Mackinaw Island Broad-winged Hawk - 09 Sep 2024

 

Robin and I are at the Mission Point Resort on Mackinaw Island this weekend. We left home Sunday morning and drove up here for a two-night stay. Clear skies and windy conditions made birding all but impossible yesterday, but milder conditions this morning made for improved conditions.

After breakfast this morning we left our room at the top of the hill and headed out for a walk along the west side of the island. We spotted this juvenile Broad-winged Hawk soaring at eye level as we climbed down the steps to the road. Though severely backlit I still managed to get some nice pics with the 200-600 mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens.







We walked the road outside of town and passed by the Arch Rock Monument just a ½-mile from the resort.


Winds started picking up again, but the weather was gorgeous. Bikers were out in droves, but I managed to get a pic or two of the shoreline w/o so much traffic.


We walked a couple miles before returning to the resort to have lunch at the Greens Bistro. While sitting outside drinking a Guinness I spotted a Merlin fly atop the tall Sugar Maple down the road. I was going to run down the street to get a pic, but it took off and landed in one of the dead snags just across the road. I grabbed the camera and got a few pics as it perched atop the dead snag.




The rest of the day was spent sitting outside drinking mochas and working on a drypoint etching of a Short-eared Owl. We'll be heading home tomorrow.

Mackinac Island, Mackinac, Michigan, US
Sep 9, 2024 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Mission Point Resort and nearby shoreline
12 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  26
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  2
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  12
Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
Merlin (Falco columbarius)  1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  2
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  2
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)  2
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  1
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S194595098

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