Long-eared Owl (non-chasable): Muskegon State Game Area - Caleb

All-

I kayaked the Big Cedar Creek portion the State Game Area from River Rd to US-31 yesterday, with Curtis Dykstra, Dave Slager, and Rick Brigham. The clear highlight of the outing was finding a single Long-eared Owl at a roost in a remote area of the SGA. It appeared to be alone (surprisingly) and the whitewash pile indicated it had likely been present for some time (ie. not a transient). Interestingly it was also in a pure Eastern Hemlock thicket, not cedar, which was a first for me.

We also had a single unID'ed white-winged Gull (Glaucous, Iceland, or Thayer's) flyby, and only 4 Rusty Blackbirds, as well as 2 Rough-legged Hawks, several Turkey Vultures, and American Woodcock at the River Road putin

Here are some photos from the outing and the complete eBird tally of everything we encountered at the bottom.

Good Birding,
Caleb Putnam





Location: Muskegon SGA (Big Cedar Creek)
Observation date: 3/22/10
Notes: 1 white-winged gull seen (tallied as part of 'gull sp'). Rick Brigham, Curtis Dykstra, and Dave Slager. Paddled by kayak from River Rd bridge to US-31 (Creston Rd) takeout.
Number of species: 42

Canada Goose 15
Mute Swan 1
Wood Duck 25
Mallard 13
Common Goldeneye 2
Hooded Merganser 21
Wild Turkey 4
Turkey Vulture 4
Bald Eagle 5
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 6
Rough-legged Hawk 2
Sandhill Crane 10
Ring-billed Gull 8
gull sp. 7
Rock Pigeon 11
Mourning Dove 3
Long-eared Owl 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 15
Downy Woodpecker 7
Hairy Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 3
Pileated Woodpecker 5
Blue Jay 11
American Crow 6
Black-capped Chickadee 16
Tufted Titmouse 15
White-breasted Nuthatch 11
Brown Creeper 6
Winter Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 2
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 27
American Tree Sparrow 38
Song Sparrow 69
Dark-eyed Junco 2
Northern Cardinal 4
Red-winged Blackbird 107
Rusty Blackbird 4
Common Grackle 74
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 14