Pre-100's Birding - 29 Jun 2026

We are at the beginning of a week-long heat wave with temperatures reaching upper 90's tomorrow and Wednesday and heat indexes in the mid-100's! So, I went birding this evening while the temperature was only 85ºF and heat index 96ºF.

I arrived at Mouillee Creek late this afternoon and found the Great Justin Labadie parked and getting ready to head out along the Middle Causeway. We chatted and agreed to check Cell 3, the Pump House, and call it an evening.

Wind was blowing well enough this evening that I removed the hat. Skies were clear and Pt. Mouillee was expectedly on the quiet side. We rode the Middle Causeway to the Banana and south to Cell 3 where we found the cut trail and waded into the vegetation. 

Overhead a pair of Black-necked Stilts were making noise among dozens of Tree and Bank Swallows. Cell 3 was hosting almost 100 Mallard as a tight flock. We'd find 4 Black-necked Stilts on the mud flat in front of us and a small roost of Caspian Tern, Ring-billed Gull and Bonaparte's Gulls along the east shoreline. 

Green-winged Teal were present by the dozen as well as a couple of Blue-winged Teal. Lesser Yellowlegs were present as well as a couple of Dunlin amond another dozen Killdeer. But nothing unusual enough for us to stay for more than a few minutes of scoping.

We returned to the bikes and headed north to check out Cell 4 for scaup (several Lesser Scaup were at scope distance) and Redhead (none). Ahead of us on the dike a Black Tern was spotted flying into Cell 3 from the Humphries Unit so I got a few photos from a distance. 

We then came upon a nice little flock of Tree Swallows that were swarming the maples along the shoreline.

Returning to the Middle Causeway we rode west until we reached the Pump House (I almost ran over the nesting Killdeer as I did not see it until it flushed and squealed under my tires). We rode south along the Bad Creek and stopped to scope 5 more Black-necked Stilt and several more Lesser Yellowlegs. 

With nothing else to check out Justin headed back to his truck while I made a quick loop around the Walpatich Unit; I was interested in photographing some Bird's-foot Trefoil and Crown Vetch that was growing along the roadside. Otherwise the unit was quiet except for the distant calls of Marsh Wren, Swamp Sparrow and Wood Duck.

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 31), Monroe, Michigan, US
Jun 29, 2026 5:27 PM - 7:22 PM
Protocol: Traveling
4.437 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Clear, hot, humid, windy. 84F
47 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  36
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)  4
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  1
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  1
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  65
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)  1
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  12
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  1     Cell 3. Dark purple head w bright yellow eye.
Greater/Lesser Scaup (Aythya marila/affinis)  2
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  1
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)  1
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)  9     4 in Cell 3 and 5 in Bad Creek Unit s of Pumphouse. No young seen.
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  12
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  1
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  9
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)  2
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)  2
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  12
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  6
Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)  1
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  2
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  1
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  6
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  2
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)  6
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  1
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)  2
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  1
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii)  1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)  2
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)  8
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  45
Purple Martin (Progne subis)  1
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  8
Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)  1
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)  2
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  10
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  2
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)  1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  1
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  2
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  40
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)  2
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  2
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  1
Northern Yellow Warbler (Setophaga aestiva)  1
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S365536648

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