Great Blue Heron - 02 Feb 2023

Clear skies greeted the day, but unfortunately the winds did so, as well. I had the plan to drive to Pt. Mouillee in the early afternoon to take a walk along the North Causeway, but construction on the bridge at Riverside Park caused me to turn around and backtrack to Campau Rd. and Lake Erie Metropark. 

Though the canals were frozen the Great Blue Herons were out in force. This bird was next to the broken bridge and flew off as I made my way across the ruts in the road. With the 600/4 lens I was too close, but got nice detailed images as it flew off.

Another heron was on the driver side of the canal but was gone when I appeared. Several more were on the ice a hundred yards away.

As I pulled into the HQ parking lot another pair of Great Blue Herons were on the ice in the canal. I photographed one bird from the driver side of the car while the other one had to wait until I looped the parking lot and returned.

While driving the ice-covered parking lot I found yet another Great Blue Heron next to the observation platform on the ice. It was pretty backlit but pretty, still! At least the bird just outside the fence was better lit.

Pte. Mouillee SGA--HQ, Wayne, Michigan, US
Feb 2, 2023 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
1 species

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  8     2 in canal along Campau Rd. passenger side, 3rd on driver's side of same canal, 3 more at far end of canal south of Campau Rd., 2 more on ice at HQ parking lot.

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S158781630

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

I drove down Lee Rd. and walked to Cove Point at the south end of Lake Erie Metropark. Winds were strong enough to keep me from spending much time there, but the raft of Canvasback and Redhead stretched almost a mile long and numbered 20,000+ ducks. A few scattered Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Black Duck, Mallard, and dozens of Tundra Swans and Mute Swans.

As I returned to the car I spotted several American Tree Sparrows in the phragmites, but couldn't photograph them well due to the wind blowing the 600mm lens around like a sail.

Cove Point, Lake Erie Metropark, Wayne, Michigan, US
Feb 2, 2023 3:00 PM - 3:20 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.2 mile(s)
9 species

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  20
Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)  36
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  22
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)  12
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)  10000     raft of mixed Can/Red stretching almost mile long out from Cove Point; Estimated 50/50 each
Redhead (Aythya americana)  10000     raft of mixed Can/Red stretching almost mile long out from Cove Point; Estimated 50/50 each
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  30
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)  45
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)  4

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S158782440

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

A loop through the refuge yielded nothing, as did a loop through Elizabeth Park. 

Tomorrow's forecast calls for single-digit temps and windchills below zero, but Saturday and beyond calls for a warmup toward the 50's next week.