Fall Migration Has Begun? - 28 Jun 2024

An American Avocet was reported yesterday in Cell 3 at Pt. Mouillee SGA and I was anxious to get down there this morning to check on the shorebird activity. Anxious enough that I forgot my scope...

I arrived at Mouillee Creek at 8:30 am and rode the Middle Causeway around to the the west side of the Walpatich Unit. A pair of Green Herons flushing in front me were skittish enough that I'd never get close enough for pics. Swamp Sparrows were singing in the phragmites but refusing to show themselves.

As the marsh opened up and I was able to scan the open flats of the Walpatich Unit a pair of Sandhill Cranes were close enough to unholster the Sony 600/4 and A1. Despite wobbly arms I managed to capture the cranes in the low light of a windy, cloudy morning. I do believe that the latest Sony A1 Ver. 2.02 has improved AF and Tracking. Still, I wished that I had grabbed the monopod that was in the car.

 

A half-dozen Killdeer were scattered about, but I was pleasantly surprised to see 3 Least Sandpipers fly in. They appear to be worn adults.

There were another half-dozen Lesser Yellowlegs flying about. This one was quite cooperative at 20'.

As I rode through the Laughtenschlager and Nelson Units toward the North Causeway I stopped a couple of times to photograph very loud Marsh Wrens, but they weren't showing with the wind blowing (SE at 10-15 mph).

As I reached the Vermet Unit from the North Causeway I spotted a roosting flock of Canada Geese on the small island jutting out from the Huron River shoreline. Just out from them I spotted a goldeneye bathing and wanted to verify that I was looking at a female Common Goldeneye. Sure enough, its black bill verified a Common Goldeneye (a female Barrow's Goldeneye would show a yellow bill).

I reached the east side of the Vermet Unit at the Banana and rode south toward the Middle Causeway. Danny Bernard had just posted that the avocet was not seen in Cell 3 so I was thinking of skipping the ride. However, as I reached the Middle Causeway it was still early enough that I should at least check out the water levels. I stopped only to photograph a young Eastern Cottontail Rabbit.

Winds were pretty strong coming in off Lake Erie. This Osprey was fighting the winds as it flew south along the shoreline. 

At Cell 3 I had to bushwack through the Giant Parsley to get a view of the open water and mudflats. When I did was surprised to see a couple dozen small 'peeps' foraging along the water's edge. Several more Lesser Yellowlegs and a Short-billed Dowitcher seemed to confirm that Fall Shorebird Migration has already begun (I normally use July 4th as the start of the migration).

A count of Forster's Terns (97) and Black Terns (8) roosting among several more Caspian Terns and Ring-billed Gulls was impressive. Without a scope I would rely on Danny's report of 3-dozen Least Sandpipers, several Semipalmated Sandpipers, 2 White-rumped Sandpipers to get the ID's correct.

Returning to the bike I headed back toward the Middle Causeway and stopped when an Indigo Bunting stayed atop the flower stalk ahead of me. They are so hard to photograph...

Heading back to the car along the Middle Causeway I was entertained by several Forster's Terns foraging close to shore. With them fighting the wind it was fun to catch them diving for minnows. 

Heavy rains are forecasted for this evening and tomorrow morning (we'd get 2+" before noon Saturday).

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Jun 28, 2024 8:27 AM - 10:15 AM
Protocol: Traveling
8.805 mile(s)
53 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  36
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  2
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  1
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  1
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)  1
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  16
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  2
Redhead (Aythya americana)  2
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  6
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)  1
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)  6
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  2
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  2
Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)  1
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)  1
American Coot (Fulica americana)  2
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)  2
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  11
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)  1
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)  1
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  2
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  8
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)  22     Cell 3 had 20-30 per D Bernard. I counted 22 with only 4 more being Semipalms. Worn adults w warm brown wings, yellow legs and distinct bibs.
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  4
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  2
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  14
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  2
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  6
Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)  8
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  103
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  2
Green Heron (Butorides virescens)  2
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  9
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  5
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  2
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)  2
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)  6
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  22
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  18
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)  2
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  12
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  4
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  4
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  3
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)  2
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  46
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)  7
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  5
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  1
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  1
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S184171002

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