American Avocets Over Lake Michigan 7/5/2021

 

Species 168 on the Yard List

  The photo above shows a flock 12 American Avocets that flew past my yard this morning.  I had been hoping that I would see them some day from my yard.  Would have preferred them strolling on my narrow beach (140' below my bluff),  rather than zipping by a half mile offshore.  But at least I had good lighting.

  Other flying things of interest in and around the yard this weekend were....

...my neighbor's gravity-defying cat

...and Marine 1 (there were actually two flying together).  The Presidential Helicopter was coming from Traverse City where the President paid a visit.  He wasn't on the chopper though, he had jetted to Delaware on Saturday.

Noisy July 4th Flyby

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

Marbled Godwit 4/19/2020

   This afternoon Dave Dister found a Marbled Godwit in a farm field on Colburn Rd just east of US-31. It is possibly the first April record for this species in Mason County.

  Besides the Godwit, the small flooded area of the field also attracted several Bonaparte's Gulls...

....and Greater Yellowlegs.

  This morning from my yard I saw groups of small passerines whose identity I couldn't determine visually even with the aid of binoculars.  Even though tracking the birds with my camera was a challange, through photographs I was able to determine that most if not all of the birds were Yellow-rumped Warblers.  I counted over 170 of them.

    Below is one of the 3 Bald Eagles that I saw fly over my yard this morning.

I live where eagles dare.

American Avocets Stearns Beach, Ludington 10/22/2019

  Look what the wind blew in.  Being in the middle of a two day Lakeshore Flood Warning didn't stop Dave Dister from searching the Lake Michigan shore for birds blown astray.  His efforts paid off when he found 7 American Avocets patrolling Stearns Beach right next to the North Pier.

Making a case for obstruction.

Lakefront living(on the edge)

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Muskegon 10/5/2019

    On Thursday, Roger Hagerman found a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at the Muskegon Wastewater Treatment Facility. It is only the third time this species has been seen in Michigan (the first was also at this location back in August 2016).

Pectoral (left) and Least (right)

   My work site was quite birdy on Friday afternoon.  The American Golden Plover was one of two up on the reservoir.

 

Red-tailed Hawk

   Down on the lower reservoir road there was  a good variety of birds passing through....

Orange-crowned Warbler

   ...with several birds choosing to pose on the barbed-wire fence.

American Pipit

Eastern Bluebird

Lincoln's Sparrow

Eastern Pheobe

First Half of October Update

Tennessee Warbler

   The first half of October had a mix of warblers and sparrows passing through the yard.

White-throated Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

   The Eastern Towhee seen below was the 108th species to visit the yard this year.

Eastern Towhee

Full cheeks give this chipmunk a bobble head look

  On October 7, a trip around the lower reservoir road at my work yielded an Eastern Phoebe...

 … and a few bucks.

10 points.....the hard way

More typical rack

    At the south pier of Ludington Harbor a Dunlin was seen on October 8.

   On Saturday October 15th a pair of plovers were active on the pier.

American Golden Plover

  Also on Saturday, a single Snow Goose was hanging out with a large flock of Canada Geese in Pere Marquette Lake at Peter Copeyon Park.

   The highlight on Sunday at Lake Erie Metropark was the first Golden Eagle of the year at the hawk count site.  

Turkey Vulture migration is peaking this time of year at the count.  Over 7000 were tallied on Sunday.

    The Goodyear Blimp took off from Grosse Ile Airport where it spent the night, after hovering over the Michigan-Wisconsin game in Ann Arbor on Saturday.