Northern Pintail at Black Lake

Northern Pintail

Today I saw this Northern Pintail from the Wood Road bridge east of Black Lake.

- Charlie DeWitt

The Landlord Has Arrived !

The other day Charlie DeWitt noticed a bird box with a unique doweled porch, presumably to thwart predators.  A House Sparrow sat on the porch as Charlie saved the design with a photo through his truck's windshield.  After he'd lowered his camera, he noticed an American Kestrel had replaced the sparrow.  So he quickly fired off another shot.  Obviously the windshield prevented the quality we usually see in Charlie's pictures, but they still tell the story!   

Pictures of Seven Species

February 11 Update:  Phil Chu emailed the following information that at least one of Kevin's geese is a Ross's Goose !   - Ric

Hey Ric!

     At the MCNC website in the post titled "Pictures of Seven Species," the "Canada and Snow Geese" photo looks like it should actually be "Canada and Ross's Geese"!  The bird with its head in full profile is a for-sure Ross's; the other bird, with its head turned partly away, is at least Ross's-like -- precisely because its head is turned, the assessment of certain bill features is difficult.

     Ross's Goose would be a county bird for me .... (sigh).

- Phil

February 7 Email with Photos:

Hi Ric:

I hope you are not outside.  There were some neat birds out at the Wastewater today.  I thought I would pass on a few pictures: Tundra Swans, Snow Geese, Northern Pintails, Common Redpolls, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and a Northern Cardinal and Sharp-shinned Hawk from the Muskegon River recently.  The cardinal barely survived the sharpie.  I didn’t see it coming, and I don’t think the cardinal did either!     

Have a great day, 

- Kevin Feenstra

Tundra Swans

Canada and Snow Geese

Northern Pintails

Common Redpoll

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Northern Cardinal

Sharp-shinned Hawk

I'm inside, Kevin, and having a great day, thank you, now that our power's back on.  Wow, what a nice selection of birds, especially the Yellow-rumped Warbler!  Thanks!   - Ric

Song Sparrow and White-winged Scoter

Song Sparrow

in Ferrysburg

White-winged Scoter

in the open water by the Grand Haven power plant

- Charlie DeWitt