Monday, May 19, 2014

Big Day: 19 People Record 127 Species



Saturday, May 17, 2014:  Charlie, Feller, Travis, Ric, Ken-1 and Jim began before 5:00 a.m. at the outer gate of Lane's Landing.


Charlie, Feller, Ken-2 and Roger ended at 8:20 p.m. along the north side of the Muskegon Channel.


Along the way via State Game Area Headquarters, the Muskegon Wastewater properties, Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve and Snug Harbor they were accompanied by Pat and Connie, Bill, Kathryn, John, Dick and Shirley, Dave and Bonnie, Brian, and Jeff.




Thanks to Charlie for the people pictures and Sherri (who was not with our group but was photographing at the Wastewater same day) for the bird pictures.  Too bad she wasn't with us or we might have added her American Pipit, Willet and Scarlet Tanager (posted on our Recent Sightings page) for an even 130!


Here, basically in the order we recorded them, are the 127 species we found and their locations:

1Woodcock, AmericanLL
2Robin, AmericanLL
3Owl, BarredLL
4Catbird, GrayLL
5Snipe, Wilson'sLL
6Sparrow, SwampLL
7Owl, Great HornedLL
8Crane, SandhillLL
9MallardLL
10Sparrow, SongLL
11Yellowthroat, CommonLL
12SoraLL
13Goose, CanadaLL
14Chickadee, Black-cappedLL
15Blackbird, Red-wingedLL
16Crow, AmericanLL
17Warbler, YellowLL
18Owl, Eastern Screech-LL
19Dove, MourningLL
20Coot, AmericanLL
21Teal, Blue-wingedLL
22Cardinal, NorthernLL
23Grebe, Pied-billedLL
24Heron, GreenLL
25Duck, WoodLL
26Grackle, CommonLL
27Flycatcher, WillowLL
28Kingbird, EasternLL
29OvenbirdLL
30Towhee, EasternLL
31Thrush, WoodLL
32Flycatcher, Great CrestedLL
33Vireo, Red-eyedLL
34Wren, MarshLL
35Merganser, HoodedLL
36Gull, HerringLL
37Night-heron, Black-crownedLL
38Cormorant, Double-crestedLL
39Grosbeak, Rose-breastedLL
40Gnatcatcher, Blue-grayLL
41Goldfinch, AmericanLL
42Flycatcher, LeastLL
43Oriole, BaltimoreLL
44Cowbird, Brown-headedLL
45Woodpecker, DownyLL
46Warbler, Black-and-WhiteLL
47Waterthrush, NorthernLL
48Phoebe, EasternLL
49Warbler, ProthonotaryLL
50VeeryLL
51Warbler, MagnoliaLL
52Woodpecker, Red-belliedLL
53Redstart, AmericanLL
54Vireo, Blue-headedLL
55Heron, Great BlueLL
56Blackbird, RustyLL
57Warbler, Yellow-rumpedLL
58Hawk, Red-tailedLL
59BobolinkLL
60Thrasher, BrownLL
61Jay, BlueLL
62Bunting, IndigoLL
63Starling, EuropeanLL
64Swan, MuteLL
65Wren, HouseSGA
66Flicker, NorthernSGA
67Sparrow, HouseSGA
68Bluebird, EasternSGA
69Swallow, TreeSGA
70Swallow, BarnSGA
71Hawk, Cooper'sSGA
72Vulture, TurkeySGA
73Sparrow, ChippingSGA
74Vireo, Yellow-throatedSGA
75Sandpiper, SpottedSGA
76Rail, VirginiaSGA
77Warbler, Blue-wingedSGA
78Woodpecker, PileatedSGA
79Sparrow, VesperSGA
80Nuthatch, White-breastedSGA
81Eagle, BaldSGA
82Shoveler, NorthernWW
83Sandpiper, UplandWW
84Lark, HornedWW
85Dowitcher, Short-billedWW
86Phalarope, Wilson'sWW
87Sandpiper, LeastWW
88Sandpiper, PectoralWW
89Swallow, BankWW
90Meadowlark, EasternWW
91Swallow, CliffWW
92Scaup, LesserWW
93RedheadWW
94Turnstone, RuddyWW
95Oriole, OrchardWW
96Sandpiper, SemipalmatedWW
97Gull, Ring-billedWW
98KilldeerWW
99Duck, RuddyWW
100Coot, AmericanWW
101BuffleheadWW
102GadwallWW
103Grebe, EaredWW
104Grebe, HornedWW
105Gull, Bonaparte'sWW
106Swallow, Northern Rough-wingedWW
107Wigeon, AmericanWW
108Turkey, WildWW
109Pintail, NorthernWW
110Falcon, PeregrineWW
111Swift, ChimneyMLNP
112Pigeon, RockMLNP
113Thrush, Swainson'sMLNP
114Sparrow, Lincoln'sMLNP
115Warbler, PalmMLNP
116Thrush, Gray-cheekedMLNP
117Finch, HouseMLNP
118Sparrow, White-crownedMLNP
119Sparrow, White-throatedMLNP
120Warbler, Wilson'sMLNP
121Vireo, WarblingMLNP
122Warbler, Cape MayMLNP
123Warbler, Black-throated GreenSnug Harbor
124Nuthatch, Red-breastedSnug Harbor
125Warbler, CanadaSnug Harbor
126Martin, PurpleChannel
127Woodpecker, Red-headedChannel

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Potluck Picnic


The 25 club members who braved the weather for our annual potluck picnic at the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve Thursday evening enjoyed comradery, delicious food, and such warblers as Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Black-and-White, Magnolia, Wilson's and Northern Parula.  Photos (and cake) by Carol Cooper.




Friday, May 2, 2014

Northern Ohio: 10 Birders, 100 Species


Tuesday through Thursday (April 29-May 1) John & Betty, Dick & Shirley, Jerry & Alison, Ken, Dayle, John and I birded around Toledo (Magee Marsh, Metzger Marsh, Oak Openings).  Warm summer weather on Tuesday morphed to winterish by Thursday. All days were windy, but it never rained while we were birding, and we had a great time.

Highlights included "walking into summer" on Tuesday afternoon. It was shirtsleeve weather as Ken, John and Dayle walked the Oak Lodge ranger station trail at the southeast corner of Oak Openings (below).  Lots of towhees and sparrows (including Field Sparrows singing in Ohio dialect and Lark Sparrows further east along Girdham Road).



Why had we worried about too many birders on the Magee Marsh boardwalk?  On Tuesday evening we had it almost to ourselves (below); the same early Wednesday morning.  Later on Wednesday and through Thursday morning there were still precious few birders, maybe half a dozen per hundred yards of boardwalk? 


Highlights at Magee Marsh included two male American Woodcocks dancing and displaying around a female with one male "winning the competition", then flying a victory circle above our heads as lightning flashed all around just before dark on Tuesday.


On Wednesday evening a Summer Tanager flew in for excellent views by John, Ken, Dayle and me.  As of this writing the local photographer who snapped several photos of this beautiful but weirdly-plumaged bird (see Sibley's drawing of the first spring male) has not sent photos, but I'll post them here when/if he does.  Probably the same bird displayed at the same place the next morning for the rest of our group (and Connie who showed up that day)! 

Yellow-throated and White-eyed Vireos were seen by some of us, Prothonotary and Canada Warblers by others.  Blue-headed and Warbling Vireos were everywhere, as were Nashville and Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Wood Ducks.  Mama eagle kept ripping food that Daddy kept bringing to their nest near the parking lot; a Sora walked around on his ridiculous green feet shortly after noon at Metzger Marsh; we had the greatest feather-counting view of a male Rusty Blackbird just below the Magee boardwalk, and of a woodcock almost as close probing its long beak full-length into the muck while still looking up with eyes set closer to the back than the front of its head; the trumpeter swans blared on their trombone mouthpieces; etc., etc., etc.  


We tallied 100 species for the trip: red-winged and rusty blackbird, bluebird, cardinal, catbird, chickadee, coot, cormorant, cowbird, crane, creeper, crow, dove, ring-necked, ruddy and wood duck, bald eagle, great egret, flicker, least flycatcher, gnatcatcher, goldfinch, goose, grackle, pied-billed grebe, grosbeak, Bonaparte's and herring Gull, Cooper's, broad-winged and red-tailed hawk, great blue and green heron, jay, junco, kestrel, killdeer, kingbird, ruby-crowned kinglet, mallard, martin, red- and white- breasted nuthatch, Baltimore and orchard oriole ...

... osprey, parula, phoebe, pigeon, Virginia rail, robin, shoveler, sora, nine "sparrows" (chipping, field, house, lark, Lincoln's, song, swamp, white-crowned and white-throated), starling, rough-winged and tree swallow, mute (not in Ohio) and trumpeter swan, scarlet and summer tanager, blue-winged teal, Caspian and common tern, thrasher, hermit and wood thrush, titmouse, towhee, turkey, blue-headed, warbling, white-eyed and yellow-throated vireo ...

... vulture, black-and-white, black-throated green, Blackburnian, blue-winged, Canada, magnolia, Nashville, palm, prothonotary, yellow and yellow-rumped warbler, woodcock, downy, red-bellied and red-headed woodpecker, wren and yellowthroat.

For the trip our gang recorded 13 warblers (eleven "named warblers" above plus Northern Parula and Common Yellowthroat).  We thought we should have had redstarts and ovenbirds too, but did not.

Of our pre-trip "target birds" (Lark Sparrow, Summer Tanager and Blue Grosbeak) only the grosbeak eluded us, probably because we were too early in the season, possibly because they were hunkered down from the wind.

- Ric