Hot Day at Humbug - 26 Aug 2021

The Humbug Marsh Unit of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge was hot this afternoon! Temps were in the mid-90's. But it was the birding that was the inspiration for the blog title.

I arrived shortly before 4:30 pm and walked the short loop behind the Visitor's Center looking for fall warblers. True to the season I found a foraging Chestnut-sided Warbler with its yellow-green back and head, gray cheeks, and white eye-ring foraging in the trees over the boardwalk. I managed a few pics, but only for diagnostic identification.

A nearby Magnolia Warbler offered slightly better views, and slightly better pics, but was still high enough in the trees to require some serious cropping.

A pair of Tufted Titmice arrived, including one very young-looking juvenile all scruffied from the humidity and heat. I was already to go after it when my nemesis Eastern Wood-Pewee appeared in the lower branches over the small pond. I could finally get some pics to show the diagnostic half-eye ring of this gray flycatcher. Of course, it doesn't hurt to hear a "Pee-a-wiii!" call coming from it.

A Black-throated Green Warbler then appeared at eye level next to the boardwalk, but was foraging in the leafy trees. I was only able to get some nice back and rump shots.

A pair of Warbling Vireos then appeared and offered even better views. And pics! Probably my best of the trip...

I continued on to leave the boardwalk when I spotted a very cooperative Green Heron a few feet away hunting for a meal. I was able to grab a few hundred pics in silent mode before it decided to fly to another perch where I'd continue to waste my memory card.

I thought I was done until I ran into a Least Flycatcher on the way out. Lighting was difficult, but it posed just enough to get some nice pics of that bold white eye-ring.

Not a bad 30 minutes! Thanks, Humbug!

Detroit River IWR--Refuge Gateway (Humbug Marsh), Wayne, Michigan, US
Aug 26, 2021 4:30 PM - 5:10 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.4 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Hot and humid 90F
8 species

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)  1
Least Flycatcher (Empidonax minimus)  1
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)  2
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)  2
Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia)  1
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica)  1
Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S159752632

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