Potluck Picnic Meeting

Over 25 people attended our Potluck Picnic Meeting Thursday evening May 17, 2018.  Afterwards we took a walk around the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve finding 38 species of birds.  (Details posted on Recent Sightings.)

April 21 Field Trip Report

We began in Ottawa County at the Kitchel-Lindquist Dunes Preserve walking north and clockwise back around to the parking lot finding 26 species along our way.  Of note were Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, Red- and White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Fox Sparrow and Brown-headed Cowbird.

Photo by Carol Cooper

At the fisherman's parking lot north of the Grand Haven Channel we listed Long-tailed Duck, Bonaparte's Gull, Caspian Tern, Double-crested Cormorant and Purple Martin.

At Black Lake from the bridge down to and including Black Lake Park we found at least 39 species.  Of the 24 new species for this morning, Wood Duck, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, scaup (sp), Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed and Horned Grebe, Green Heron, a buteo hawk, American Coot, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Bluebird, Brown Thrasher, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Tree Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco and Common Grackle were notable.

So in about three and a half hours of bird-watching we found 54 species of birds.

March 17 Field Trip Report

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

February 17 Field Trip Report

Eleven hardy souls birded three locations this cold cloudy morning.  Ice covered all of Muskegon Lake and the birdable shoreline of Lake Michigan.  The only water was in the Muskegon Channel where we saw thirteen bird species including Redhead, White-winged Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Red-breasted Merganser and Bald Eagle.

Birders at Lake Harbor Park by Carol Cooper

The Mona Lake Channel was also liquid.  We walked the Lake Harbor Park trail out to the Big Lake recording 17 species including Redhead, Greater Scaup, Common Goldeneye, Rock Pigeon (not often seen on field trips) and Red-breasted Nuthatch.

 Redhead in Mona Lake Channel

Female Greater Scaup in Mona Lake Channel

We concluded our morning walking around Black Lake Park where we found 16 species including Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Bluebird and Cedar Waxwing.  

We didn't hear or see any Pileated Woodpeckers, but there was plenty of evidence that they've been around recently!

Including the Wild Turkeys on Lincoln Street near the Nugent railroad siding, we totaled 32 bird species for the day and had a good time doing it.

January 20 Field Trip Report

Nature Preserve Sunrise by Carol Cooper

Eleven people birded the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve and Snug Harbor this morning; five continued for an additional hour on the Lost Lake Trail.  We recorded 22 bird species for the morning.

photo by Carol Cooper

The 12 species at the preserve included a Belted Kingfisher -- and now we can add #13, a Snowy Owl! -- see Charlie's photographs on our Recent Sightings page.  ...

photo by Carol Cooper

-- eight species at Snug Harbor included Pileated Woodpecker and Bald Eagle, and 12 species on the Lost Lake Trail included a mixed flock of American Goldfinches, Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls plus a dozen Cedar Waxwings.

Three Common Redpolls high above the Lost Lake Trail

One and a quarter Cedar Waxwings

Lost Sunglasses

If you lost your sunglasses at our January 18 meeting, please contact Ric.

Christmas Bird Count Reports

Our club conducted two Christmas Bird Counts this year: the Muskegon Wastewater CBC (Brian Johnson, coordinator) Dec. 20 and the City of Muskegon CBC (Ric Pedler, coordinator) Dec. 23.  Because of their general nature, all reports from these counts are posted on our Recent Sightings page.

November Field Trip Reports

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 17
DNR FIELD TRIP

Twenty-one vehicles transported 45-50 bird-watchers around the Muskegon County Wastewater properties on Friday morning November 17.  Click here.

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 18

OTTAWA COUNTY FIELD TRIP

Six hardy individuals looked for birds from downtown Grand Haven out to the State Park, down to Pigeon River, then over to Hemock Crossing this morning.  We had barely more bird species than participants, but as always a good time.

The species of the morning was Great Black-backed Gull.  Charlie's photo.

Upper Macatawa Field Trip Report

Liz Notman led ten of us around the Upper Macatawa Natural Area this morning.  Other than titmice we found all the usual suspects among our 43 species including Green-winged Teal, Pied-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Northern Harrier, Cooper's and Red-tailed Hawks, Killdeer, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers, Golden- and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Eastern Bluebird, White-crowned, White-throated, Song and Swamp Sparrows, and various blackbirds (Red-winged, European Starling and Common Grackle). 

We came upon this Praying Mantis along one of the grassy trails.

Montague Field Trip Report

Seven people birded the greater Montague area Saturday morning September 23.  At Henderson Lake they found 15 bird species including Pied-billed Grebe, Green Heron, Winter Wren, Cedar Waxwing and Common Yellowthroat.

Fourteen species were recorded at Clear Springs Nature Preserve including Killdeer, Belted Kingfisher, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe and Brown Creeper.

At Covell Park Trumpeter Swan and Wilson's Warbler were among 9 species, and at Lions Park Marsh Wren and White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows were among 19 total species.

Thanks to Ken Sapkowski for leading the trip and to Tracy Zervos for the species information.