Ruffled Feathers - 16 May 2021
Robin and I had taken a short walk at Crosswinds Marsh this afternoon and the weather was perfect. Sunny skies, 70F, no wind. Perfect. So, after hearing reports of Wilson's Phalaropes at Pt. Mouillee I decided to take a run down there and look for them.
But, I arrived at Mouillee Creek with cloudy skies, 55F temps, and blowing winds at 25 mph. WTH?
A pair of Blue-winged Teal were in the creek next to the Walpatich Unit and quite unfazed by my presence. They must be dying...
I rode out to the pump house and found only Dunlin and a pair of Black-necked Stilts. They were distant so long-distance digiscoping was required for this record shot.
I continued along the Middle Causeway and did not find a thing. The wind was blowing in my face the entire time, so the only consolation was that it'd be at my back for the ride home. I looped around to the North Causeway and had a fast ride with no birds to slow me. Instead of taking the dikes back to the Middle Causeway I decided to head south into the Bloody Run and Nelson Units to see if any birds might be using the quieter areas.
I rode past a pair of squabbling Marsh Wrens and decided to stop and investigate. One bird popped up near me and let me know of its irritation. I took the opportunity to get a few minutes worth of photos and move on so he could get back to fighting with his neighbor.
I stopped at the area where the King Rails were found last year but heard nothing of their presence. I did hear Bobolinks, Sora and Swamp Sparrows in the background, so that was nice. And, as I mounted the bike an American Bittern took flight from nearby; too bad it flew directly into the evening Sun and disappeared into the Walpatich Unit.
I got back to the car just as the skies cleared and winds died. Typical...
Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
May 16, 2021 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
8.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Windy, cloudy, cool, 60F
47 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 45
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 12
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) 2
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 8
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 6
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 2
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 1
Sora (Porzana carolina) 1
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) 2
American Coot (Fulica americana) 6
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) 2 Pair in Humphries Unit just east of pump house among.
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 12
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 6
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) 2
Dunlin (Calidris alpina) 120
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 4
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 2
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 12
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 36
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 4
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) 2
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) 2
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 16
American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) 1
Green Heron (Butorides virescens) 1
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 2
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 4
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 4
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 2
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 1
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) 1
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) 6
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 12
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 12
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 4
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 2
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 2
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) 2
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 2
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 1
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) 2
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 24
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 12
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 2
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S8
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
