Lost in Space - 27 Apr 2023

With bike in tow I headed to Erie Marsh in s. Monroe Co. to look for shorebirds and warblers. Then I got lost...

I arrived at the Bay Creek fluddle (flooded field/puddle) shortly before 9 am and found only a couple of Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs as notable shorebirds. 

Pulling into the Erie Marsh Preserve I spotted Jim Fowler and Dave Washington scoping something on the dike separating ponds 1 and 2. I walked over and Jim mentioned that they had a Ross' Goose on the dike! I grabbed my scope to get some documentation and managed a 30 second digiscoped clip before it took off.

Three Bald Eagles had decided to go fishing in both ponds and this one came up with a shad in front of the goose, scaring it into the sky. 

The Ross' Goose flew briefly to the north before circling around and flying toward us. I was able to get the 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens on it as it approached and get some images in flight. After passing behind the trees the goose circled back and flew directly overhead! I was able to get some nice diagnostic images of its short neck, stubby bill, and lack of grin patch that should be good for Ross' Goose. The black feathers along the primaries were slightly on the light side and incomplete, but terminated at the secondaries that suggest a sub-adult bird. I'm presuming that this is the same bird that Jack Volker found and photographed on the 17th of this month.

The goose disappeared again to the north, so I unloaded the bike and planned to ride the outer dike of the preserve. To date only a few warbler spp. had been reported: Pine, Yellow, Yellow-rumped, and Parula. 

Yellow Warblers were notable this morning. Many were singing, but none were giving presentable looks.

I finally found a Yellow-rumped Warbler along the eastern side of the outer dike but images were distant and in need of cropping. 

A few Hermit Thrushes darted across the trail ahead of me, but none were stopping. A single Veery made an appearance, but would not stay still for any photos.

A few openings in the treeline allowed views of the marsh to the west. Fields E and D were flooded enough to attract a few Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. I stopped long enough for a few digiscoped images.

I rode to the north end of the outer dike and saw a soaring Red-tailed Hawk. As I photographed it a Northern Harrier made an appearance before continuing to the north.

Double-crested Cormorants were roosting in the large reservoir to the north. I had hoped to scope them to see if the Neotropic Cormorant was among them, but they scattered. I got one fly-over subject that did not show any white around its mandibles.

At the NW corner of the outer loop I had to turn back. Construction continues on the main dike so there was no riding through. I turned back and (initially) planned to ride back to the car along the outer dike.

But, at the dike separating Fields D and E I spotted a large flock of Dunlin foraging among Greater Yellowlegs, Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets in the shallow ditch along the south side of Field D. I decided to ride out onto the dike to get a better view and see if any rarities might be present. I scattered a pair of Blue-winged Teal from the field to my left.

Aside from the Dunlin and yellowlegs there were no other shorebirds to be seen. I decided at this point to continue on across the marsh back to the car. Remnants of last week's burn were evident along the shoreline of several of the fields. Scorched earth could be seen on either sides of the trail, and this allowed nice views of more Dunlin, Greater/Lesser Yellowlegs, and Killdeer. 

When I reached the junction along the east side of Field C I had to choose left or right trails. Thinking the right trail headed back to the construction zone I chose left. I chose wrong. The trail took me toward the parking lot alright, but I was on the inner dike system.

So, when I reached the cabins there was a large channel between me and civilization. Continuing south around Field A took me past the maintenance buildings and the channel floodgate; I was not about to try walking across it to the parking lot. I continued on hoping for an exit, but only returned eastward toward the open marsh. 

I followed the trail along the perimeters of Fields A, G and F until I finally came to the dike heading back toward the outer loop. Unfortunately, the pumphouse blocked the exit to the outer dike right at the shoreline, so I was forced to backtrack back to the dike separating Fields F and E. Continuing on northward I finally reached the dike where I started my adventure, and headed back to the Outer Dike where I headed back to the car. Exhausted, I stopped a few times to walk and to photograph the first butterflies of Spring: American Lady and Red Admiral Butterflies.

I finally reached the car about noon. I was exhausted, but kinda glad I made the effort to check out the dike system of the entire preserve. 

Erie Marsh Preserve, Monroe, Michigan, US
Apr 27, 2023 8:54 AM - 12:04 PM
Protocol: Traveling
7.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Clear, cool, 47F
55 species

Ross's Goose (Anser rossii)  1     Jim Fowler and Dave Washington were scoping the white goose on the dike between ponds 1 and 2 when I arrived. Digiscoped video taken for 30 seconds before it flushed by 3 Bald Eagles fishing in pond 1. Bird flew north, circled, headed back toward us and flew overhead allowing good photos of wings (dark along primaries ending at secondaries suggest sub-adult); short neck, stubby bill with no discernible grin patch. Photos and video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe-sMiiJB04)
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  12
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  2
Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)  2
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  5
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)  2
Gadwall (Mareca strepera)  6
American Wigeon (Mareca americana)  2
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  12
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  4
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  2
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)  2
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  2
Sora (Porzana carolina)  1
American Coot (Fulica americana)  18
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  6
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata)  22     Scattering from the dikes in groups of 2 - 3 between Fields E and C. Loud "Skype!" when flushing. Long bills.
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  6
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)  4
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)  27
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  6
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  4
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  2
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  24
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)  12
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  6
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  2
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  2
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)  1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  12
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  1
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  2
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  2
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  2
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  6
Purple Martin (Progne subis)  1
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula)  2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea)  1
Veery (Catharus fuscescens)  1
Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus)  3
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  6
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  1
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  1
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  4
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  6
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  4
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  18
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)  8
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  4
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  8
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)  2
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  5

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S135267952

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

I drove out and stopped along Bay Creek Road to check the fluddle, again. This time, I counted 37 American Avocets in the field. I didn't bother to take any pics as lighting was overhead and glaring. Still, it was a nice end to the morning trip. I even stopped at Burger King for the first time in ~15 years and had a Whopper!

Erie SGA--Bay Creek Rd., Monroe, Michigan, US
Apr 27, 2023 12:30 PM - 12:40 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Clear, cool, 47F
3 species

American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana)  37     Exact count. In large flooded field east of Bay Creek Rd. Among Greater/Lesser Yellowlegs (2 each). Tall shorebirds w/ orange necks/face, black and white wings, and long slender decurved bills.
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  2
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S158459878

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