Red-headed Woodpecker @ Humbug Marsh - 04 Jul 2025
Tim Haigh and I took a quick drive down to the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Humbug Marsh Preserve for a short walk while the wives visited. Skies were clear and it was a hot 84ºF and getting hotter / more humid as the day would progress.
I was just telling Tim about this area hosting a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers a few weeks ago when I spotted one in the very tree I was pointing to. The bird flew off to the edge of the woods where I managed some long-distance shots w/ the 600/4 lens.
The Detroit River was fairly quiet. Tim did spot this Painted Turtle sunning itself while four more turtle heads were poking out of the weeds nearby.
At the south end of the short-loop trail the boardwalk hosted several pair of Tree and Barn Swallows, and we were entertained by a pair of Eastern Kingbirds foraging over the Monguagon Delta and perching overhead.
We'd spot the Red-headed Woodpecker fly across the delta into the trees on the west side of the refuge.
Continuing back to the trail we saw a Red-bellied Woodpecker foraging for insects in one of the dead trees lining the trail.
And spot a singing Indigo Bunting just off the trail in a dead tree.
We'd pause just long enough to admire this handsome Eastern Cottontail Rabbit on the trail ahead of us.
Detroit River IWR--Refuge Gateway (Humbug Marsh), Wayne, Michigan, US
Jul 4, 2025 10:15 AM - 10:35 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.4 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Tim Haigh and I. Sunny, hot, 84F, humid, mild breeze off river.
16 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 6
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 2
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 1
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) 1
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 2
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 4
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 1
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 2
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 3
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)
Jul 4, 2025 10:15 AM - 10:35 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.4 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Tim Haigh and I. Sunny, hot, 84F, humid, mild breeze off river.
16 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 6
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 2
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 1
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri) 1
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens) 1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) 2
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 4
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 1
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 2
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 3
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)
