This morning I was catching up on Discord posts and took note that Justin Labadie had reported the White-winged Tern back at Pt. Mouillee SGA! The bird had been missing since July 4th and presumed to be long gone after being reported at Pt. Pelee NP. But, it was now providing great looks from the near shore of Cell 4. I had to get down there...
Right after an early lunch I headed to the parking lot at Roberts Road and headed out onto the South Causeway. I stopped in Cell 1 just long enough to see the American Avocet that was also reported this morning. As I continued north along the west side of the Banana Unit I kept running into folks who reported the White-winged Tern giving great looks in Cell 4. "It tends to fly off but returns every 10-20 minutes, so just be patient!."
I arrived at Cell 4 and ran into a couple that had driven here from Buffalo, NY. They had not seen it in the past 40 minutes and were disappointed to have to leave to drive back home without seeing the bird.
I waited with them for another 30 minutes but the bird did not show. At least we were being visited by a half-dozen Black Terns that foraged along the near shore and allowed me to redeem myself after failing to get any good flight shots of them a few days ago.
Juvenile Black Tern.
Adult Black Tern starting to show pre-basic molt (white feathers on face).
Below us the SW corner of Cell 4 was covered with seaweed, flotsam, jetsam, and dead minnows. Approximately 150 Least Sandpipers and a half-dozen Lesser Yellowlegs were foraging and provided a nice distraction while we waited for the White-winged Tern to show.
One Semipalmated Sandpiper was found among the Least Sandpipers (middle bird in the photo below).
Black Terns continued to fly in and forage in front of us, so filled up my 160 GB memory card capturing these beauties that have been so elusive the past several years. Even if the White-winged Tern did not reappear I'd at least enjoy the Black Terns and create a photo essay to honor them.
Adult Black Tern showing more-advanced pre-basic molt.
After about an hour of waiting I decided to ride around Cell 3. Justin had mentioned that the White-winged Tern had been seen roosting among the flock of Ring-billed Gulls in the middle of Cell 3 so I hoped to possibly see it there. The east side of Cell 3 was fruitless except for a few shorebirds (more Least Sandpipers) along the Lake Erie shoreline. I finally saw the gull flock, but scope views failed to show any terns among them.
As I rode the trail separating Cells 3 and 2 I ran into a huge dirt pile and a trench that would allow water to pass between the two, so I was forced to walk the bike across. When I reached the west side I scoped the gull flock again, and this time was able to see a dozen Caspian Terns among them. Black Terns were now flying in, as well, and settling in the flooded portion of the cell just east of the gull flock. It took me just 30 seconds to find the White-winged Tern perched atop a snag among them!
I immediately posted the bird's location and within minutes other birders showed up. We spent the next 30 minutes or so scoping the bird from the dike and attempting to get images from 100 yds away. Finally, the White-winged Tern lifted off with the Black Tern flock and headed toward us and out to the Humphries Unit behind us. I managed to the get the camera and 600/4 lens on it as it passed between us and the Sun that was trying to break through the heavy overcast skies.
As the White-winged Tern entered the Humphries Unit it turned north and passed by us and now allowed nice views of its white wings and tail. As reported earlier, it was also showing some pre-basic molt as evidenced by white feathering on its face.
As it flew by I could notice (from photos) that the edges of its primaries looked worn, as well. This is worth mentioning since there was a question whether this was the same bird seen here prior to the 4th of July Holiday???
I continued to "try" to photograph the tern as it worked its way farther out into the Humphries Unit, sometimes disappearing behind the cattails for several minutes at a time before reappearing. It was feeding mainly on dragonflies and damselflies that were abundant everywhere.
Eventually it drifted toward the north end of the Humphries Unit, so I headed back toward Cell 4 to look for it. When I couldn't find it I headed back to Cell 3 where it had now returned to its same roosting snag among as many as 18 Black Terns (half adults and half juveniles).
This time, I was alone, so I felt it possible to cross the ditch and climb the hill where I could digiscope it without any interference from vegetation. Distance, however, still made heat shimmer an issue. But, at 60X magnification the video still looked pretty good.
Other birders were now arriving so I retreated back to the dike and headed home. The White-winged Tern would remain visible to birders until later in the evening.
Pte. Mouillee SGA, Monroe, Michigan, US Jul 9, 2023 12:30 PM - 4:00 PM Protocol: Traveling 7.0 mile(s) Checklist Comments: Parked at Roberts Road, biked to Cell 4, around Cell 3, back to Cell 4 twice, then back to car. Cloudy then clearing, humid, calm. 29 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 36 Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 2 Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) 2 Pair in NE corner of Humphries Unit. Continuing. Black bills, orange-stained necks. Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 2 Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 14 Redhead (Aythya americana) 2 Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 6 Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 145 two flocks of 70+ birds in the SW corner of Cell 4 plus scattered birds in Cell 3. Small peeps w/ yellow legs. Non-breeding adults with 1 breeding adult confirmed (clean white chest w/ red in back feathers, face and cap). Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 1 Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 6 Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 150 Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 11 Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) 21 White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) 1 Believed to be the same bird from last week was refound yesterday in Cells 4 and 3. This afternoon it spent most of the time in Cell 3 among Black Terns roosting in fresh wet ponds just east of a large flock of roosting Ring-billed Gulls and Caspian Terns. Flew into Humphries Unit for 30 minutes before returning to roost in Cell 3 again. Black body, head (now showing pre-basic molt of white feathers on face) and scapulars with white wings and tail. Photos. Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) 26 Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 3 American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) 14 Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 2 Great Egret (Ardea alba) 1 Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) 1 Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1 Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 1 Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 6 Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) 6 Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 6 Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 1 Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 12 Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 1 Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) 1
