Harlequin Duck

The female Harlequin Duck was still present at Pere Marquette Park Wednesday evening, March 30th. There were also Long-tailed Ducks and a White-winged Scoter in the area. I didn't see any Black Scoters.

Mike Boston

Short-eared Owl at Wastewater on Wednesday

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As he did yesterday, Bruce Delamarter found a Short-eared Owl on the south Wastewater properties this morning, hunting early, then resting later (this photo):

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Wood Ducks on Black Creek

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I finally got some photos of the Wood Ducks in Black Creek, behind our house today.  I think these are probably one of my favorite birds. Rick Hamlin .

Loons on Wolf Lake Tuesday

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Common Loons on Wolf Lake evening of March 29th.

Susie Hughes

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Short-eared Owl - March 29

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Bruce Delamarter phoned to say that he saw a Short-eared Owl this morning on the south Wastewater properties.  It seems like they will be heading north pretty soon; anyone else who sees local Short-eared's, please let me know and I'll post them here.
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Harlequin Duck and Good Gulls Monday

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To Mich-Listers:

At Pere Marquette Park today (Monday), the female Harlequin Duck was still present as was a male and female Black Scoter. All were in a small group of mostly Long-tailed Ducks just off the pier. At the Muskegon Wastewater, there were two (and probably three) adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls and one adult Glaucous Gull mixed in with the many Ring-billed and Herring gulls in the east pond and at the dump. I didn’t see the Ross’s/Snow Geese that were seen recently.

Chip Francke
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Fox Sparrow

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I found this Fox Sparrow in the swamp behind my house.

Rick Hamlin
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Harlequin Duck Near the Breakwall

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To Mich-listers:

A female Harlequin Duck and a female Black Scoter were present late Sunday (March 27) at the south breakwall at Pere Marquette Park in Muskegon County. The Harlequin Duck was associating with two female Long-tailed Ducks on the south side of the breakwall near the end. The Black Scoter was on the north side of the breakwall about halfway down the length of the breakwall.

Darlene Friedman, Novi

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Roughleg at Wastewater Sunday

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I wanted to share this Rough-legged Hawk photo.  I thought it was nice the way the sun shining from behind him is shining through his wings.  

Rick Hamlin
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Three Loons at Wolf Lake

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Sunday afternoon (March 27) between 5:00-5:15 p.m. Janet Helmer saw three Common Loons at the beach area on Wolf Lake about thirty yards out.
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Nine Photos from this Week

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Wastewater pictures taken this week by Dan Lockard:

Redhead, Blue-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, "Wildcat", Great Horned Owl, smelly food for the owl, and three of a Northern Harrier:
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Three Ross's Geese at W.W. Saturday

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Confirming Mike Boston's earlier report from the West Lagoon: "Tom Beeke found 3 Ross's Geese at the Wastewater yesterday (Mar. 26) in one of the Canada Goose flocks on the east pond. Perfect structure, no "grin patch." Also yesterday I found a Bohemian Waxwing at the GVSU campus in Allendale (Ottawa Co.). Good birding!"

-  Josh Kamp
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Also Saturday at the Wastewater

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A lot of activity at the Wastewater today. Numerous hawks, ducks, geese and people watching them! Pictured are a Horned Grebe, Tree Swallow and Belted Kingfisher.

- Don Neumann

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Ross's Geese

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I saw what appeared to be three Ross's Geese among the hundreds of Canada Geese in the West lagoon at the Wastewater on Saturday. (3/26)

Mike Boston
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Scoters, Grebes, Long-taileds, Etc.

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Carolyn Weng, Kathryn Mork and I counted birds from 7:30-9:30 this morning as part of Chip Francke's Shoreline Survey. Almost all the birds counted were near the breakwall or within several hundred yards of it.

- Ric

Location:    Pere Marquette Park
Observation date:    3/26/11
Number of species:    15

Canada Goose    2
Mallard    10
Redhead    11
Greater Scaup    1
White-winged Scoter    10
Black Scoter    3
Long-tailed Duck    13
Bufflehead    3
Common Goldeneye    11
Common Merganser    9
Red-breasted Merganser    8
Ruddy Duck    1
Horned Grebe    5
gull sp.    24
American Crow    1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2 (http://ebird.org)
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NOTICE: Original post had 1 Eared Grebe; reconsideration changed that to a 5th Horned Grebe.  - Ric
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White-winged Crossbills

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About 10:30 this morning I had a flock of White-winged Crossbills in my hemlock trees in the creek area.  They were busy working on the hemlock pine cones and only stayed about 10 minutes before flying to the hemlock beside my driveway and then flying off from there.

- Kathy Neff

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Golden Eagles, Horned Grebe, Etc. Tuesday

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Josh Kamp reports: "I went and saw 'the' Golden Eagle yesterday afternoon. It was soaring over a rather broad area in the general vicinity of the Swanson/Laketon intersection. However, looking at Rick's photos from Saturday's bird, it is apparent that the bird I saw yesterday is another one. The one I saw was a first year bird with the full white tail-band top and bottom, a feature notably absent in Rick's take-off shot. Nothing groundbreaking but just some FYI."

Rick Hamlin says: "I went to the Wastewater March 22 before the rain started and saw several new birds.  Here are some of the best photos."

From which I've posted the Golden Eagle, Northern Shovelers, American Coot, Common Mergansers and Horned Grebe below.

- Ric

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Golden Eagle at Wastewater Saturday

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Below are three pictures of a Golden Eagle I photographed yesterday (3/19/11) on the Muskegon Wastewater property.  It was in the trees to the east of Swanson Road before the turn to the model airplane area.  We saw a total of 23 different species in the time we were there not counting the Sandhill Cranes which we heard.

- Rich Schadle

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To which Ray and Patti Patterson add this photo of the same Golden Eagle on the same day:

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Saturday Morning Wastewater Field Trip

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More than 20 people followed Charlie DeWitt around the Wastewater properties this cold sunny morning recording 42 species of birds if one includes the two Short-eared Owls seen at first light by Dayle Vanderwier on the fields south of Apple Avenue.

Other species of note included an American Woodcock near the headquarters building, Canvasback, Ruddy Duck and two Tree Swallows at the lagoons, a Sandhill Crane, a Rough-legged Hawk, a Coyote and male Brown-headed Cowbirds along White Road, and a pair of Redheads, three Turkey Vultures, 30 Tundra Swans and seven Wood Ducks south of Laketon on or near the Clay Ponds.

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We're Back in Business

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After a week of family visits in Idaho and Oregon where the yard birds were California Quail, Black-billed Magpies, Oregon Juncos, White-crowned Sparrows and Pine Siskins, the roadside birds were dark Red-tailed Hawks, Western Meadowlarks, American Kestrels by the bushel, and the computers were Apple, I'm back home and able to post Muskegon stuff on my more familiar PC:

Rick Hamlin sent us these Wastewater photos of two Northern Harriers (Sunday) and a Turkey Vulture, an Eastern Meadowlark, the Ross's Goose and a Northern Shoveler (Monday) and Dan Lockard sent the last two photos taken on Sunday of a Rough-legged Hawk at the Wastewater and a Pileated Woodpecker along Cedar Creek.

- Ric

Ode to Up Close and Personal, Etc.

Please refer to the Muskegon County Nature Club webpage and read Up Close and Personal "March" posted by Ric P.

Red-winged Blackbird and Common Grackle taken at the feeders in the North Muskegon Nature Preserve Monday morning:

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Went out to the Wastewater to see if the Short-eared Owls were around but only saw this guy (Coyote) come thru about 4:00 p.m.

Don Neumann

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More Owl Photos from Sunday

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Susie Hughes (referred to as "Sooze" by Mike Boston below) sends this picture of two Short-eared Owls at the Wastewater yesterday ...

... and Dan Lockard sends us three more of the Short-eared's and one of a Great Horned Owl on its nest.

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Nature Preserve Birds on Sunday

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Banded female House Finch, Black-capped Chickadee and European Starling at the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve Sunday.  Yeh, I know, Brian, "The check is in the mail." :)

Mike VanderStelt