.
A hectic weekend, a busted computer, and a trip back to Pennsylvania prevented me from posting my results from the
North American Migration Count until today. But despite the cold, rainy, and windy weather, I had a very enjoyable day on
Saturday (May 8). When I woke early that morning and saw that the current weather was lousy but the daily forecast held some promise, I decided to take my time getting into the field. Since initiating coverage at Lanes Landing and the surrounding areas in the
Muskegon State Game Area, I have followed the same general route for the sake of consistency. However, my precise course and pacing is dictated by weather and bird activity. The nasty weather suppressed visible activity, especially in the more open areas, so I concentrated on the denser areas and spent more time off trail than usual.
Warblers were particularly cooperative. While later species, such as Mourning, Wilson's, and Canada, had apparently not arrived, I did well otherwise. I found
20 species, with
2 Golden-winged Warblers, 1 Orange-crowned Warbler, 1 Northern Parula, 1 Blackpoll Warbler and 3 Prothonotary Warblers being among the best. At one point I had a distant
Cerulean Warbler oddly varying its song structure. The primary songs of Cerulean and
Black-throated Blue, and the alternate song of Northern Parula, sound quite similar. This bird alternately sounded like a Black-throated Blue and a Cerulean, so I had to investigate. What I found were individuals of both species (!) both singing at a casual rate in close proximity to each other.
I had one
Red-eyed Vireo (most arrive later), and my count of
Blue-headed Vireos (4) was my best yet for the NAMC. Apparent breeders that nest more commonly northward included
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-breasted Nuthatch and Brown Creeper. While I missed Hermit (too late?) and Swainson's (too early?), I did get
Wood Thrush and Veery. The one Veery was silent, and the Wood Thrushes did not sing until the evening. I did hear one drumming
Ruffed Grouse.
I encountered
10 species of sparrows, with
Grasshopper and Lincoln's being the most notable. Due to the early date, my tally of
White-throated Sparrows was my highest yet for the NAMC. Most later arrivals, such as Willow, Alder, and Olive-sided Flycatchers and Eastern Wood-Pewee, were absent (thus, my flycatcher count was restricted to four species), as was Sedge Wren, but I did have
Black-billed Cuckoo and
Common Nighthawk.
Virginia Rail and Sora were calling, but did not find either bittern.
Solitary Sandpipers were at
Lanes Landing and at the
Walleye Pond. Perhaps my most interesting find was a
Purple Finch at
Lanes Landing.
With the winds dying in the evening, nocturnal birds became quite vocal. I had
6 American Woodcock, 2 Whip-poor-wills and 2 Barred Owls. My final species was
Eastern Screech-Owl.
There is no question that the poor weather restricted bird activity and vocalization.
My tally of individual birds was the lowest in the four years we have done the Muskegon NAMC. However, birding in section was anything but lousy, as
my species count this year (109) was my second highest.
By the way, I had no adventures with white rabbits this year, and Lucky (who I captured under flashlight after I completed the count last year) is very much enjoying life with my nephew.
- Brian Johnson
.
