Phil Chu Birds Muskegon

.
Some of you may know Phil Chu, an excellent birder originally from Michigan now living in Minnesota.  A couple weeks ago he emailed a few West Michigan people regarding some bird species he'd like to find while visiting relatives near Grand Rapids.  After returning to Minnesota he sent us the following email which contains many tidbits of interest for anyone who birds around Muskegon:
.
Having now returned to MN from West MI, I thought I’d let you know that I added seven species to my Muskegon Co. list.

Black-billed Cuckoo
On 3 July Adam Byrne and I “called one in” at that patch of trees along Seba Rd. about half a mile north of Laketon Ave.

Great Horned Owl
Early in the morning on 3 July, while driving to Lane’s Landing to try for Whip-poor-will, Adam and I found a Great Horned eating something on the shoulder of Maple Island Rd.  This was a new Muskegon Co. bird for me, even though I hadn’t mentioned it in any of my request-for-information messages.

Whip-poor-will
On 3 July we “struck out” at Lane’s Landing, but then, based on some info from Brian Johnson, we ran over to the Wastewater and heard a bird calling from the west end of Laketon Ave.

Alder Flycatcher
On 3 July at Lane’s Landing we found three individuals – a pair plus another single.

Sedge Wren
Brian Johnson showed me several on 2 July at the south end of Wood Rd.  (Wood Rd. runs south from the Giles Rd. just a few yards east of where Giles intersects with M-120.)  If you go to the south end of Wood, you’ll see directly in front of you a rank field, to the west of the field a dike, and then to the west of the dike another rank field.  Walk down onto the dike and you’ll find Sedge Wrens in both fields; the ones in the western field are closer to the dike, and so are easier to hear and see.

Hermit Thrush
On 2 July Brian took me to some ORV trails in the pine-and-oak woods at the end of Sweeter Rd, and there one can easily find Hermit Thrushes.  The thrush, like the Great Horned Owl, was a county bird for me, but one that I hadn’t asked about; I hadn’t asked because I hadn’t thought it was possible in the county during the summer!  Shows you what I know....

Canada Warbler
On 3 July Adam and I parked at the west end of the Snug Harbor parking lot, walked a few yards westward into the woods to intersection A, then turned left (south) as if heading to intersection B.  Maybe 50 yards later we stopped and tried playback, and a male Canada came in.  This is, I believe, the area that you called “the fringe” of the woods near the pavilion.

Other things of note are as follows.  First, Brian and I on 2 July, and then Adam and I on 3 July, were unsuccessful in our attempts for Northern Waterthrush in the Prothonotary Warbler area at Lane’s Landing.  Second, on both 2 and 3 July we were unsuccessful trying for Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on Holton Duck Lake Rd. about half a mile shy of its south end (according to Brian, a place where sapsuckers nest).  Third, on both 2 and 3 July we were unsuccessful trying for Blue-headed Vireo in the Hermit Thrush area (earlier in the summer Brian had found a Blue-headed there).  And fourth, on both 2 and 3 July we were unsuccessful at finding LouisianaWaterthrush at Patterson County Park; for whatever it’s worth, when Adam and I arrived at Patterson around noon on the 3rd we found that Rio Grande Creek had just experienced a flash flood – the occasional patches of long grass at the creek edges had been knocked down, so that the grass was laying flat on the mud, and there was debris (kind of like at a high-tide line) about two-and-a-half feet above the then-current water level.

Well, I think that summarizes things.  I’m pleased with what I was able to see, and what I was able to see was significantly improved by the advice that you gave me.  Thanks much!

Phil
.