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.
Obviously we're not updating this page as often as before. Neither our contributing photographers nor I are birding as much either. It's winter. And we might be getting older.
But we're still here. Whenever I go bird-watching, I'll have my camera with me. They always do. So browse by occasionally to see what we've seen recently. Keep sending reports of your recent sightings too.
Enjoy the new year. Spring is almost here!
- Ric (12/27/22)
This morning a friend called Carol and me to drive out and see the Evening Grosbeaks at his feeder.
Lots of brown (Catharus) thrushes at Black Lake Park yesterday on a cold windy morning. I saw seven in the woods west of the parking lot, one in the woods northwest of the meadow, one at the meadow (beautiful colors there),
and one along the south walkway toward the creek. I presume most were Hermit Thrushes. A few may have been double-counts, but I don't think so. The only ones I identified were two Swainson's and a Gray-cheeked.
The other twelve bird species included a dozen Dark-eyed Juncos, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, and the usual suspects.
Bruce Delamarter sends this photo he took recently of a Red-shouldered Hawk eating a frog.
Looking for waterbirds from the south lighthouse at Pere Marquette Park this morning Charlie DeWitt, Chip Francke and I saw four Surf Scoters fly from Lake Michigan to the Muskegon Channel. (Charlie's photo.)
Ruby-crowned Kinglets, White-crowned Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos were the identifiable small birds on the rocks along the pier (presumably having found themselves over the big lake at first light).
Chip and I then sat near the east end of the channel for a little over an hour. We saw only one raptor (Red-tailed Hawk), a few small birds and woodpeckers, and about 650 migrating Blue Jays.
September 27 Email:
I located 6 Hudsonian godwits in cell D10 at the Muskegon Wastewater yesterday (9/26). They are still being seen as of today (Tuesday). They have moved to D12 last I heard. In addition to the godwits, I found dowitcher sp., greater and lesser yellowlegs, willet (continuing in E2), Baird's, least, and pectoral sandpipers and killdeer, semi-palmated, Am. golden and black-bellied plovers. All these birds were seen in either D10 or E2.
- Chip Francke
September 22 Email:
Thanks for the info. and picture, Don. Seems as if they're using it as a staging area on their migration south. (See Dayle's Sept. 2 post below).
- Ric
I birded Grand Haven this morning finding several birds but nothing remarkable.
At East Grand River Park I found 19 species, none out-of-the-ordinary.
At Harbor Island I saw 22 species including three Wood Ducks, three Great Egrets, a Belted Kingfisher and a Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Most of the woodland habitat there was overgrown with White Snake Root, particularly the fringes along the walkways.
Dayle Vanderwier counted 151 Sandhill Cranes at 8:00 p.m. yesterday (Sept. 1) on the Muskegon County Resource Recovery Center properties.
Today felt okay in the shade but hot in the sunlight at the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve. I hadn't birded the preserve in quite a while. I was pleased to see a nice improvement after the last few years of reduction in birding habitat -- the open acreage in the mid-southern section is a wildflower meadow. Many birds were there this morning.
All of today's 28 species were "the usual suspects" including Killdeer, Great Blue Heron,
Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Eastern Kingbird,
Warbling Vireo, Marsh Wren and Common Yellowthroat.
Jenny Reck posted to Discord this photo of three American White Pelicans soaring around Dune Harbor County Park at 10:00 this morning.
I took a pleasant summer walk at Harbor Island this morning. Of the 28 bird species, all were the usual suspects except an American Wigeon:
... Cliff Swallow, Song Sparrow ...
... and Yellow Warbler. (A thistle isn't a bird, but it makes a pretty picture:)
The first-ever recorded sighting of a Red-cockaded Woodpecker in Michigan was Friday evening near Hoffmaster State Park. It could not be relocated Saturday or today but might still be in the area, so keep your eyes peeled and let us know if you see it. This species is particularly drawn to Red Pine (2 needles, not 5-per-follicle) groves. It could easily be confused with a Downy or Hairy Woodpecker. Look for the white "cheek", speckles under the wing, and absence of a large red patch on the back of the head. - Glen and Beth Miller
