A Windy Evening - 22 Apr 2021

Winds were blowing out the southwest this evening so the bike ride at Pt. Mouillee was a tough one. White-caps were on the interior units so there were few opportunities for photographing waterfowl along the Middle Causeway. I'd settle for fly-by Forster's Terns and Caspian Terns.

I stopped by the pump house and scanned the Humphries Unit for shorebirds, but only a handful of Greater Yellowlegs were present. With some sunlight behind me I spent some time attempting to photograph Purple Martins and Tree Swallows in flight. The Sony a1 did a great job tracking the erratic fliers.

A small flock of Blue-winged Teal blasted by and circled for a quick pic or two.

I was hoping to see a Long-billed Dowitcher but dipped. I was hoping to see an Eared Grebe in the Humphries Unit but dipped. I was also hoping to see an American Avocet but dipped yet again. I barely had to pedal as I headed east toward the Banana Unit and knew that this spelled trouble for the ride back to the car. 

As expected the North Causeway was a rough and slow ride. I turned back south along the west dike of the Long Pond Unit and took solace in flushing a few Wilson's Snipe from the shoreline. A Sora a few days ago was seen in a similar manner. I spent some time attempting to photograph the flushing Blue-winged Teal and Northern Shovelers.

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Apr 22, 2021 5:00 PM - 6:20 PM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Windy, white-caps
9 species

Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  16
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)  12
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  8
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata)  3
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)  4
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  6
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  6
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  12
Purple Martin (Progne subis)  6

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S159838035

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