Sony a1 and Ross's Goose - 13 Apr 2021

Skies were clear and temps were mild enough that I took the new Sony a1 for its inaugural trip to Pt. Mouillee. My plan was to try and relocate a White-faced Ibis that was reported earlier in the week in the Long Pond Unit.

I parked at Mouillee Creek just before 5 pm and headed out the Middle Causeway. I decided not to check out shorebirds in the Humphries Unit and instead rode out along the dike separating Long Pond and Bloody Run Units. Winds were blowing pretty intensely from the southwest, so I knew that any ride east to the car would be painful. Still, I was excited to put the camera through its paces.

Initial tests on fly-by Tree Swallows gave me confidence that the camera was locking focus and tracking the erratic fliers very well. Unfortunately the birds were far enough away that it was not worth processing the images. But, they were all in focus and sharp! Honest...

As per usual I was flushing small flocks of Blue-winged Teal and Green-winged Teal from the Bloody Run Unit but the birds were backlit and far away. However, a Wilson's Snipe flushed to my right from the cattails and landed up the trail close enough for me to leave the bike and stalk it. It took off again and flew back past me toward the Middle Causeway. The Sony a1 locked focus and tracked the snipe for several seconds, which meant over 100 tack-sharp images. I decided to put a composite together to show my favorite wing positions.

As I reached the North Causeway I was happy to see the first of several Caspian and Forster's Terns that had arrived from parts farther south. This Forster's Tern was approaching from the Huron River shoreline and was actively foraging. The strong winds were slowing it down, so it was not a problem to get dozens of sharp photos as it passed by. Unfortunately I was still not fast enough to track it when it turned and dove in front of me for an aquatic meal. Still, I got some lovely images of a favorite subject.

I continued east to the Banana Unit, stopping along the Long Pond Unit for about 30 minutes and failing to see any evidence of the White-faced Ibis. So, I continued on around Cell 5 and the Lake Erie shoreline. A flock of Bonaparte's Gulls flew among the whitecaps and gave me the sense of being on a pelagic trip. 

Looping back east around Cell 5 and reaching the north end of Cell 4 I was hit w/ the wind and began the trudge toward the Middle Causeway. Ducks were scarce in Cell 4 with only small flocks of Lesser Scaup and Redhead far out on the water. The Sun was also directly in my eyes so I wasn't even bothering to look to the south. Things changed though, when I reached the Middle Causeway and started down the hill and into the teeth of the wind. 

As I rode the causeway and scattered Canada Geese in front of the bike I noticed a pair on the shoreline of the Humphries Unit. Though severely backlit I immediately knew I was looking at a Chen sp. of goose. Snow Goose? or Ross's Goose? I'd have to wait until I got past it so the Sun would be at my back to find out.

As I rode past the I could tell that it was indeed a Ross' Goose; the blunt bill lacking any significant grin patch was the telltale sign. When it joined a much larger Canada Goose the size differential helped to confirm. 

I left the bike, hit the ground and began to fire away with with the Sony a1. Eye AF lock on almost immediately and I got hundreds of razor-sharp images w/ the Sony 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS and 1.4TC. Auto ISO gave me 1/4000 sec captures in the late-afternoon setting Sun.

This bird also gave me the opportunity to put the Sony a9 to use as my main digiscoping camera. With the Zeiss 35/2.8 I was able to get some wonderful closeups of the slightly-bedraggled goose as it tried to snooze next to its larger cohort. At one point it began to swim off on its own after the Canada Goose suddenly took flight; the Ross's Goose almost followed, but decided to stay.

I decided to swap cameras and get a few pics w/ the 200-600 on the a9, and even digiscope with the a1! Oddly though, my custom setting for digiscoping w/ the a1 produced only JPG images (?). I have some checking to do this evening to see how that could have been possible. I still got some nice images (even at ISO 100 and 1/100 sec.).

Satisfied w/ enough images to last the rest of the week I headed back to the car. I stopped just long enough near the Pump House to scan the mudflats for a couple dozen Dunlin, Pectoral Sandpipers, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. I even got to get some flight shots of several Greater Yellowlegs that passed overhead.

I will label this evening a great success, and give the new Sony a1 a passing grade.

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Apr 13, 2021 5:00 PM - 7:05 PM
Protocol: Traveling
12.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Windy, sunny, 60F. Full blog post with images at https://birdingthroughglass.blogspot.com/2021/04/sony-a1-and-rosss-goose-13-apr-2021.html
41 species

Ross's Goose (Anser rossii)  1     NE corner of Humphries Unit next to Middle Causeway shoreline. Small white goose with black wingtips, short stubby bill with barely noticeable grin patch. Half the size of the Canada Goose it was hanging with. Photos digiscoped and with telephoto lens. More pics at https://birdingthroughglass.blogspot.com/2021/04/sony-a1-and-rosss-goose-13-apr-2021.html
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  36
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  12
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  24
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)  6
Gadwall (Mareca strepera)  4
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  24
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)  2
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  12
Redhead (Aythya americana)  2
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)  4
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  26
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  12
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)  6
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)  6
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)  60
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  4
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  2
American Coot (Fulica americana)  24
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  4
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata)  2
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  2
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)  6
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)  36
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)  12
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  12
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  2
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  2
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  4
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  12
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  4
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)  12
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  2
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  2
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)  2
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  1
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  26
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  2
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  4
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  250
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  36

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S85489417

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