Pelicans and So Much More 4/23/2022

 

  A busy bird day was expected Saturday with southerly winds aiding migration in the preceding overnight. While searching for new arrivals in the front yard I noticed two huge white birds over the lake about to disappear behind the neighbor's trees.  I took off in a sprint to the backyard waterfront and was able to get a few photos of a pair of American White Pelicans meandering southward. They are the 101st species that I've seen from home so far this year.  Last year I didn't hit 100 until May 2.

  Other new arrivals for the year were

Palm Warbler

Bank Swallow

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

  Also a couple of House Wrens were heard and seen but wouldn't pose for the camera. They brought my yard total for the year to 104.  As I was processing the images in the late afternoon I received a text from Brian Brosky about a Cattle Egret found by Brendan Klick in Grant Twp.  Needing that bird for my Mason County list I grabbed the camera and headed out to Townline Rd where the egret was of course, hanging out with cattle.

  After locating and photographing the bird, I checked the Mason-Manistee-Oceana County Bird Chat on Discord and saw that Brendan Klick also found a Wilson's Phalarope just a mile south of the egret on Beyer Rd.  I was there within a couple minutes and was able to get some distant shots of the phalarope.

  The phalarope is also a first for me in the county. My county list is at 252.

May is Migration Month

   May is off to a spectacular start in terms of bird migration.  On Saturday May 1, my first Rose-breasted Grosbeak of the year arrived in my yard.

  Then around noon what appears to be a Lesser Black-backed Gull cruised by, along the edge of my bluff. The gull would be 161st species on my yard list if ID is confirmed.  If you have any opinions on it send me an email at the address near the bottom of the page.

   A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was the 6th woodpecker species that I saw that day, I only missed Pileated when it comes to 7 possible woodpecker species in the LP of Michigan.

   As good as Saturday was, it was just the undercard to Sunday's main event.  The Birdcast Map below shows that Doppler Radar sites across the lower 48 detected at least half a billion birds in flight during each 10 minute interval between 11:25 pm Saturday until 2:45 am Sunday morning.

 The wave of birds brought the first Baltimore Orioles of the year as well as 10 other species.  As it goes with Orioles a dispute over the feeders quickly developed.

  And a clear underdog was soon revealed.

  I added two more to the yardlist a Blue-winged Warbler which I was unable to photograph and a marginally more cooperative Northern Waterthrush.  The Waterthrush momentarily entered a less obstructed hole in the brush and allowed me to get a few manually focused shots.

 Other warblers to arrive on Sunday were

.... Yellow

....Black and White

...Nashville.  

   Which is the 100 species that I've this year in my yard this year and coincidentally was the 100 species last year, although that didn't occur until May 10th. 

 The first Ruby-throated Hummingbirds also arrived....

.....as did the Indigo Buntings.

 

  Other first of the year birds arriving Sunday but not pictured were House Wren, Common Yellowthroat, Gray Catbird and Chimney Swift

    Although today started dingy and gray and only got worse when an all-day drizzle developed I had two more 2021 arrivals in the yard, Eastern Kingbird and..

....Great Egrets

Snowy Egret From the Yard. 5/22/2020

    WOW. Didn't have a Snowy Egret on my target list of possible yard birds.  But after work this morning while I was scanning the yard through a slight mist, I noticed a white egret flying out over Lake Michigan.  I initially thought the distant bird was a Great Egret but photos revealed the yellow feet that indicated that it was a Snowy Egret. According to Dave Dister it was only the third Snowy Egret ever recorded in Mason County.

   Also added to the yard list today were...

Northern Parula Warbler (#122)

Spotted Sandpiper (#123)

Black-throated Green Warbler (#124)

    New bird not photographed was a Great-crested Flycatcher.  Yard list is now at 125.

    Other birds of interest were yesterday's new bird American Pelican which were represented with a group of six which passed by on the inland side of the house.

  ...and a Magnolia Warbler

Snowy Egret at Freeman Pond 5/20/2018

    Got a call from Linda Scribner late this morning to notify me of a Snowy Egret found by Shelly Green as she passed by Freeman Pond on US-31.  I headed right out there where Linda and her husband Chuck were watching the bird, as was Dave Dister who was on his phone getting the word out on a bird that hasn't been seen in the county in 41 years.

    It was visible almost motionless in the pond until it took off and flew nearly overhead and landed on the farside of the small pond at the Kubota dealer on the west side of US-31.
    This brought the bird closer as it preyed on small fish in the pond.

looks like my yard

   It later headed back across the road but not before allowing some flight shots in good lighting.

Kirtland's Warbler and Other Migrants at Magee Marsh 5/12/2016

  Traveled across the state and into Ohio through the wee hours of the morning.  Arrived at Magee Marsh just as the rain stopped.  The morning was pretty slow but around 3 PM things picked up significantly as rain started threatening once again,

  Highlight of the day....a distant Kirtland's Warbler near the east boardwalk entrance.

KIRTLAND'S

  Other Warblers photographed.

Northern Parula

Yellow Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Yellow-rumped Warbler

American Redstart

Northern Waterthrush

Black-throated Blue

Hooded

Tennessee

Chestnut-sided

Bay-breasted

Cape May

Magnolia

 Other birds of interest.

Snowy Egret

Baltimore Oriole

Chipping Sparrow

Gray Catbird

Indigo Bunting

Black-billed Cuckoo

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

American Woodcock

  Tomorrow promises better lighting but less favorable winds.  We'll see.