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/S88331443

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