Finally the Golden Eagle

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Carol and I took a ride to the Muskegon County Wastewater this afternoon to see if we could get the Golden Eagle. I am glad we did.  It  was on White Road east of Swanson in the grove of pine trees on the south side of White.
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The Northern Pintail was in the Rapid Infiltration area "E" cells about E8.  There were 12 Nothern Pintail total.
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Carol took the picture of the Bald Eagle by the Administration Building.
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We saw 5 Snowy Owls and 2 Short-eared Owls.  The Short-eared Owls were by the airplane field.  They came out at 6:10 p.m. and stayed until 6:15 p.m.  They seemed to move out of the area in a hurry.

Charlie DeWitt
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Long-tailed Ducks

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Monday afternoon I went to the Muskegon Channel (northside) and several Long-tailed Ducks stayed within photo distance. A Horned Grebe also wanted its picture taken.

Don Neumann
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What Bird Do You Think Rosie Saw?

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Below are three emails between a lady from Illinois and me.  After reading them, if you have any ideas what bird she saw, please comment or email me.  Thanks!  - Ric.

Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2012 4:07 PM
Subject: Bird question 

If you could help me ID this bird, I'd appreciate it.

Yesterday while watching through my binoculars on the shores of Lake Michigan (from the Illinois side) I spotted a bird in the distance flying parallel to the shore, but out far enough that I could not get a good look.  It was flying low near the water, and I kept seeing flashes of red---though I doubted it, this was unmistakable as I watched it fly for about a minute. I wondered if it was an illusion!  It also landed in the water and then dived .  Then, in the waves, I lost track of it b/c of how far out it was.
Thanks!
Rosie
Glencoe Illinois

Rosie,

I'd need more information to make a guess.  Could you provide any details about the bird's size, shape, color other than the red, and where the red was flashing?  If so, I'll give it a guess and ask a few other better birders than I.

Thanks!

- Ric 

It was so far away, it made it difficult to tell, but it flew like a duck. The flash of red seemed to be on the top, and the wings were not as white as a gull but I didn't exactly see black. I was looking down from the bluff here, which is probably 100 feet above the lake. 

I know this sounds crazy, but the flash of red was the most dominant sight, appearing intermittently as if it coincided with the wing stroke.  The wings did not seem very long.

I have been observing birds for many years, and this was very strange to me.

Thanks for your help, and I understand that it may not be enough for you to tell. It certainly was not enough for me to figure out at all, and I have never known a water bird here to have any red.  Rust, maybe, but this was red.

Thanks.

Rosie

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Good Birds + Congratulations Charlie!

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Carol Cooper emails that our very own Charlie DeWitt took home three places at Grand Haven's Winterfest Photo Contest last Friday, 1st in Buildings, 2nd in Sports and 2nd in Nature (Bohemian Waxwing)!
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She also reports three Pileated Woodpeckers at Riverside Park in Grand Haven along the Grand River and a Common Redpoll at the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve on Jan. 25, 2012.
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Wastewater Birds Sunday

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Ken Sapkowski emails:
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Glenda (Eikenberry) and I birded the Wastewater Sunday afternoon and saw the following birds:

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2 Golden Eagles
  From the road that runs along the north side of the east pond we noticed
  large birds diving into the deep ditch that parallels the north side.
  They were near the east end of the pond and at first too far away to identify.
  As we got somewhat closer they flew past us heading west and we got an
  outstanding view of both birds.

1 Red-shouldered Hawk
  North of White Rd 1/4 mile east of the observatory.  It was in the small
  oaks in front of the pines; very close to the road.  Barring across chest is a
  rich orange ... really beautiful bird.

1 Belted Kingfisher
  In the first north-south ditch you encounter driving White Rd. in from
  Maple Island

4 Snowy Owls
  First in the filtration fields south of White Rd., then 2 more near Swanson
  & Laketon on irrigation gizmos; one on each side of Swanson.  The last
  one was on Moorland.  We were on the way home at 6:15PM when it swooped
  past our windshield at eye level about 10 feet out.

1 American Kestrel
4 Bald Eagles
1 Rough-legged Hawk
2 Hawk sp. (unid.)
20 Horned Lark
40 Mallards
30 American Black Ducks
xx Canada Geese
Black-capped Chickadee, Dark-eyed Junco, American Tree Sparrow - feeders by office

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Birding Muskegon County Saturday

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Brian Allen from the Manistee area posted this on Mich-Chat today:
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After missing one trip due to a virus attack and hearing about good birds in Muskegon one time too much I decided to splurge on gas and Tim Granger and I headed down there yesterday during what we believed to be a break between winter storms.  We had heard about the Short-eared, Snowy Owls, Snow Geese seen yesterday as well as previous reports on the White-fronted Goose, Golden Eagle and the Purple Sandpipers out at the pier, not to mention all the gulls you could want at the landfill.

Our first stop was at the Short-eared Owl spot, no luck but cool to see flocks of Horned Larks and a Rough-legged Hawk there.  We headed over to the waste water ponds (all frozen now) and studied the thousands of gulls at the dump which appeared to all be Herring Gulls. There were also 5 Bald Eagles adult and imm. here.  Out on the ice was another large group of several hundred gulls including a first yr. Iceland Gull.  We headed to the north side where the Snowy Owls and Geese had been seen but alas there were only a couple hundred Canada Geese and nothing else.  Some what dejectedly we decided to make the thousand stoplight journey over to Pere Marquette park in hope of seeing the surviving Purple Sandpipers.

Winds were now gale force and no sensible humans were out by the pier so we decided to get out there and give it an idiotic try.  We were in luck, near the base two Purple Sandpipers were huddling close to each other avoiding the crashing waves and ice on the outer pier where we were afraid they might be.  Also there were hundreds and hundreds of ducks very close into shore like I have seen on previous stormy days on the big lake.  First we saw a Horned Grebe then a small group of White-winged Scoters including a very confiding female Black Scoter surfing the waves.  We went out almost to the elbow of the pier where the waves and ice made it too difficult and at the point was a juv./female Harlequin Duck!  There were hundreds of Long-tailed Ducks, Common Mergansers and Common Goldeneyes also seen before our eyelids froze.

We thawed out on the way back to Swanson Rd. to try again for the SEOW, again no luck just a nice Northern Shrike. We drove some tough drifted in mucky two tracks but could not find the owl.  We headed back to the WWT ponds going on the north side this time and saw a gorgeous adult Golden Eagel on the power line that let us stop and visually burn his image into our brains.  We had seen some more geese flying into the north and when we got there saw 2 Snowy Owls, one very speckled and dark and the other almost entirely white.  Nothing new with the geese.  We headed back for one more shot at the Short-eared Owl as it was appropriatley crepuscular now just before 6:00 PM.  Again no luck, too windy?  Anyway a very enjoyable day despite the previous day departure of gees and the extra 200 pounds of carbon dioxide we liberated on the trip.

BA 
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Another Common Redpoll !

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I noticed that Mike Boston posted a photo of a Common Redpoll at his feeder a couple of weeks ago (Jan. 15 below).  This is one that I found today at our feeders.  Like Mike's, it is also the first in several years.
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Rick Hamlin
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Red-shouldered Hawk and Purple Sandpipers

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Rick Hamlin photographed this Red-shouldered Hawk hunting along the north side of White Road across from the Observatory at the Wastewater today.
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In a message to Mich-Chat today, Chip Francke said, "There were at least two Purple Sandpipers on the pier at Pere Marquette Park today.  The pier was only safe to walk for a short distance, then was solid ice and very dangerous.  The birds were near the very base of the pier ... "
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Sandpiper, Goldeneyes, Long-tailed Ducks

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One Purple Sandpiper on the south side of the south pier 100 feet out or on the bare rocks.  It is very shy.  Lots of ducks off the entrance to the harbor, mostly Common Goldeneyes and Long-tailed ducks.

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Feller DeWitt

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Foggy Day at the Wastewater

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Today I took a trip to the Muskegon County Wastewater to see if the Golden Eagle was around; no luck again!  Not much going on.  I saw one Bald Eagle, one dark morph Rough-legged Hawk, one American Kestrel, one Red-tailed Hawk, three Snowy Owls and one Northern Shrike.  I saw the shrike make three passes at a bird that was flying over the field he was in.
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Charlie DeWitt
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Red-shouldered Hawk

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Late this afternoon Carol and I went looking for the Golden Eagle at the Muskegon County Wastewater. No luck on the eagle, but we did find this Red-shouldered Hawk.  It was along the north side of White Road across from the Observatory.

Charlie DeWitt

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Wastewater Rules and Etiquette

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There have been some recent incidents of Wastewater vehicles being hindered due to improperly-parked bird-watcher vehicles and of bird-watcher vehicles driving in unauthorized areas on that property.  If you bird the Wastewater properties, PLEASE observe the rules and basic birding etiquette, which would include:
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- not driving on the berms in the rapid filtration cells along the south side of White Road.  There are five cells between Maple Island Road and the Headquarters, encircled and separated from each other by dike roads where it's okay to drive; but within those cells are berms (dikes without roads) which are not for vehicle use,
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- not blocking rights-of-way preventing WW vehicles from doing their job or other birders from continuing on their way,
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- Etc., etc., etc.  Use common sense and courtesy.
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The Wastewater authorities have been more than generous in their policies regarding birder-watchers' access to this magnificent area.  It would be a shame if the behavior of a few reduced or eliminated this access for the many.
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Golden Sunday

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The Golden Eagle Ed Schools reported Saturday (below) stuck around until Sunday.

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Don Neumann
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Explorer Comments Problem Fixed

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Everybody, in regard to the problems posted below about not being able to leave comments using Internet Explorer, I believe that is fixed.  Thanks to Don Neumann for looking into this and sending me a suggestion made by others having similar problems elsewhere.  Now when you click "Comments", a pop-up window will appear.  Just read the comments or make your own comment following the same instructions as before and you should be fine no matter what browser you're using.  I tried it with the post below while using Internet Explorer and not signed into my Google account. It worked fine.  (Since I was not signed in, Google didn't know who I was, so I wrote my name at the end of my "Anonymous" comment; whether you non-Google folks want to do likewise is up to you.)
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Golden Eagle and Purple Sandpipers

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Ed Schools reported to Mich-Listers that yesterday (Jan. 14) he saw a Golden Eagle at the Wastewater and Purple Sandpipers at the South Breakwall at Pere Marquette Park.
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Common Redpoll

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Today, January 15th, is the first time I've seen a Common Redpoll Common Redpoll at my feeder since 2009.

Mike Boston

.ston

A Different Snow

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From the Wastewater Friday afternoon.  A Snow Goose in with the thousands of Canada Goose; only saw the one.

Don Neumann

Ditching Internet Explorer Solves the Problem

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Folks, regarding the problem described in the previous post, those not using Microsoft's Internet Explorer have left numerous comments all stating that they're having no problem, none stated better than this from Zachary DeBruine:.

Zachary DeBruineJan 12, 2012 01:27 PM

Works fine for me using Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera, but not Internet Explorer. I highly recommend switching browsers if you're on internet explorer, since this is one of a plethora of instances where scripting is not as powerful in internet explorer as the other browsers..

Likewise, several of you using Internet Explorer have emailed, all saying that you cannot leave a comment and in some cases cannot send me email directly from the web page as you used to do.  When I use Explorer to leave a comment, the whole program locks up.
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I have no better solution than Zachary's above -- go out and download another reputable browser (they're all free).  I used Firefox for a long time, but switched to Google's Chrome when Firefox had problems displaying our pages, so even though Firefox is working in this case, I'd personally steer clear of it also.  On Apple computers, Apple's Safari browser has given some problems with our pages, but I've heard of no problem with the PC version of Safari.  I used to use Opera to check the website and it always worked properly, and as I stated earlier, I now use Chrome and it's always worked on our pages and every website I've visited.
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For everybody, here's the excellent Snowy Owl website that Mike VanderStelt sent us (mentioned in the P.S. in the post below):
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http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/snowy.htm
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Thanks all for your comments, however you sent them!
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- Ric
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Can You Use Our Comments Page?

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I would appreciate hearing from anyone who tries this:
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Click "comments" below this post and see if the Comments page displays properly, or locks.  If it displays properly, please leave a comment (anonymously is fine) saying that it worked for you and mentioning what browser you're using.  If it locks, back out of it (or restart your browser) and email me that it didn't work and what browser you're using.
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Mike VanderStelt brought it to my attention that Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser (the one most people use because it came installed on their computer) locks when he tries to leave a comment.  I normally use the Google Chrome browser, and it works fine.  However, I just tried Internet Explorer, and it locked somewhat like Mike's.
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Thanks!
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- Ric
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PS:  As a "gift" for trying this, I've posted in my second comment a website address (thanks to Mike for this) that shows how to identify Snowy Owls as adult male, first year or immature male, or female.  If your browser can't display our Comments page and you email me as suggested above, I'll reply to you with Mike's owl website address.  How can you lose?  :-)
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A Few Snowy Owl Shots

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Actually, I was lucky to get these as (I heard from a reliable source) someone was kicking people's tripods to get "the better" shot. I have a sneaking suspicion that Don Neumann could clear up this rumor if he cares to divuldge the culprit's true identity.

Mike VanderStelt
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Snowy Mouse-catching Behavior

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January 11 Email:
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Ric, I was out shooting Snowy Owls with Don, and several other photographers today.  I told them about a Snowy Owl experience on Monday.  I got to the W/W early, before the sun came up, and parked near a field that the mostly white snowy owl has been seen at recently.  As the sun came up the owl was hunting the field right in front of me and at one point landed in the water flooding into the field to catch a mouse.  He landed in this field several times capturing and eating several mice that I assume were being washed out of their burrows since that field had been dry for several weeks and the water must have been turned on in that field at some point in the night.  After he caught the mice, he would hold them under the water for several seconds before he flew off to a spot in the grass where he would swallow the mice whole.  Here is a photo that I took as he landed in the water right in front of me. . Rick Hamlin

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Loony Day at Grand Haven

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I went looking for the Western Grebe at Grand Haven today; no grebe.  I did see a Common Loon (top picture) in front of the Waterfront Stadium.  It did move up the south channel almost to the Wharf Marina. That was about noon.

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The Red-throated Loon was at the pier head when I first saw it.  It was moving around a lot and went up the channel as far as the old Coast Guard Station, then came back.  It was doing a lot of diving and would stay down a long time.  When I left the pier at 3:00 p.m., the Red-throated Loon was still there.
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I was on the South pier and while walking off the pier, I noticed 1 Great Black-backed Gull and 1 Glaucous Gull on the Grand Haven State Park beach.  They were mixed in with a few Ring-billed and Herring Gulls.

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Charlie DeWitt

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So It's 11 Years Old and from Swan Creek !

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Back on November 25 Don Neumann posted two Bald Eagle pictures, one showing a partially readable leg band.  (To see the original post, scroll to the bottom of this page, click "Older Posts", and repeat the process three more times for that page.)  We contacted various folks to get an ID on that bird, and yesterday Don finally got an answer in this email from Sergej Postupalsky:
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Hi Frank & Don,

Sorry about the long delay in my getting this information to you; I got sidetracked on other matters.

About the adult Bald Eagle with black color band EZ9 which Don photographed on 11/25/11 on the west side of  the Muskegon Wastewater Facility in Muskegon County:  The matching FWS band to color band EZ9 is 629-41572.  It is not a bird banded under my permit; it was banded by Dave Best on 6/03/99 at Swan Creek/Highbanks, 6 miles ESE of Fennville, Allegan County.

The encounter should be reported to the Bird Banding Lab.  Don?  Dave?

We have been able to identify a number of eagles from digital photos by matching the color-band code to the FWS band number and thus establish a valid band encounter record.  I've also been able to identify from photos several Ospreys by a unique combination of the FWS band and 2 or 3 color bands (color bands I use on Ospreys have no codes).

Sergej
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Western Grebe at Grand Haven

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January 10 Email:
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I saw a Western Grebe in Grand Haven channel west of the coast guard station out by the state park lot Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.
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Nancy Govan
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Searching for Gulls & Geese at Wastewater

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January 9 Email:
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Ric, I thought you might want to post on the MCNC site:  I went to the Wastewater today hoping to relocate some of the gulls and the Greater White-fronted Goose found over the weekend by Sky Haas and friends.  I found one 2nd year Glaucous Gull, one adult Iceland Gull, one adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and one adult Great Black-backed Gull (all sitting on the ice near the dump).  Couldn’t find any Thayer's Gulls.  There were thousands of Canada Geese throughout the MWS with some on the east pond, many in the air and some in the fields.  I had poor light and distant views of most of the geese and did not see the white-fronted (although it easily could have been there).
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Chip Francke

Muskegon Area Shoreline Birds Monday

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January 9 Email:
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I had no success with the Purple Sandpipers at Pere Marquette though 1 was observed 10 minutes prior to my arrival.  I did turn up a Glaucous Gull in the flock at the end of the pier, but no Great Black-backed Gull.  Wind was strong and waves were high.  Of interest, however, was a dense cloud of Long-tailed Ducks about 2.5 miles long heading northwards in a considerably wide band (perhaps .5 miles).  I observed them with two other Purple Sandpiper hunters, and then took a few more vantage points.  I came up with a conservative estimate of 11,000.  This started my spree.

At Kruse Park there were 500 LTDUs (perhaps from the same bunch).  Hoffmaster yielded another 20 or so, for all I could see.  Grand Haven hit it big with another 8,000 or so.  None at Rosy Mound, Kirk Park, any of the cottage subdivisions and township parks between there and Tunnel Park, and none at Holland State Park.  Did have 4 GBBGs at Holland State Park.  Otherwise no luck.  I'm now in search of the Hope College Snowy Owl, which was reported on top the music building on Friday!  What a crazy bird to miss...

Good Birding,

Zachary DeBruine

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Just Ducky -- and Is This a Hybrid?

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I spent some time Monday at Northshore Marina on the Grand Haven Channel and spotted this male Hooded Merganser enjoying lunch, several Common Goldeneye, and male and female Red-breasted Mergansers (male pictured).  Also, is this a picture of a Mallard-American Black Duck hybrid noted in Caleb Putnam's post?
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Don Neumann
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Winter Robins

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Carol Cooper found these American Robins (at least six) who didn't go south for the winter but instead were eating holly berries at 3:00 p.m. yesterday along Giles near Greencreek Road in North Muskegon.
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Wastewater and Purples

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All-

Here are some checklists from a Muskegon County jaunt with Skye Haas (of Marquette) and Jonathan Lutz (Michigan Audubon executive director). Photos of the most significant species observed are embedded in the checklists. Click on the photos for direct links to my Flickr homepage.

Wastewater at dusk (inc. Short-eared Owl):
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http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S9527138

Wastewater midday (inc. Greater White-fronted Goose and 6 species of gulls):
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http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S9527036

Pere Marquette Park (inc. Purple Sandpiper, Glaucous Gull, etc.):
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http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S9527037

I also produced a blog post on the fantastic purple coloration I observed for the first time ever, on the upperparts feathers of the Purple Sandpipers here:
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http://aviantendencies.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-not-misnomer-after-all.html

And here's a bonus checklist from Old Rice Lake muck flats in Newaygo Co. (near Grant). No Snowy Owls there all winter, strangely.

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S9527029

Good Birding,
Caleb Putnam
Sand Lake (Montcalm Co.)
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Cormorant at Pere Marquette Wednesday

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January 6 Email:
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I was birding in the Soo, so wasn’t able to post sooner.  On Wednesday, 1/4, there was a Double-crested Cormorant on the rocks at Pere Marquette Park pier.
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Chip Francke

Adult Bald Eagle

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Adult Bald Eagle shot at WW today.

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Mike VanderStelt
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Sandpipers at Pere Marquette

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Carol Cooper took these photos while watching five Purple Sandpipers along the south breakwall yesterday.
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Don't Bother Me!

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A Snowy Owl being harassed by an American Crow.

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Don Neumann

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Golden Eagles, Surf Scoter and More

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January 4 Email:
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Yesterday (Jan. 3) at the Wastewater, Joseph and I had 3 Golden Eagles. Other birds seen included 5 Snowy Owls, 2 Short-eared Owls, Northern Shrike, Cackling Goose, and Iceland Gull. At Pere Marquette we had a Surf Scoter as well.

Jonathan Lautenbach

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Wastewater CBC Results

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The 2011 Muskegon Wastewater Christmas Bird Count was conducted on Wednesday, December 14. Although held annually on an unofficial basis since 2000, this was the seventh sanctioned census for this location. Centered at the intersection of White and Ravenna Roads, the count circle (15 miles in diameter) mostly encompasses private farmland and forest parcels, but it also includes two large tracts of public land - the Muskegon State Game Area (MSGA) and the Muskegon Wastewater Treatment Facility. Fifteen birders from west Michigan met at the Wastewater administration building in the morning, grouped into eight parties, and began censusing their assigned areas.
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As is customary, most of survey was accomplished by vehicle. Feller DeWitt covered the NNW slice of the circle; Ric Pedler handled the NNE segment; Joseph, David, and Michael Lautenbach took the NNE area; Charlie DeWitt worked the ESE portion; Carolyn Weng, Kathryn Mork, and Kathy Neff hit the SSE section; James Ponshair and his crew (Joe Hitchings, Dave Kromer, Otto Nemecek) surveyed the Wastewater and adjacent lands; Dayle Vanderwier birded the WNW roadsides; and I spent the day hiking thru the MSGA. At noon, the group met and compared notes at Morrow’s Restaurant. While some participants headed home immediately following lunch, some (Lautenbachs, Charlie, Carolyn, Kathryn, Dayle) continued into the afternoon, and the last observer (myself) left the field at 6:30pm after a bit of owling. Combined, observers accrued 39.5 hours (6.5 on foot, 33 by car) and 375.5 miles (7.5 on foot, 368 by car) of daytime coverage.
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The weather prior to the CBC had been abnormally mild. Only 0.4 inches of snow had fallen in Muskegon during the preceding weeks, and none remained on the ground. Ice was restricted to patches on still water, and the large sewage lagoons at the Wastewater were mostly open. Winds were fairly light from the south, and count day temperatures were the highest in the history of this census. Unfortunately, such otherwise pleasant conditions were offset by a steady rainfall (ranging from light to hard) that likely reduced bird detections. A total of 15,773 individuals, representing 53 species, was recorded on this year's CBC. The individual total, considerably above the historical mean of 10,867 birds, was the third highest on record, but the species count fell one below the previous average. Compositionally consistent with past years, the four most abundant species were Canada Goose, Northern Shoveler, Starling, and Herring Gull, which together comprised 81% of the total individuals seen (versus 72% historically).
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Due to the unusual availability of open water, waterfowl were numerous this year. Nine species accounted for 77% (average 43%) of the all the individual birds recorded on the census. This was the highest ratio of waterfowl in the history of this CBC. Notable sightings included 2 Cackling Goose (third occurrence on this survey, 7179 Canada Geese (second highest), 4333 Northern Shoveler (second highest), 8 Green-winged Teal (second highest), and 4 Common Goldeneye (new high count).
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Five species of diurnal raptors accounted for 35 individuals. While these totals are lower than the past means (36.3 birds of 6.8 species), both Northern Harrier (5) and American Kestrel (14) set new records. Rough-legged Hawks (2) were unusually scarce. However, owls were well represented. All five species that have ever been recorded on the Wastewater CBC were found this year. Three Snowy Owls tied the previous record, a Short-eared Owl was the first since 2007 (habitat mismanagement at its preferred Wastewater haunts have reduced numbers in recent years), and one each of Screech, Great Horned, and Barred Owl were found at MSGA.
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Among landbirds in general, winter visitors were collectively less frequent than usual and diversity was near average. Juncos and Tree Sparrows provided the vast majority of these sightings, and no incursive species (e.g. winter finches) were encountered. Permanent residents exhibited a similar pattern, although Mourning Doves were found in record numbers. Red-headed Woodpecker had only been recorded during one previous year, so one at MSGA was most welcome.
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Summer residents (these generally comprise facultative migrants) can substantially boost CBC totals when warm weather does not impel them to migrate south. Diversity was average in this regard, as six such landbird species were detected this year. However, the individual count of 72 was particularly high and was only surpassed by the large irruption of frugivores in 2007. Highlights included 1 Belted Kingfisher, 39 Eastern Bluebirds (second highest ever), 7 Yellow-rumped Warblers, and 2 Song Sparrows. In addition, 18 Northern Flickers set another record tally.
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Of all 53 species recorded this year, 22 exhibited totals reduced from previous historical means, yet 31 matched or exceeded those averages. The biggest misses were Cooper's Hawk, seen on ten prior counts, and Brown Creeper, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and Ring-necked Pheasant, each seen on nine prior counts. Absent for the three of the last four years, the latter species has also likely suffered from the recent grassland mismanagement at the Wastewater. Gulls and grassland passerines (Horned Lark and Snow Bunting) were significantly below average. Conversely, six species tied or established record highs. Since no new species were recorded on the Wastewater CBC, the cumulative total remains 99.
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The following table details this year’s results by participant. Data from the Muskegon Wastewater and the approximately 2,000 other Christmas Bird Counts are submitted to the National Audubon Society, where they can be accessed at their website (birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count). Many thanks to all those that participated this year, and we encourage all interested birders to join us next December.
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Brian Johnson
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SPECIES - COUNT (PREVIOUS MEAN)
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Cackling Goose - 2 (0.5)

Canada Goose - 7179 (2924.1)

Gadwall - 46 (98.6)

American Black Duck - 79 (161.9)

Mallard - 529 (545.5)

Northern Shoveler - 4333 (943.7)

Green-winged Teal - 8 (2.5)

Common Goldeneye - 4 (0.5)

Ruddy Duck - 4 (22.0)

Ruffed Grouse - 1 (1.2)

Wild Turkey - 57 (134.1)

Great Blue Heron - 1 (1.0)

Bald Eagle - 1 (4.9)

Northern Harrier - 5 (0.7)

Red-tailed Hawk - 13 (16.7)

Rough-legged Hawk - 2 (9.9)

American Kestrel - 14 (6.6)

Ring-billed Gull - 57 (134.5)

Herring Gull - 611 (2363.6)

Rock Pigeon - 168 (153.2)

Mourning Dove - 608 (263.2)

Eastern Screech-Owl - 1 (0.5)

Great Horned Owl - 1 (0.5)

Snowy Owl - 3 (0.6)

Barred Owl - 1 (0.4)

Short-eared Owl - 1 (0.8)

Belted Kingfisher - 1 (0.6)

Red-headed Woodpecker - 1 (0.4)

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 15 (15.5)

Downy Woodpecker - 29 (27.5)

Hairy Woodpecker - 8 (6.3)

Northern Flicker - 18 (6.0)

Pileated Woodpecker - 5 (3.4)

Northern Shrike - 1 (1.4)

Blue Jay - 103 (71.0)

American Crow - 144 (204.4)

Horned Lark - 1 (50.4)

Black-capped Chickadee - 119 (109.8)

Tufted Titmouse - 24 (26.9)

Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1 (1.7)

White-breasted Nuthatch - 15 (22.1)

Eastern Bluebird - 39 (16.5)

European Starling - 624 (1495.0)

Cedar Waxwing - 143 (78.7)

Snow Bunting - 2 (116.6)

Yellow-rumped Warbler - 7 (6.4)

American Tree Sparrow - 195 (161.2)

Song Sparrow - 2 (1.3)

Dark-eyed Junco - 171 (146.6)

Northern Cardinal - 80 (57.7)

House Finch - 26 (57.7)

American Goldfinch - 193 (177.5)

House Sparrow - 77 (162.9)

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Wednesday at the Wastewater

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Today at the Wastewater I saw some Horned Larks, four Rough-legged Hawks and this group of Snow Buntings.

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Don Neumann

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Short-eared and Snowy Owls + Eagle Video

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I got these two shots yesterday at the Wastewater. The Short-Eared Owl is from "second hand" location info. I got from Don Neumann, who got it from Rick Hamlin. Just the fact that Rick found it in the first place was impressive -- it sure blends in! The Snowy was in its "usual spot", so I took a quick shot as I left. The Bald Eagle video (below) was the adult calling three immatures. As I drove over to that area, I saw them all flying, and this one circled the tree and landed as the three "kids" flew on. It then started calling and calling, as they seemed to pay no attention whatsoever. They never did come back. :)

Mike VanderStelt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCs_zHA0-v0&context=C3ac60d7ADOEgsToPDskJ-pFUmhJgytbsGE-Iyklni
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Cackling Geese, Gulls and Harlequin

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In a January 3 Message to Mich-Listers:
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Had some fun in Muskegon after  this morning.  There were a  couple of  Cackling Geese with the 2,000 Canadas and LOTS of gulls (including  Lesser Black-backed, Glaucous, Iceland & Thayer's) at the Wastewater. Incidentally, I stopped in the office to renew my pass and the new ones are for TWO years.  At  Pere Marquette Park I had 7 Purple Sandpipers on the south breakwall and a female type Harlequin Duck with the Buffleheads near the north breakwall.
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Scott Jennex
Ferndale
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Purple Sandpipers Still at Muskegon

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Today I spent an hour watching and taking pictures of 5 Purple Sandpipers.  The south pier is clear of ice out to about half way to the elbow, beyond that the pier has glare ice so be careful.   The sandpipers were only out a short distance, so walking was safe.

Charlie DeWitt
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I Could Have Gone South

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Today there were two American Robins on Harbor Island in Grand Haven.  I also had 5 more robins on Harbor Drive by the Snug Harbor Restaurant.  On Jan. 1st I had a Northern Shrike by Little Black Lake on Wood Road by the bridge.

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Charlie DeWitt

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