a lousy day of bird photography. So, I was happy with what little I was able to get.

I flushed a Cooper's Hawk along the shoreline and it decided to fly across the channel toward Pt. Mouillee HQ. It did not take long for the Herring Gulls to start chasing it to try to get it to drop its fresh-caught meal.

Ruddy Ducks were rafting by the 200's. There were three large rafts of them before I got to where the Redhead and Canvasback were congregating.

Since the birds were not cooperating, I decided to hunker down along the shoreline behind a stand of phragmites and wait for fly-by ducks. I managed a few keepers despite the distance, and even got the raft of Canvasback to approach close enough to hear them diving near shore. But, they knew I was there and quickly moved back out to safer waters.

A Belted Kingfisher was a nice find, but it flew before I could get the scope on it. A fly-by Eastern Meadowlark was also a nice find.

Someone was goose hunting in the Nelson Unit, so I was hearing shots nearby. I would later find a Canada Goose dragging a wing into the woods next to the golf course off Campau Rd. Grrr.

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Jan 26, 2020 8:00 AM - 10:20 AM
Protocol: Traveling
4.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Dark, cloudy, drizzly, cold; North Causeway; walking
11 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  1     Shot; dragging wing.
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  12
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)  150
Redhead (Aythya americana)  100
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  26
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)  50
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)  120     3 large rafts of Ruddy Ducks (bright blue bills, rudder-like tails) in Huron River below the mouth of Lake Erie. Estimated 200+.
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  3
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)  1
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  1
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)  1     Brown and yellow-chested blackbird w/ black V on neck. North Causeway and Bloody Run. Fly-by.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S160360691

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