Bad Creek Swamp Sparrows - 09 Oct 2026

 

Skies were clear this morning but it was a bit on the cool side (45ºF). I was wearing a vest over a sweatshirt and under my rain jacket because I thought I'd be mucking through the marsh this morning at Pt. Mouillee. Little did I know that temps would hit 60ºF by 10 am and I'd be sweating!

My plan this morning was to hike the Bad Creek Unit to look for Ammodramus sp. sparrows, notably Nelson's Sparrow and/or LeConte's Sparrow. So I parked at the barriers at the end of Roberts Road and hiked onto the Bad Creek Unit dike from the parking lot on the other side of the barriers. 

Sparrows were scattering in front of me like crazy, but lighting was poor. The sunrise was backlighting everything so the White-crowned Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows and Swamp Sparrows were just silhouettes as they bounced across the dike or ducked in and out of cover ahead of me. 

Eventually I made out that Swamp Sparrows were outnumbering all other sparrows by a good margin, so I focused on trying to get pics of them. 

Initially they played hard to get, but eventually produced more photo opps as I walked the east dike looking for a path into the marsh where the Nelson's Sparrow(s) were seen last fall. I'd fail to find a walkable path so I settled for views into the south side of the marsh from the dike itself. Only Swamp Sparrows were seen moving over the phragmites lining the dike and the cattail marsh farther inside.

To my left a large flock of Red-winged Blackbirds were swarming the marsh so I spent a few moments looking to see if a Yellow-headed Blackbird was among them. Nope.

I continued walking east to where the dike turned north and suddenly the lighting improved enough that I could get some images of the Swamp Sparrows popping into view. 

The occasional Song Sparrow would appear, as well.

Farther north along the dike I came upon a path into the marsh made by (presumed) hunters that was easily walkable. It took me east to almost the edge of the open water where dozens of American White Pelican, Great Egrets, Mute Swans and ducks like Mallard, Gadwall, Blue-winged Teal and Wood Duck could be seen. A pair of Sora were calling nearby and overhead a Black-bellied Plover was belting out a "Ke-a-wiii".

Though I hike for several hundred yards through the muck I couldn't see any signs of Nelson's Sparrows so I headed back to the main dike and continued walking north. I'd spend my time photographing any Swamp Sparrows willing to pose long enough for photos w/ the 200-600mm lens.

A Bald Eagle was flying overhead in the distance so I had time to wait for it to pass overhead (we'd record our first Golden Eagle of the season at Detroit River Hawk Watch today). 

I would find another path into the marsh a bit farther north along the dike but again find nothing moving. A Marsh Wren and Lincoln's Sparrow vocalizing was consolation.

As I started walking back toward the car the lighting was now behind me so photographing Swamp Sparrows was a bit easier. 

I'd even run into a posing Savannah Sparrow atop the dried thistle growing along the edge of the dike.

Monarch Butterflies were also moving this morning so I waited for one to land atop this Sow Thistle bloom.

It was 10 am when I reached the parking lot area so I decided I had time to continue south along the dike to check out the South Causeway for shorebirds. Along the way I ran into more flocks of White-throated Sparrows, Song Sparrows, European Starlings, and Yellow-rumped Warblers.

A pair of Wood Ducks squealed as they flew past over the Humphries Unit to my left. 

Tree Swallows were swarming the sky and surface of the Humphries Unit as I approached the South Causeway. Hundreds!

I'd reach west shoreline of the Humphries Unit near the Roberts Road parking lot and get one last pic of a Swamp Sparrow before turning my attention to shorebirds (see next post).

Pte. Mouillee SGA (permit required Sep 1-Dec 31), Monroe, Michigan, US
Oct 9, 2026 8:39 AM - 10:55 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.978 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Mostly clear, calm, 55F. Bad Creek Unit looking for Ammodramus sp. sparrows.
38 species

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  2
Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)  6
Gadwall (Mareca strepera)  6
American Wigeon (Mareca americana)  4
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  12
Sora (Porzana carolina)  2
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)  2
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)  1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  6
Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica)  1     South Causeway along W shoreline of Humphries Unit. Uniform gray w long recurved bill. Black and white tail and rump. Pics.
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)  6
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)  4
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  2
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  2
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  4
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  2
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)  90     Flying N along Humphries Unit in large V-formation. Exact count.
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  2
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)  1
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)  1
Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus)  1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  2
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  1
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  600     Massive swarm in sw Humphries and overhead. Estimate by 50s using block count.
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  1
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)  1
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  150
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys)  2
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  8
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  16
Lincoln's Sparrow (Melospiza lincolnii)  1
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  24     Bad Creek Unit
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  130
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  6
Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)  2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)  10
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S400542595

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