Christmas Bird

December 23 Email:

We came home from Texas for Christmas and found this beautiful ornament at the feeder.

- Jim Zervos

Jim lives in northern Muskegon County.  Until someone says otherwise, I'm guessing the bird is a Northern Cardinal.

MERRY CHRISTMAS !

- Ric

Golden Eagle at the Wastewater

I found this Golden Eagle north of White Rd to the west of Swanson Rd.  Take Swanson past the grain elevaters and go about 1/4 mile north to the road that goes west.  The eagle was in the first group of trees on the north side of the road.

- Charlie DeWitt

Owl and Goose Photographs from Yesterday

December 16 Email:  "Yesterday, roadside shot and basin SW corner WW." - Bruce Delamarter

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Thanks, Bruce.  That's a Great Horned Owl in your first shot and one weird goose in the other two.  I'll guess leucistic Canada Goose but am open to other suggestions!  - Ric

Saturday Morning at the Wastewater

Up here for Thanksgiving my Ohio son Steve accompanied me to the Wastewater yesterday morning looking for Snowies or whatever.  We witnessed the encounter below, three Rough-legged Hawks, and Charlie DeWitt (who had seen a Snow Bunting), but saw nothing snowy ourselves.

Heading south on Swanson we watched an immature Bald Eagle scare the landfill gulls and then glide southeast.  A few minutes later we saw it on the field east of Swanson south of Apple.  It had some small prey in its talons.  Beside it was a Common Raven.

About six feet separated the birds except when the raven stepped toward its gigantic foe, beak up in a menacing posture.  Then the eagle would respond with a counter-charge displaying the prey, some grass stalks, and its talons.  The raven wisely stepped back.  

We figured that the prey belonged to the raven before the eagle arrived and that the raven wanted it back.  Otherwise it's hard to explain why an intelligent animal would intentionally get that close to those talons.

The dance continued until we stepped out of the car.  Then the raven flew up, performed an impressive low-level wing-over, crawked, and flew north beyond Apple.  The eagle carried its prey and grass stalks in the same direction for a few hundred yards, then settled back down on the field.

- Ric

Harbor Island

 Mute Swans

 American Wigeon

 Gadwall

Canada Geese, Gadwall and American Wigeon

Yesterday Annette Makin on Facebook reported a large flock of ducks on Harbor Island, so this morning I checked it out.  I counted 82 Gadwall, 13 American Wigeon, 2 Mallards, 8 Buffleheads, 250 Canada Geese and 50 Mute Swans.  There were also 5 American Crows, 2 European Starlings and 1 Downy Woodpecker.

- Charlie DeWitt

Christmas Bird Counts & Hemlock Crossing

If you're interested in either of the Muskegon Christmas Bird Counts (Dec. 14 and 18, 2019) or a report about our club's November field trip to Hemlock Crossing, go to our home page.

Of Peregrine Falcons and Short-eared Owls

At our meeting last night, Chip Francke presented an interesting program about Peregrine Falcons with emphasis on those that bred for several years at Grand Haven.  The Board of Light and Power smokestack will come down soon leaving no place high enough in that area for peregrines to breed. * 

In better news, Chip mentioned that Short-eared Owls are back on the south Wastewater properties.

- Ric

* Peregrine nest boxes remain at the Consumers Power Campbell plant (between Grand Haven and Holland) and in downtown Grand Rapids.  The Muskegon nest boxes from the old B.C. Cobb stack are still awaiting residents on the roof of the Shoreline Inn hotel.  Since the relocation of those boxes, peregrines were reported eating pigeons on that roof with one even entering a nest box.  Those reports are old, however, and we know of no recent sightings of local peregrines in the Muskegon area.

Two Photos from Saturday

Thanks to two members of the Barry County Audubon Club (see post below) for sending these photos taken on Saturday during their field trip:

White-tailed Deer by Maive

Cell phone image of Greater White-fronted Goose by Gayle

- Ric

Gloomy Saturday Morning with Many Birds

I birded the Wastewater properties Saturday morning, most of the time with 14 members of the Barry County Audubon Club on their field trip.  Despite dodging raindrops, we found a good number of birds, and they were still looking when I left.

Among the 15 species I saw were 7 Gadwall at the Clay Pond, 36 Snow Buntings along the southern half of the main dike, 24 American Black Ducks and 2 Green-winged Teal in Aeration Cell #5, 15 American Pipits, 6 Dunlin and a Pectoral Sandpiper in the south Rapid Filtration Basins,  2 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 Bald Eagle, and a Partridge in a Pear -- uh, no.

One of many Ruddy Ducks on the West Lagoon

Just before I joined the group, a member of their club had taken an excellent photo of a gigantic White-tailed Deer with a huge rack!  If she sends me that photo, I will post it here.

- Ric

Black Lake Park Today

 American Robin

 Cedar Waxwing

 Song Sparrow

 Black-capped Chickadee

 Swamp Sparrow

 Osprey

Wood Ducks

These are some of the birds I saw at Black Lake Park this morning.  I had a total of 26 species on my two- hour hike.  There were 21 Pie-billed Grebes on the lake.

- Charlie DeWitt

Monday Sandpiper and Thursday Migrants

The last report I saw of a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper sighting at the Wastwater was on Monday the 7th.  

This morning I spent two hours at the south wall of the Muskegon Channel.  Blue Jays continued to stream by (1st hour ~730, 2nd hour ~200 = ~930).  Their behavior is fascinating.  Southbound crows (100) outnumbered northbound crows (50).  So what are they doing?

Only 21 migrating raptors (16 sharpies, 2 kestrels, 1 harrier, 1 Coop, 1 peregrine), 3 migrating woodpeckers (probably red-headed's), 5 Monarch butterflies and ~200 non-jay migrating songbirds.  Wouldn't it be nice to know more!

- Ric

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper on Sunday

The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper was still being viewed by several people in the Wastewater C-1 cell at 11:15 this morning.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Avocet and Migrants

At 11:00 this morning Mark Moerdyk reported the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and an American Avocet on the Muskegon County Wastewater properties.

There were considerably more "raptors" migrating* over the Grand Haven Channel this morning (25 in 20 minutes) than the Muskegon Channel yesterday morning (13 in 110 minutes).  Plenty of Blue Jays southbound over both (30 at Grand Haven, 280 at Muskegon).  

- Ric

* 20 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 7 Broad-winged's, 4 Turkey Vultures, 2 Redtails, 1 Cooper's, 1 Bald Eagle, 3 unidentified raptors, 310 Blue Jays.

Two More Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Photos

Here are two more photos of the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper emailed to us from Bruce Delamarter.  

Thanks, Bruce.  As you can see from the posts below, it's also been photographed by others!  Thanks, everybody!

- Ric

Sharp-Tailed Sandpiper

The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper was still in the same cell as of 6:00 p.m. Friday, 10-4.  And, oh, by the way, he has a friend.

- Don Neumann

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Still Here

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

photo by Carol DeWitt

The Sharp-tailed Sandpiper was still at the Muskegon Wastewater as of 11:30 a.m. 10-04-2019.

- Charlie DeWitt

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

- Charlie DeWitt

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at the Wastewater

Thanks to Glenda Eikenberry and Ken Sapkowski for calling to inform us of a confirmed Sharp-tailed Sandpiper at the Wastewater this morning.  It was in Section C of the rapid-filtration lagoons; i.e., the center area of the grassy fields south of the entrance road (White) and north of the aeration lagoons.

A quick check of eBird indicates this is only the third sighting of the species in Michigan, the second in July 2017 at Point Mouille State Game Area near Detroit and the first in August 2016 at the Muskegon County Wastewater Management System.

It's an Asian species, similar to a Pectoral Sandpiper, a rarity along the west coast of the United States.  If you get a photo, please email it and we'll post it here.

- Ric

Swainson's Hawk and Rambi

Catching up after being out of town for a week:

The "dark redtail" we watched on our Ottawa Sands field trip September 21 proved to be a Swainson's Hawk ID'd by Charlie DeWitt's beautiful photo on our homepage.

Mike VanderStelt has not seen Rambi or his Mourning Dove friends since last week. 

- Ric

Rambi Updates

Mike VanderStelt sent a couple more "family photos" and some updated information this week:

September 18:

In a couple weeks Rambi went from his ruffled-up, off-the-rack suit to his Armani with tails.

Sept 19:

I have noticed, as you can see by the pictures, that Rambi's tail feathers have grown probably close to two inches.  Along with that, the whooshing sound when he comes and goes has gotten noticeably louder.  I wonder if it has something to do with moving air from his wings compressing and curling around the tail?  His wings don't look any longer but do look a little more "organized", for a lack of a better word, but not different in size where you would assume they would be compressing more air volume.  Just an observation; whether it warrants any merit is another thing altogether.  LOL

The last few days there has been another Mourning Dove, probably about two to three weeks younger than Rambi, coming in with him every time he visits.  It will go from the branches, to the feeder, to the birdbath, etc, and stay here the whole time Rambi visits me. Sometimes it shows up a little bit after Rambi comes to visit, but it always sits and waits for him.  Has the student become the teacher?   Hmmm.

Sept 20:

Red-tailed Hawk

This un-invited friend has been around for the last four days.  Funny, none of the smaller birds have warmed-up to it.

Also, an adult Mourning Dove landed on my deck yesterday and started foraging while I was sitting out there.  All of a sudden Rambi made his first appearance of the day, coming in like a missile, and attacked the adult, then immediately flew onto my lap.  I guess the deck and myself are "exclusive" Rambi property?  LOL

Swainson's Thrush, Hoverfly and Rambi

I counted 15 bird species including a Swainson's Thrush at the Hofma Preserve south of Grand Haven this morning.  Also present was this "bee fly?". 

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Checking online I've found that this is some form of "hoverfly".  If anyone knows more about them, please comment.  Thanks!

Meanwhile Mike VanderStelt returned from Alaska a couple days ago and wondered if Rambi would still recognize him.  His photo this morning answers the question:

- Ric

MCNC Program on Thursday

Disclaimer: All photos recently sighted while preparing the program.

It must be fall as the club meetings resume.  Click here for time and place details.  Hope to see you there! 

- Don Neumann

Teen-age Rambi

Email:  I have to look twice now if Rambi (see many previous posts) flies in with a friend, but his slightly shorter tail and darker feet still give him away.  - Mike VanderStelt

Quiet Saturday Morning at the Preserve

I spent two hours at the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve this morning.  The boardwalk along the river was no longer barricaded!

Water was still high.  Portions of the two-track were impassable.

Some paths within the preserve were unwalkable.  This portion of the east boardwalk was still submerged: 

Although I counted 25 bird species in two hours, the preserve was relatively quiet.  I could not positively identify this flycatcher (Eastern Wood Pewee?  Willow or Alder Flycatcher?). 

The 12-15 Song Sparrows were all in small (family?) groups.  

There were at least a dozen Double-crested Cormorants and perhaps as many chipmunks.  Other birds of note included Green Heron, Bald Eagle, Warbling Vireo, Marsh Wren and a pair of Mourning Doves that flew without making any wing-sound.  I had read that this was possible, but today was the first time I'd experienced it.  

- Ric

Friday Morning at Grand Haven North Pier

 Least Sandpiper

Sanderling

I spent 1.5 hours at the north pier in Grand Haven this morning.  Not much going on.  The waves were washing over the pier so the shorebirds were on shore. I had 1 Least Sandpiper, 1 Semipalmated Plover and 6 Sanderlings.  There was a mix of gulls, Ring-billed, Herring, and Bonapart's Gulls.  I also had 60 Double-crested Cormorants fly over.

- Charlie DeWitt

Grand Haven North Pier and Ottawa Sands

Prior to scouting Ottawa Sands County Park for next month's field trip I walked the Grand Haven north pier because of Charlie's report below.  There was a nice variety of shorebirds along both edges including the Red Knot and Stilt Sandpiper.  

Stilt Sandpiper and Red Knot

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Semipalmated Plover

Ruddy Turnstone

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Sanderling

Double-crested Cormorant

Then I walked around the lake at Ottawa Sands County Park.

It wasn't too birdy late this morning, but still interesting.  Thirteen species included Ruby-throated Hummingbird, two Red-headed Woodpeckers, Eastern Wood Pewee, Red-tailed Hawk and two Bald Eagles (one juvenile and one adult spent several minutes "squeaking" while soaring over the woods on the west side near the nest).

If I were counting, I would now have 174 Year Birds.   - Ric