Shorebirds Have Left the Building - 16 Jun 2024

I headed to Pt. Mouillee SGA this morning to check on shorebirds. A weather front moved through the area last evening and this morning it was warm but windy (15-20 mph). Luckily, winds were NE so I'd at least have it at my back on the ride back to the car. 

I stopped by the Antenna Farm on the way to look for a possible Blue Grosbeak. I did not see or hear any, but was surprised at the number of Eastern Meadowlarks in the grass and along the fence line along Haggerman Rd. The grass in front of the fence had been mowed, but not too low, and birds were flushing from it toward the fence and singing from various locations. I counted 11 birds - a personal high for this place!

The grass was also cut along the fence line just inside the Antenna Farm but only along the perimeter, so it was nice to see and hear Bobolink and Dickcissels continuing. Horned Larks scattered along the road ahead of me but did not present any photo opps.

Antenna Farm, Monroe, Michigan, US
Jun 16, 2024 7:00 PM - 7:10 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
10 species

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  4
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)  4
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  12
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  1
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)  2
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  2
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)  2
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)  11
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  8
Dickcissel (Spiza americana)  3

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S182547994

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

I parked at Mouillee Creek parking lot and biked directly to Cell 3 of the Banana Unit. With the wind blowing there was nothing of interest to stop to photograph. I did rescue a nice Map Turtle from the Middle Causeway and returned it to the Humphries Unit (hopefully it wasn't trying to dig a nest...).

I parked the bike next to the pipes at the north end of Cell 3 and hiked my way through the Lady's Thumb growing along the edge of the expanse of mudflats. As I reached the mudflats I saw Andy Dettling hiking in from the east side of Cell 3 closer to the water's edge. So as not to disturb him I scoped the open waters of Cell 3 from the north end.

Immdediately I could tell that the shorebirds had all but disappeared. I only saw 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper and it was the individual with a broken wing; the rest of the several dozen flock was gone from a few days ago. I didn't see any Dunlin, either. Andy would report 15 Semipalms and 5 Dunlin, and I would see them once he left and I was able to walk farther south toward the water's edge.

Black Terns were not seen this morning, either. Only a few dozen Ring-billed Gulls, Forster's Terns and Caspian Terns were present. Winds were blowing so I didn't even try to take any photographs. No American White Pelicans roosting here this morning.

I headed back to the bike and rode back to the car via the Middle Causeway, then around the Walpatich Unit. Nothing exciting to report.

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Jun 16, 2024 7:13 AM - 8:48 AM
Protocol: Traveling
7.011 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Overcast, 66F, windy NE at 20 mph
39 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  57
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  16
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  4
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)  3
Gadwall (Mareca strepera)  2
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  16
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)  2     Adult and juv male in Cell 3
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  1
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)  2
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  8
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  14
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)  1
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  2
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)  5     Last of the Dunlin flock in Cell 3. Everything moved out with the winds
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  15     Broken wing. Rest of flock gone
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  32
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  12
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  10
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  13
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)  4
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)  1
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  2
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  1
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)  1
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)  1
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  12
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  2
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)  6
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  34
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  2
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  5
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  26
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  2
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  2
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S181812382

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