Horned Grebes and Forster's Terns - 11 Apr 2025

This morning skies were cloudy but forecasted to break around 10 am for sunshine. Temps were hovering around freezing so I took the bike down to the foot of Roberts Road with the intention of just biking the Banana Unit from Cell 1 to Cell 3 and back.

Small rafts of Lesser and Greater Scaup were swimming near shore so I grabbed a few pics as I headed out the South Causeway toward Cell 1. 

A few Mallard were flying overhead as I headed south along Cell 1 and the Lake Erie shoreline. One duck looked oddly long-necked while flying over and it wasnt until it passed that I realized I was looking at a Common Loon! Luckily a second Common Loon followed shortly thereafter and I was able to get the camera on it.

A Double-crested Cormorant for comparison. 

As I circled the south end of the Banana Unit the first Forster's Tern of the season made a pass along the shoreline. 

Along the east side of the Banana Unit the first of 25 Horned Grebes appeared near shore. Most were too far to photograph but this guy was close enough for the 600/4 lens.

I stopped by Cell 3 and checked the mudflats but no shorebirds were present. I did see a flock of 13 Caspian Terns along the far shore (west side). When they lifted up several Bonaparte's Gulls and more Forster's Terns flew with them.

A small raft of Bufflehead were swimming near the south end of Cell 4.

Returning south along the west side of Cells 3, 2 and 1 the ground was soft enough that I had to stop and walk the bike. This gave me an opportunity to photograph more Forster's Terns as they drifted by close to shore of the Humphries Unit.

I headed back to the car and had to stop for a car wash. Driving down Haggerman Road this morning left the bike covered in mud (and car wheel wells).

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Apr 11, 2025 7:56 AM - 9:27 AM
Protocol: Traveling
6.361 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Cloudy, 35F, calm. Sun came out as I returned to car.
39 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  13
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  118
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)  14
Gadwall (Mareca strepera)  12
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  124
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)  9
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  2
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)  24
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)  2
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  2
Greater/Lesser Scaup (Aythya marila/affinis)  640
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  18
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)  36
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)  12
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)  9
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  2
American Coot (Fulica americana)  700     Humphries Unit in scattered rafts of 100. Rough estimate by 100’s.
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  6
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  4
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  2
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)  2
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)  2
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  14
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  4
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  3
Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)  27
Common Loon (Gavia immer)  2
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  6
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  3
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  4
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  4
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)  1
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  2
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)  5
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  6
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  16
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  2
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S224544332

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