March 18 Field Trip Report

Despite the drizzly gloomy conditions, six of us certifiably foolish overly gungho dedicated birdwatchers headed out to the Wastewater properties on Saturday the 18th to find what we could find.

Among the 35 bird species we located in 2 hours and 20 minutes of driving around the properties were American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Golden Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Bald Eagle (immature flying by Carol Cooper),

Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Herring Gull (portraits by Charlie DeWitt),

Pileated Woodpecker, American Kestrel, Horned Lark, American Robin, Song Sparrow and Eastern Meadowlark.

Here also is a shot Charlie took through thick foliage of a Ruffed Grouse along the Lane's Landing road on March 15:

- Ric

HWA Training at Hoffmaster

Heidi Frei and other members of the Michigan DNR conducted an indoor/outdoor training session about Hemlock Woolly Adelgid this afternoon at Hoffmaster State Park.

Most of the trainees were land-manager-types, but there were a few birders as well: Curtis Dykstra, Dick Good, Jill Henemyer and Ric Pedler.

Good News / Bad News for our own Dick Good; he found some HWA on a hemlock in the north campground area.

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DNR officer tagging the branch where Dick found the adelgid.