Lillian Remus's 100th Today !

Richard Mullally's email and photos regarding longtime nature club member Lillian Remus are posted on our homepage.

Red Phalarope and Little Gull

October 23 Email:

I saw this Red Phalarope at the Wastewater on Sunday afternoon.  I didn't know about the Little Gull* so I missed that, but this was a nice surprise.

- Mike Boston

A Mich-listers report says the Little Gull was still at the same location as in Ken's post below after 5:00 p.m. today (Tuesday 10/23).   - Ric

Little Gull Sunday Afternoon

Ken Sapkowski reports that the Little Gull first reported by Steve Minard yesterday was still at the Wastewater this afternoon.  At 1:00 it was in with a flock of Bonaparte's Gulls near the easternmost aeration cell (Number 5) behind the administration building near the north end of the center dike.

Mergansers and Siskins on Saturday

Had 2 pair of Hooded Mergansers on my pond this morning, and just before the rain moved in a group of Pine Siskins flew by.  - Don Neumann
                                          

                                             

Thanks for the report and photos, Don.  Our group was birding in Ravenna at that time.  A short report with photos is posted on our homepage.  - Ric

White-fronted Geese and Eared Grebe Remain

October 15 to Mich-Listers:

The previously reported White-fronted Geese at Muskegon Waste Water were seen this afternoon by myself and Robert Bochenek.  We viewed them in a field below us on the dike road in with say 130 Canadas.  We picked out three of them.  We also saw an Eared Grebe from the central causeway.

In brutal weather we tried for the Mew Gull at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River without success. The waves were washing over the break walls and nothing could rest on them.  

Cheers,

- Karl Overman

Kinglet, White-fronted Geese and Eared Grebe

October 12 Email:

This must have flown into the glass door at a store we are at in Grand Rapids.  Just moved it over and set it down.  - Mike VanderStelt

Golden-crowned Kinglet by Mike VanderStelt

October 14 to Mich-listers, 10:30 a.m., from his iPhone:

At the Muskegon Wastewater facility just past the viaduct between the two pools there are 4 Great White Fronted Geese in a farm field with Canada Geese. The Eared Grebe was near the landfill corner.

- Ed Lewandowski, Macomb County

Migrating Hawks on Thursday

Jeff Johnson, back in West Michigan for awhile, phoned yesterday (October 4, 2018) with these numbers of migrating raptors after a couple hours on "Jeff's Dune"* at Muskegon State Park north of the Muskegon Channel: 

Turkey Vulture -  2  (counted as "raptors" by hawk-watchers)
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Osprey - 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 5
Cooper's Hawk - 2
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 6
Unidentified Accipiter - 1  (either a sharpie or a Coop)
Unidentified Raptors - 3

Jeff noted that these numbers are unofficial.  The flight was very high on a mostly blue sky, so a few numbers are "best estimates".

He also observed many Blue Jays, three migrating Sandhill Cranes, three non-migrating Bald Eagles (2 adults, 1 immature), and one non-migrating Red-tailed Hawk.

*  The dune with the trail post northeast of the ranger station.  In the fall of 1998 Jeff conducted an actual hawk-watch from that location which was followed to a lesser degree in subsequent years by members of our club.  Those counts indicated that an east-wind element is not necessary for a raptor migration over Muskegon.  (I think some of the migrating raptors fly lower on an east wind and are thus easier to see.)  Yesterday during Jeff's count the wind was from the north.  - Ric

Bugs, Birds, and Deer from Newaygo

October 1 Email:

Hi Ric:

Here’s a few pics from the Muskegon River around Newaygo.  Every year we have a tiny mayfly that hatches on the cloudy days in the fall called a Blue Winged Olive.  To give you an idea how tiny they are, look at the picture of the Spotted Sandpiper.  The birds are drawn to the river when this happens and there are a lot of smaller birds by the edges of the river.   

Have a great week…

- Kevin Feenstra

Kevin, always good to see your pics, and you have a great week too!  Those smaller birds look like what birdwatchers call "Empy flycatchers" (in the genus "Empidonax").  If so, they're very hard to tell apart unless they sing.  Probably Least, Willow or Alder, possibly Acadian, and even Yellow-bellied is possible during migration.  If anyone seeing these has other thoughts, please comment.  - Ric

Blue Jays Migrating; Hawks Not

I spent an hour this morning near the east end of the Muskegon Channel.  Despite no east in the wind, I was hoping a few hawks might fly by.  They did not.  460 Blue Jays did.  I also counted 10 other bird species plus a few butterflies.

Outbound Lake Express

- Ric

Two Plover Species at the Wastewater

September 20 Email:

There were four American Golden Plovers and one Black-bellied Plover on the center dike Thursday evening.

- Mike Boston

Birds, Bugs and a Game of Tag

Previewing next weekend's field trip I walked around some trails at Black Lake and Hoffmaster Parks this morning.

Sunlight filtering into the woods at Black Lake Park.

Black Lake was birdy (18 species including Cooper's and Red-shouldered Hawks, Belted Kingfisher and the usual backyard birds); Hoffmaster was not.  So long as I kept moving, bugs weren't bothersome, but stopping for even a second brought swarms of mosquitoes, some even landing on DEET-treated skin.  Hopefully there will be fewer next week.

At 9:45 on the Christmas tree field south of Judson east of Wood, a small group of American Crows harrassed and were harrassed by a large juvenile Cooper's Hawk.  All started on the ground, then flew after each just above the saplings, then landed, then flew up and chased again, several times for several minutes.  One of the crows crawked like a raven during these confrontations, and the hawk or one of the crows bill-clicked like an owl.  It was fun to watch! 

White-fronted Geese at Wastewater Today

September 13 Email:

While birding at Wastewater today I found three Greater White-fronted Geese mixed in with many Canada Geese. They were on the west side of Swanson Road south of White Road. Got a picture of one of them.

- Jim Zervos

Buff-breasted Sandpipers on Sunday

September 9 Email:

Hi Ric,

No photos, but there were three Buff-breasted Sandpipers on the center dike today.

- Mike Boston

Snug Harbor Walk

A cool breezy walk at Snug Harbor this morning produced 24 bird species, none unusual, but three that are more often heard than seen: Eastern Wood-pewee, Wood Thrush and Red-eyed Vireo.  I couldn't morph any of the several vireos into a Tennessee Warbler; the best warbler was a Magnolia.  

Other species included Pied-billed Grebe, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe and Common Yellowthroat.  A turkey apparently dropped this feather near the trail:

 - Ric

Kevin's Recent Bird Photos

September 4 Email:

Hi Ric:

I thought I would pass along some recent bird pics to you. This is a heron eating a nightcrawler and a merlin from the wastewater from this morning. The osprey, goldfinch and red-headed woodpecker are from the Muskegon River during the last week.   

Have a great week! 

- Kevin Feenstra

American Goldfinch

Great Blue Heron

Osprey

Red-headed Woodpecker

Merlin

You too, Kevin.  Keep sending pictures like this whenever you want!  - Ric