Windy Morning at the Moo - 12 Mar 2024

With temps set to hit 60F today and with clear skies the urge to bird was high. However, winds were supposed to be gusty today, so I decided I better go early (8 am) to avoid the rough ride. A bright sunrise and Southwest winds would make most of the bike ride today challenging.

I parked at Mouillee Creek and rode the Middle Causeway to the first junction of the Walpatich Unit. I then headed north around the Walpatich Unit to the east side then up around the Nelson Unit and Long Pond Unit to the North Causeway. Small groups of Ring-necked Ducks, Mallard, and Canada Geese scattered as I approached so photos were hard to come by. I'd be lucky to get a few long-distance photos of Gadwall flying in the morning Sun.

The Long Pond Unit was showing nicely this morning. I was taken by the cornstalks reflecting on the water against darkened skies to the west.

The North Causeway was quiet. Approximately 450 Lesser/Greater Scaup were swimming in the Huron River, but Bufflehead numbers appeared to jump (~50) with most birds near shore. Backlighting prevented any photos, so I continued on east toward the Banana Unit. Sunlight was hard on the eyes so I rode on around to the Lake Erie side with nothing to photograph. 

A pair of Common Mergansers were the only ducks in Cell 4, but a small flock of Bonaparte's Gulls appeared over the Vermet and flew south across the cell toward Lake Erie.

The massive raft of ducks continues in the Vermet with estimated 3500 (at least) scaup, Redhead, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Northern Pintail, Gadwall and American Wigeon stretched along the entire north-south length of the unit. American White Pelicans were absent this morning so all of the white birds in the Vermet were Mute Swans.

I rode down to the north end of Cell 3 and found a large concentration of Northern Pintail (40-50), Northern Shoveler, and Mallard. They were skittish so I could only manage long-shots of the pintail when they flushed.

Green-winged Teal tend to form tight formations when flying so I could ID these guys when they made a distant pass even though they were just ducks through the viewfinder.

Lake Erie was absent of birds from the north end of Cell 3 down to Cell 1. Unfortunately, the winds were picking up and the ride was tough. I found some relief at the north end of Cell 1 when headed west back toward the Humphries Unit, and back north toward the Middle Causeway. 

Duck numbers were high in the Humprhies Unit (1000-3000) but they were distant. I did see small rafts of American Coot that seem to be increasing lately. 

The Middle Causeway was a tough ride w/ the winds, but I did manage to flush a Short-eared Owl from the phragmites next to the SE corner of the Vermet. It disappeared quickly over the phragmites so I had not opportunity to stop and get pics.

Bufflehead and Ring-necked Ducks are starting to hang in the Walpatich Unit; but they scattered upon approach.

I returned to the car and headed for home.

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Mar 12, 2024 8:19 AM - 10:28 AM
Protocol: Traveling
11.892 mile(s)
32 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  97
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  87
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  6
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)  24
Gadwall (Mareca strepera)  220
American Wigeon (Mareca americana)  16
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  86
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)  2
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)  44
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  14
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)  6
Redhead (Aythya americana)  24
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)  6
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  450
Greater/Lesser Scaup (Aythya marila/affinis)  3500     Vermet and Humphries. Only couple hundred in Huron River
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  53
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)  12
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)  16
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  2
American Coot (Fulica americana)  245
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)  1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  12
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  25     Flock flying from Vermet to Cell 4 to Lake Erie. Small bright gulls w white wing flash.
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  26
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  6
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  2
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)  1     Middle Causeway at Banana. Flushed and flew over Vermet.
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)  23
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  15
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  66
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S164514238

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

As I was driving Gibraltar Road west toward I-75 I had to slow down when a pair of Wild Turkeys starting walking toward the road next to a warehouse. I stopped long enough to get a few pics of one bird next to the passenger side window and wait for traffic behind me to be alerted to their presence. Everyone slowed, so yay.

Gibraltar Road, Wayne, Michigan, US
Mar 12, 2024 10:30 AM - 10:35 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.1 mile(s)
1 species

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S164711778

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