Late December Bike Ride - 27 Dec 2025

Skies were cloudy and temperatures were hovering at 0ºC / 32ºF this morning as I drove to Monroe and Sterling State Park. After yesterday's ice storm / heavy rain (all day) I was hoping to ride the eBike before rain tomorrow and high winds on Monday.

Parking at the south lot next to the campground I rode out to the bike loop and made a circuit. The inland ponds were thawing with lots of open water and patches of ice. The shallower pond inside the loop was showing lots of open mudflats, but no shorebirds were seen. Instead hundreds of Canada Geese and Mallard were roosting in open water. On the west side of the loop a pair of Bald Eagles were roosting next to the large nest.

I stopped at the phragmites marsh further south and had a nice mix of Song Sparrows, American Tree Sparrows, a pair of Swamp Sparrows, a Carolina Wren, several Downy Woodpeckers, and a flock of American Goldfinches.

As I rode I realized that I had forgotten to start an eBird checklist so I wasn't tracking mileage. So I stopped back at the car and started a checklist with the plan to make a second loop around the marsh. But, before that I'd ride down to the beach and check out Lake Erie. In the parking lot an American Kestrel was watching a flock of 28 American Robins roosting in the adjacent trees.

I took the bike down to the breakwall to check the lakeshore for ducks. Common Goldeneye and a pair of Canvasback were the only ducks near shore, which was still covered in floating ice. 

Returning the bike path I made a second loop and stopped for flocks of American Tree Sparrows. Along the way this Bald Eagle was perched in the tree next to the path, and curiously did not fly off when I stopped to photograph it.

In the SE corner of the loop, where the Ford Plant is located, open patches of water held dozens of Mallard, a Common Merganser, a Common Goldeneye, and a shoreline hosting 46 Great Blue Herons.

After 2 loops of the marsh and a trip to the lakeshore my fingers, toes and face were frozen. It would take the rest of the morning to warm up, so I headed for home. Just outside of the state park this Red-tailed Hawk was still hanging out along the road (it was there when I arrived).

Sterling State Park, Monroe, Michigan, US
Dec 27, 2025 8:31 AM - 9:16 AM
Protocol: Traveling
3.843 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Cloudy, cold, 32F. Inland ponds partly open. Total miles 6.5 w 2 loops around marsh
24 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  200
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  240
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)  2
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)  12
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)  2
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)  1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  5
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  120
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)  6
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  48
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  8
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  1
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  1
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)  4
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)  1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  14
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  28
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  14
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)  46
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  4
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  6
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  2
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  8

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S290540012

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