Hiking the Old Ferguson Farm onThursday

I arrived at the Old Ferguson Farm at 6 a.m., planning on getting my hike in before it got too hot. The mosquitoes weren't too bad and the deer flies didn't come out until around 9ish.

Eastern Phoebe 

I saw 32 bird species. Nothing unusual to report. I did hear a Least Bittern call several times.  When I am hiking by myself, I can be easily distracted.  Birds aren't always on the top of my list.

I saw 4 butterfly species: this Viceroy plus Pearl Crescent, Least Skipper and Peck's Skipper.

There were 4 dragonfly species: this Twelve-spotted Skimmer, plus a Dot-tailed Whiteface, a Blue Dasher and an Eastern Pondhawk.

I am not very good at identifying damselflies, so I don't know what species this one is.  There were plenty of these guys flying around.

My hike ended at 9:50 a.m.

- Charlie DeWitt

Thanks, Charlie.  I thought of going there Saturday morning since our field trip next weekend starts at the Ferguson Farm, but instead walked the Hofma Preserve south of Grand Haven.  I found 29 bird species including Black-billed Cuckoo, Sandhill Crane, Veery, Red-shouldered Hawk, and other usual suspects.  The boardwalk repair seems near completion; I was able to go halfway across the marsh.  On my walk back this butterfly landed on the trail at the south edge of the woods.  (Charlie confirmed that it's a Red-spotted Purple.)  - Ric