Crosswinds Cranes - 12 Jan 2026

Skies were clearing this morning but it was too windy for a bike ride at Pt. Mouillee, so I decided to take a drive to Crosswinds Marsh to look for gulls. Temps with wind was 27ºF with windchill in the teens.

I drove Willow Rd. to Clark Road to look for Northern Shrike but the area was quiet. Turning down Arkona Road toward Haggerty Road I saw a pair of Red-tailed Hawks flying across the road ahead of me. One landed in the woods to my left so I was able to get a few photos from inside the car with the Sony a1 + 600/4 lens.

A pair of juvenile Bald Eagles were tussling overhead (one had something in its claws) but I was too slow to get out and photograph them before they disappeared over the trees. I continued on to the parking lot next to the large pond at the south end of Crosswinds Marsh.

The water was mostly open with a small ice shelf where Canada Geese were hunkered and sleeping. More flocks of Canada Geese were swimming in four different locations and a count yielded 650+ birds. I would get a few pics as they flew by.

But I was here for gulls, so I set up the scope in the blowing wind/chill and scanned the far side of the pond where a long line of Herring Gulls and Ring-billed Gulls were stretched by the 100's. Among them was a single Glaucous Gull that stood out from the dark-winged gulls nearby. 

After taking a few long-distance photos with the 600/4 + 1.4TC in crop mode (EFL~1270mm) and performing further cropping to ID the gull, the flock took off. I was able to spot a second Glaucous Gull among the 300-400 gulls. Unfortunately, most of the flock (including the two white-wingers) landed on the far side of the phragmites so I was unable to relocate them. 

So, after several more scans of the gull flock I turned my attention to count the 41 Sandhill Cranes roosting nearby. As I was packing up to go the cranes took flight and gave me an opportunity to get some photos as they scattered in small groups in different directions. 

I'd head back to the car to warm up and head to Oakwood Metropark to look for sparrows.

Crosswinds Marsh, Wayne, Michigan, US
Jan 12, 2026 8:58 AM - 9:43 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.65 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Mostly clear, windy, 27F, inland ponds open.
15 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  680
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  54
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  14
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)  41
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  152
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)  240
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)  1
Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus)  2
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)  3
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  2
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  1
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  55
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S293861582

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

On the way home I took a drive through Oakwoods Metropark. The park was fairly quiet with only a fly-by flock of Dark-eyed Juncos and American Tree Sparrows. 

After driving to the Nature Center parking lot I turned around I headed back. Along the main road I spotted a flock of 6 Eastern Bluebirds bathing in the ditch to my right. They flew off as I stopped and joined another 4 bluebirds on the opposite side of the road. One remained long enough for me to get out and get a couple pics before it took off to join the other 9 birds.

I caught up to them at the railroad tracks and got a few pics from the car before they continued on.

Oakwoods Metropark, Wayne, Michigan, US
Jan 12, 2026 10:03 AM - 10:25 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.888 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Mostly clear, windy, 28F
6 species

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)  10
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  1
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)  6
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  2
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S293868494

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