Red Knot at Grand Haven North Pier

Red Knot

A Red Knot was back on the Grand Haven north pier this morning.  When I left the pier at 9:30 a.m. the knot was still on the pier.

- Charlie DeWitt

This 'n That on Monday

Three Monday Emails:

1.  Charlie DeWitt reported the Grand Haven Red Knot (posted below).

2.  Ken Sapkowski reported another Red Knot at the Wastewater (different plumage than Mike Boston's posted below) and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper first seen by Thomas Gass.

3.  Mike Boston wrote, "I went out to the center dike again this evening and there must have been a hundred Common Nighthawks swooping around.  I've never seen anything like it."

Red Knot at Grand Haven North Pier

 Red Knot
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Red Knot

Carol and I took a walk on the Grand Haven north pier to watch the sun set and found this Red Knot at the very end of the pier.  The only camera I had was my cell phone.  The bird was within four feet of me.

- Charlie DeWitt

And Now Nighthawks

August 28 Email:

I saw three Common Nighthawks catching insects over the center dike at the Wastewater yesterday afternoon, along with thousands of swallows. Bad lighting and a fast moving target made for a bad photo.

- Mike Boston

Thanks again, Mike!  On Thursday you emailed the godwit, on Sunday the redknot, and today the nighthawk.  I'm anxious to see what's next!  - Ric

Today It's a Redknot

August 27 Email:

Hi Ric,

I saw this Red Knot at the Wastewater on Sunday morning at the northwest corner of the east lagoon.

- Mike Boston

Good Shorebird Variety at W.W. Saturday

I tagged around the Wastewater properties with the Grand Rapids Audubon field trip yesterday morning until they headed west.  The previously-reported Hudsonian Godwit was in the center aeration lagoon early, but not when we left.

We counted 42 kinds of birds including 14 shorebird species:

Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)  

American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica)  

Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  

Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica)     

Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)  

Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii)  

Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)  

Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)  

Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)  

Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus...)  

Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)  

Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)  

Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  

Semipalmated Sandpipers

One hanging on a rock reflected above the other.

Other birds of note included a Merlin eating prey on the appetizing dry sludge of a rapid-filtration cell, a young Red-headed Woodpecker, several Bonaparte's Gulls in the West Lagoon, and hordes of Tree Swallows catching midges over the center dike.

- Ric

Hudsonian Godwit at Wastewater This Morning

August 24 Email:

Dim lighting and long distance made for a bad photo, but I saw this Hudsonian Godwit at the Wastewater Thursday morning near the west end of the large drawn down cell.

- Mike Boston

This afternoon Ken Sapkowski phoned to say that Chip Francke also saw the Hudsonian Godwit at the Wastewater today along with 21 Stilt Sandpipers.  - Ric

Mystery Shorebird Is Upland Sandpiper

August 23 Email:

"Hi Ric,

I saw this bird at the Wastewater this evening. Is there any chance this could be another Ruff?  Maybe a female or juvenile?  It resembles a Pectoral Sandpiper but it was much larger and not very active.

Thanks."

- Mike Boston

Mike, I didn't know what it was either so I emailed a few experts.  Thanks to Phil Chu for replying that it's an Upland Sandpiper.  Maybe we would have figured that out if the bird was "where it belonged" out on the fields.  ;-)  - Ric

2017-2018 Programs and Field Trips Posted

The 2017-2018 Muskegon County Nature Club Programs and Field Trips are now posted on our homepage.

I.D. Help, Please

While watching the eclipse Monday I noticed this bird flying along the treeline north of my shop. Sorry about the poor quality of the pictures but it was 350-500 yards away. Tried to include as many different views as I took and as you can see, it's much larger then the crow that was giving chase. Albino Red-tail, Gyrfalcon?  If I see it again, I hope to get a better picture.

- Don Neumann

Wow, Don!  Nothing wrong with the pictures you've sent!  I think you guessed right with albino Red-tailed Hawk, but I'll email some top-gun birders to see what they think.  They may post their Comments here directly, or I'll post their email replies if I hear from them.  (Thanks for the eclipse too!)  - Ric

August Field Trip Report

Click here for details about our 60-species field trip to the Wastewater properties yesterday morning.

Thirsty Eagle and Migrating Hummers

I've been seeing a good number of birds at my shop, though this was a first.  This Bald Eagle has been around on and off all summer (it's missing a couple primaries on the left wing) and it finally decided to visit.  Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are passing by also.

- Don Neumann

Black Lake Park

 American Goldfinch

I spent 2 1/2 hours at the park starting at 10:00 a.m. and counted 23 species of birds.

While trying to get pictures of  a Cardinal Flower I had this

Ruby-throated Hummingbird come in and visit all the blossoms. 

Peck's Skipper

I also had 11 species of butterflies ...

Eastern Pondhawk

... and 6 species of dragonflies.

- Charlie DeWitt

Birding Southside Wastewater

Patterson Park was almost birdless (not even a phoebe) so I spent most of my morning on the Wastewater fields south of Apple Avenue, primarily at the abandoned orchard north of the silo by the clay pond. 

There were plenty of birds and a nice diversity of species (28), not surprising considering the plentiful supply of fruit back there.

Species included a Great Egret south of the Clay Pond, 28 Sandhill Cranes on the field southeast of the airport, a female Belted Kingfisher on the far side of the Clay Pond with prey in her beak ...

Blurry distant shot of kingfisher with something (fish? frog?)

... Great Crested Flycatcher, 150-200 Tree Swallows on the field north of the Seba Road woodlot, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Chipping, Field and Song Sparrows, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, this female or immature male (?) at the orchard ... 

... Indigo Bunting, some large flocks of blackbirds and American Crows, and several Monarch butterflies.

- Ric

After California, Birding the Nature Preserve

Four of the everyday yard birds I enjoyed at my son Andy's house in California are close relatives of four species I've enjoyed regularly behind my house this summer:

Anna's (not Ruby-throated) Hummingbird
California (not Eastern) Towhee
Lesser (not American) Goldfinch
Hooded (not Baltimore) Oriole  

This morning, back in Muskegon, I birded the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve.  I found no Red-winged Blackbirds, Great Blue Herons or House Sparrows!

Among today's 27 species were Least Bittern (at least two, possibly four, with many flights over the marsh), Great Egret, Green Heron, Osprey, Brown Thrasher, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and lots of Northern Flickers and Marsh Wrens.

Fortunately again today my path crossed that of photographer Jerry Vis who took these beautiful images:

Great Egret

Green Heron

Least Bittern

Northern Flicker

Osprey

- Ric   (photos by Jerry Vis)