Of Goldeneye and Pelicans - 28 Dec 2021
I made a run down to Monroe Co. on a calm, 34F morning. Skies were overcast as a large front approached from the West.
I stopped by the Lotus Rd. mudflats as a pair of Snow Geese were reported yesterday. I didn't find any, but counted 2000+ Ring-billed Gulls and 23 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. They didn't stay long; within the 10 minutes I was there they lifted off as a mass, circled around, and took off for the landfill to the south.
The ponds east of I-75 and Summit Rd. held a pair of swans that were either Trumpeter or Tundra. Neither would turn their heads enough to solidify an ID.
Lotus Rd. mudflats, Monroe, Michigan, US
Dec 28, 2021 8:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: 34F Calm, overcast w/ large front approaching from west
2 species (+1 other taxa)
Trumpeter/Tundra Swan (Cygnus buccinator/columbianus) 2
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 2000 Large concentration of Ring-billed Gulls from nearby landfill. Lifted off 10 minutes after arrival. Estimate based on cluster count of 100 birds at a time.
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) 23 Exact count. Dark gray-backed gulls w/ smudgy heads and dark eye patches. 2nd-3rd year birds also seen swimming w/ adults. Smaller and not as black on the backs as Great Black-backed Gulls that have clean white heads.
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Luna Pier had two large rafts of Common Goldeneye that floated on calm waters. I made a video capture of the smaller raft with the intent of making a count. In doing so I spotted a Long-tailed Duck.
As I turned the scope to video capture the larger flock it took off over the water, so I put the Sony a1 and 200-600mm lens up to the lead bird, and fired away at 30 fps as the flock flew through my field of view. 892 frames later I counted a total of 1782 Common Goldeneye! Only other ducks were a pair of Lesser Scaup, Red-breasted Merganser, and another 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls among a dozen Ring-billed Gulls in the back.
Dec 28, 2021 9:25 AM - 9:40 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Checklist Comments: Video scan and photo sweep of 2 large Common Goldeneye rafts on Lake Erie. Waters calm; 35F
8 species
Redhead (Aythya americana) 1
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) 6
Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) 1
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) 1752 Two large rafts of single species. Took video sweep of smaller raft, then larger raft took off to the west, so I put camera on lead bird, held down shutter, and grabbed 800 frames at 30 fps (Sony a1, 200-600mm lens) and did a frame by frame count as birds passed by left edge of each image.
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) 4
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 12
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 6
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) 8
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S9
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Dec 28, 2021 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.1 mile(s)
3 species
Gadwall (Mareca strepera) 37
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 22
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 240
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Next stop was Wm. Sterling State Park to look for American White Pelicans. It did not disappoint. I counted 70 birds in the west lagoon at the south end of the park. A more accurate count would have been possible if it weren't for the 3 dozen Mute Swans among them.
Hooded Mergansers continue in the south lagoon by the hundreds.
Sterling SP, Monroe, Michigan, US
Dec 28, 2021 10:15 AM - 10:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: 35F, cloudy, calm
11 species
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 24
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) 2
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 12
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) 235 South lagoon, continuing raft of males and females
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) 6
American Coot (Fulica americana) 12
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 24
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 240 Most at Union Camp Marsh off Elm Street
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) 70 West Lagoon of Sterling State Park, continuing. Scoped the entire lagoon and found 2 large roosts of 20 and 35 birds, plus single birds scattered among the two dozen Mute Swans. Accurate count.
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 6
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) 4
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S9
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
As I drove down Waterworks Rd. toward Dixie Hwy I spotted a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in the trees next to the road. I was able to turn around and drive by w/ the window down to photograph it. The bird paid me no attention as it perched directly across the road, and made two short flights up the road to new hunting perches. I left it to hunt and continued north toward Pt. Mouillee SGA.
Dec 28, 2021 10:15 AM - 10:25 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
1 species
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Lyle Hamilton had reported a Yellow-headed Blackbird off Port Sunlight Rd. during yesterday's Rockwood Christmas Bird Count, so I drove down the road looking for it. A flock of European Starlings were murmuring over the field to the south, but I only saw 1 Red-winged Blackbird among them. I did manage to see an American Kestrel fly up to a spruce tree top before continuing on its way.
Dec 28, 2021 10:30 AM - 10:40 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
3 species
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 300
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
