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. 

Migratory Bird Count - Riverton Twp. 5/12/2018

   For the second year in a row I covered the whole of Riverton Township during the Mason County Spring Migratory Bird Count.  Dave Dister tipped me off on Blue-winged Warblers in my count area.  I had scouted the area during the mid-week but was unable to find them.  Fortunately today was a different story.  I heard 3 singing males and was able to secure some properly lit photos of one of them.

   Another good bird was this Hooded Warbler (1st Spring Female?).

   Baltimore Orioles were seen in several locations.

   Other birds were....

Vesper Sparrow

Eastern Bluebird

Tree Swallow

Green Heron

Yellow-throated Vireo

Female Buffleheads. The one on the right appears to be eating a waterbug.

Solitary Sandpiper, alone with its reflection.

Sandhill Cranes

Bobolink

Gray Catbird

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Black and White Warbler

Brown Thrasher

Yellow-rumped Warbler

American Redstart

Red-eyed Vireo

Yellow Warbler

Eastern Kingbird

   Back at my house, I added a few more species during an afternoon feeder watch.

Red-headed Woodpecker

Lincoln's Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

White-Crowned Sparrow

I ended my Riverton survey with 66 species and was able to add another 7 in my yard when I got home.

Kensington Metropark 4/6/2014

  Took a ride out to Kensington Metropark on Sunday morning.  I was kind of surprised that Kent Lake was still about 50% ice covered but the open water was about 20% duck covered.  I noticed a nice concentration of ducks at the Martindale Beach area.  Unfortunately the parking area of the beach was closed for the season but the nearby parking lot for the Frisbee Golf Course was open.  I felt a little out of place parking there since my car may have been the only one without a pot leaf window decal or medical marijuana card displayed on the dashboard.

Canvasbacks

Ring-necked ducks

Redheads

Scaups

Ring-necked Ducks

Northern Shovelers

Common Mergansers

American Wigeons

Common Goldeneye

  When waterfowl flies in a V-formation the trailing birds expend less energy as it drafts behind the bird in front of them.  Then again there is no such thing as a free ride.

Mute Swans

Horned Grebe

Eastern Bluebird

White-breasted Nuthatch gathering nesting material

The Great Blue Heron rookery

   Back at home there was a nice mix of spring arrivals and winter lingerers

Song Sparrow

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

Dark-eyed Junco

Fox Sparrow

  On Saturday I photographed the Ospreys on their Robert's Rd. platform, at Pt. Mouillee.