Erie Marsh w/ the Volkers - 17 Jul 2026

Janet and Jack Volker and I took a quick drive to Erie Marsh this morning. It was Day 2 of the Air Quality Advisory as Canadian Wildfires have blanketed the Great Lakes Region in heavy, acrid smoke. Forecasts called for conditions to be worse than yesterday, but the air smelled less smokey and the Sun was too bright to look at. Still, we could smell and feel the smoke in our throats.

We walked the dike between Ponds 1 and 2 and scoped Pond 2 mudflats for shorebirds. Though only a few shorebirds were present we did pick up a Black-necked Stilt with new hatchling, Stilt Sandpiper, Wilson's Snipe, Short-billed Dowitcher, Lesser Yellowlegs and Semipalmated Sandpiper.

Along the edge of Pond 1 a Marsh Wren was singing loudly from atop a cattail stand so we got a few quick photos before it disappeared into the vegetation.

Walking back to the main dike we came across this Pearl Crescent Butterfly. The only problem photographing with the Sony 600/4 lens is the minimum focusing distance is about 17' away, so I had to walk backward to get the tiny guy in focus.

A family of Trumpeter Swans were swimming in Pond 3.

As we walked to the Sulfur Pond I asked Jack and Janet if they had heard from Ken and Julie Davis lately? Not a minute later they got a call from Ken and Julie and we did a quick catch-up. Coincidence?

We got as far as the Sulfur Pond and found it cloudy and murky; possibly from grass clippings from recent mowing?

We did spot a Northern Yellow Warbler in the reeds to our right but was too slow with the camera. I did get a consolation female Common Yellowthroat moments later.

We turned around and headed back to the car. I was telling the about the PictureThis App for ID-ing plants and we played with some of the nearby flora.

Pineapple Weed. Also called Wild Chamomile or Disc Mayweed. 

Reed Canary Grass. Also called Canary Reed, Canarygrass, Lady Grass or Reed Grass.

Creeping Thistle. Also called Canada Thistle. Plants here and at Pt. Mouillee are already in full-seed mode.

Spiny Sowthistle. Also called Prickly Sow-Thistle. 

Green Ash.

Japanese Bristlegrass. Also called Giant Foxtail.

Common Elderberry. More easily ID'd when the white flower clusters are visible.

Jimsonweed. Also called Thornapple, Moon Flower or Devil's Snare. 

Purple Loosestrife.

American Lotus. Massive patches are growing in Pond 1 and in the bay next to the entrance to Erie Marsh. 

I'll need to come back in the coming weeks to check for more shorebirds as habitat is good in several locations.

Erie Marsh Preserve, Monroe, Michigan, US
Jul 17, 2026 7:35 AM - 9:27 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.279 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Hot, hazy from wildfire smoke, 75F
36 species

Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  18
Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)  3
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  1
American Coot (Fulica americana)  1
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)  6
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus)  2     Adult and hatchling in pond 2
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  8
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)  12
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata)  1
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  2
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  18
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)  2
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)  6     Pond 2 and 3 among SBDO. Still in breeding plumage. Zebra stripe belly and flanks.
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)  2
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)  1
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  8
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)  2
Forster's Tern (Sterna forsteri)  7
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum)  1
Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)  1
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  4
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  1
Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii)  1
Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)  2
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia)  4
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  8
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)  2
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)  2
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  5
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  2
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  3
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  4
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  2
Northern Yellow Warbler (Setophaga aestiva)  2
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S373102681

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