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:

1	Woodcock, American	LL
2	Robin, American	LL
3	Owl, Barred	LL
4	Catbird, Gray	LL
5	Snipe, Wilson's	LL
6	Sparrow, Swamp	LL
7	Owl, Great Horned	LL
8	Crane, Sandhill	LL
9	Mallard	LL
10	Sparrow, Song	LL
11	Yellowthroat, Common	LL
12	Sora	LL
13	Goose, Canada	LL
14	Chickadee, Black-capped	LL
15	Blackbird, Red-winged	LL
16	Crow, American	LL
17	Warbler, Yellow	LL
18	Owl, Eastern Screech-	LL
19	Dove, Mourning	LL
20	Coot, American	LL
21	Teal, Blue-winged	LL
22	Cardinal, Northern	LL
23	Grebe, Pied-billed	LL
24	Heron, Green	LL
25	Duck, Wood	LL
26	Grackle, Common	LL
27	Flycatcher, Willow	LL
28	Kingbird, Eastern	LL
29	Ovenbird	LL
30	Towhee, Eastern	LL
31	Thrush, Wood	LL
32	Flycatcher, Great Crested	LL
33	Vireo, Red-eyed	LL
34	Wren, Marsh	LL
35	Merganser, Hooded	LL
36	Gull, Herring	LL
37	Night-heron, Black-crowned	LL
38	Cormorant, Double-crested	LL
39	Grosbeak, Rose-breasted	LL
40	Gnatcatcher, Blue-gray	LL
41	Goldfinch, American	LL
42	Flycatcher, Least	LL
43	Oriole, Baltimore	LL
44	Cowbird, Brown-headed	LL
45	Woodpecker, Downy	LL
46	Warbler, Black-and-White	LL
47	Waterthrush, Northern	LL
48	Phoebe, Eastern	LL
49	Warbler, Prothonotary	LL
50	Veery	LL
51	Warbler, Magnolia	LL
52	Woodpecker, Red-bellied	LL
53	Redstart, American	LL
54	Vireo, Blue-headed	LL
55	Heron, Great Blue	LL
56	Blackbird, Rusty	LL
57	Warbler, Yellow-rumped	LL
58	Hawk, Red-tailed	LL
59	Bobolink	LL
60	Thrasher, Brown	LL
61	Jay, Blue	LL
62	Bunting, Indigo	LL
63	Starling, European	LL
64	Swan, Mute	LL
65	Wren, House	SGA
66	Flicker, Northern	SGA
67	Sparrow, House	SGA
68	Bluebird, Eastern	SGA
69	Swallow, Tree	SGA
70	Swallow, Barn	SGA
71	Hawk, Cooper's	SGA
72	Vulture, Turkey	SGA
73	Sparrow, Chipping	SGA
74	Vireo, Yellow-throated	SGA
75	Sandpiper, Spotted	SGA
76	Rail, Virginia	SGA
77	Warbler, Blue-winged	SGA
78	Woodpecker, Pileated	SGA
79	Sparrow, Vesper	SGA
80	Nuthatch, White-breasted	SGA
81	Eagle, Bald	SGA
82	Shoveler, Northern	WW
83	Sandpiper, Upland	WW
84	Lark, Horned	WW
85	Dowitcher, Short-billed	WW
86	Phalarope, Wilson's	WW
87	Sandpiper, Least	WW
88	Sandpiper, Pectoral	WW
89	Swallow, Bank	WW
90	Meadowlark, Eastern	WW
91	Swallow, Cliff	WW
92	Scaup, Lesser	WW
93	Redhead	WW
94	Turnstone, Ruddy	WW
95	Oriole, Orchard	WW
96	Sandpiper, Semipalmated	WW
97	Gull, Ring-billed	WW
98	Killdeer	WW
99	Duck, Ruddy	WW
100	Coot, American	WW
101	Bufflehead	WW
102	Gadwall	WW
103	Grebe, Eared	WW
104	Grebe, Horned	WW
105	Gull, Bonaparte's	WW
106	Swallow, Northern Rough-winged	WW
107	Wigeon, American	WW
108	Turkey, Wild	WW
109	Pintail, Northern	WW
110	Falcon, Peregrine	WW
111	Swift, Chimney	MLNP
112	Pigeon, Rock	MLNP
113	Thrush, Swainson's	MLNP
114	Sparrow, Lincoln's	MLNP
115	Warbler, Palm	MLNP
116	Thrush, Gray-cheeked	MLNP
117	Finch, House	MLNP
118	Sparrow, White-crowned	MLNP
119	Sparrow, White-throated	MLNP
120	Warbler, Wilson's	MLNP
121	Vireo, Warbling	MLNP
122	Warbler, Cape May	MLNP
123	Warbler, Black-throated Green	Snug Harbor
124	Nuthatch, Red-breasted	Snug Harbor
125	Warbler, Canada	Snug Harbor
126	Martin, Purple	Channel
127	Woodpecker, Red-headed	Channel

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.

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