Bird Dog at Night 3/13/2022

 

   A prediction of a Northern Lights display had me outside last night waiting for a show that never materialized.  Turns out it had already peaked before the Sun went down.  While out I decided to try to do some owling.  I started by imitating a Saw-whet Owl's toot call.  No response.  I had better luck when I tried the Eastern Screech Owl's whinny and monotonic trill.  After a few attempts I heard one...and then a second Screech Owl reply.

  As I listened, I noticed my dog Nico looking up at the closest tree about 10 feet away.  Sure enough with her super night vision she had located the owl who had relocated and was silently checking us out.  With the camera already out, I repositioned to get a better angle at the bird. 

  Not the best shot but the lump on the horizontal branch is the owl.

     Ten years and 5 days ago while attempting another ultimately unsuccessful photo session with the Northern Lights I took the photo below. 

   It's my late dog Roscoe with Canis Major (the Big Dog) in the background sky.

   And last night....

It's almost like history repeating.  What has changed it 10 years?...new dog, I live 200 miles farther north, the dog photo taken with phone instead of camera, the bird on Roscoe's night was a peenting  American Woodcock but best of all I didn't have to drive 70 miles to find a relatively dark sky. 

 
  

Winter Weather And Finches 2/22/2022

     A winter weather advisory for my area warned of ice light accumulation before late morning temperatures were to rise to the mid-30's.  They nailed the light ice accumulation prediction for the morning but the temperature maxed out at 30 F, so the moderate rain in the early afternoon also froze on contact.  

   The significant coating of ice that covered everything made a dramatic backdrop for photographing birds around and on my feeders.  I started with the Cardinals in the front yard. 

 

    Shortly thereafter I moved to the backyard where the nyjer seed feeder itself was worthy of a photo or two. Throw in some winter finches and watch the magic unfold.  

                                    

Pine Siskins

A Common Redpoll joins in

And a scuffle ensues

Surf Scoter, Yard Bird #177 1/13/2022

 

   The mission that I've been assigned (by Dave Dister) since I moved to the lakefront two years ago is to find a Barrow's Goldeneye among the thousands of Common Goldeneye that overwinter on Lake Michigan near Ludington.  That search had me out at the edge of my bluff this morning taking advantage of the calm winds and 30 F temperature scanning flocks of ducks with my scope.  I struck out on a Barrow's but I found an adult male Surf Scoter hanging with a couple White-winged Scoters at quite a distance offshore.  Even with my 500mm lens plus 1.4x converter I couldn't see it through the camera, so I just aimed in the general direction that my scope was pointing.

  After the Scoter discovery I notified the proper local bird authorities and invited them to come take a look.  Dave came by around noon, he was also enticed by promises of White-winged Crossbills.  Once Dave arrived it took about 10 minutes of scanning the flock to locate the Surf Scoter.  While he was looking through my scope I used his scope to hone in on a flock of White-winged Crossbills that landed in one of my spruces.

 

   A little while after Dave left and I had put my scope away, Brian Brosky texted that he'd be in the area in about an hour, I told him that I'd try to relocate the scoter before his expected arrival.  It took me 2 complete flock scans and about 45 minutes to refind the duck that was now mixed in with 20 White-winged Scoters.  Brian arrived shortly thereafter. During that search I found a single Black Scoter which completed the Scoter Trifecta.  

 Other winter birds of interest....

Pine Siskin

Common Redpolls

   

Doomed Sora 2021-2022 1/6/2022

 

  Last Wednesday Dave Dister called and reported that Joe Moloney had spotted an out-of-season Sora at Cartier Park.  Soras are rails and their diet consists of seeds from wetland plants and occasionally aquatic invertebrates. Since we received 4" of snow on Wednesday and another 6" in the predawn of Thursday both of those food sources were about to become much harder to come by.  

  I made it out there Thursday morning and located the bird in the place that Dave described.  It shuffled through the snow covered leaf debris in a struggle to find food.

  

   I noticed it occasionally stopping to swallow some food.  It was only after I checked my photos and heard from Brian Brosky it became apparent that all the bird was finding was stringy algae.  Not enough to sustain it to migrate to warmer climes. 

    The bird was not seen after Thursday.

Ludington CBC 12/18/2021 and the Winter Finches That Stayed 12/26/2021

  The above photo was taken today in rare December sunlight, in contrast to the shroud of clouds that muted photos during the Ludington Christmas Bird Count a week ago yesterday.  Despite the clouds I was pleased that the White-winged Crossbills that occasionally zipped over my yard since October 23 finally came down to be counted and feed on the spruce cone crop.    

Yeah, now what.

  Also on the count a single Common Redpoll showed up for only its second appearance of the season.

  Today it appeared again..

  Another winter finch that appeared on the count as well as today were Pine Siskins.

    The American Tree Sparrow below also showed up to be counted last Saturday but hasn't been seen since. 

   

Rough-legged Record 11/09/2021

  A report from Brian Allen in Manistee County of a southbound Black-legged Kittiwake had me  perched at the edge of my bluff on high alert.  The Kittiwake was a no-show but migrating Rough-legged Hawks did not leave me disappointed.

  According to Mason County bird record compiler and author Dave Dister the high daily count for Roughies was 15 on last year's Christmas Bird Count.   Between Dave, Brian Brosky and I we totaled 29 yesterday.  With 21 of them being seen from my yard, including 17 between 12:51-1:38 pm.  Three of the 21 were dark-morphs.
 

  

Peregrine Falcon 10/11/2021

 

    October is becoming Peregrine month around here.  Since the first of the month I've seen five of them fly by my yard.  The one today offered the best photo-ops by far.  I spotted it low over Lake Michigan a few hundred feet off shore.

   It proceeded to fly almost straight toward me....

...before resuming its southerly trajectory.

   A stiff headwind played a roll in slowing it down enough for me to fire off 40 shots of the world's fastest bird. 

  Since Thursday a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird has been visiting my feeders.