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During an afternoon jog by my house in Norton Shores, I was surprised to see three Common Nighthawks foraging overhead. This date (October 9) is far beyond all my previous fall sightings of the species in Michigan.
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Afterwards, I made a short visit to the Wastewater to attempt some more Grasshopper Sparrow banding. In August, I had banded 37 there (with 11 caught at once by Micah Petersen and me on August 16). Unfortunately, in September, my day job and banding at Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve precluded any additional sessions. However, on October 7, after Carolyn Weng and I finished the Shorebird Survey, I made a quick try and was pleased to capture two Grasshopper Sparrows. Unlike the August birds, these were very nearly finished with their molt.
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This evening, with the continued warm temperatures and calm conditions, all the bird song emanating from the Wastewater fields reminded me of a spring chorus. Two more sparrows in my nets were a further reward.
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Brian Johnson
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