Black-bellied Whistling Duck - 31 Jul 2022
A Black-bellied Whistling Duck was reported at Pt. Mouillee SGA on 29 July 2022 just 30 minutes after I left. The bird was found in the Bad Creek Unit just south of the Pump House by Geoff Malosh. This evening, after driving back from Cleveland, I decided to make a run to look for it.
I parked at Mouillee Creek and headed east on the Middle Causeway to the Pump House, then south on the trail running along the Bad Creek. I stopped at the of the hill just past the gravel patch and scoped the Humphries Unit to the south. I had forgotten both my binoculars and the lens hood to the 200-600mm lens so I was feeling a bit naked.
Great Egrets, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Wood Ducks, Black Ducks, Gadwall and Mallard were foraging at a distance of about ¼ mile away. As I made a sweep of the far shoreline to the south I spotted the Black-bellied Whistling Duck among the Mallard. It was located at the mouth of a small canal that extending farther south into the Humphries Unit.
I needed the scope at 60X to see the BBWD and attempted to digiscope it at full magnification (EFL~3600 mm). Heat distortion was a problem, so I took a 4K video clip and relied on frame grabs to get sharp(ish) images. The dark chestnut bird w/ gray head, white eye-ring, bright pink-red bill, black belly and gray wings with white feathering was distinctive.
I returned to the Middle Causeway and rode along the south side of the Long Pond and found a nice roost of Great Egrets (dozens) and Great Blue Herons. Among them were also 3 American White Pelicans.
I did find a few Lesser Yellowlegs including one bird close enough to digiscope. Nearby a juvenile Least Sandpiper was also close enough for a few pics.
I headed to the NE corner of the Humphries Unit to look for the Black-necked Stilts. Unable to locate any (I think they're gone) I turned the scope on a single Semipalmated Plover and three Spotted Sandpipers (2 juveniles and one adult).
With the weekend getting late I headed back to the car. I took advantage of the east wind and enjoyed a nice ride w/ the wind at my back.
Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Jul 31, 2022 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Black-bellied Whistling Duck found by Geoff Malosh on 29 July 2022 in Bad Creek Unit; went to look for it.
36 species
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) 1 First reported by Geoff Malosh on 29 Jul 2022 on Discord App. Found in Humphries Unit out from Bad Creek Unit just south of Pumphouse. Chestnut brown tall duck w/ gray head, white eye-ring, and bright pink-red bill. Black belly, gray wings with white forewing, pink legs. Digiscoped images/video grabs.
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 6
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) 18
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 6
Gadwall (Mareca strepera) 4
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 24
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) 6 Dark mallard-sized ducks with purple scapulars and bright yellow bills; among Mallard in Humphries Unit.
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 3
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 2
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 2
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) 1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 6
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 1
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 4
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 16
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 3
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) 3
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 4
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 12
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 12
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 1
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) 1
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 40
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 6
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 12
Purple Martin (Progne subis) 2
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 2
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 2
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 6
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) 1
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 1
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 12
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 4
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
