Horned Grebes - 01 Mar 2023
March 2023 came in like a lamb. With clear skies, no winds, and temps pushing 50F it has been a glorious day here in SE Michigan. Robin and I were on WSU campus all morning, and drove to Shelby Twp to pick up art supplies after class, but on the way home I decided I should take advantage of the good weather and take the bike to Pt. Mouillee SGA. After a quick pizza dinner I was out the door and on my way for a 4:30 pm arrival.
The digiscoping rig was back on its backpack, and I was carrying the Sony a1 and 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS this evening. As I drove to PMSGA Bobby Irwin reported seeing 16 Horned Grebes and a Common Loon at Cove Point. I decided to park at Siegler Rd. and ride the North Causeway see if any loons were in the Huron River or Lake Erie shoreline farther south.
Red-winged Blackbirds were staging on the side of the causeway so I obliged their desire for attention.
Out on the Huron River a small raft of Canvasback were in the middle of the river while scattered Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead and Ruddy Ducks swam a bit closer tso shore. The highlight was the first flocks of Ring-necked Ducks making their debut in 2023.
Lesser Scaup were fairly cooperative with a few couples swimming near shore; they swam fast as I approached on bike.
The setting Sun was a bit harsh to the south so it was difficult to ID any ducks swimming in the interior units, but I did see a small flock of Common Mergansers in the Vermet Unit as I approached the Banana and Cell 5.
As I reached the Banana I noticed flocks of scaup flying into the mouth of the Huron River from Lake Erie and curiously they were almost exclusively Greater Scaup. Note the white on the secondaries extending onto the primaries. The females also show a larger white patch on the base of the bill. The glossy green heads are also a nice clue as the Lesser Scaup "tend" to show a purple head.
As I reached the Lake Erie side of Cell 5 the lake appeared surprising empty of ducks. Only a few Common Mergansers made fly-by appearances.
Looping around to the north end of Cell 4 and the east side of the Vermet Unit meant riding into the setting Sun. Which meant difficult viewing conditions of the few ducks in Cell 4 and in the Vermet Unit. I decided to continue south past the Middle Causeway and, instead of looping south along the east side of Cell 3 I would continue on the dike down to the south end of Cell 3 and loop counterclockwise back to the north end.
My decision was rewarded. As I reached the Lake Erie shoreline at the southeast end of Cell 3 I spotted 5 Horned Grebes swimming next to shore. I waited for them to dive then took off on foot with the 200-600 with the hopes of getting some images. Each time they dived I ran along the dike to get closer and was rewarded with some nice images in great lighting.
After huffing and puffing my way back to the bike I rode up toward the NE corner of Cell 3. I surprised a drake Red-breasted Merganser scampering off the beach next to Cell 3 and found another 5 Horned Grebes swimming a bit farther out on the lake. Again, with great lighting behind me I was able to get some nice images of the merganser and the grebes.
As I reached the barge equipment at the south end of Cell 4 I spotted a single drake Common Goldeneye swimming between the rigs. I was able to get some pics as the poor little guy did his best to get back out to open water. There, he joined a small raft of Lesser Scaup and Redhead ducks.
A large raft of 2000-3000 Greater Scaup were tucked at the mouth of the entrance to Cell 4 on Lake Erie. Only 1 Horned Grebe was seen in Cell 4.
I headed west along the Middle Causeway and found myself scattering flocks of distant ducks in the Vermet, Humphries and Long Pond Units. With the setting Sun in the SW skies lighting was deteriorating, but the sunset was gorgeous.
As I turned northward along the dike separating Long Pond and Vermet Units I came upon flocks of Gadwall, American Wigeon, and Northern Pintails.
Overhead the moon was catching the last light from the setting Sun and glowed white against the still-blue sky.
I had hoped to see a Short-eared Owl or two, but I settled for a couple sightings of Northern Harriers along the Long Pond Unit. With the Sun disappearing below the horizon I made my way back to the North Causeway and back to the car by 6:45 pm.
Tomorrow is supposed to be cloudy and breezy and Friday is forecasted to bring a winter storm w/ 3-6" snow. I'm glad I got out this evening.
Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Mar 1, 2023 4:30 PM - 7:15 PM
Protocol: Traveling
13.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Clear, mild, 50F, no wind!
15 species
Gadwall (Mareca strepera) 30
American Wigeon (Mareca americana) 20
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) 6
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) 60
Redhead (Aythya americana) 30
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) 6
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) 2550 Massive raft of Greater Scaup at mouth of Cell 4 and Lake Erie. Concentrated, sleeping birds with a few swimming along perimeter. Round heads, glossy green. No Lessers seen among them. Scope views from western side of Banana.
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) 50
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 30
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) 1
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) 16
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) 1
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) 12
Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus) 11
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 12
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
