Yellow-headed Blackbird - 06 Jun 2025
A morning ride to Point Mouillee came on the heels of several days of rain. Trails were ponding and the ground was soft. Currently it was overcast but mild; my first outing without a jacket. Parking at Roberts Road I biked out onto the South Causeway and headed toward Cell 3.
A Yellow-headed Blackbird was a nice find in Cell 2 along the lake side. The bird was perched on a mound of cattails but was just enough obscured to prevent sharp focus. I had no luck getting a clear view of the bird, even after it took flight.
I was equally surprised to see a pair of Turkey Vultures flush from the Lake Erie shoreline. The flew ahead of me lazily and landed atop a nearby tower before heading back to the beach.
I spotted a Black-bellied Plover on the beach several hundred feet away but it flew off toward Cell 3 before I could get a positive ID.
I arrived at Cell 3 and found the mudflats soft but walkable (with care). Shorebird numbers were down with Dunlin appearing to have moved on; only a half-dozen remained. Semipalmated Sandpipers were present but only about a dozen. The Black-bellied Plover was there and I was able to confirm ID.
I heard the "Bet-Bet-Bet" of a Black-necked Stilt and managed to get a few pics as it flew into the shallow waters of Cell 3. A second bird crossed its path.
Note the stubbier bill and shorter wing projection of the Semipalmated Sandpiper (below):
As I scanned the mudflats I spotted several American White Pelicans far out on the water, and the Marbled Godwit resting next to a clump of phragmites on the mud next to the west shoreline.
I headed back to the bike and south along the shoreline. The Yellow-headed Blackbird reappeared and gave me the similar-bad-looks I got the first time I saw it.
The Western Kingbird was (again) a no-show.
I'd head home and spend some time hosing off the boots, tripod feet, and bike. Now to wait for better weather...
Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 15), Monroe, Michigan, US
Jun 6, 2025 2:42 PM - 3:57 PM
Protocol: Traveling
4.2 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Overcast, calm, 70F. Damp from overnight rain.
41 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 6
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 2
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 1
Gadwall (Mareca strepera) 1
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 18
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) 2 Pair in Cell 3 continue
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 1
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 12
Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) 1 Continuing Cell 3
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 1
Dunlin (Calidris alpina) 2
White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) 3
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 33
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 9
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 1
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 77 Exact count. Cell 3 roosting
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) 16
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 1
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) 2
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 2
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 1
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) 4
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 2
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 1
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) 2
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 3
Northern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) 1
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 2
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 6
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 2
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 66
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 2
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 1
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) 1 Roberts Rd. Singing “See-bit, See-bit, Seebit, See-See-See”
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 9
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Jun 6, 2025 2:42 PM - 3:57 PM
Protocol: Traveling
4.2 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Overcast, calm, 70F. Damp from overnight rain.
41 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 6
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 2
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) 1
Gadwall (Mareca strepera) 1
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 18
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) 2 Pair in Cell 3 continue
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 1
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 12
Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) 1 Continuing Cell 3
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 1
Dunlin (Calidris alpina) 2
White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) 3
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 33
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 9
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 1
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) 77 Exact count. Cell 3 roosting
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) 16
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 1
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) 2
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 2
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 1
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) 4
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 2
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 1
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) 2
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 3
Northern House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) 1
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) 2
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 6
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 2
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 66
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 2
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 1
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) 1 Roberts Rd. Singing “See-bit, See-bit, Seebit, See-See-See”
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 9
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
