Red-necked Grebe Ludington State Park 3/10/2020

  On Sunday Matt Geelhoed found a Red-Necked Grebe at Ludington State Park. I wasn't able to make it out there until this afternoon but easily relocated the bird and managed to get in position to get some decent photos

  On Sunday March 1 a Red-tailed Hawk made a close pass by my deck.

Snowy Sunday 4/14/2019

     It was cloudy and cold in west Michigan this weekend.   On Saturday at least a dozen Common Loons were patrolling Pere Marquette Lake.

   On Sunday just before a predicted moderate snowfall began, I took a ride around my work site and found....

Long-tailed Duck

American Kestrel

Horned Grebe

     As I finished driving around work a light snow started to fall.  I took this photo as it started to cover the lawn.

     It intensified quickly. The portrait of Nico was taken an hour and a half later when about 3" of snow had fallen.

   As the snow piled up in my yard, bird activity increased around the feeders.

    This morning after work I raced out to Ludington State Park to try to photograph birds before the snow melted in the bright sunlight.

    This female Northern Cardinal didn't let the snow stop her from gathering nesting material.

   Eastern Phoebes are among the earliest flycatchers to migrate north. I was able to find two of them who weren't finding a whole lot of insects.

Leave It To This Guy

  Hang on tight, this post is going every, any, and no where all at once.

  Over a three day period starting last Wednesday, I spent almost three hours on a stake out of a Red-necked Grebe in the Big Sable River in Ludington State Park.  I'm not sure about the lung capacity of this bird but over that three hour period I saw it above the water for a total of about 5 minutes.

  While I waited for the Grebe to resurface, I saw a pair of large flat-tailed semi-aquatic rodents that were unwavering in their dedication to their task.

    Also seen on the river were paired-up ducks

Green-winged Teals

Buffleheads

   With the lingering cold weather, Common Loons have been lingering as well.  Sunday the morning low was 23 F.  By noon it was up to 37 F and at my work site I found over a dozen Loons..... 

 ....and a handful of Horned Grebes.

Hey,  I don't do that in your reservoir.

    Late this morning I found a Snowy Owl just one day before tying the late date for the county.

    Meanwhile back at home,  Chipping Sparrows finally arrived for the spring.  

    Also a Northern Harrier zipped by this morning.

    As I get older and my visual acuity weakens, identifying birds becomes more challenging.  Thankfully Turkey Vultures uncannily have been flying lower so that I can get a closer look.

Red-necked Grebe Ludington State Park

  Late this afternoon Dave Dister called and told me of a Red-necked Grebe at Ludington State Park.
The bird had been found earlier by Jim Gallie near the dam.  I was able to view the bird from the pullout  about a quarter of a mile downstream from the dam, where Dave had last seen it.

Red-Shouldered Hawk

 The local Red-Shouldered Hawks have been calling and patrolling the neighborhood for most of the month  Today one provided a photo-op when it flew low over my house.

    Earlier in the week it posed at eye level in my wooded lot.

   Below are photos taken at Ludington Harbor yesterday morning.

Red-breasted Merganser pair

Early Common Loon

Horned Grebe in transition plumage.

  

Easter Egg Hunt gone wrong

Now Where Were We.

 It has been a couple weeks since the last update.  Here are a few photos coinciding with winter's end.

Purple Finch at my house

Red Breasted Merganser at Pt Mouillee

Horned Grebe at Ludington Harbor

Marlboro Man looking for a light

Ludington Light

New Yardbirds (#116)....Cedar Waxwings

Sure sign of spring....Tundra Swans

Venus and Mercury with Little Sable Lighthouse

   From before the days of Aristotle it was thought that certain animals spontaneously generated under the right conditions.  It wasn't until the mid-19th century, through the work of Louis Pasteur and John Tyndall, that fruitflies, mice and raccoons stopped materializing from decaying fruit, grain and sunflower seeds respectively.  I imagine the recipe went something like this.......

   Step 1- Place sunflower seeds in large container with unsecured lid

   Step 2 -Leave overnight in cool dark area.

   Step 3 -Enjoy

Note : For Black Bear replace seeds with Broasted Chicken then place in a restaurant dumpster instead of garbage can

                

   A party can still spontaneously arise when a dog wears a hat.  Whether he gets invited to the party is another matter.