Red-throated Loon in Muskegon Channel

Don Neumann sent these photos yesterday of a Red-throated Loon he saw in the Muskegon Channel near the USS Silversides.

Golden Eagle Interacts with Foxes at MCRRC

My first time out looking for birds this year was this morning to the Muskegon County Resource Recovery Center.  I found 8 Year Birds to bring my total up to 20.  (No laughing, please!)

Two good ones were the Northern Pintail among the geese in the rapid-filtration-cells along White Road and a flock of over 30 Snow Buntings on the center dike.  

But the highlight of the morning was the eagle-fox interaction along the north side of the East Lagoon.  

I first saw the Golden Eagle on one of the large pylons near the elbow of the road.  It flew down to the ditch before I'd driven to that pylon.  Then I noticed two Red Foxes along the road about 100 yards ahead of me.  

Soon the eagle flew up from the ditch and swooped over the foxes.  One of them jumped at it.  The eagle circled around and swooped even lower, one of the foxes leaping at it again and almost touching it!  Then the eagle flew to a lower pole and the foxes watched for awhile (photos below).

Eventually the eagle flew off to the north and the foxes walked down to the lagoon.  As I was leaving, one of them crossed the road in front of my car.  Right place, right time!

- Ric

January 5 Birding

Photos by Carol DeWitt

Carol and I went to Ravenna looking for the Eurasian Collared-Doves that Mike Boston reported and found them by the Ravenna feed mill.

 Photo by Charlie DeWitt

After Ravenna we took a quick look around the Muskegon Resource Recovery Center (wastewater ) and found this Red-tailed Hawk feeding on a large dead animal. This is the first time I have seen this.

January 1 Email:

"There were a couple of Eurasian Collared-Doves in Ravenna on New Year's Day. They were in the tree behind the Village office building at Conklin St. and Crockery Creek Dr.  Pretty much the same place they've been seen before."  - Mike Boston