Some Fall Firsts - 12 Oct 2025

An Orange-crowned Warbler (Bobby Irwin) report was enough to get me off the couch this morning to run down to the Humbug Marsh Unit of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge for a quick walk. Skies were clear, temperature was 56ºF, and a light breeze was blowing from the N.

I did not see the Orange-crowned Warbler despite running into several small flocks of Yellow-rumped Warblers high overhead in the trees along the Detroit River shoreline.

The boardwalk area was quiet so I spent a few minutes scanning the Monguagon Delta shoreline. Four Killdeer were on the mudflats and several Song Sparrows were sunning themselves on the cattails. A scan of the phragmites revealed a first White-crowned Sparrow of the fall.

I walked the north trail toward the west side of the refuge and found a bare tree with four American Robins, a half-dozen Cedar Waxwings, and four Yellow-rumped Warblers.

A single Rusty Blackbird was perched nearby and represented another fall first for me. I had heard them calling but all I could find were Red-winged Blackbirds, so this was a nice treat.

The Yellow-rumped Warblers were frolicking among the branches and a couple birds came low enough to photograph.

Detroit River IWR--Refuge Gateway (Humbug Marsh), Wayne, Michigan, US
Oct 12, 2025 9:02 AM - 9:53 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.536 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Clear, cool, breezy, 56F
24 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  1
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  24
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  4
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  5
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  1
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  1
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  1
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  1
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)  1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula)  1
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  2
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  5
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  6
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  2
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)  1
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  6
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  2
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  6
Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus)  2
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)  12
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S278899272

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