Fourteen people birded two Ottawa County locations this morning on our September field trip. We found 36 bird species today.
Just east of the Grand Haven north pier seven small birds occupied a lone tree. Six of the seven seemed to be warblers: a Nashville, a female Black-throated Blue, and a Bay-breasted (I.D.'d by Chip Francke who happened to be walking by). One was a Yellow-throated Vireo.
Notable from the pier were Caspian Tern, Ruddy Turnstone, and a number of Sanderlings, some of which we nearly stepped on.
After the pier we walked the woods and open areas along the east side of the lake at Ottawa Sands County Park. Birds of note included a Gray-cheeked Thrush, Red-headed Woodpeckers, some warblers (Nashville, male Black-throated Blue, and Palm), some local and migrating raptors (Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrels), Pied-billed Grebe, Wood Ducks, Spotted Sandpipers, Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches, and Great Blue and Green Herons.
