Eighteen of us birded the Muskegon County Wastewater properties this morning. We began by driving the rapid-filtration cells. Then we birded the parking lot by the administration building, drove carefully across the gull-filled center dike and checked the landfill area.
Next stop, the car wash! Photo by Carol Cooper
Crossing to the southside our caravan turned west at the model airplane field and drove to the end of Laketon. Swanson being barricaded south of the clay pond, we drove north up Seba and back to the north side. After checking out the granery, we drove the seldom-traveled road west along the northern portions of the system and then back to headquarters.
Along the way we recorded 46 bird species despite its being a cold day in March.
eBird Report:
Muskegon Wastewater System, Muskegon, Michigan, US
Mar 17, 2018 8:15 AM - 12:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
17.0 mile(s)
Comments: Muskegon County Nature Club March Field Trip
46 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 24
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) 2
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) 12
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 6
Redhead (Aythya americana) 1
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) 1
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 7
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) 2
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) 1
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) 1
Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) 9
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) 1
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 3
Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) 2 1 dark morph, 1 light morph
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) 2
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 5
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) 3
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 2000 conservative estimate
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 36
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon)) 3
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 3
Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) 1
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) 1
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 1
Northern Shrike (Lanius borealis) 1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) 3
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 9
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) 9
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 3
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 1
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) 4
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 5
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 18
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) 1
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 12
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 1
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) 6
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 24
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 2
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) 1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 9
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) 3
