1st American Tree Sparrows - 12 Nov 2024

I made a short birding excursion through s. Wayne Co this morning. Skies were cloudy, but starting to get progressively clearer while temperatures were hovering near 42F. Winds were NE at 10 mph so conditions at Detroit River Hawk Watch were considered ideal for a good flight (that didn't happen).

My first destination was Elizabeth Park in Trenton. I drove the loop to the east side of the island to scope gulls on the Detroit River just north of the Grosse Ile Free Bridge. Of the 450 gulls most were Herring and Ring-billed Gulls but I did see 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls among them. No pics taken.

Elizabeth Park (Trenton), Wayne, Michigan, US
Nov 12, 2024 9:03 AM - 9:20 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.287 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Cloudy 40F
5 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  65
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  6
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  150
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)  365
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)  8     4 adults and 4 juv in middle of River among RBGU and AHGU. Dozens more roosting at Riverview Boat Launch farther upstream.
Larus sp. (Larus sp.)  250     Mostly Herring and Ring-billed with a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls expected

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S202257670

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

I then swung by the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Humbug Marsh Unit. A couple of Little Gulls were reported 2 days ago and I was curious if they might be still around. I did not see them among a flock of 4-dozen Bonaparte's Gulls that were foraging along the near shore of the short loop trail. Despite the back-lighting I enjoyed photographing several juvenile and adult birds diving for minnows.

At the south end of the boardwalk I pished for sparrows and kicked up a Carolina Wren that was annoyed by my presence. A few pics later I moved on.

American Robins were flocking along the west side of the trail near the north end, but a couple of White-throated Sparrows appeared among them. As I chased them I was happy to find a couple of Yellow-rumped Warblers hanging around and the first American Tree Sparrows of the winter season.

Detroit River IWR--Refuge Gateway (Humbug Marsh), Wayne, Michigan, US
Nov 12, 2024 9:26 AM - 10:18 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.814 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Mostly cloudy, 42F
22 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  76
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  6
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  18
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  2
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  46
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  2
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)  2
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  35
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  7
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  8
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)  2
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  2
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  4
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)  1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  36
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  12
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  26
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)  1
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  6
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S202263365

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

From there I drove south to Lake Erie Metropark to check out the mudflats west of the Wave Pool. A brand new bike path has just been laid (asphalt) and I was one of the first to walk on it. 

Just west of the parking lot a view of the mudflats revealed enough water to fill the center canal while adjacent flats were still exposed mud. A pair of Green-winged Teal were seen among several Canada Geese, but that was it. 

I walked to the edge of the deer trail, flushed the birds, 

and scoped to the north where I was able to see a small flock of Mallard, a half-dozen Killdeer, another pair of Green-winged Teal, and a pair of Dunlin! Winds were blowing enough that I took a short video to document the Dunlin and teal. I took a screen grab of the video.

I then walked to the service drive to the south. In the grass and dogwoods lining the shoreline a half-dozen Dark-eyed Juncos were foraging.

The mudflats viewed from the service drive were void of birds. On the way back I was able to catch a pair of American Tree Sparrows in the cattails and phragmites next to shore.

Lake Erie Metropark, Rockwood US-MI 42.07063, -83.20917, Wayne, Michigan, US
Nov 12, 2024 10:26 AM - 11:03 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.974 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Pt sunny, breezy NE 10 mph 45F
16 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  35
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  2
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  65
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  4
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  8
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)  2
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  6
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  6
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  2
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  24
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)  2
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)  4
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  4
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S202267713

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