Unofficial, Unsanctioned, Unqualified Hawk Watcher 8/14/2020

     A year ago yesterday Matt McConnell noticed a movement of Red-tailed Hawks passing over the city of Ludington.  The next day I drove up to vantage point at my work and saw 50 more migrate by in an hour. 

  Since then I have moved from a house in the woods to a lake house with a great expanse of sky.  I have been looking forward to the late summer raptor migration since the day we moved in. I spent a little while in the yard yesterday afternoon but only saw 1 Red-tailed, along with a Merlin and an American Kestrel (which was a new yardbird #137).  

   Today was a different story as I saw 138 migrating raptors.   I initally thought all the distant buteos were Red-tails but later when I reviewed the photos I noticed some were Broad-wingeds which were also new to the yardlist.

Redtail and Broadwing

                                               Red-tail and Immature Bald Eagle

Two Upper birds are Broadwings the lowest one is a Redtail.

   Seems whenever two Bald Eagles ride the same thermal one will have to remind the other to social distance.

   An Osprey was also an unexpected surprise. 

 

   Here are some photos from the last couple of days.

The Bluebirds are wreaking havoc on the local butterflies and moths....

They only laid two eggs in their new nestbox, after their first nesting effort was cut short when a storm blew down their previous box in June.  Only one egg has hatched.

Eagle with its lunch.

Yesterday's new yardbird.  American Kestrel

   What appears to be a monstrous Walking Stick......

......looks less formidable when placed on a more natural setting. 

Orchard Orioles Return 5/26/2020

      Orchard Orioles stopped by yesterday, nearly two weeks since the previous visit for a couple of days early in the month.  This time it was a pair of males, one adult and one immature.

  The Baltimore Oriole activity has slowed over the past couple of weeks, with only 3 or 4 per day versus the 10 to 20 that had been destroying the oranges that I provided.

  I've been witnessing an apparent dispute among the Eastern Bluebird pair that have been hanging around my yard.  The male seems thrilled with the nestbox that I provided. He keeps going in and out then flying back to the female perched nearby.  The female on the otherhand will only go as far as landing on the box for a few moments before flying away.  I've yet to see her enter. 

More Warblers and Vireos 5/24/2020

   It took 4 years and 9 months to record 133 bird species at the house we moved out of last fall. Today I reached that total for the new yard just a day short of 6 months since moved in.  The new birds included a pair of Canada Warblers (female shown above).

    A pair of Blue-winged Teals.

Blue-winged Teals with male Wood Duck

    The 132nd bird, a Wilson's Warbler would not sit still for a photo but #133, a Warbling Vireo, momentarily came out from behind the leaves to be documented.

  Yesterday I also added 4....

                          Green Heron

#126

             Pine Siskin

#127

           Red-eyed Vireo

#128

   #129 Eastern Wood Pewee was not captured photographically
 
    Other birds of interest photographed today were

Male Magnolia Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Black and White Warbler

Female Magnolia Warbler

Yellow Warbler

Red-headed Woodpecker

Lincoln's Sparrow

   I saw a couple of adult Bald Eagles fly over today but this one was cooperative enough to wait until the clouds and fog dissipated.

Looks like Round Goby is on the menu this evening.

Loggerhead Shrike at Mason County Airport 5/22/2020

   This afternoon Dave Dister called to report that Matt McConnell found a Loggerhead Shrike on the perimeter fence at Mason County Airport.
    The Shrike is the prime suspect in the death of this impaled insect..

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

Got My Yard Pelican 5/21/2020

   Since I moved to the lakeshore I've suspected that one day I'd add an American White Pelican to my yard list.  I came close on Sunday when I was leaving my worksite a mile up the road and noticed a group of 6 Pelicans off shore from the plant.  I quickly drove home, grabbed the camera and raced back to work but the birds had left by the time I returned.  At the time I thought if I had headed to edge of my bluff I may have been able to get a flyby shot as the small flock moved on.

White speck to the left of center is an American White Pelican

   This morning I did some yard birding after work. From the edge of my bluff I noticed a large white bird off shore from my worksite.

Cropped version of previous photo

      After just a few moment the large bird took flight and fortuitously headed my direction.

Yardbird  #120

   Also this morning while birding the street-side of my property I noticed a motionless doe with a distressed look.  I initially thought she might be injured but a view through binoculars revealed the reason(s) for her anxiety. 

Doe with one of her two newborns.

   Red-headed Woodpeckers are being seen daily, usually flying over but this one stopped for a snack.

  A couple of other photogenic birds also posed for portraits.