Black Lake Park Friday

I walked Black Lake Park again this morning.  It was quite cool, but the birds were out like spring.  I found 33 species including two Year Birds: Winter Wren and Ring-necked Duck. 

Two of the Four Ring-necked Ducks

Others of note included Wood Duck, Gadwall, Ruddy Duck, Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, Belted Kingfisher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brown Thrasher, Hermit Thrush, Field Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Eastern Towhee and Pine Warbler.  Still no catbird yet this year.

Purple Finch (Female or Immature)

We had this Purple Finch on our back feeder early this afternoon.  As usual, it's here during migration season and it's not a raspberry-colored adult male.

- Ric

Black Lake Park

Pine Warbler

I birded Black Lake Park this morning.  I got there at 6:15 hoping to hear an owl, but no luck.  I just birded the parking lot until 8:00 picking up 18 species.  This Pine Warbler was my best find!

- Charlie DeWitt

(The club's monthly field trip was here the next day.  See a report on our home page.)

Northern Lights

March 24 Email:

Shot from my yard last night around 11:00 p.m.

- Don Neumann

Wow!  Thanks, Don!

Spring Animals on the Muskegon River, Etc.

March 7 Email:

Hi Ric:

I hope you have had a good winter so far.  It is a beautiful day and I am about to hit the river.  I just thought I would share some recent river pics: Eastern Bluebird, Red-shouldered Hawk, mink, and Belted Kingfisher.

I hope that you are well! 

Best,

- Kevin Feenstra

Kevin, thanks for more great pictures!  Yes, I'm doing well and it's been a good winter so far.  Birds in my neighborhood are numerous and seem to think that it's spring already.  Robins and blackbirds are singing everywhere, and the neighborhood bluebirds and red-shouldered's have been here for weeks already.  

- Ric

41 Eagles and a Kingfisher at Mona Lake Sunday

March 6 Email:

I counted 41 Bald Eagles at the east end of Mona Lake Sunday morning. The first photo shows 13 of the 41. The Belted Kingfisher made a visit also.

- Don Neumann

Young Bald Eagle

Bruce Delamarter photographed this distinctly-plumaged immature Bald Eagle near Mona Lake on Sunday.

Red-shouldered Hawk

February 15 Email:

I came home this afternoon and saw this Red-shouldered Hawk in my back yard woods.

- Mike Boston

Northern Harrier at MCRRC

February 14 Email:

This Northern Harrier was good enough to do a slow fly-by for me today out at the Resource Recovery Center.

- Mike Boston

Golden and Bald Eagles Interacting

February 4 Email:

There were two immature Bald Eagles playing with, maybe harassing, a Golden Eagle along White Road at the Resource Recovery Center on Saturday.  The Golden Eagle was intent on carrying pine branches for some reason.   - Mike Boston

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

Happy 2023 ! We're Still Here !

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)