Tern, Tern, Tern - 14 Jun 2024

Clear skies, calm breeze and mild temps made for a great bike ride at Pt. Mouillee SGA this morning. Temps were currently at 60F and forecasted to hit 80F this afternoon.

I parked at Mouillee Creek and headed out onto the Middle Causeway. I did not even get past the gate before this Great-crested Flycatcher flew in and landed in the early-morning light. I had to photograph it between the gate railings as I was sitting on the bike.

 

Birds were relatively quiet along the causeway so I rode directly to Cell 3. Hiking across the mowed ditch and through the 6 ft tall vegetation I made my way to the edge of the mudflats of Cell 3. Lacewing damselflies were fluttering by the hundreds, and a fresh mayfly hatch left me covered in dozens of mayflies. 

Initial scoping of the mudflats revealed several dozen American White Pelicans and another several dozen Forster's Terns, Caspian Terns, Common Terns and Black Terns. This morning I'd count 18 (mostly adults with 2-3 juveniles). I'd re-find the pair of Red-necked Phalaropes from 2 days ago, and count another 6 White-rumped Sandpipers among the remaining Dunlin and Semipalmated Sandpipers that are quickly dwindling. I did not find the American Avocet or the Black-necked Stilt that has been reported the past couple days (it would show up an hour after I left).

With no one else around I decided to hike out onto the mudflats and get closer to the action that was still 50 yards away. I managed to get as far as a small clump of willow trees that were growing in the middle of the flats and position myself next a clump of trees my height. My presence didn't affect the birds that were alternating between roosting and flushing every few minutes. They'd fly, circle, and return to their same spot only to repeat the cycle again several minutes later. I quietly digiscoped and photographed them with the morning Sun at my back. In no particular order:

Common Tern

Nine Black Terns in this pic.

A nice backdrop for this pic. 

Caspian Terns dwarfed the smaller Forster's, Common and Black Terns. The Black Terns were the most vocal, however, with their squeaky-toy calls.

Digiscoped take-off.

Compare w/ the Sony 600/4.

Courting Black Terns were flying around w/ fresh-caught minnows while others squawked for the meal. The males were playing hard to get.

8 Black Terns in this little cluster.

A half-hour to forty minutes later I decided to leave the birds alone and head back to the car. As I rode the Banana toward the Middle Causeway I came across a large Map Turtle in the middle of the road. Not wanting it to be in danger I picked it up w/ the intention of releasing it into the Humphries Unit where it appeared to be heading. This however, meant riding one-handed down the hill to the Middle Causeway and hiking through the phragmites to get to the water's edge.  All was successful and I was rewarded by being COVERED in Mayflies!!!

I spent some time gently removing the little guys and then rode back to the car. Swinging through the Walpatich Unit I managed to see a fly-by American Bittern and a dozen Great Egrets but failed to hear / see the reported Yellow-headed Blackbird.

I would reach the car and spend 20 minutes removing Mayflies from my scope, backpack and clothes. I didn't want any to get into the car and meet an unnecessary end.

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Jun 14, 2024 7:31 AM - 9:38 AM
Protocol: Traveling
7.068 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Sunnny, calm, 70F
57 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  96
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  12
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  1
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  8
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)  2
Gadwall (Mareca strepera)  6
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  89
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  2
Redhead (Aythya americana)  14
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  8
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)  6
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  3
American Coot (Fulica americana)  1
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)  2
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  18
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)  4
Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus)  2     Male and female pair continuing in Cell 3 after initially finding them 2 days ago. Male is duller brown w/ only small amount of red on neck while females is a darker, smoky gray w/ well-defined red on neck.
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  2
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)  10     Continuing Cell 3
White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)  6
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  32     Continuing Cell 3
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  16
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  6
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  2
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  16
Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)  18
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  12
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)  4
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  18
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)  42
American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus)  1
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)  1
Green Heron (Butorides virescens)  1
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  12
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  4
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii)  1
Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)  1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)  1
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus)  1
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)  2
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  5
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  2
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)  6
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  12
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  2
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  6
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)  1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  76
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)  4
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  4
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  1
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia)  2
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  1
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S181375488

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