Beautiful Day: Lotsa Species, Lotsa People

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Feller DeWitt led our monthly field trip today.  At one time there were 32 people and 15 cars, certainly our most attended event in a long time!.

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Birding the Wastewater properties and the State Game Area headquarters further north, we tallied 61 bird species thanks in part to the beautiful summerlike weather.
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The eBird reports below reflect all species except the three that were not seen by me: American Wigeon (in the flooded field SE of Laketon/Swanson), Wood Duck (on the Clay Pond) and Common Raven (near SE corner of East Lagoon).*
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-  Ric
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Muskegon Wastewater System, Muskegon, US-MI
Mar 17, 2012 8:15 AM - 11:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 mile(s)
Comments:    Muskegon County Nature Club Monthly Field Trip
49 species

Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens)  12
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)  X
Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)  15
Gadwall (Anas strepera)  X
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes)  X
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)  2
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)  X
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)  6
Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris)  6
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)  1
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)  X
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)  X
Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)  X
Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)  1
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)  2
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  2
Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)  1
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  1
Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus)  1
American Coot (Fulica americana)  2
Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis)  3
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  X
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  X
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)  X
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  6
Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus)  1
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  1
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  3
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)  1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  2
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  X
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)  8
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  4
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)  1
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)  1
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  1
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)  4
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  X
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  4
American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea)  X
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  9
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  X
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  2
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  X
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)  X
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  6
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)  4
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)  X 
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Muskegon SGA--Headquarters, Muskegon, US-MI
Mar 17, 2012 11:15 AM - 12:45 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
Comments:    Muskegon County Nature Club Monthly Field Trip
28 species

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  4
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  1
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)  2
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)  3
Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis)  2
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  3
Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)  1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)  X
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  1
Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)  1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  1
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  X
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  X
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)  X
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  3
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)  1
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  X
American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea)  4
Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca)  3
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  6
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  X
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  X
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)  2
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)  1
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)  2 
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* Even without these three, the 11 birds I got today raised my year's total to 84, perhaps noticeable in the rear view mirrors of Zachary, Charlie, Feller and Kathryn.  (And who's counting anyway?)
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Cranes on White River Friday

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Betty and John Blanshine took this photo of a pair of Sandhill Cranes from the bike trail bridge that crosses the White River between Whitehall and Montague.
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Sparrows at Little Black Lake

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I spent some time birding the Norton Shores leaf dump on Wood Road.  Along the drain ditch on the south side of the leaf dump I found 6 Fox Sparrows, 10 Song Sparrows and 1 Swamp Sparrow.  I also had a Brown Creeper and Golden-crowned Kinglet.  All these birds were in the first 100 yards of trail.   It took an hour and a half to walk the 100 yards, but I was trying to take pictures.

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Charlie DeWitt

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Thursday Bird Report

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While raking our yard today I listened to Pine Siskins and our first Eastern Phoebe and watched 45 Sandhill Cranes migrate overhead.  This afternoon Greg Swanson phoned that he had a Common Raven near the Musketawa Trail and Carr Road and Ken Sapkowski emailed that he had this Rusty Blackbird last night along the Maple River on SGA properties.
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- Ric
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Wednesday Evening at Wastewater

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Carol and I watched one Short-eared Owl fly over the Clay Pond (escorted south by a Red-winged Blackbird) at 7:55 and two (presumably other) Short-eared's hunting the RC airport from 8:00 until 8:20.  I also added Year Bird #72 with Eastern Meadowlark also at the Laketon-Swanson intersection.
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- Ric
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Tuesday at the Wastewater

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I saw 2 Short-eared Owls and 2 Northern Harriers hunting the RC field. While watching them, a flock of a hundred or so Snow Geese flew over (could have been other species mixed in).  Also, Zach, (see previous post) those were Tundra Swans down by Sawnson and Laketon. And the Eastern Meadowlarks are singing everywhere out there. Several Sandhill Cranes also flew overhead.

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Don Neumann

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On Our Feeder This Morning

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So it's about 70 degrees out there this morning, Song Sparrows and Red-winged Blackbirds are singing around the neighborhood, and a small flock of Common Redpolls shows up on our feeder.  Weird year.
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Birding Muskegon County Tuesday

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Tuesday Emails:
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Ric, I spent two hours looking for the Harris's Sparrow (March 13) at the State Game Area HQ, no luck.  I did see an Eastern Phoebe by the Yellow Gate at the SGA HQ, #100, not that it matters.
- Charlie DeWitt
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Amazing views of Long-tailed Ducks at Pere Marquette Park today. Pairs
floating twenty feet away from us. First of season Common Loon and 60+ WW. Scoters out there as well.

Wastewater: Lots of Shovelers and my FOY American Pipit. One Snowy Owl
still hanging out.

A gorgeous day in Muskegon County!
- Kirby Adams.

After Organismal Biology class Monday afternoon I set off on a target-orientated yearbirding spree.  I stopped by the Lautenbach's spot on the Musketawa Trail, the Wastewater, and Lane's Landing.

There were only a few Canada Geese and Mallard left at the Musketawa-Swanson intersection.  My car got extremely filthy, and I missed the Ross's Geese, Greater White-fronted Geese, and Snow Geese (but they're all on my monthlist anyway).  At Swanson Avenue, I bumped into this guy  (photo below).
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(http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S10159647):

Short-eared Owl was yearbird #86.  I spent 30 minutes looking for a Shrike on Swanson/Laketon, because that would also be a yearbird, but had no success.  Waterfowl on the wastewater seemed quite limited, but I did pick out Canvasback (#87), Green-winged Teal (#88), American Wigeon (#89), and Northern Pintail (#90), mostly all in the southwest corner of both lagoons.  I continued on to be disappointed by 14 Trumpeter Swans, since I would have liked them to be Tundra Swans (nemesis yearbird).  Meadowlark (#91) was an easy grab throughout the WW as well.  Chipping Sparrow (#92) rounded off the perching birds.

At Lane's Landing in Muskegon SGA, I found some of those really hard to get Muskegon County birds, like Cooper's Hawk.  I also found a Northern Shrike (#93--wow!) chasing a Downy Woodpecker.  I stood around waiting for Rusty Blackbird, Snipe, and Woodcock, and in the meantime picked up Wood Duck (#94).  After sunset, I despondently headed back to the Wastewater, having missed both Woodcock and Snipe.  I found 2 Short-eared Owls prowling the prairies at the Model Airport, and then proceeded to find 2 Cackling Geese (#95) in with a thousand or so Canada Geese on the easat side of Swanson in the flooded field.  As I headed home on Apple Avenue, 2 American Woodcock (#96) flew directly overhead between Swanson and Maple Island.  I felt pretty good now.

So, if Charlie (or any of you) can get 11 yearbirds in 3 hours, I'll pay him a buck!!  4 more for me to go before #100, and I'm still missing some basics.

Splendid Birding,

Zachary DeBruine

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Vultures, Harris's, Song and Chipping Sparrows

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In regard to Dave Elbrecht's Harris's Sparrow (see March 10 post below), if anyone else goes back there on the SGA properties in search of it, please let me know.
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Weird combination of birds in our neighborhood today.  First for the spring Song Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow and Turkey Vulture.  Sharing the feeding area with these were a Pine Siskin, Dark-eyed Juncos and about 40 Common Redpolls.  Our side feeder missed by one second having Chipper and Redpoll at the same time -- that would have been a first and a last!
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- Ric
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Short-eared Owls and Good Little Geese

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March 11 Email:
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I'm still picking sand out of my teeth from yesterday, but today made up for it. Among the many bird stories we could tell from the last two days the finale Sunday evening was amazing.
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Three Short-eared Owls were out well before dark and drifting by effortlessly near the Swanson-Laketon intersection, some within 15 feet.  I have some nice shots of one in the field, but trying to get a point-and-shot camera to focus on a bird in the air is nearly impossible.  Glenda Eikenberry took the attached photo, not me.

Also, Phil Vreeman joined us and said there were 5 Ross's or Ross's x Snow Geese hybrid on the central dike at the Wastewater.  We missed those, but we had gone down to Allegan county for the big show Saturday morning.  (See Caleb Putnam's report on Mich-Lister's.)

- Ken Sapkowski

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Good Waterbirds Along Musketawa Trail

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Email, Sunday March 11:
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Yesterday (10 March 2012) my brother Michael and I had some good birds just south of wastewater properties along Swanson Road at Musketawa Trail. There is a large wetlands at this intersection and we had 32 Greater White-fronted Geese, 127 Snow Geese, 5 Ross' Geese, 10 or so Cackling Geese, 1000+ Canada Geese, Tundra Swans, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, Sandhill Cranes, Gadwall, and lots of other species.

Jonathan Lautenbach

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Kestrels in the Spring

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Dan Lockard sends this photograph from the North Muskegon area of mating American Kestrels.
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Harris's Sparrow Friday at SGA Headquarters

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Email:
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On Friday afternoon, 3-9-12, I identified a lone Harris's Sparrow in the Muskegon SGA.  It was feeding in a flock of juncos and tree sparrows.  If anyone wants to search, drive past the SGA HQ to the end of Messinger Rd.  Walk around the yellow gate and about 80 paces to a field on the left.  Walk through the field toward three large pines.  When you reach the pines, you will see an opening on the right, leading to another field.  The bird was in this field, on the right side, in the brush along the tree line.  Also nearby were a fox sparrow, purple finch, and towhee.  Best wishes,
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Dave Elbrecht
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Woodcock Back Friday

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Only had to wait five seconds tonight to hear the American Woodcock at the blueberry patch in my neighborhood.  Year Bird #67.
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- Ric
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Bird #66. But Who's Counting?

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Last night I was sure that I'd get my 66th Year Bird by just going over to the blueberry patch and listening for the woodcocks.  Conditions the previous several days had been bad and this year with all the early species they had to be here by the 8th.  But they weren't.  But I got #66 today anyway when a cooperative Pine Siskin shucked some seeds on our side feeder.  Birds!  Unpredictable.
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- Ric
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