Buff-breasted Sandpiper All Weekend

Buff-breasted Sandpiper by the DeWitts

On Friday Rob Goff reported a Buff-breasted Sandpiper on the center dike at the Wastewater.

On Saturday afternoon Ken Sapkowski found it, on the center dike, about a 1/4 mile north from the south end.

This Sunday afternoon Carol and I found it again about where Ken said it would be.  It was feeding in the weeds next to the road.

- Charlie DeWitt

65 Species Sunday

September 2 Email:

Hey Ric,

I had 65 species at the Wastewater this morning -- was hoping maybe some more rarities may have been blown down by the thunderstorm.  Mostly usual suspects, while most summer species were gone already.  A few wonderful warblers east of Moorland on White (1 Cape May, 1 Palm, 2 Black-throated Green) close to where I often will find some.  Two Vesper Sparrows.  Several Eastern Meadowlarks and Eastern Kingbirds remain, and a good many waterfowl.  Highlight was a most-obliging cinnamon-chested Northern Harrier sitting, preening, dusting, stretching, alighting, hovering and soaring right in front of me.  Blessings be with you.  Sincerely, 

- Phil Vreeman

Juvenile Northern Harrier by Phil Vreeman

Swallow-tailed Kite !

Dayle Vanderwier was driving west on Sternberg Road near Carr Road today when a Swallow-tailed Kite flew along parallel to his car for a short distance.  No way to chase a bird like that, but we might all keep our eyes open!

Over 50 Species on Today's Field Trip

Details about this morning's field trip to the Wastewater properties are posted on our homepage.  This evening Charlie DeWitt emailed:

This is one of the seven Great Egrets that I saw on White Rd today.  

Thanks, Charlie!  That's beautiful!

We Need a Butterfly Identification

Ric, can you ID this butterfly?  - Frank Aspey

No, I cannot, but I don't know butterflies.  Hopefully someone viewing this can I.D. it for you (either in the Comments below or in an email to me which I'll post here).  - Ric

Nature Preserve Saturday Morning

Charlie (below) at least photographed one bird on his walk at Black Lake.  At the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve this morning I snapped none, despite seeing and hearing many (22 species).  I did shoot a butterfly near the southwest boardwalk and flowers near the northeast boardwalk:

Monarch

Buttonbush?

- Ric

Cardinal at Black Lake Park

Female Northern Cardinal

I went to Black Lake Park looking for dragonflies and this is what I found.  Some days you just have to settle for what shows up.

- Charlie DeWitt

Thursday Morning at Black Lake

Birds and bugs were plentiful this morning at Black Lake.  I recorded 22 bird species including Great Blue Heron, Northern Flicker, Alder Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Warbler and Indigo Bunting.

Dragonfly on a trail at Black Lake Park

(Thanks to Charlie DeWitt for identifying this as a

female Common Whitetail)

Viceroy Butterflies near the bridge. 

Monarch Butterfly along the creek.

Song Sparrow on a leaf in the meadow.

- Ric

Loud Yard Birds This Morning

This Pileated Woodpecker preened his feathers and called from the telephone pole at the corner of our yard today.  A Northern Flicker kee-YEER'd from a tree nearby.  A loud duet.  It didn't sound like love.

- Ric

Dragonfly / Damselfly Field Trip

I was part of Jerry Lang and Dave Dister's group of six this afternoon as they hunted dragonflies and damselflies at their first location, the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve.  Later the rest of the group visited Lost Lake and Black Lake.  Photos and a complete list of species recorded for the entire trip are posted on our homepage. 

I know nothing about these bugs, so the walk was reminiscent the 1980's with people like Tim Hicks and Margaret Drake Elliott naming birds from brief glimpses and distant sounds.  Today's guys were catching glimpses and checking books for bug names.  Hopefully I got the captions right for these pictures:

Blue Dasher

12-Spotted Skimmer

Eastern Pondhawk

( Charlie's photo is posted on our homepage. )

(Part of my mind was able to pay attention to the birds, so I counted 22 species on this walk around the preserve.  Of note were Common Yellowthroats singing their witchety-witcheties at half the normal pace and independent fly-overs by four closely-related cousins: Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Great Egret and Least Bittern!)

- Ric

Harbor Island American Goldfinch

This was Wednesday on Harbor Island.

- Charlie DeWitt

Hooded Mergies and Louisiana Waterthrush

July 23 Email:

Here’s a family of mergansers feasting on crayfish on the Muskegon River below Croton; it seems the Hooded Mergansers much prefer crustaceans over fish. 

- Kevin Feenstra

Thanks, Kevin!  

This morning Ken Sherburn and I walked the trail from Snug Harbor to Lost Lake and then returned along the dune paths.  We counted 29 bird species along our way, all usual suspects except for the 29th: a Louisiana Waterthrush eating bugs in the small stream beside the Snug Harbor parking lot.  (That would be my 168th Year Bird if I were counting.)

- Ric

Butterflies and a Peacock Today

July 18 Email:

Best shot I could get, either the breeze was rocking the leaves, or ...  ;)

Butterflies

Also, we have a Peacock out here, hanging with some Turkeys!  I don't know where it came from, but I'll ask it as soon as I finally see it for myself.  A neighbor got this picture of it crossing the street in front of her house:

Peacock

- Mike Vanderstelt

Ken's Shorebird Photos

Regarding the previous post:

Attached are the five photos I put on my eBird list today ... Killdeer, Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpipers were the other shorebirds we saw.  Birded the low water cement cell only.
- Ken Sapkowski

Short-billed Dowitchers

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Stilt Sandpiper

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American Avocets

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Willet and Lesser Yellowlegs

Willet

Shorebirds at the WW on Saturday

Ken Sapkowski phoned at noon today to report Short-billed Dowitchers, Stilt Sandpipers, American Avocets and a Willet in the drawn-down aeration cell at the Wastewater.