Mostly clear skies greeted this Monday morning as I arrived at the Mouillee Creek parking lot. Temps were already 45F at 8:00 am and would hit 55F by the time I left 2.5 hrs later. Red-winged Blackbirds, Song Sparrows, Carolina Wrens and Northern Cardinals were singing loudly as I prepared the bike and cameras for the ride along Mouillee Creek and the Middle Causeway.
The first Bufflehead were seen swimming in the Walpatich Unit just west of the Pumphouse. Ring-necked Ducks were also starting to show in this, their usual spring haunt, area of the SGA. Mouillee Creek itself was surprisingly clear of birds.
As I continued on past the Pumphouse the first Killdeer were seen (and heard). Flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds were flying overhead. Small rafts of Mallard, Canvasback, Ring-necked Ducks and Gadwall were starting to appear in the Humphries Unit to the east.
I headed north on the dike separating Long Pond and Vermet Units and managed to flush a Northern Harrier from the bank of the Vermet Unit. I'd hoped for better light but the bird continued flying east into the sunrise.
I reached the North Causeway and headed east toward the Banana Unit. A large raft of ~2000 ducks consisting of Lesser and Greater Scaup, Gadwall, Canvasback, Redhead and Ring-necked Ducks were swimming in the Huron River. Several small groups of Lesser Scaup scattered from the shoreline as I approached. Again, with the Sun in my eyes the lighting was less than optimal for photographing them.
Approximately 1500 of the ducks lifted off the river and swirled overhead before heading toward the Vermet Unit where they settled down among another 500 or so ducks. I would see a large raft of these ducks stretching the entire north-south length of the unit when I returned from the east side of the Banana Unit.
As lighting got better small groups of Canvasback flew overhead.
As did large flocks of Gadwall.
Cell 5 and the Lake Erie shoreline were absent of ducks. As was the north end of Cell 4. Returning to the east side of the Vermet I set up the scope and scanned the mile-long raft of ducks looking for any oddities; I'd find a dozen or so Northern Shovelers, American Wigeon, and two-dozen Northern Pintail among the mostly Lesser Scaup / Gadwall / Ring-necked Duck concentration.
A small flock of Northern Shoveler made a fly-by.
As I entered numbers into eBird I had the thought that no Green-winged Teal would be seen today. Then, almost immediately a flock of 6 Green-winged Teal flew in tight formation over the Vermet and then passed directly overhead!
I continued south along the west side of the Banana Unit past Cell 4 south and then looped east around the north end of the Humphries Unit and Cell 3. Cell 3 had a nice concentration of 46 Northern Pintail and dozens more Ring-necked Ducks, Mallard and Gadwall. As I continued south along the Lake Erie shoreline the sandy beach across from Cell 3 was empty except for a lone Great Black-backed Gull swimming offshore.
A nice sign of spring was hearing the first Chorus Frogs singing in the phragmites of Cell 3.
I looped back around the south end of Cell 2 and headed back to the west side of the Banana and the Humphries Unit. There I scoped the mass of ducks that numbered another ~1500. Huge numbers of Ring-necked Ducks swam along the perimeter of scaup and Canvasbacks. As flocks lifted off and flew on my approach I got a nice fly-by from this female Canvasback.
Ring-necked Ducks ruled the morning, however. They were everywhere!
I returned to the Middle Causeway and headed back west toward the car. 46 American White Pelicans were roosting in the Vermet Unit. The first Double-crested Cormorants could be seen, as well.
I stopped only when a few flocks of Canvasback flushed from the north end of the Humphries Unit.
I'd return to the car around 10:30 am and head home.
Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Mar 4, 2024 7:56 AM - 10:19 AM
Protocol: Traveling
11.529 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: 45F; ducks staging in Cells 2-3, Humphries and Vermet Units
22 species (+1 other taxa)
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 66
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 157
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) 24
Gadwall (Mareca strepera) 72
American Wigeon (Mareca americana) 30
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 325
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) 7
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) 68 Vermet 22 + Cell 3 46
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 8
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) 4
Redhead (Aythya americana) 12
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris) 94
Greater/Lesser Scaup (Aythya marila/affinis) 3500 Vermet
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 29
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) 6
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) 12
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 5
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 5 On the mud next to Pelican Island in Vermet Unit.
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) 1
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 2
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 136
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S163687765
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
