Two Christmas Bird Counts

    The City of Muskegon Christmas Bird Count will be conducted on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024.  Meet one of the three groups at 8:00 a.m.

    South Group -- the Anchor Chiropractic parking lot, Green Street at Seaway Drive.

                            Leaders:  Bonnie Kot and Dave Herdegen

    Central Group -- the south parking lot of the Veteran's Memorial Causeway.

                            Leader:  Steve Minard 

    North Group -- west end of the Snug Harbor parking lot, Muskegon State Park.

                            Leader:  Ken Sherburn

    All counts involve some driving between locations with the actual counting conducted on foot, so be sure to dress for the weather.  If you are new to participating in this CBC, you might contact Ric Pedler beforehand.

    The count basically ends at noon, but you may continue to census birds afterward at other locations within the CBC circle (15-mile diameter centered in downtown Muskegon).   Some of the participants meet for lunch during the noon hour at the Cherokee Restaurant, 1971 W. Sherman Blvd.  

    The Muskegon Wastewater CBC will be Wednesday, December 18, 2024.  Meet coordinator Brian Johnson at 8:00 a.m. in the headquarters parking lot of the Muskegon County Resource Recovery Center, 698 N. Maple Island Road.  

    The 15-mile-diameter Wastewater CBC circle is centered on the intersection of White and Ravenna Roads.  Participants are assigned sectors within the circle and count primarily from their cars.  Dress for the weather, of course.

    If there's a lunch meeting of participants, Brian will let you know that morning.

November 16 Field Trip Report

Ten of us birded the newly renovated Ottawa Sands County Park this morning.  Conditions were cool and cloudy, almost all of our walkways were paved, and we counted 28 bird species before leaving.

Of note were various ducks (American Wigeon and Black Duck, Redhead, Ring-necked and both merganser species), Cooper’s Hawk, Bald Eagle, Red-headed Woodpecker (adult and juvenile), and American Tree Sparrow.

Upcoming Events

November 16 Field Trip

 Ottawa Dunes County Park

    Meet on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. at the entrance to the park a mile west of Ferrysburg on the south side of Northshore Drive.  Parking is available across the street at Coast Guard Park.

    We will walk the woods and trails west of Ottawa Sands Lake looking for whatever birds we can find.  The trip will end around noon.

November 19 Program

"Birds of Paradise of New Guinea"

Doug Klein

    Doug Klein became enamored of the many Birds of Paradise from reading about them and watching videos of them in their jungle haunts on the island of New Guinea.  He will introduce these beautiful birds to us, and the scientists who have studied them, through several professionally-made videos.

    Doug has been birding since he was 17 years old.  He is a graduate of Michigan State University and was a mechanical engineer during his working life, but has since retired.  He's the president of the Barry County Bird Club and leads their field trips.  Doug lives in Hastings.

    Tuesday, Novenber 19, 2024, Loutit District Library, 407 Columbus Ave., Grand Haven.  Visiting time: 6:00-6:30 p.m.  Program: 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Gull Program

    It was previously posted that Dr. Gordon Atkins would be presenting a program about gulls at the Muskegon Clunty Resource Recovery Center administration building at noon on Friday, November 15, 2024.  Before heading out there for the program, you should contact Beth (glenabeth@gmail.com) to make sure the program is still on. 

Two Christmas Bird Counts in December

    The City of Muskegon Christmas Bird Count will be conducted on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024.  Meet one of the three groups at 8:00 a.m.

South Group -- the Anchor Chiropractic parking lot, Green Street at Seaway Drive.

Leaders:  Bonnie Kot and Dave Herdegen

Central Group -- the south parking lot of the Veteran's Memorial Causeway.

Leader:  Steve Minard

North Group -- west end of the Snug Harbor parking lot, Muskegon State Park.

Leader:  Ken Sherburn

    All counts involve some driving between locations with the actual counting conducted on foot, so be sure to dress for the weather.  If you are new to participating in this CBC, you might contact Ric Pedler beforehand.

    Many of the participants meet for lunch at noon at the Cherokee Restaurant, 1971 W. Sherman Blvd.  The count basically ends at noon, but some may continue to census birds afterward at other locations within the CBC circle (15-mile diameter centered in downtown Muskegon).

    The Muskegon Wastewater CBC will be Wednesday, December 18, 2024.  Meet coordinator Brian Johnson at 8:00 a.m. in the headquarters parking lot of the Muskegon County Resource Recovery Center, 698 N. Maple Island Road.  

    The 15-mile-diameter Wastewater CBC circle is centered on the intersection of White and Ravenna Roads.  Participants are assigned sectors within the circle and count primarily from their cars.  Dress for the weather, of course.

    If there's a lunch meeting of participants, Brian will let you know that morning.

October 19 Field Trip Report

Seven of us enjoyed a walk around the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve this morning.  Temperatures rose from the 40’s to the 60’s this lovely fall day.

Along our way we encountered 38 bird species including Trumpeter Swan, Green-winged Teal, grebe, coot, snipe, egret, kingfisher, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Marsh Wren, White-throated Sparrow and Orange-crowned Warbler.  

Thanks to Glen Miller for these photos of Belted Kingfisher, White-throated Sparrow, Great Blue Heron, House Finch and Trumpeter Swan:

October Events

 October 15 Program

"There and Back Again"

Avian Navigation and Migration

Michael Lombardo

Many species of birds in the temperate zone are long-distance travelers that make twice yearly journeys between their breeding and wintering grounds.  This program will review the costs and benefits to birds of migration, some of the spectacular journeys made by some birds, and the various ways that birds find their way during migration including following other birds, using land features and coastlines as guides, using the position of the sun if they travel by day or the stars if they travel at night, the geomagnetic field of the earth, odors, and inherited navigation.

Michael P. Lombardo is a Professor Emeritus of Biology at Grand Valley State University.  He earned his B.S. in Zoology at The Ohio State University, an M.S. in Zoology and a Ph.D. in Ecology at Rutgers University and was a Junior Fellow in the Michigan Society of Fellows at the University of Michigan.  During his 30-year career at GVSU he taught classes in Evolution, General Biology, Human Evolution, Human Sexuality, Ornithology, Vertebrate Natural History, and Wildlife Management.  He is Fellow of the American Ornithological Society.  Among his over 60 publications in peer-reviewed science journals are papers on various aspects of the biology of Tree Swallows, Eastern and Mountain Bluebirds, European Starlings, and House Sparrows.

October 19 Field Trip

 Two Northside Locations

Meet at 8:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve (on Lake Ave. in North Muskegon just west of the traffic light at Lake and M-120).  We will bird the trails of the preserve south to the Muskegon River and back.

Then we will drive a few miles west on Ruddiman (Memorial) Drive to the Snug Harbor parking lot of Muskegon State Park (around the left curve after the Peterson Road intersection).  Depending on time and conditions, we will bird the Snug Harbor area and perhaps part of the Lost Lake Trail.

This trip will end around noon.  We hope to see you there!

September 21 Field Trip Report

        Four birders enjoyed a beautiful fall morning with tremendous bird activity by the Hoffmaster State Park picnic shelter.  We were honored to have a new birder join us from Saranac!  

Bird highlights included blue-headed vireo, yellow-throated vireo, and at least two juvenile yellow-bellied sapsuckers.  We had many warblers whizzing around but could only nail down identities on five.  

Greg DeWeerd enhanced the trip by sharing his knowledge of tree species and the history of Hoffmaster Park and the surrounding area.  It was a great Muskegon morning for migrants!

August 17 Field Trip Report

Five people found 62 (!) bird species at the Muskegon County Resource Recovery Center (Wastewater) properties this morning.  Here is the eBird report:

Muskegon Wastewater System

Aug 17, 2024
Traveling
14.94 miles
248 Minutes

12 Canada Goose
3 Wood Duck
5 Blue-winged Teal
3 Northern Shoveler
74 Mallard
1 Ruddy Duck
23 Wild Turkey
13 Mourning Dove
13 Sandhill Crane
4 Killdeer
1 Semipalmated Plover
17 Spotted Sandpiper
1 Solitary Sandpiper
5 Lesser Yellowlegs
1 Greater Yellowlegs
4 Lesser/Greater Yellowlegs
1 Sanderling
4 Baird's Sandpiper
23 Least Sandpiper
1000 Ring-billed Gull
30 Herring Gull
4 Double-crested Cormorant
1 Great Egret
3 Great Blue Heron
1 Turkey Vulture
7 Bald Eagle -- All immature. 5 Sitting on electrical posts near the landfill. 2 flying over dried cells.
1 Red-tailed Hawk
1 Belted Kingfisher
3 Downy Woodpecker
8 American Kestrel -- One family group hunting near a dry cell
5 Eastern Wood-Pewee
1 Acadian Flycatcher -- High in forest canopy giving sharp “pweek!” Call note. Have recording.
1 Empidonax sp.
1 Eastern Phoebe
2 Eastern Kingbird
3 Blue Jay
4 American Crow
6 Black-capped Chickadee
5 Tufted Titmouse
6 Tree Swallow
2 Northern Rough-winged Swallow
4 swallow sp.
4 White-breasted Nuthatch
2 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
1 House Wren
1 Carolina Wren -- Cinnamon colored wren with bold eyebrow and decurved bill, calling loudly tea kettle tea kettle, tea kettle in the forest near the entrance.
800 European Starling
8 Eastern Bluebird
2 Cedar Waxwing
1 House Sparrow
4 American Goldfinch
10 Chipping Sparrow
5 Song Sparrow
2 Eastern Towhee
4 Bobolink
9 Eastern Meadowlark
1 Baltimore Oriole
1 Nashville Warbler
1 new world warbler sp. -- Yellow with eyeline
2 Northern Cardinal
4 Indigo Bunting
2 Dickcissel

August 17 Field Trip

Muskegon Resource Recovery Center

August 17, 2024

    Meet at 8:30 on Saturday morning August 17, 2024, near the Maple Island Road entrance to the Muskegon County Resource Recovery Center properties (MCRRC, formerly "the Wastewater").  Having a walkie-talkie tuned to Channel 11, Subchannel 0, can be helpful but is not necessary.

    We will drive around the Rapid Filtration areas looking in the dry cells for late summer field species such as Dickcissels, sparrows, larks, Bobolinks, etc. and in the wet cells for shorebirds and waterbirds, stepping out of our cars occasionally.

    Then we will look for shorebirds in whichever aeration lagoons are drained down providing proper habitat.  Later we'll drive the perimeter of the large lagoons looking for waterbirds and shorebirds.  Near the landfill at the southeast corner of the east lagoon we'll try for the odd gull, ducks, ravens, etc.

    Unfortunately the properties south of Apple Ave. are closed to birders, so we will conclude our morning northward up Swanson Road to the granery and the edges of the MCRRC properties.

    This trip will end around noon.  It is open to the public.  We hope to see you there!

July 20 Field Trip Report

Charlie DeWitt led our Allegan field trip this morning.  Five veterans of our club spent three hours finding 34 bird species.  All photos (Green Heron, trip list, four participants, and Monarch butterfly) by Carol DeWitt.

Muskegon Peregrine Falcons

See Ruth Achterhoff Aust’s article about naming the downtown Muskegon Peregrine Falcons on our Recent Sightings page.

July 20 Field Trip

Field Trip

Allegan SGA / Crane's Restaurant

July 20, 2024

    Our monthly field trip is scheduled for Saturday, July 20. We will bird the Allegan State Game Area in the morning and enjoy lunch at the Crane’s Pie Pantry Restaurant west of Fennville at midday.

    Allow about an hour of travel time from Muskegon to the US-31 / M-89 interchange south of Holland.  We will meet at 8:30 in the parking lot of the Shell gas station a half mile east of the interchange where M-89 crosses the Blue Star Highway.  This gas station has parking on both sides, so be sure to check both lots for our group.

    From there we will drive to various places on the nearby farm properties of the Allegan State Game Area to look for whatever birds we can find.  Having a walkie-talkie in your vehicle tuned to Channel 11, Subchannel 0 can be helpful, but is not necessary.

    Around noon we’ll drive to the Crane’s Orchard Pie Pantry Restaurant, 6054 124th Ave. (M-89), Fennville, MI. for lunch.  Some of us may return to Muskegon with a stop at New Richmond Bridge Park along the north side of the Kalamazoo River .  

    The public is welcome.  We hope to see you there!

June 15 Field Trip Report

Thanks to Ken for leading this trip to the Walkinshaw Sanctuary and Gale’s Pond, both in the Walkerville area.  Seven people participated recording thirty bird species:

Eastern Kingbird, Common Yellowthroat, Willow Flycatcher, Mourning Dove, Bobolink, American Goldfinch, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Great Blue Heron, Sandhill Crane, Red-winged Blackbird, Hooded Merganser, Wood Duck, Tree Swallow, Green Heron, American Redstart, Swamp Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Belted Kingfisher, Pine Warbler, Veery, Killdeer, Mallard, Red-eyed Vireo, Northern Flicker, Chipping Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, Cedar Waxwing, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, American Robin and Common Grackle.

May 18 Big Day Count

We’ve calculated the final Big Day Count number of species from May 18:

118

Here is the list:

Common Nighthawk

Great Crested Flycatcher

American Robin

Great Horned Owl

Wood Thrush

Scarlet Tanager

Veery

Gray Catbird

Northern Cardinal

Common Yellowthroat

Yellow Warbler

Indigo Bunting

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

American Redstart

Swamp Sparrow

Black-billed Cuckoo

Mourning Dove

Red-winged Blackbird

Ovenbird

Canada Goose

Trumpeter Swan

Wood Duck

Green Heron

Pied-billed Grebe

Sandhill Crane

Common Grackle

Common Gallinule

Mallard

Hooded Merganser

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Chimney Swift

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Virginia Rail

Sora

American Coot

Killdeer

Ring-billed Gull

Green Heron

Great Blue Heron

Turkey Vulture

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

American Kestrel

Eastern Wood Pewee

Willow Flycatcher

Least Flycatcher

Eastern Kingbird

Yellow-throated Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Red-eyed Vireo

Blue Jay

American Crow

Black-capped Chickadee

Tree Swallow

Barn Swallow

Brown Creeper

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Marsh Wren

Eastern Bluebird

Cedar Waxwing

American Goldfinch

Song Sparrow

Baltimore Oriole

Brown-headed Cowbird

Blue-winged Warbler

Prothonotary Warbler

Mourning Warbler

Cerulean Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Blue-winged Teal

Gadwall

Greater Scaup

Ruddy Duck

Upland Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

Herring Gull

Western Cattle Egret

Great Egret

Turkey Vulture

Fish Crow

Horned Lark

Bank Swallow

Cliff Swallow

European Starling

House Sparrow

House Finch

Grasshopper Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Bobolink

Eastern Meadowlark

Orchard Oriole

Northern Shoveler

Lesser Scaup

Bufflehead

Pectoral Sandpiper

Downy Woodpecker

Lesser Yellowlegs

Red-tailed Hawk

Acadian Flycatcher

Alder Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher

Eastern Phoebe

House Wren

Field Sparrow

Black-and-white Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

Tufted Titmouse

Black-throated Green Warbler

Pileated Woodpecker

Gray-cheeked Thrush

Purple Martin

Swainson’s Thrush

Eastern Towhee

Redhead

Eagle, Bald