Meow?

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Got this Gray Catbird in the yard this afternoon.

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Mike VanderStelt
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Hello !

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A friendly Raccoon waving at Bruce Delamarter today.
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Sandhill Cranes Family Behavior

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I took an evening ride to the Wastewater last night (July 7) and found a pair of Sandhill Cranes with a chick.  They were very near the intersection of White and Swanson Roads on Swanson just south of the maintenance building.  When I first found them, I saw a pair of cranes in the middle of the road.  One crane went one way and the other bird went the other way.  I drove up to where the birds were and the one bird started acting injured.  I took a couple of photos of this bird and then looked across the road from where the bird was and found the chick lying in the grass right beside the road.  The other adult was on the other side of the ditch by this time.  The bird that was acting injured flew across the road toward the chick, and she led the chick away into the grass. Here are some photos. . Rick Hamlin . .

Green Heron

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July 7 Email:  "I happened to get a nice picture of this Green Heron in flight to share." - Bruce Delamarter
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A Hook with "More Options"

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I made this to hang my main feeders from -- kind of a "you're next in line" concept with multiple perches. Just thought I would show it to you guys (so the usual suspects can pick it apart). :)

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Mike VanderStelt
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Possible Mountain Bluebird in Ottawa County

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Email: July 5, 2011:
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Mr. Pedler,

Today I ran across a bird I felt worthy of a little publicity.  If you don't mind, could you post this to the Muskegon birding blog? ...
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Everybody,

Today (June 5) at 5:30 PM I saw what I believe was most likely a Mountain Bluebird in southern Ottawa County.  I did not have binoculars at the time, but am personally convinced that it was NOT an Indigo Bunting or Eastern Bluebird.  The bird was entirely blue, with a minor fork in the tail, and a slim thrush-like beak.  It appeared that the underside was lighter than the rest of the bird.  The bird was perched on a wire with the typical bluebird-style pose, not like an Indigo Bunting.  In flight, it was obvious by the flight pattern that it was a bluebird.  There was absolutely no orange or white anywhere on the bird.  I did not have a recording or binoculars at the time, and I was not able to bring it out by pishing.  I have experience with Mountain Bluebirds out west, where I have seen them very well, and I am currently quite convinced that this really was what I saw.

The precise location of the bird was at the latitude-longitude coordinates 42.815095,-86.157964.  There is a cell tower driveway which I pulled into.  The bird was on the wires above the driveway.  He flew into nearby trees and the sheep pasture across the road, which is where I believe he would be staying.  This location is about .2 miles north of James St. on 152nd Ave.

I will be able to try for the bird again on Thursday morning, and I will be sure to give notice if I confirm this sighting.  Until then, any comments or observations are welcome!

Good Birding,
Zachary DeBruine
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Four Yellowlegs at Wastewater Sunday

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I was at the Wastewater Sunday afternoon and saw four Yellowlegs in the northwest corner of the east lagoon; couldn't tell if they were Lesser or Greater. Not much else going on.
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Charlie DeWitt
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Nine Upland Sandpipers at W.W. Saturday

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Matthew Cvetas of Evanston, IL, emails that his son and he had 9 Upland Sandpipers on the Wastewater properties yesterday: 2 at Swanson and White, 2 just south of Swanson and Apple, 2 at the model airplane field and 3 west of Laketon and Seba.
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No Sedge Wrens but One Hooded Warbler

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As Chip Francke observed earlier this year, there are no Sedge Wrens anywhere.  This morning I was at Hofma Preserve south of Grand Haven, an automatic Sedge Wren site in other years, and found none.
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Hofma Preserve, Ottawa, US-MI
Jul 2, 2011 6:25 AM - 8:25 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
24 species

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  4
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)  1
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)  2
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  1
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  1
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)  2
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  1
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  1
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)  2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  3
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)  1
Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum)  1
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas)  5
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)  4
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia)  5
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  3
Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea)  1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  1
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)  12
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)  1
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2 (http://ebird.org)
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However, I did find my Target Bird at Hoffmaster State Park: a Hooded Warbler northwest of the deer exclosure by the blowout west of the Homestead Trail south of the Gillette Nature Center.
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P. J. Hoffmaster SP--South (Ottawa Co.), Ottawa, US-MI
Jul 2, 2011 8:45 AM - 9:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
17 species

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  1
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee (Contopus virens)  1
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)  2
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  1
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)  1
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)  3
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  1
Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)  1
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  3
Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla)  1
Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina)  1
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)  2
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)  2
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  1
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)  2
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  4

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)
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- Ric
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Blackbird Nest Sequence

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Bruce Delamarter sends this sequence of a Red-winged Blackbird family this spring.
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Here's Daddy

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This was the closest I have been able to photograph the male Wood Duck. (See June 22 post below.)
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Bruce Delamarter
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Remember last year ...

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... when I posted a shot of a Red-Winged Blackbird with no tail feathers?  Well he's been back all year, and it is obviously a birth defect, not just from fighting over a female. Also of note, he's probably the most dominant male of the 25 or so here.  A little like "A Boy Named Sue" perhaps? :)

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Mike VanderStelt

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Ducks Still Doing Well

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The Wood Duck family I photographed earlier are still intact and doing well.
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- Bruce Delamarter
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In Response to the Plant I.D.

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I found this on the internet, and would have to agree it to be a

Tree of Heaven.  If you click on the original shot to enlarge it,

they certainly look to be the same.

Mike VanderStelt
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Can Anyone Identify this Plant?

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Greg Swanson led a group of nine people around the Howard Christensen Nature Center this morning recording 44 bird species (click here for compete list) including Acadian Flycatcher.
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Greg, Janet Helmer, John Walhout and others interested in plants would like an identification of this species if any of you know:
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Be aware that Howard Christensen is home to several non-native species planted by previous owners.  To see the plant up close and personal, click the photo and then click the enlarged photo.  Please post your comments here or send an email to Ric: oakridge35@yahoo.com.
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