Season Firsts at Erie Marsh Preserve - 23 Mar 2026

Clouds, 32ºF and 20 mph winds greeted me this morning as I arrived at Erie Marsh Preserve in s. Monroe Co. at 8 am. My plan was to walk ~5 mi loop from the parking lot through the open marsh to the outer dike and back. I had hoped to do it in 2 hours. 

As I drove in a massive flock of 250 American White Pelicans flushed from Pond 2. I only had time to get pics w/ the 200-600mm lens from inside the car.

A stiff wind greeted me as I got out of the car so I bundled up and headed out onto the main dike. This Mink was running toward me and I managed a few quick photos before it ducked into the rocks.

This pair of Blue-winged Teal were my first of the year. They were swimming in the canal to my right and flushed as soon as they saw me. I was able to get a series of flight shots as they headed out and circled back past me and landed in the canal behind me.

The ponds (1 - 3) were largely empty except for a few scattered rafts of ducks in the distance. My first Great Egrets flew by as I walked toward the Sulfur Spring.

The Sulfur Spring hosted only a pair of Killdeer but there were 7 Bald Eagles in the trees nearby. A few of them drifted close enough for photos.

All of the waterfowl activity was found in Pond C. A pair of Northern Shovelers dallied long enough for me to get pics before they flushed.

A half-dozen American White Pelicans were swimming in the pond along with another dozen Mute Swans. 

To the south large flocks of Mallard were flushing from Pond F. Among them were several American Black Ducks.

I'd also see my first flock of Tree Swallows. Ten swallows were fighting the wind as they flew along the dike ahead of me.

I'd see all of the mergansers: Common, Red-breasted, and Hooded Merganser pairs in Pond C.

The bulk of the duck numbers belonged to the American Wigeon and Gadwall that formed large rafts of several hundred birds.

Nearer to shore were a small flock of Green-winged Teal. I tried to get some flight shots when they took off upon my approach. Luckily a few of them circled back overhead.

I'd been hoping to flush a Short-eared Owl or Northern Harrier or even a Snowy Owl but was happy to settle for my first Peregrine Falcon of the year. This one was cruising the dike ahead of me (north end of Pond C) and I was able to get pics before it disappeared into Pond D.

Taking the dike separating Ponds C and D I headed east toward the outer dike. Along the way a small raft of Bufflehead flushed and circled across the phragmites to my left. 

I couldn't forget the American Wigeon and Gadwall. I had reached the outer dike along the eastern portion of the preserve and flushed this group when I walked into an opening in the trees. They, and a dozen Great Blue Herons scattered in all directions. 

As I headed south along the outer dike the canal ahead of me hosted several hundred American White Pelicans. I was only able to get a few pics through the trees. I have to assume that they are the ones that I flushed upon my arrival first thing.

Continuing south along the eastern shoreline I was happy that I was protected from the wind. The temperature was still 32ºF but I was no longer cold. Warm, even... Up ahead a pair of Trumpeter Swans and 3 Tundra Swans were quietly swimming in the canal just south of the pelican flock.

The outer dike was quiet except for a pair of American Robins and a singing Northern Flicker. I was hoping to find my first Fox Sparrows of the year, and sooner than later the first of 3 Fox Sparrows appeared in the underbrush to my left. They were not particularly active so I was able to poke the camera lens through small openings to get some pics.

I reached the south side of the outer dike and started back toward the car. Lake Erie to my left hosted upwards of 800 or more Lesser and Greater Scaup. They were far out in scoping distance but I was too busy walking to scan them. I did stop when a small flock of White-throated Sparrows appeared along the shoreline. This Brown Creeper appeared among them.

As I reached the Maintenance Yard I managed to get a pic of a few of the scaup that were swimming in the canal to my right. A pair of Belted Kingfisher were perched on the boat docks but I wasn't fast enough before they disappeared into the marsh.

I reached the car at 9:55 am, 5 minutes under 2 hours! As I was driving out a Wilson's Snipe was foraging in the canal to my right so I was able to get some pics from inside the car.

My 5.2 mile walk would leave me sore for the day, but I was happy to get here for the first time this year.

Erie Marsh Preserve, Monroe, Michigan, US
Mar 23, 2026 7:59 AM - 10:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
5.168 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Cloudy, windy, 20mph, 32F, flurries at the end.
55 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  46
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  26
Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)  4
Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)  3
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  6
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  2
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)  46
Gadwall (Mareca strepera)  220
American Wigeon (Mareca americana)  86
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  86
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)  14
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)  2
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  48
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)  4
Redhead (Aythya americana)  7
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)  10
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)  24
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  140
Greater/Lesser Scaup (Aythya marila/affinis)  800
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  36
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)  6
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)  8
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)  12
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)  2
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  2
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  6
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata)  1
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  2
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  26
American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus)  6
Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)  2
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  8
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  2
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  12
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)  250     250 in pond 2 as I arrived. Another 200 were seen along the eastern portion of the outer dike but I have to assume that they were part of the original flock that flew off.
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  11
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  2
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)  6
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  3
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)  1
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  10
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  1
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)  1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  2
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  6
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  12
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)  6
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea)  2
Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca)  3
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  8
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  4
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  88
Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus)  6
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  48
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)  1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  3

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S312383175

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