Butterbuts Are Back - 21 Sep 2025
With rain forecast for this afternoon I decided to drive down to Elizabeth Park to look for warblers. However, when I arrived I found that a sign was on the gates saying that the park was closed until 10:30 am. So, I decided to continue on to the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Humbug Marsh Unit (DRIWRHMU forever now).
The short loop trail was quiet. I heard a Carolina Wren and saw a distant Eastern Phoebe.
When I reached the north trail I made the decision to walk the trail west of Monguagon Delta. Along the way a dead tree held 2-dozen Cedar Waxwings and my first (4) Yellow-rumped Warblers of the fall. Boy, were they looking rough...
I did see one Yellow-rumped Warbler that didn't look so "blender-y".
The west trail was also quiet. With the exception of this White-tailed Deer only a pair of Swainson's Thrush were seen.
At the extreme southern tip of the refuge (Marker 14) I sat for a few minutes watching this Mallard and listening to Black Walnuts fall into the creek. The walnuts made a "splunk" sound that Merlin recognized as an American Bittern. :)
The return walk was also quiet. The White-tailed doe was still foraging nearby and gave a look before continuing her foraging.
The Cedar Waxwings were still in the tree along the north trail along with a few other warblers: Black-and-White, Magnolia, Cape May, and Nashville Warblers. Across the channel I spotted this Red-eyed Vireo trying to dry off after a bath.
Detroit River IWR--Refuge Gateway (Humbug Marsh), Wayne, Michigan, US
Sep 21, 2025 8:11 AM - 9:42 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.409 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Cloudy, calm, humid, 69F, rain expected
32 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 2
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 2
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) 6
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 8
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 16
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus) 4
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 4
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 150
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 4
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 1
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 4
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 1
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) 1
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 1
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 36
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 1
Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) 6
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 2
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) 18
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 1
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) 1
Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla) 1
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) 2
Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrina) 2
Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) 2
Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea) 4
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica) 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Sep 21, 2025 8:11 AM - 9:42 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.409 mile(s)
Checklist Comments: Cloudy, calm, humid, 69F, rain expected
32 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 2
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 2
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) 6
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 8
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 16
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus) 4
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 4
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 150
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 4
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 1
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) 1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 4
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) 1
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus) 1
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 1
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 36
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 1
Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) 6
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 2
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) 18
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 1
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) 1
Nashville Warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla) 1
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) 2
Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrina) 2
Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) 2
Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea) 4
Chestnut-sided Warbler (Setophaga pensylvanica) 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S2
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
