Marsh Wrens - 29 Jul 2022
I took a vacation day and planned to bird Pt. Mouillee SGA. Arriving at Mouillee Creek a bit before 0730 Hrs I headed out onto the Middle Causeway. I didn't ride far before running into Joan and Bob Zeller Bonnin and friend Mark (?). We chatted a bit before I rode on toward the Bad Creek Unit. Sun was shining and air was a bit cool (65F) but would soon rise to 80+F within an hour or two.
As I reached the SE corner of the Walpatich Unit I could hear Swamp Sparrows trilling, and spotted a Green Heron perched on a nearby rail. It prompted me to dismount and spend some time digiscoping both subjects, which were somewhat backlit by the sunrise.
Heading south just past the Pumphouse I rode past colonies of Purple Martins and American Tree Swallows roosting along the Bad Creek shoreline. I would photograph and digiscope these birds on the way back and so continued on around the bend to scope the open marsh for Great Egrets, Wood Ducks, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral Sandpipers, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, and dozens of Mallard. Had I rode further I may have spotted a Black-bellied Whistling Duck that was reported farther south just an hour later...
I rode back to the Pumphouse, pausing to digiscope the swallows and martins, and ran into Bob, Joan and Mark. With their permission I decided to leave the bike and walk with them out to where the Black-necked Stilt families were relocated just yesterday (NE corner of Humphries).
Along the way we walked along the south side of the Bloody Run and Long Pond Units and spotted dozens of Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons staging farther north in the units, and singles of Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers and a Solitary Sandpiper along the south shore (too bad the birds were severely backlit otherwise photos might have been possible).
Marsh Wrens were chattering just a few feet away from where we were walking but initial attempts to see any were fruitless. After 10 minutes of trying we settled for a fly-over of three American White Pelicans.
The walk was casual and pleasant, and along the way we stopped to grab fly-by photos of Caspian Terns, Great Egrets, and Mallard. I had the opportunity to get a few pics of Woodland Skippers, Black Swallowtails and Cloudless Sulphur butterflies. Halloween Pennants were also everywhere, so the gratuitous pic or two of the dragonfly was required.
As we reached the Vermet Unit the Marsh Wrens became a bit more cooperative with a few popping up long enough for quick photos w/ the telephoto lenses. Beautifully illuminated the tiny wrens sang and chattered.
Unfortunately for the group we could no locate any of the Black-necked Stilts. The NE corner of Humphries only produced a few Painted Turtles, Pectoral Sandpiper, several Killdeer, and small groups of young European Starlings. Such a disappointment after the long walk.
A diving Osprey softened the blow just a bit.
Joan needed a rest, so she and Bob remained while Mark and I walked back to the cars. A wonderful morning of birding with the highlight being the company more-so than the great birds.
Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Jul 29, 2022 7:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 mile(s)
17 species
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 6
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 4
Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) 1
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 6
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 6
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) 1
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 6
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) 3
Green Heron (Butorides virescens) 1
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 46
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 12
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 145
Purple Martin (Progne subis) 28
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 4
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 12
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 3
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
