Humbug Marsh Migrants - 05 May 2021
Partly cloudy skies and cool (40F) temps greeted the morning. Forecasts called for rain this afternoon and cold/rain tomorrow, so I decided to head back down to Gibraltar to look for migrating warblers. First stop: Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Humbug Marsh Unit (DRIWRHMU). Whew.
A pair of Spotted Sandpipers were foraging in the grass next to the parking lot at the extreme east end of the parking lot next to the fishing pier. They were too backlit to photograph so I looped around the refuge and parked near the back of the Visitor's Center and headed toward the woods.
A singing Northern Waterthrush was a nice find along the Detroit River shoreline. I couldn't find it despite hearing it just a few feet away. Foraging Yellow Warblers and Warbling Vireos didn't help as they kept jumping in front of my binoculars.
At the entrance to the trails loops I spotted a White-crowned Sparrow on a small bench. It then flew to the ground to forage among the dandelions.
A House Wren was belting out its song. Too bad it was severely backlit against the rising Sun.
An Eastern Phoebe was foraging near the boardwalk in Loop 4.
I could not relocate the Blue Grosbeak reported yesterday. It was refound a bit later by several others.
Robin and I would return later in the afternoon just before the rain. We were greeted by several families of Killdeer w/ fresh hatchlings scampering across the parking lots looking for cover. I shot this pair following the curb and another one in the grass a bit closer. Cuteness alert!
We again failed to see the Blue Grosbeak but did find a pair of Savannah Sparrows in the grass next to the Visitor's Center.
May 5, 2021 8:00 AM - 8:40 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.4 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Cool 40F
9 species
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 6
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 2
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 1
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) 2
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) 1
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) 1
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) 2
Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis) 1
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 2
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
