Michigan - May 2002 Trip Report

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U.S.A. -- MICHIGAN

06 - 31 May 2002

by Mary Beth Stowe

Itinerary

06 May 2002 – Pt. Mouilee
07 May 2002 – Jackson to Kalamazoo
08 May 2002 – West Lake Nature Preserve
09 May 2002 – Allegan State Game Area
10 May 2002 – Muskegon Area
13 May 2002 – Mitchell Lake to Houghton Lake
14 May 2002 – Fletcher Sharptail Area & Marl Lake
15 May 2002 – Skegmog Swamp & Grass River Natural Area
16 May 2002 – Seney National Wildlife Refuge & Environs
17 May 2002 – Hardwood Impoundment & Gene's Pond
20 May 2002 – Ottowa National Forest
21 May 2002 – Porcupine Mountains State Park
22 May 2002 – L'Anse to Paradise
23 May 2002 – Whitefish Point
24 May 2002 – Mackinaw State Forest
25 May 2002 – Kirtland's Warbler Hunt
28 May 2002 – Tawas Point & Tuttle Marsh
29 May 2002 – Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge
30 May 2002 – West Bloomfield Hills & Seven Ponds Nature Centre
31 May 2002 – Port Huron Area

Click HERE to jump to the Final Trip List:

06 May 2002 – Pt. Mouilee

Today was the first official day of my Michigan vacation; I flew into Detroit on Saturday the 4th (I had "use or lose" tickets from when my dad was sick), got the rental car on Sunday, and today met up with local hardcore Allen Chartier to bird Point Mouilee State Game Area. Actually, I "cheated" and made a dry run on Sunday after I got supplies: it was a gorgeous day and I just hiked a little bit of the dike at the Nelson Unit. Wonderfully productive, I picked up (for the year) Common Grackle, Cardinal, Blue Jay, "Yellow-shafted" Flicker, Chipping Sparrow, Black-capped Chickadee, and a Baltimore Oriole in the songbird department, and along the dike a knock-out Horned Grebe was "this side" of the big gang of Mute Swans hanging out in the bay (even had a second flock fly in)! Forster's Terns fed close by, and at the turnaround point were several Black Terns. Lesser Yellowlegs and Semipalmated Plovers fed in the old corn field, along with a single Green-winged Teal (a Blue-winged was in the channel), but the real prize was a couple of rival Yellow-headed Blackbirds having it out--state bird! Swallows were diverse, picking up every expected Michigan species except for Cliff!

Anyway, on the "official" day, Allen met me at the same spot and we headed out under much more overcast conditions (oh, picked up a knock-out Wood Duck on the way in!). A Gadwall was not only new for the trip but for my state list as well, but I had to run back to the car cuz I realized I forgot to lock it (unfamiliar vehicle, you know), and missed Ring-necked Duck and Redhead because of it... But I DID catch a Snipe whizzing into the cornfield on the way back to meet Allen! Oh, and he DID see some Yellowheads further down, so I felt good about that! A real treat was finding a new Bald Eagle nest over by the headquarters building across the way, with one of the adults carrying a big ol' stick to add to it! Back at the cars a Bobolink flew over for the trip.

Headed down to the end of Roberts Road and the dike along the Lead Unit, stopping for a big bunch of White-crowned Sparrows on the way (hey, it's a trip bird, although even Allen admitted he'd rarely seen so many at once out here). Some vagrants had been reported along this trail, including Avocet, Willet, and and immature Little Blue Heron, and lo and behold we got great looks at the first two (the avocet was particularly cooperative, eventually), but a muddy-legged Snowy Egret made us both wonder if that was indeed the "Little Blue". Allen was pleased with the conditions: he said that it's been awhile since they've had shorebirds in numbers like we had today, even though they were mostly Lesser Yellowlegs and Dunlin (and *I* had never seen so many breeding-plumaged Dunlin in my life!). We also had a couple of Greater Yellowlegs, and a few Short-billed Dowitchers and Black-bellied Plovers; among the peeps were both Least and Semipal, and well as more Semipal Plovers. While scanning the distant shore I enjoyed a pair of Canada Geese telling a Herring Gull off... The occasional Caspian Tern sailed by, uttering his grating call. A side trip down to Lake Erie produced a Chimney Swift batting low over the water, but that was about it.

We dragged ourselves back to the car, checking for songbirds in the trees and picking up lots of Yellows (Allen said they were early this year, at least in the numbers they're in), and a couple of Butterbutts and one Nashville. Also had a Catbird and two beautiful little White-throated Sparrows in quick succession; heard a Carolina Wren and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Allen heard a Least Flycatcher, but I didn't catch that one. Warbling Vireos were particularly cooperative (Allen said they hadn't read the book where it said they're supposed to sing from the treetops...). An American Pipit bounced overhead, and Soras whinneyed from the reeds as well, which got us into a discussion about the plight of King Rails in the state... Picked up a Field Sparrow while Allen tried to straighten out my rebellious "tri-pack" (one of those things you strap your scope to so you can carry it on your back), and a Swamp Sparrow was less cooperative, shooting from reed to reed and only allowing his "peep" to betray him.

I had been reciting potential state birds the whole way, so Allen took me to a couple of spots near some fields; picked up Horned Lark at one stop and Grasshopper and Savannah Sparrow at the next, but that was about it as the forecast rain was starting to spit. He then led me over to Willow Run Airport where both meadowlarks could be had (I needed Western for the state, and wound up picking up both for the trip).

After that it was really starting to drip, so I decided to try for the Ruff that had been reported near Ann Arbor, then head for Jackson after that, so we said our goodbyes and I swam down I-94 along with all the semis to the spot (you go north on US 23, then east on Geddes, make a left on Gale, then a right on Veedland I think it is, and after a bit there's a little wetland on your left). A couple of local birders were already there and they THOUGHT they had the bird (it had been reported this morning), but it was very distant, and turned out to be yet just another Lesser Yellowlegs. After my scope and myself got a thorough soaking (I thought, "Why am I DOING this?!") I escaped back to relative dryness of the car, having added Solitary Sandpiper and a singing Northern Waterthrush that one of the guys pointed out to me. Had a pretty Pied-billed Grebe sitting in the sludge as well, and an Eastern Kingbird flycatching despite the rain.

I had had it with the rain after that so headed on in to the motel in Jackson, where I had a WONDERFUL dinner of frog legs and filet mignon at Gilbert's, just off of US 127 (north of I-94)! That place is a "must eat at" if you're ever staying in Jackson!

Bird List:

Pied-billed Grebe                     Podilymbus podiceps Horned Grebe                          Podiceps auritus Double-crested Cormorant              Phalacrocorax auritus Great Blue Heron                      Ardea herodias Great Egret                           Ardea alba Snowy Egret                           Egretta thula Mute Swan                             Cygnus olor Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis Wood Duck                             Aix sponsa Gadwall                               Anas strepera Green-winged Teal                     Anas crecca Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos Blue-winged Teal                      Anas discors Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura Bald Eagle                            Haliaeetus leucocephalus Red-tailed Hawk                       Buteo jamaicensis American Kestrel                      Falco sparverius Ring-necked Pheasant                  Phasianus colchicus Sora                                  Porzana carolina American Coot                         Fulica americana American Avocet                       Recurvirostra americana Black-bellied Plover                  Pluvialis squatarola Semipalmated Plover                   Charadrius semipalmatus Killdeer                              Charadrius vociferus Common Snipe                          Gallinago gallinago Short-billed Dowitcher                Limnodromus griseus Greater Yellowlegs                    Tringa melanoleuca Lesser Yellowlegs                     Tringa flavipes Solitary Sandpiper                    Tringa solitaria Spotted Sandpiper                     Actitis macularia Willet                                Catoptrophorus semipalmatus Semipalmated Sandpiper                Calidris pusilla Least Sandpiper                       Calidris minutilla Dunlin                                Calidris alpina Ring-billed Gull                      Larus delawarensis Herring Gull                          Larus argentatus Caspian Tern                          Sterna caspia Forster's Tern                        Sterna forsteri Black Tern                            Chlidonias niger Rock Dove                             Columba livia Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura Chimney Swift                         Chaetura pelagica Downy Woodpecker                      Picoides pubescens Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus Eastern Kingbird                      Tyrannus tyrannus Horned Lark                           Eremophila alpestris Purple Martin                         Progne subis Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor Northern Rough-winged Swallow         Stelgidopteryx serripennis Bank Swallow                          Riparia riparia Barn Swallow                          Hirundo rustica American Pipit                        Anthus rubescens Carolina Wren                         Thryothorus ludovicianus House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon Gray Catbird                          Dumetella carolinensis American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                 Polioptila caerulea Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus Warbling Vireo                        Vireo gilvus House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis Nashville Warbler                     Vermivora ruficapilla Yellow Warbler                        Dendroica petechia Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata Northern Waterthrush                  Seiurus noveboracensis Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Field Sparrow                         Spizella pusilla Savannah Sparrow                      Passerculus sandwichensis Grasshopper Sparrow                   Ammodramus savannarum Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Swamp Sparrow                         Melospiza georgiana White-crowned Sparrow                 Zonotrichia leucophrys White-throated Sparrow                Zonotrichia albicollis Northern Cardinal                     Cardinalis cardinalis Bobolink                              Dolichonyx oryzivorus Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Eastern Meadowlark                    Sturnella magna Western Meadowlark                    Sturnella neglecta Yellow-headed Blackbird               Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater Baltimore Oriole                      Icterus galbula

87 SPECIES

07 May 2002 - Jackson to Kalamazoo

Today explored some little wildlife areas between Jackson and Kalamazoo; my main target was Dahlem Nature Preserve, but since that didn't take me long to check out I had time for two others on my way west. All three were mainly beautiful mixed woodland with some boggy areas or wetlands. All three were also only accessible from their single parking lots, but had lots of trails.

Dahlem's official greeter was an Eastern Phoebe that had built a nest right outside the gift shop! I first took a little loop trail that had a boardwalk through a bog, and here in this open area I picked up a cooperative Least Flycatcher and a pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. A warbler was singing that I suspected may have been a Chestnut-sided, but I just couldn't rule out Yellow, and of course the silly thing wouldn't come out to pishing (got Butterbutts, Catbirds, and a gnatcatcher going though...) Goldfinches were all over the place, and Eastern Towhees were either admonishing me to drink my tea (even though I'm a coffee drinker ;-) ) or telling me in their own language what they were ("tow-HEE!"). A Northern Waterthrush sang near a building close to the trailhead.

After a short rest I took one of the longer trails that also skirted some open fields in addition to more woodland. This place is famous for their bluebird program, and boxes were all over the place, although it looked like Tree Swallows were utilizing them (although they could have been swallow boxes; I don't know if bluebirds need a bigger hole or not). A knockout male bluebird DID pose for me, though! In the woods got a great look at a singing Wood Thrush, and that elusive little Yellow-throated Vireo finally showed himself! At a resting spot a Redstart came right down to eye level at one point, and a Field Sparrow gave great views. The trails are well marked and a map is stationed at almost every intersection, so it's hard to get lost.

The next stop was Whitehouse Nature Center, run by Albion College. The habitat here was very similar to Dahlem, but the Kalamazoo River runs through it, providing more lush wetland habitat. It was here I picked up two state birds: Northern Parula right in the parking lot, and a singing Yellow-breasted Chat along the Marsh Trail! A Canada Goose pair did their "car alarm" the whole time I was on that trail, so hearing things was a challenge...DID manage to kick up Belted Kingfisher in here, though.

This place has even MORE trails than Dahlem, so after a rest I crossed the bridge, hung a right at the first opportunity, and ended up doing the River's Edge Trail. Picked up Acadian Flycatcher along this trail, along with a knockout Red-bellied Woodpecker, several singing Blue-winged Warblers, a flock of Cedar Waxwings, a chattering Ruby-crowned Kinglet, an Indigo Bunting sounding deceptively like a goldfinch, buzzy Black-throated Green Warblers, and a very cooperative Swamp Sparrow. By this time the interpretive center had opened, so I sat on the observation deck for awhile, enjoying Black-capped Chickadees at point blank and Downy Woodpeckers coming in to the suet, as well as White-throated and Song Sparrows (the latter are very rufous here compared to ours in San Diego), and a knock-out Baltimore Oriole that came in close. Chipmunks were all over, as well as Fox, Red, and Gray Squirrels, including the local black morph.

Still had time after that, so the next suggested place in the Brown Bin Book (aka Wildlife Viewing Guide, hereafter BBB) was the Binder Park Zoo, believe it or not! Reason being, the zoo has a chunk of land adjacent to the actual zoo itself, with three nature trails that essentially overlap, each loop a little longer than the other. I took the middle one, and even at midday had several goodies: Tufted Titmice courting all over, Great Crested Flycatchers "wheep"ing at each other, and several warblers I wasn't sure of vocally: I suspected Nashville and Black-throated Blue on a couple (had seen the former earlier in the day, so at least HE was safe), but near the trailhead I heard a wheezy upslurred song that I suspected was a Prairie, and thankfully he came out for a view! Another state bird! I had learned the hard way that sometimes Prairies can sound like Black-throated Blues, so I wasn't 100% sure I had heard the latter earlier. However, I think it's safe to say (after reviewing the recordings) that BTB is either very slow or stays at the same tempo, whereas the Prairie tends to accelerate, even if the song itself is slow. Also added Ovenbird and Scarlet Tanager to the trip list in here.

Headed in to Kalamazoo with a modest 63 species for the day; not bad for mostly land birds!

Bird List:
(names in CAPS are new for the trip):

Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura Killdeer                              Charadrius vociferus Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura Chimney Swift                         Chaetura pelagica BELTED KINGFISHER                     Ceryle alcyon RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER Melanerpes carolinus Downy Woodpecker                      Picoides pubescens Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus ACADIAN FLYCATCHER      Empidonax virescens LEAST FLYCATCHER          Empidonax minimus EASTERN PHOEBE                        Sayornis phoebe GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER Myiarchus crinitus Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor Northern Rough-winged Swallow         Stelgidopteryx serripennis Bank Swallow                          Riparia riparia Barn Swallow                          Hirundo rustica RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET       Regulus calendula CEDAR WAXWING                       Bombycilla cedrorum House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon Gray Catbird                          Dumetella carolinensis EASTERN BLUEBIRD          Sialia sialis WOOD THRUSH                     Hylocichla mustelina American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                 Polioptila caerulea Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus TUFTED TITMOUSE                       Baeolophus bicolor WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH   Sitta carolinensis Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus YELLOW-THROATED VIREO    Vireo flavifrons Warbling Vireo                        Vireo gilvus House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis BLUE-WINGED WARBLER       Vermivora pinus Nashville Warbler                     Vermivora ruficapilla NORTHERN PARULA       Parula americana Yellow Warbler                        Dendroica petechia Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER Dendroica virens PRAIRIE WARBLER                       Dendroica discolor AMERICAN REDSTART         Setophaga ruticilla OVENBIRD                            Seiurus aurocapillus Northern Waterthrush                  Seiurus noveboracensis Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT      Icteria virens SCARLET TANAGER                 Piranga olivacea EASTERN TOWHEE            Pipilo erythrophthalmus Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Field Sparrow                         Spizella pusilla Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Swamp Sparrow                         Melospiza georgiana White-throated Sparrow                Zonotrichia albicollis Northern Cardinal                     Cardinalis cardinalis ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK    Pheucticus ludovicianus INDIGO BUNTING                        Passerina cyanea Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater Baltimore Oriole                      Icterus galbula

63 SPECIES
So Far: 111 SPECIES

08 May 2002 - West Lake Nature Preserve

Sorry for sending two at once, but tonight I'm at a bed and breakfast in Allegan with no on-line access (but it's a WONDERFUL old Victorian home, BTW; highly recommended, and Ruth is great!!). Met up with Ken and Cassandra Middleton this morning to bird West Lake Nature Preserve in Kalamazoo (we met at Derk's for breakfast first, though: the 5:00 call time got cancelled due to too high of a water level for Yellow Rails, so we could start at a more sane hour). Actually, Cassandra joined us for breakfast but opted out of the morning jaunt around the park due to hurting knees (their recent quest for the Island Scrub Jay did her in), so Ken and I hiked a nice loop trail that took us through boggy hardwood forest, and then ultimately onto an overlook at West Lake itself. In the parking area picked up both Chipping and Field Sparrows. The weather was still rather cold and overcast, and while lots of birds were still singing it was the same crew as before: Redwings, Cardinals, Goldfinches, Blue Jays, Great Crested Flycatcher, and the lot. A singing Red-eyed Vireo was new for the trip, and enjoyed a cute little titmouse on the ground in front of us. A Turkey Vulture was sitting on a dead snag low in the woods along with a crow; we wondered if they had found something and were waiting for an opportune time to pounce on it. A Solitary Sandpiper showed off nicely in one of the bogs as well. There were several "plastic-walks" (as opposed to boardwalks) through the bogs, but because of the high water level most of these were closed; the one to the overlook was open, however, and we had several goodies along this trail, including lots of Yellow Warblers, Swamp and Song Sparrows, a singing Northern Waterthrush, and the real treat: a tail-wagging Palm Warbler! Ken saw a couple of Butterbutts chasing each other, but I missed those. At the overlook, the lake was pretty choppy, but there WAS a flock of Mute Swans in the distance.

Headed over to another trail on the opposite side of the main road, where there was more freshwater marsh habitat. We couldn't walk out onto the plastic-walk at all here, so we just played rail tapes from the side of the marsh; a Sora was out walking around even before we started, but the Virginia Rail took a little longer to respond. After that Ken called Cassandra to see if she had found out anything about the Western Tanager that was hanging around north of Kalamazoo, so she agreed to meet us at the south end of where we were and join us for that. Unfortunately we didn't get very far before it started to rain, so we headed back to the car (we DID find a dead Deer Mouse, and Ken took that opportunity to explain to me how it differs from White-footed...).

It was still sprinkling by the time we reached the house in Parchment, where we ran into another Birdchatter: Sue Wright from Detroit! She had been there some time and had not seen the bird, so after awhile we gave up as well, went to the mall for lunch and pointers about my next stop, then all kissed goodbye and went our separate ways (before we melted in the rain). I swung by the Kalamazoo Nature Center on my way to Allegan, but they charged $4.50 to get in, and since it was still raining I knew I wouldn't be hiking the trails, so I just pulled over and listened for five, where I picked up Yellow-throated Vireo for the day. Made it to Allegan quickly, and tried to check out the State Game Area a little, but it was still just too rainy, so checked into the gorgeous B&B early (picking up Meadowlark for the day), had a great talk with Ruth (the owner), and I anticipate a great meal at the Grill House down the road where you grill your own meat!

Bird List:

Mute Swan                             Cygnus olor Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis Wood Duck                             Aix sponsa Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura VIRGINIA RAIL               Rallus limicola Sora                                  Porzana carolina Solitary Sandpiper                    Tringa solitaria Rock Dove                             Columba livia Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura Downy Woodpecker                      Picoides pubescens Great Crested Flycatcher              Myiarchus crinitus Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon Gray Catbird                          Dumetella carolinensis American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Tufted Titmouse                       Baeolophus bicolor White-breasted Nuthatch               Sitta carolinensis Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus Yellow-throated Vireo                 Vireo flavifrons Warbling Vireo                        Vireo gilvus RED-EYED VIREO      Vireo olivaceus House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis Yellow Warbler                        Dendroica petechia PALM WARBLER          Dendroica palmarum Northern Waterthrush                  Seiurus noveboracensis Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas Eastern Towhee                        Pipilo erythrophthalmus Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Field Sparrow                         Spizella pusilla Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Swamp Sparrow                         Melospiza georgiana Northern Cardinal                     Cardinalis cardinalis Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Eastern Meadowlark                    Sturnella magna Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater Baltimore Oriole                      Icterus galbula

43 SPECIES
So Far: 114 SPECIES

09 May 2002 – Allegan State Game Area

I had heard such wonderful things about Allegan State Game Area, so I was rather bummed to wake up to the sound of rain (although the thunder was fun). Thanks to a map and pointers from Ken, I headed on over despite the water, determined to bird from the relative dryness of the car if nothing else. Lake Allegan itself was devoid of birds, but the common things were singing and calling from the parking areas, as well as the day's only Wood Thrush across the lake. On the way to headquarters we crossed Swan Creek, a recommended stop, but since it was still raining I just sat for five and listened; best bird was a singing Hooded Warbler, in addition to a Blue-winged. Proceeded on to the headquarters where the nice man in charge gave me a bigger map and pointed out more good birding spots, so with the use of his highlighter we marked out an auto route. Back out in the parking area, it was still spitting a little, but managed to add Butterbutt, Blackburnian Warbler, and Blue-headed Vireo to the list!

I had noticed a trailhead just before the headquarters, and according to the map they DO have quite an extensive trail system. It had actually let up some, so decided to hike this trail which at first went STRAIGHT down the hill before T-ing with the trail that goes along Swan Creek Pond. Least Flycatchers were all over the place, and a pretty Veery popped up from a tangle near the shore. A curious Red-eyed Vireo came in close as well, and a pair of Canada Geese noisily drove off a rival in the middle of the pond (which is actually more like a small lake). Something sang from the pines across the way that I suspect was a Pine Warbler (it was a very dry, rapid trill), but I'm still not sure I could tell it from Chipping Sparrow, so I let that one go.

Headed south after that, to another crossing of Swan Creek that was recommended. Parking up at the top of the hill, rather than taking the main trail I walked along the road and crossed the bridge to the little trail along the creek; heard Golden-winged Warbler and Northern Waterthrush in here, but it started raining again so I hightailed it back to the car...

Heading west after that I just stopped every mile and listened, getting out only when it was relatively dry. The roads were a mess, though, with lots of big puddles to drive through; after that thread on rental cars, I know the rental company's not gonna be too happy with ME! Heard Ovenbirds at almost every stop, and at one point three Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were drinking from one of these puddles, as well as lots of Chipping Sparrows, and a knock-out Baltimore Oriole landed on a little shrub practically next to the car! One stop had a Prairie Warbler doing a more typical song, and in the open fields (where in fall I guess geese gather there by the thousands) picked up Eastern Meadowlark and Horned Lark. Surprisingly had no raptors out here (had a Blue Jay doing a pretty good Red-shouldered Hawk, though...)! Pheasants crowed occasionally, and practically ran over a pair of Turkeys at one point!

Nothing much was at the campground (was still dripping by this point), so headed up to a field where the guy said they had Henslow's Sparrows. By this time the rain had pretty much quit, but a horrendous wind came to take its place! Needless to say I didn't add much on this leg of the trip, but in some sheltered areas had nice looks at Field Sparrows, Black-capped Chickadees, and a Yellow Warbler. In the windbreaks had White-crowned Sparrows and a singing Eastern Bluebird, plus an Eastern Kingbird on a wire, hanging on for dear life!

Zigzagged up to Old Allegan Road, where the local mail-lady's jeep was having some problems, so after letting her use my phone to call for help I hiked a little of the trail heading to the Ottawa Marsh Unit. Didn't make it that far, but at the resting spot a flock of Butterbutts came in, along with a single Nashville and Black-throated Green, and a little later a stunning Golden-winged! A male Scarlet Tanager came down for a look, and Ovenbirds were very common and cooperative along this trail, too.

From there headed over to the Kalamazoo River trailhead, and here the sun actually peeked out! And as soon as I stepped out the car I was surrounded by Cerulean Warblers! Once on the trail I was also surrounded by mosquitos, but the knock-out look I had at one male Cerulean was worth it! A Belted Kingfisher yelled at me from the river, and a Redstart duetted with the Ceruleans, but that was the extent of the excitement.

Zigzagged around the river in order to get to another Swan Creek access the guy told me about, but on the way passed that first crossing where it was raining earlier, so since it was sunny, decided to hike the trail this time. Ken had told me this was a good place for Prothonotary and Worm-eating Warblers (at least I THINK this was the spot), but the first new bird I heard singing at the little boardwalk was a Louisiana Waterthrush! Shortly he started "pik"ing from the shore, and after a little pishing he came rushing in, bobbing his whole rear end like a Spotted Sandpiper in slow motion! Also got a pair of gnatcatchers excited, but what should also come within kissing distance but a male Chestnut-sided Warbler! A Hairy Woodpecker "peeked" from the opposite shore as well; seeing as that's strictly a high mountain bird where I come from, it was rather incongruous having that next to a waterthrush (and the southern one at that)!

A little further along the trail a beautiful Blue-winged Warbler came close for pictures, and on the way back I was trying to spot one of the frogs I kept scaring into the water, when I suddenly noticed a twitching snake! Then what I thought was the tail was actually the head of a smaller individual; it was a mating pair! Since I didn't bring my herp book with me, I have no idea what they were: they were medium-sized, kind of copper-colored (varying between darker and lighter), with very pale, diffuse buffy bands about an inch apart. Any ideas out there??

Had to head to Grand Haven after that (and thankfully, the gas station I stopped at in Holland had a car wash... :-P)!

Bird List:

Great Blue Heron                      Ardea herodias Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura WILD TURKEY                   Meleagris gallopavo Ring-necked Pheasant                  Phasianus colchicus Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura Belted Kingfisher                     Ceryle alcyon Downy Woodpecker                      Picoides pubescens HAIRY WOODPECKER            Picoides villosus Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus Least Flycatcher                      Empidonax minimus Eastern Phoebe                        Sayornis phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher              Myiarchus crinitus Eastern Kingbird                      Tyrannus tyrannus Horned Lark                           Eremophila alpestris Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor Northern Rough-winged Swallow         Stelgidopteryx serripennis Barn Swallow                          Hirundo rustica Ruby-crowned Kinglet                  Regulus calendula House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon Gray Catbird                          Dumetella carolinensis Eastern Bluebird                      Sialia sialis VEERY                                 Catharus fuscescens Wood Thrush                           Hylocichla mustelina American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                 Polioptila caerulea Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Tufted Titmouse                       Baeolophus bicolor White-breasted Nuthatch               Sitta carolinensis Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus Yellow-throated Vireo                 Vireo flavifrons BLUE-HEADED VIREO           Vireo solitarius Warbling Vireo                        Vireo gilvus Red-eyed Vireo                        Vireo olivaceus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis Blue-winged Warbler                   Vermivora pinus GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER   Vermivora chrysoptera Nashville Warbler                     Vermivora ruficapilla Yellow Warbler                      Dendroica petechia CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER Dendroica pensylvanica Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata Black-throated Green Warbler          Dendroica virens BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER    Dendroica fusca Prairie Warbler                       Dendroica discolor CERULEAN WARBLER          Dendroica cerulea American Redstart                     Setophaga ruticilla Ovenbird                              Seiurus aurocapillus Northern Waterthrush                  Seiurus noveboracensis LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH Seiurus motacilla Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas HOODED WARBLER              Wilsonia citrina Scarlet Tanager                       Piranga olivacea Eastern Towhee                        Pipilo erythrophthalmus Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Field Sparrow                         Spizella pusilla Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia White-crowned Sparrow                 Zonotrichia leucophrys Northern Cardinal                     Cardinalis cardinalis Rose-breasted Grosbeak                Pheucticus ludovicianus Indigo Bunting                        Passerina cyanea Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Eastern Meadowlark                    Sturnella magna Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater Baltimore Oriole                      Icterus galbula

69 SPECIES
So Far: 124 SPECIES

10 May 2002 -- Muskegon Area

Make a change of plans after I downloaded the Michigan RBA and saw that several Harris' Sparrows had been seen in nearby Muskegon State Park! It turned out to be a beautiful morning and a beautiful drive in (gawked at the fancy homes the whole way), albeit quite nippy. The gate to Snug Harbor was still closed when I got there, so I parked in the headquarters lot and just walked in, which was fine, because I wanted to check out every inch of the place I could, and the habitat certainly looked perfect: a stretch of woodland with a lot of leaf litter and scattered tangles, and there were indeed lots of Whiteys around and several White-throateds as well. The light was perfect, and several things came out for pictures, including Catbird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and a very cooperative Lincoln's Sparrow! Even the skulky House Wren finally made a show! Making my way towards the marsh added Yellowthroat and another big bunch of Mute Swans, and on the way back to the car several Palm Warblers fed on the ground. By the time I got back they had opened the gate, so I wanted to drive in and park closer to the trail head I discovered in order to give that a whirl. Took me awhile to get to the car, though, cuz several more Whiteyes and Chippies were feeding on the lawn, so I snuck over to the pines, only to have a Clay-colored Sparrow jump up into one of the trees! Trying to get a closer look, only Chippies came out at point blank, and in the grove itself a Red-breasted Nuthatch practically landed on me.

This time the office was open by the time I finally got back to the car, so I purchased an annual pass (whoever rents this car after me will get a bonus...) and wheeled back into Snug Harbor. There are several trails in the park, but since the sparrows were specifically reported from this area, I wanted to concentrate on THIS trail, which I believe is called the Devil's Kitchen trail. And what a trail: stuff was "seep"ing constantly, and at the first intersection the place was alive with sparrows! I ended up just sitting for about ten minutes (within that space a hiker, a ranger, and a couple letting their dog illegally run--and I do mean RUN--loose went by...too bad the latter two didn't meet up...). Even the dog didn't seem to bother the birds, though, as they kept about their business: mostly Whitethroats and some Whitecrowns, but alas no Harris'. Also picked up a friendly Magnolia Warbler in here, plus both Blue-headed and Yellow-throated Vireos; Wood Thrushes were not only doing their standard songs and call notes, but utilizing single parts of their song as calls (if that makes any sense); I had never heard them do that before! At another resting spot enjoyed a female Towhee doing the famous "Towhee Shuffle", a chickadee practically landing on my lap, and four kinds of woodpeckers all going at once, including Red-headed, which was new for the trip! Both Black-throated Greens and Blues (for real this time) were singing as well. Around the bend the trail started going uphill, so I opted to take a side trail out towards the marsh, where I nearly stepped on a Pileated Woodpecker on a dead log! He took off, of course, but landed again on another big log at a safer distance. A pair of Least Flycatchers flitted around, and an Indigo Bunting sang from atop one of the trees. From the edge of the marsh I found a swan on a nest, a pair of Gadwall, plus a Great Blue Heron and several Yellowthroats, and in the distance, a circling Osprey!

Ken had insisted that I check out the Muskegon sewage ponds, and after seeing a report of a Hudsonian Godwit there, I wanted to make sure I had enough time to spend there before having to head for Cadillac, so I gave up on the Harris' (but was thrilled with everything else I saw) and headed out. Went straight away up onto the main dike, where I was blown away, both literally and figuratively: not only was the wind screaming at gale force, but I think these things can accurately be called sewer "lakes", not ponds! They were HUGE, with plenty of whitecaps! And Ken warned me not to drive on the center dike because of nesting gulls; I saw his point! The place was thick with 'em!

Actually, I didn't get much action until I wheeled around to the back side, where the landfill was also attracting gulls; just Ring-billed and Herring that I could pick out (I noticed that the shade of yellow on the bills on these Herrings appears to be a deeper golden than the ones that show up in San Diego, in addition to their backs appearing a shade darker). But just short of the "nesting dike" several things were taking shelter from the wind: a few Shovelers, lots of Ruddy Ducks, some scaup in the distance (couldn't tell which type; can you locals tell me which would be more likely here?), and the real prize: an Eared Grebe! (Actually, that was on the RBA, too, but I had forgotten about it--when you come from a place that's dripping with Eared Grebes you tend to kinda gloss over it...) The next pond was a little calmer, and on the "home stretch" picked up Bufflehead and three closer scaup that I suspected were Greater: the heads looked awfully rounded, and both females had a paler cheek patch. Then one of the ladies sat up and flapped, revealing a nice long wing stripe. A Ring-necked Duck came floating in as well. In the ditches were more ducks, including Blue-winged Teal, and a big hen Turkey was on the hill opposite! A very yellow Savannah Sparrow tried unsuccessfully to stay out of the wind on the dike itself.

Nearing the end of the route I was wondering where in the world anyone could have found a godwit (much less any other shorebird) when I suddenly stumbled upon an almost empty pond, rather hidden away! Couldn't find a godwit, but DID add Killdeer, Dunlin, and Least and Spotted Sandpiper to the list here. Another low pond down the road had a rather large group of Dunlin along with more gulls and ducks. Bank Swallows were everywhere, and I noticed that they had Tree Swallow nest boxes on the telephone poles lining the now empty auxilliary ponds!

Got done with that with time to spare, so checking out the BBB I decided to stop at the Hardy Dam Nature Trail along the Muskegon River on the way to Cadillac. You get a great view of the river and actually walk along the road before dipping down behind the dam, where I added Purple Finch to the trip list. Found an overlook down by the river (got my exercise coming back up that hill), and discovered that, after 15 minutes of walking, THAT's where the trail really started! Well, I was pooped, so I rested for five, picking up a singing Carolina Wren in the meantime, and spotting a Sharp-shinned Hawk doing loops in the air with his lunch.

Headed up to Cadillac after that; I'm gonna enjoy spending the weekend here, I can tell!

Bird List:

EARED GREBE                   Podiceps nigricollis Great Blue Heron                      Ardea herodias Mute Swan                             Cygnus olor Gadwall                               Anas strepera Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos Blue-winged Teal                      Anas discors NORTHERN SHOVELER   Anas clypeata RING-NECKED DUCK       Aythya collaris GREATER SCAUP               Aythya marila BUFFLEHEAD                      Bucephala albeola RUDDY DUCK                Oxyura jamaicensis Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura OSPREY                                Pandion haliaetus SHARP-SHINNED HAWK    Accipiter striatus Wild Turkey                           Meleagris gallopavo Killdeer                              Charadrius vociferus Spotted Sandpiper                     Actitis macularia Least Sandpiper                       Calidris minutilla Dunlin                                Calidris alpina Ring-billed Gull                      Larus delawarensis Herring Gull                          Larus argentatus Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura RED-HEADED WOODPECKER    Melanerpes erythrocephalus Red-bellied Woodpecker                Melanerpes carolinus Downy Woodpecker                      Picoides pubescens Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus PILEATED WOODPECKER   Dryocopus pileatus Least Flycatcher                      Empidonax minimus Eastern Phoebe                        Sayornis phoebe Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor Northern Rough-winged Swallow         Stelgidopteryx serripennis Bank Swallow                          Riparia riparia Barn Swallow                          Hirundo rustica Ruby-crowned Kinglet                  Regulus calendula Carolina Wren                         Thryothorus ludovicianus House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon Gray Catbird                          Dumetella carolinensis Veery                                 Catharus fuscescens Wood Thrush                           Hylocichla mustelina American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                 Polioptila caerulea Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Tufted Titmouse                       Baeolophus bicolor RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH    Sitta canadensis Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus Yellow-throated Vireo                 Vireo flavifrons Blue-headed Vireo                     Vireo solitarius PURPLE FINCH                    Carpodacus purpureus House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis Yellow Warbler                        Dendroica petechia MAGNOLIA WARBLER                      Dendroica magnolia BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER   Dendroica caerulescens Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata Black-throated Green Warbler          Dendroica virens Palm Warbler                          Dendroica palmarum Ovenbird                              Seiurus aurocapillus Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas Eastern Towhee                        Pipilo erythrophthalmus Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina CLAY-COLORED SPARROW Spizella pallida Savannah Sparrow                      Passerculus sandwichensis Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia LINCOLN'S SPARROW           Melospiza lincolnii White-crowned Sparrow                 Zonotrichia leucophrys White-throated Sparrow                Zonotrichia albicollis Northern Cardinal                     Cardinalis cardinalis Rose-breasted Grosbeak                Pheucticus ludovicianus Indigo Bunting                        Passerina cyanea Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater Baltimore Oriole                      Icterus galbula

77 SPECIES
So Far: 140 SPECIES

13 May 2002 -- Mitchell Lake to Houghton Lake

Well, it was still drizzly when I left the motel this morning, but by the time I got to Mitchell State Park, hallelujah it had quit!! Actually, I had cheated again on Saturday and hiked part of this terrific nature trail as my "exercise walk" (they have all sorts of bike paths in Cadillac), where at the boardwalk I had lots of Butterbutts, Pine Warblers, and a real live Black and White in my face (not to mention both nuthatches)! When I returned this morning to do the whole two-plus mile loop, that same spot was MUCH more quiet, but at least the two new warblers were still singing, in addition to both Black-throated Green and Blue, as well as Golden-winged.

The trail takes you through wonderful woodland at first, with Ovenbirds and Northern Waterthrushes all around. Then you come to the loop which encircles a marsh; here were the Yellowthroats and Redwings, Yellow and Palm Warblers, Swamp and Song Sparrows, plus a Green Heron that flew over. Another woodland trail takes you to an overlook, where I was thrilled to hear a bird I've only heard once before "live" (and the vocalization that started this birding craze for me as a kid): American Bittern! A Sora also whinneyed from up here, and a very forlorn-sounding Canada Goose beat by, looking for his mate I suppose...

Found a shortcut through the interior where a Redstart came down to pishing, and at the resting spot where it met up with the main trail, almost tuned out a state bird while I was studying the map: a Sedge Wren! A knockout Baltimore Oriole flew into the tree right next to me, and back near the trail head several White-throated Sparrows popped up.

Another Brown Bin Spot was nearby (Brandybrook Semiprimitive Area), so I tootled down M115 to M55, then up 31 Mile Road, stopping every half mile to listen. I was supposed to go straight at the next intersection, but made a left instead and ended up doing kind of a rectangular route through the National Forest (with lots of houses around) before having to turn back due to utility work. But it worked out great: similar boggy woodland habitat to the other areas I've visited, but there are a lot more conifers this far north, and besides the usual suspects picked up a pretty Veery, a delightful little Winter Wren for the trip, plus an in-your-face Bald Eagle who sailed by!

Made it back to 31 Mile Road (which had changed names by then) and hung a left, then another left on an unmarked "seasonal road", which is the road you're SUPPOSED to take to get into this area. Before long you come to a wide open bog, with a beaver lodge near the other side! They also had an Osprey nesting platform erected, but it wasn't in use yet. Along this road also picked up Hermit Thrush for the trip, plus an annoyed Sapsucker while I was trying to lure some warblers into view! (A Pine Warbler DID practically land on me a couple of times!)

This road dumped me out on M115 again, so I decided to head on to Houghton Lake and check out some of the Brown Bin spots over there. There's a whole chunk of 'em all together: the first one was Houghton Flats, reached by following 55 all the way to US27, where you go PAST that, then turn left on OLD 27. There's an observation deck down the road (a cute little gazebo-type thing, with plenty of iron-wrought benches to sit and watch the action); I scoped the area and found mama Osprey sitting on her nest (yes, on one of those platforms)! Nothing else out of the ordinary (and it was getting COLD to boot: outside temperature was 44, but that wind chill was numbing!)

Up the road was Dead Stream Flooding: you keep going on Old 27, make a left on County Road 300, then right at the Brown Bin Sign (it's supposed to be Michelson, but I didn't see a sign). This takes you down to another little lake, but I didn't check it out thoroughly, cuz there were a couple of rough-looking guys there fishing (probably harmless...). I DID pick up some wheeling Black Terns, and a HUGE Bald Eagle nest (with occupant) across the way! There was yet another Osprey platform here, but no Osprey; I can't think of any self-respecting Osprey that would build a nest next to the neighborhood bully, anyway! On the way out I DID find a magnificent Osprey along the road with a not-so-magnificent nest, who didn't seem to mind the car at all as we snuck up for pictures!

The next spot was Backus Lake, which was DEFINITELY out of the way! Here you had to go all the way back to 55 and head east, through Houghton Lake, and then go north a little bit on M18. Just past the junction with 157 you hang a right on a dirt road, then after another mile hang a left (thankfully there's a Brown Bin sign there). When the road forks you can go either way: left goes to the dam (more like a teeny little spillway), where I parked, waded across that thing, and hiked a little of the trail next to the lake; what a pretty place! A Common Loon was snoozing in the middle, and not too far away was a Pied-billed Grebe. Three kinds of swallows wheeled around, and an Eastern Kingbird kept pace just ahead of me. The place was lousy with Butterbutts; they may be common, but they're still pretty! On the way back I was watching a Spotted Sand fly away when I caught a couple of Redwings chasing a Broad-winged Hawk in the distance!

Went down the other road after that, stopping at the overlooks and at one point hiking a little camp-spot loop road, where the picnic table was complete with tablecloth! No new birds except a couple of fighting Nashville Warblers, but did have a Double-crested Cormorant sporting his double crests. A friendly little Blue-headed Vireo came down to the car on the way out. Headed back into Houghton Lake for the night, having a wonderful buffet dinner at Coyle's (after which the rain DID decide to come...)!

Bird List:

COMMON LOON                 Gavia immer Pied-billed Grebe                     Podilymbus podiceps Double-crested Cormorant              Phalacrocorax auritus Great Blue Heron                      Ardea herodias GREEN HERON                 Butorides virescens AMERICAN BITTERN       Botaurus lentiginosus Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos Osprey                                Pandion haliaetus Bald Eagle                            Haliaeetus leucocephalus BROAD-WINGED HAWK   Buteo platypterus Sora                                  Porzana carolina Spotted Sandpiper                     Actitis macularia Ring-billed Gull                      Larus delawarensis Black Tern                            Chlidonias niger Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura Red-headed Woodpecker                 Melanerpes erythrocephalus Red-bellied Woodpecker                Melanerpes carolinus YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER    Sphyrapicus varius Downy Woodpecker                      Picoides pubescens Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus Least Flycatcher                      Empidonax minimus Eastern Phoebe                        Sayornis phoebe Eastern Kingbird                      Tyrannus tyrannus Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor Northern Rough-winged Swallow         Stelgidopteryx serripennis Barn Swallow                          Hirundo rustica Ruby-crowned Kinglet                  Regulus calendula WINTER WREN                 Troglodytes troglodytes SEDGE WREN                    Cistothorus platensis Gray Catbird                          Dumetella carolinensis Veery                                 Catharus fuscescens HERMIT THRUSH                 Catharus guttatus American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Red-breasted Nuthatch                 Sitta canadensis White-breasted Nuthatch               Sitta carolinensis Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus Yellow-throated Vireo                 Vireo flavifrons Blue-headed Vireo                     Vireo solitarius American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis Golden-winged Warbler                 Vermivora chrysoptera Nashville Warbler                     Vermivora ruficapilla Yellow Warbler                        Dendroica petechia Black-throated Blue Warbler           Dendroica caerulescens Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata Black-throated Green Warbler          Dendroica virens PINE WARBLER                      Dendroica pinus Palm Warbler                          Dendroica palmarum BLACK AND WHITE WARBLER Mniotilta varia American Redstart                     Setophaga ruticilla Ovenbird                              Seiurus aurocapillus Northern Waterthrush                  Seiurus noveboracensis Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas Eastern Towhee                        Pipilo erythrophthalmus Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Swamp Sparrow                         Melospiza georgiana White-throated Sparrow                Zonotrichia albicollis Northern Cardinal                     Cardinalis cardinalis Rose-breasted Grosbeak                Pheucticus ludovicianus Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Baltimore Oriole                      Icterus galbula

67 SPECIES
So Far: 150 SPECIES

14 May 2002 – Fletcher Sharptail Area & Marl Lake

Anyway, woke up to a beautiful (albeit frigid) morning and headed out to the Fletcher Sharptail Area west of Houghton Lake. This is an area specially managed for the Sharp-tailed Grouse, and while I figured my chances of kicking one up were pretty slim, I was looking forward to the different habitat. The hen Turkey on the way there was a nice addition to the list! And speaking of turkeys, the Turkey Vultures circling around the gas plant reminded me of those stories where TVs would help the gas guys find the leaks in their pipes! I could have sworn I saw a Raven, but they aren't supposed to be this far south, and since it was one of those "hanging out the window while you're drivng" looks I let that one go, hoping I'd pick it up later!

The road going in isn't the greatest: it's another one of those "seasonal roads" and actually doubles as a snowmobile trail during the winter. At the parking area the wind was whipping fierce (don't ask me what the wind chill was) but I hiked the road out into the habitat anyway, picking up singing Vesper Sparrows right away. A few Clay-colored Sparrows joined in with their buzzy song, a Brown Thrasher sang hidden in one of the bushes, and of course the Eastern Meadowlarks were all over the place. Learned something about their vocalizations, too: they have a two-toned whistle that sounds incredibly like a Varied Thrush, and they also have a loud "che-beck" call that, if heard at the proper distance, sounds deceptively like a Henslow's Sparrow (and out in the open field, that can get your juices going)! At the resting spot was thrilled to get something almost as good as the grouse: singing Upland Sandpipers!

The official Brown Bin Sign is at the intersection of two of these primitive roads, so after a short rest I hiked the continuation of the road I had driven in on, which had more Sharptail habitat on the right and small trees on the left. Heard a Purple Finch on this trail, and a cute little Downy Woodpecker worked one if the small trees. I then hiked the trail that went alongside the big woodland, and was happy to finally get out of the wind (at least for a bit)! Picked up fighting Chippies in here, as well as a single Field Sparrow (had heard them coming in), a Black and White Warbler, and back at the car, an Orange-crowned.

Decided to check out the last Houghton Lake area Brown Bin Spot before heading to Kalkaska, which was Higgins/Marl Lake. Higgins was open but closed, if you know what I mean: I was the only one there, the picnic tables were still on their ends, and the wind whipping off Lake Higgins was arctic!! At least got the two gulls and Canada Goose for the day; their nature trail was short, and not too productive.

Marl Lake, on the other hand, was terrific! A smaller lake, out of the wind, it had a series of loop trails that, like that system at Binder Park, overlapped each other, so you had a choice of a two, three, or five mile loop. I took the shortest one (of course), but it was wonderful: it starts out along the lake on your left, with a bog on your right. In the lake was a pair of Lesser Scaup (for real) and several Bufflehead. In the bog I got several Swamp Sparrows excited, plus a Yellow Warbler and Red-winged Blackbird. On the crossover I ran into a flock of mostly Butterbutts, but they were very friendly and cooperative, and with them came a pair of Pine Warblers nearly landing on me again, plus a male Redstart. On the return leg a Nashville sang and then came out, and I thought I was hearing another Red-headed Woodpecker when I suddenly heard all this chatter and a woodpecker did indeed come screaming in, only it was a Sapsucker! Has anyone ever heard a sapsucker make a Red-headed-like call??! (Although with the sounds some of these Blue Jays are making, I wouldn't even put THAT past them...)

I was really shot after that (kicked up a Spotted Sand along the lakeshore back at the car), so headed on towards Kalkaska. I still had time, however, so I thought I'd check out the Sand Lakes Quiet Area west of town, picking up a few Bluebirds on the way. This area has quite a network of trails from the one trailhead, but I only did a short hike and never made it to the lakes; it was indeed quiet as the only birds to be had were a singing Pine Warbler and a TV sailing over.

Headed back to town, anxious to rest my feet!

Bird List:

Great Blue Heron                      Ardea herodias Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos LESSER SCAUP                Aythya affinis Bufflehead                            Bucephala albeola Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura Wild Turkey                           Meleagris gallopavo UPLAND SANDPIPER            Bartramia longicauda Spotted Sandpiper                     Actitis macularia Ring-billed Gull                      Larus delawarensis Herring Gull                          Larus argentatus Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura Belted Kingfisher                     Ceryle alcyon Yellow-bellied Sapsucker              Sphyrapicus varius Downy Woodpecker                      Picoides pubescens Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus Eastern Phoebe                        Sayornis phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher              Myiarchus crinitus Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor Northern Rough-winged Swallow         Stelgidopteryx serripennis House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon BROWN THRASHER          Toxostoma rufum Eastern Bluebird                      Sialia sialis American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus White-breasted Nuthatch               Sitta carolinensis Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus Purple Finch                          Carpodacus purpureus House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER Vermivora celata Nashville Warbler                     Vermivora ruficapilla Yellow Warbler                        Dendroica petechia Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata Pine Warbler                          Dendroica pinus Palm Warbler                          Dendroica palmarum Black-and-white Warbler               Mniotilta varia American Redstart                     Setophaga ruticilla Ovenbird                              Seiurus aurocapillus Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Clay-colored Sparrow                  Spizella pallida Field Sparrow                         Spizella pusilla VESPER SPARROW              Pooecetes gramineus Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Swamp Sparrow                         Melospiza georgiana White-throated Sparrow                Zonotrichia albicollis Rose-breasted Grosbeak                Pheucticus ludovicianus Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Eastern Meadowlark                    Sturnella magna Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater Baltimore Oriole                      Icterus galbula

57 SPECIES
So Far: 155 SPECIES

15 May 2002 – Skegmog Swamp & Grass River Natural Area

Well, maybe I DID see a Raven yesterday, cuz the first thing to greet me when I stepped out of the car this morning at the Skegmog Swamp trailhead was a fracas common in San Diego: two Crows assaulting a lone Raven, who was croaking annoyedly! So maybe they ARE making their way south (although the north wind being what it has been, I wouldn't be surprised if they got BLOWN in...)!

Anyway, the car thermometer said it was 33 degrees out, but the sun was shining, the air was calm, and despite the cold the birds were singing up a storm! This is a delightful little trail that follows an old railroad tie before heading into the bog and eventually to a platform overlooking Skegmog Swamp and, further out, Skegmog Lake. Practically from the start had Nashville Warblers singing all over, duetting occasionally with Black and Whites and Butterbutts. Another friendly (albeit dull) Pine Warbler said hello in the parking lot, and along the rail trail a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers came sailing in to a dead tree! A Blue-headed Vireo sang at the resting spot, and in the wetter areas had plenty of Northern Waterthrushes. A REAL thrush, the Hermit, sang soulfully from deep in the woods, and Ovenbirds hollered in your face but remained obstinantly hidden. Once through the woods and into the marsh, had plenty of Swamp Sparrows and Yellowthroats, and from the observation deck had a nice Merlin scream in, only to be met by an angry grackle! Didn't stop the Merlin from landing and wagging his tail, though... Way in the distance were some cormorants, and a young Bald Eagle lumbered along just over the horizon. More warblers were tuning up on the way back, including both Black-throated Green and Blue and Redstart, and a pair of real live (not Blue Jay-produced) Red-shouldered Hawks yelled at each other. But the real treat was a pair of Brown Creepers working their way up a series of trees at close range! Among the goldfinches and Purple Finches warbling, a sharp "cheer!" announced the presence of a Pine Siskin flying over. And to top off the place a pair of Wood Ducks came tearing in and made a hard left into the bog!

Still had time before I had to head to the UP, so I headed up to nearby Grass River Natural Area, which was a real jewel: they have several nice boardwalk loop trails (although I think they're still working on the Chippewa Trail: I had to cut that one short cuz it ended in a minor swamp with a pile of logs nearby...). I took the Cabin Trail, which runs into the Sedge Marsh Trail, which runs into the Tamarack Trail, which runs into the Fern Trail, making a nice loop through a variety of habitats. (They also have a "rail trail" that crosses the road when you come in, at which was a nice hen Turkey!) A lot of the same birds were on this trail (heard yet another Raven), but the marsh here is much more grassy, and frankly looks great for Yellow Rail! At the overlook a Mute Swan was giving a Canada Goose fits, and a Snipe was performing both his "chicka-chicka" and "nyep-nyep-nyep" calls, reminding me of Wim's eloquent description of the same bird halfway across the globe! Lots more Swamp Sparrows, of course, but also plenty of White-throateds singing away in the more scrubby stuff. Across the water were several private docks, and I thought one old man was standing there getting ready to get into his boat when I realized it was someone's hat and life jacket propped skillfully on one of the posts! Back in the drier stuff was thrilled to hear the drumming of a Ruffed Grouse, and back into the bogs the distinctive song of the Northern Parula filled the air (I normally think of them as a southern bird, but they DO nest up here, I guess!). Oh, and the air had warmed up considerably: by this time I was surviving nicely with just the vest over my shirt, not unlike a winter's day up in the San Diego mountains (i.e., starting out freezing and ending up rather warm)!

Had to head off after that, making the beautiful but uneventful drive across the Mackinac Bridge (except for the guys working on it; that slowed the traffic to a crawl, of course), and the even lovelier drive down US 2 towards Manistique!

Bird List:

Double-crested Cormorant              Phalacrocorax auritus Mute Swan                             Cygnus olor Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis Wood Duck                             Aix sponsa Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura Bald Eagle                            Haliaeetus leucocephalus RED-SHOULDERED HAWK   Buteo lineatus MERLIN                                Falco columbarius Wild Turkey                           Meleagris gallopavo RUFFED GROUSE               Bonasa umbellus Common Snipe                          Gallinago gallinago Ring-billed Gull                      Larus delawarensis Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura Belted Kingfisher                     Ceryle alcyon Downy Woodpecker                      Picoides pubescens Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus Pileated Woodpecker                   Dryocopus pileatus Least Flycatcher                      Empidonax minimus Eastern Phoebe                        Sayornis phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher              Myiarchus crinitus Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor Barn Swallow                          Hirundo rustica Ruby-crowned Kinglet                  Regulus calendula Hermit Thrush                         Catharus guttatus American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Red-breasted Nuthatch                 Sitta canadensis White-breasted Nuthatch               Sitta carolinensis BROWN CREEPER           Certhia americana Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos COMMON RAVEN            Corvus corax European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris Blue-headed Vireo                     Vireo solitarius Purple Finch                          Carpodacus purpureus PINE SISKIN                     Carduelis pinus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis Nashville Warbler                     Vermivora ruficapilla Northern Parula                       Parula americana Black-throated Blue Warbler           Dendroica caerulescens Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata Black-throated Green Warbler          Dendroica virens Pine Warbler                          Dendroica pinus Black-and-white Warbler               Mniotilta varia American Redstart                     Setophaga ruticilla Ovenbird                              Seiurus aurocapillus Northern Waterthrush                  Seiurus noveboracensis Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Swamp Sparrow                         Melospiza georgiana White-throated Sparrow                Zonotrichia albicollis Rose-breasted Grosbeak                Pheucticus ludovicianus Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula

57 SPECIES
So Far: 161 SPECIES

16 May 2002 – Seney National Wildlife Refuge & Environs

Well, I hadn't originally planned on visiting Seney NWR, but after reviewing my itinerary last night I realized I'd probably miss the Trumpeter Swans if I DIDN'T go (I know, I know: their countability is debatable...), so I changed my mind once again and headed up there from Manistique. It was still pretty cold (in the 40s), and the wind was kicking up, but at least it wasn't raining!

Picked up a singing Magnolia Warbler on the way in first thing, and pulling into the Visitor Center parking lot, the first things to greet me in the little pond was a pair of Ring-necked Ducks, a Great Blue Heron, and "singing" Pied-billed Grebe. Took their wonderful little 1.5 mile nature trail, but this morning it proved less than productive only because of the weather, I'm sure: Swamp Sparrows were all over the place, of course, along with Red-winged Blackbirds, but for the most part the songbird population was laying low. A Bobolink decided to fly over at one of the resting spots, a Chipping Sparrow hid in one of the firs, a Purple Finch sang from somewhere during one of the lulls in the wind, and, not to disappoint, a pair of the regal Trumpters flew in, dazzling white against the cold gray clouds! At one of the ponds another snipe "nyep-nyep-nyep"ed, and a cluster of five or six Spotted Sandpipers flew back and forth on their stiff, bowed wings as if they couldn't figure out where to alight, calling the whole time; I don't think I've ever seen that many Spotties all at once! Close to the residence a pair of Black-capped Chickadees came in close to pishing, followed rapidly by yet another friendly Pine Warbler or two; one of these days I think one of those buggers WILL land on me! Ironically, the most songbird action was back at the office, where a bare-branched tree held a flock of goldfinches and several Pine Siskins fed in a nearby pine. A pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches were having it out as well, chasing each other from tree to tree.

Took the wildlife drive after that and tried getting out to listen every half mile, but that wind was just too frigid, so I opted to do my listening from the shelter of the car! They had closed off part of the wildlife drive due to nesting eagles, but even the detour gave you plenty of viewing opportunities: plenty more Trumpeters around (and they were much more vocal today than on any of my previous visits), along with the expected Canada Geese and occasional Mallard. A male Wood Duck went scurrying into hiding, and in one canal I was very pleased to get a pair of Hooded Mergansers, a hoped-for trip bird here. Yet another American Bittern pumped from one of the marshes, and a cooperative Common Loon fed close to the road, while Tree Swallows fed low over the water. Several Caspian Terns hogged a spit of driftwood further out, while in another pond a single Black Tern fluttered about. An unidentified flock of shorebirds wheeled around up in the sky (my guess was yellowlegs of some sort), and then I saw the probable cause: a big Bald Eagle lumbering past! At one point a flock of little guys jumped up into the nearest pine, and a little pishing brought in a big flock of Butterbutts at point blank! About the only "songbirds" brave enough carry on in the hurricane were the grackles!

Decided to drop the checklist off at the Visitor's Center, but got waylaid on the way in by a funny warbler song: pulled over and braved the gale by getting out, but that didn't stop the little guys from coming in to pishing: mostly Butterbutts, of course, but among them came a drop-dead gorgeous Blackburnian! (The Palm Warbler was content to just sing...) Back at the center, a Beaver was making his way across the pond, and an Osprey wheeled overhead as I was filling out the checklist. After handing the lady said checklist, I snuck a look at the Peterson reptile guide in the gift shop and discovered that my X-rated snakes from Allegan SGA were in all probability Northern Water Snakes.

Headed up to Pictured Rocks after that to do the Sand Point Nature Trail, my favorite trail of the place (and the only one really mentioned in the BBB). On the way, though, I couldn't believe what I was seeing: it started to SNOW!! And I don't mean kinda slushy half-rain/half-snow stuff: these were the big, fluffy flakes!!! This is the middle of MAY for cryin' out loud!! It was on and off the whole rest of the way, and by the time I got to the trailhead north of Munising, it was "on" again, but not too bad: at least picked up a couple of Redheads for the trip in the wild and windy surf of Lake Superior! The crazy kid part of me wanted to hike the trail anyway (how often does a San Diegan get to hike in the snow?), so off I went, but the stuff quit almost immediately, and at point the sun even came out! Even so, I knew I wasn't gonna get any Alder Flycatchers THIS time: it's a great boardwalk loop through the marsh, and the first time I ever came here the place was alive with "fee-BEE-oh"s! This time I managed to kick up a Lincoln's and White-throated Sparrow, and spooked a pair of Blue-winged Teal in one of the ponds, but that was it for the bird life.

By the time I got back to the car it had started up again, and before long I was in a mini-blizzard! But since I still had time, decided to try the BBB-recommended Songbird Trail south of Au Train, in the Hiawatha National Forest. It was pretty much clear sailing all the way there, and the forest road (and the BB spot itself for that matter) is clearly marked, unlike many forest roads! The trail itself is a two mile loop with various songbird placards along the way, but again the birds were pretty quiet: picked up a pair of Hermit Thrushes on the way in, but the most incongruous thing was watching an Ovenbird strut along a branch through the falling snowflakes! (I felt like breaking into a chorus of "I'm Dreaming of a White Memorial Day...")

It was a great walk through the mixed woods, with scattered bogs and a creek with beaver dams, but I just walked straight through for the most part, seeing as it was getting late. Again, the most action was almost back at the trailhead, where a flock of Butterbutts also brought in three Black-throated Green Warblers and a Black and White, plus two Blue-headed Vireos. Another Brown Creeper sang and hitched up a tree, and somewhere a Winter Wren gave his delightful little song.

Headed into Escanaba for the night, picking up a Sharpie flapping over the road on the way in.

Bird List:

Common Loon                           Gavia immer Pied-billed Grebe                     Podilymbus podiceps Double-crested Cormorant              Phalacrocorax auritus Great Blue Heron                      Ardea herodias American Bittern                      Botaurus lentiginosus TRUMPETER SWAN                Cygnus buccinator Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis Wood Duck                             Aix sponsa Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos Blue-winged Teal                      Anas discors REDHEAD                         Aythya americana Ring-necked Duck                      Aythya collaris HOODED MERGANSER      Lophodytes cucullatus Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura Osprey                                Pandion haliaetus Bald Eagle                            Haliaeetus leucocephalus Sharp-shinned Hawk                    Accipiter striatus American Kestrel                      Falco sparverius Common Snipe                          Gallinago gallinago Spotted Sandpiper                     Actitis macularia Ring-billed Gull                      Larus delawarensis Herring Gull                          Larus argentatus Caspian Tern                          Sterna caspia Black Tern                            Chlidonias niger Rock Dove                             Columba livia Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus Least Flycatcher                      Empidonax minimus Eastern Phoebe                        Sayornis phoebe Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor Ruby-crowned Kinglet                  Regulus calendula Winter Wren                           Troglodytes troglodytes Hermit Thrush                         Catharus guttatus American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Red-breasted Nuthatch                 Sitta canadensis Brown Creeper                         Certhia americana Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos Common Raven                          Corvus corax European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus Blue-headed Vireo                     Vireo solitarius Purple Finch                          Carpodacus purpureus Pine Siskin                           Carduelis pinus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis Yellow Warbler                        Dendroica petechia Magnolia Warbler                      Dendroica magnolia Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata Black-throated Green Warbler          Dendroica virens Blackburnian Warbler                  Dendroica fusca Pine Warbler                          Dendroica pinus Palm Warbler                          Dendroica palmarum Black-and-white Warbler               Mniotilta varia Ovenbird                              Seiurus aurocapillus Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Lincoln's Sparrow                     Melospiza lincolnii Swamp Sparrow                         Melospiza georgiana White-throated Sparrow                Zonotrichia albicollis Bobolink                              Dolichonyx oryzivorus Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater

66 SPECIES
So Far: 166 SPECIES

17 May 2002 – Hardwood Impoundment & Gene's Pond

Had a rather adventurous day today, starting with getting snowed on yet again on my way to the Hardwood Impoundment!! (Also whizzed by several flocks of Turkeys, one male in display!) This is a small body of water northwest of Escanaba, crossed by two different roads/dikes. The first road was called Fordville Road, paved, and probably a good half-mile's hike along its length as you check out the water. It was still bitterly cold (and more so as the mean-looking clouds rolled in), but I braved it anyway and hiked across, getting the Canada Geese mad at me (although a rival pair from across the dike DID try to come in and usurp things, so it might not have been "all me"). Amazingly, the "warm-weather" birds were still singing away: Baltimore Oriole, Yellow Warblers, Ovenbirds, Northern Waterthrushes, and Least Flycatchers defied the winter-like weather, while a Purple Finch sounded more at home. A male Hooded Merganser shot across the dike, followed soon after by a new trip bird: a female Common Merganser! On the way back a couple of Least Sandpipers wheeled by, and a "tu-tu-tu" altered me to a pair of Short-billed Dowitchers, which soon broke into song and then landed on a log! You don't hear THAT every day!

Retraced my route to Stromberg County Park, which had a boat access, but I just hiked the little trail to the spillway; that in itself was pretty impressive, especially the babbling creek on the other side where a Spotted Sandpiper was hanging out! A couple pair of Buffleheads were out in the lake, and at the boat launch pished out a singing Chipping Sparrow (up here, I wanted to make sure it wasn't a junco). A flock of winter finches flew over, sounding not quite like Red Crossbills but not quite like Evening Grosbeaks, either, so unfortunately they were the ones that got away.

Headed over to Swan Peterson Road, another dike over the impoundment, but this one quickly turned to dirt, and the lake was much smaller at this place, almost more like a large bog. Picked up Blue-winged Teal for the day here, as well as a circling Osprey. Incongruously, a Savannah Sparrow was at the other end of the dike, and a Lesser Yellowlegs jumped up close by.

This road wasn't on the AAA map, but since I had lots of time and was feeling adventurous, I decided to continue on and bird the road, banking on the hope that it would eventually come out at G38. You woulda thought I'd learned my lesson with Rodriguez Canyon (ask me later if you didn't hear that story): this road woulda been dicey in spots even with Jip (my Subaru), so you KNOW no self-respecting Buick Regal should attempt it! For the most part the road was really okay, but you could tell that some truck or SUV had put some major ruts in there one rainy day, and there were still leftover potholes and muddy spots (not to mention fallen trees across the road...). Now having done it, I would still recommend it, cuz the birding was really great along this road, even though there's been a lot of harvesting of the trees; just remember to veer right when you come to the intersection, and stay on the main road! It eventually DOES dump you out on G38, but there are no signs to indicate that.

But once I got over the occasional bouts of anxiety (living by faith does that sometimes) I could enjoy the birds along this route: the highlight was probably a Broad-winged Hawk sitting in the middle of the road enjoying lunch, seemingly unconcerned about this vehicle behind him! Songbird-wise, there were lots of Butterbutts, of course, but also plenty of Nashvilles, a cooperative Palm, several Blue-headed Vireos, at least three Ruffed Grouse thumping away, both Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, Winter Wren, both nuthatches, Hermit Thrush, and a phoebe in the wetter stuff. Speaking of woodpeckers, I may have to "eat sapsucker" and take Red-headed off the trip list: I've discovered that the sapsucker does indeed have a very harsh, Red-headed-like "QUEE-ah!" that it gives repeatedly on territory, in addition to the more familiar mew. Anyone else ever have that experience? As I neared civilization (I was never so glad to hear traffic in all my life) a bona fide Evening Grosbeak flew overhead, calling as he went! Crossing Ford River just before you hit the pavement, a knock-out male Common Merganser swam by placidly!

Saw that another Brown Bin Spot, Gene's Pond (someone shoulda picked up on that and called it "Gene's Pool"...), was close by, so we headed on to county road 581 and hung a right, cuz that's where the sign said to go for the campground. That road turned to dirt, too (albeit a superb one), and at two stops picked up two new trip birds: Sandhill Cranes rolling in the distance, and a flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets! A stunning Magnolia Warbler also came in to pishing while freezing my buns off...

It shortly became obvious that I should have turned left instead, so headed back and found the RIGHT campground; a stop along the road in brought in an Orange-crowned and Chestnut-sided Warbler, and in a tangle further on were a pair of Lincoln's Sparrows. At the campground I parked in the big lot by the lake and got a Swamp Sparrow to come out for a peek. Hiked a little trail, and a little pishing brought in point-blank looks at a female Black-throated Green and yet another Parula! This trail looped around back towards the campground (where a guy was using one of those obnoxious leave-blower things to clean the campsites; that was a first!), but even with that noise it didn't deter an Alder Flycatcher from feeding at close range! (All the discussion on Birdchat about Empids really helped with this one!)

But the real bird of the day was on the way out: I had stopped for a Swainson's Thrush, and then a gorgeous Rose-breasted Grosbeak right out the window, but just down the road a Gray Jay suddenly flew up by the side of the road! I went after that one: there was a pair, and when the one finally decided to come out, I heard my camera click its last shot of the roll just as he flew up into a branch right over my head! Figures! Got the new roll in and the jay was nowhere to be seen, but a female sapsucker came whizzing in as a consolation prize. Then I suddenly noticed the jay on the ground, practically at my feet! And he just kept coming, too! What a way to get a state bird!!

Made a quick stop at Bewabic State Park just to kill time; nothing outstanding, but did get some nice White-tailed Deer shots, after which I headed on in to Iron River for the weekend. Weather forecast is still "unseasonably cold" with more snow on the way.

Bird List:

Double-crested Cormorant              Phalacrocorax auritus Great Blue Heron                      Ardea herodias Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos Blue-winged Teal                      Anas discors Bufflehead                            Bucephala albeola Hooded Merganser                      Lophodytes cucullatus COMMON MERGANSER Mergus merganser Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura Osprey                                Pandion haliaetus Broad-winged Hawk                     Buteo platypterus American Kestrel                      Falco sparverius Wild Turkey                           Meleagris gallopavo Ruffed Grouse                         Bonasa umbellus SANDHILL CRANE              Grus canadensis Killdeer                              Charadrius vociferus Short-billed Dowitcher                Limnodromus griseus Lesser Yellowlegs                     Tringa flavipes Spotted Sandpiper                     Actitis macularia Least Sandpiper                       Calidris minutilla Herring Gull                          Larus argentatus Rock Dove                             Columba livia Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura Belted Kingfisher                     Ceryle alcyon Yellow-bellied Sapsucker              Sphyrapicus varius Downy Woodpecker                      Picoides pubescens Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus ALDER FLYCATCHER          Empidonax alnorum Least Flycatcher                      Empidonax minimus Eastern Phoebe                        Sayornis phoebe Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET Regulus satrapa Ruby-crowned Kinglet                  Regulus calendula Winter Wren                           Troglodytes troglodytes SWAINSON'S THRUSH         Catharus ustulatus Hermit Thrush                         Catharus guttatus American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Red-breasted Nuthatch                 Sitta canadensis White-breasted Nuthatch               Sitta carolinensis GRAY JAY                          Perisoreus canadensis Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos Common Raven                          Corvus corax European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus Blue-headed Vireo                     Vireo solitarius Purple Finch                          Carpodacus purpureus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis EVENING GROSBEAK            Coccothraustes vespertinus Orange-crowned Warbler                Vermivora celata Nashville Warbler                     Vermivora ruficapilla Northern Parula                       Parula americana Yellow Warbler                        Dendroica petechia Chestnut-sided Warbler                Dendroica pensylvanica Magnolia Warbler                      Dendroica magnolia Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata Black-throated Green Warbler          Dendroica virens Palm Warbler                          Dendroica palmarum Black-and-white Warbler               Mniotilta varia American Redstart                     Setophaga ruticilla Ovenbird                              Seiurus aurocapillus Northern Waterthrush                  Seiurus noveboracensis Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Savannah Sparrow                      Passerculus sandwichensis Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Lincoln's Sparrow                     Melospiza lincolnii Swamp Sparrow                         Melospiza georgiana White-throated Sparrow                Zonotrichia albicollis Rose-breasted Grosbeak                Pheucticus ludovicianus Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater Baltimore Oriole                      Icterus galbula

76 SPECIES
So Far: 171 SPECIES

20 May 2002 – Ottowa National Forest

What a gorgeous day! It was still freezing when I left Iron River, but the sun was shining, and it was dead calm, just a WONDERFUL start! My target spot was the Deer Marsh Interpretive Trail, but since you had to drive miles of dirt road to get there (and very GOOD dirt road, I might add), I figured on doing the drive-a-mile-and-stop bit on the way there.

The only trick was finding the road in the first place: the BBB gives you directions from Sidnaw (from the north), and I was coming from the south, so I planned on picking up the road the AAA map showed heading north into Ottowa National Forest from Beechwood. Well, zoomed right by Beechwood (there wasn't even a sign) and ended up taking the road up to Golden Lake, and then taking the dirt road back to the road I was SUPPOSED to take, which turned out to be Amvets Highway. (If I had been thinking, I would have gotten a National Forest map on Saturday...) But as it was, it turned out to be a great detour: there was a small open field at the first spot with a singing Savannah Sparrow, and the day's only Red-breasted Nuthatch called along here. A huge Pileated Woodpecker flew across the road, and a Ruffed Grouse drummed from deep in the woods. The usual suspects were about as well, but the real treat was yet another Gray Jay who came in and gave me a curious look!

Amvets Highway turned out to be paved most of the way back to Beechwood, where it hooks up with Gibbs City Road (I had missed the dirt road to Gibbs City yet again). But this paved road turned out to have the highlight of the day: a few miles up the road was an open area with a rather large puddle, with a rather large gathering of shorebirds! Most were Lesser Yellowlegs with a couple of Greater, and several Short-billed Dowitcher "sewing-machining" and singing while they were at it, but the real gem was a female Hudsonian Godwit! She was in with the Lessers and wasn't much bigger than them; actually, my first thought was Marbled because she looked so uniformly pale brown, but she was just WAY too small, and when I was able to get the scope on her (that's when I discovered it was a "her"), you could clearly see the blackish scaling on the back contrasting with the grayish wing coverts. Once she began preening she also showed off her white tail base, which clinched the ID. Other goodies for the trip included a Pectoral Sandpiper across the way, and an American Wigeon in with the Mallards and Blue-winged Teal. A group of Sandhill Cranes bugling close by (but unseen, of course) was an added treat!

I figured it couldn't get much better than that, but there was still lots of fun coming: the road became dirt again past Gibbs City, so I took up the mile-stopping again, picking up Brown Thrasher, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Hairy Woodpecker for the day. The map said I needed to take a right towards Perch Lake at the next major intersection, which I did, but I wound up on a different road that DID eventually go to Perch Lake, but wound around the south side and dumped you out on the north side, which is where I wanted to be, anyway (thank God for a sign that pointed you to Sidnaw...)! Again, I wasn't complaining one bit about the mixup, cuz there were some terrific birds on this road: a singing Chestnut-sided Warbler, a Blue-headed Vireo scolding me with the cutest little upslurred nasal query you ever heard, and a duelling Parula and Nashville in a budding tree, picking at little bugs in the buds! But the best warbler along this route was a stunning Cape May, new for the trip! A couple of Hermit Thrushes sparred at one stop, and the delightful Winter Wren sang at several. All in all, sapsuckers were definitely the most abundant woodpecker: at almost every stop one was either mewing, drumming, or doing their Red-headed Woodpecker imitation!

Finally made it to the trailhead, where there are three different parking areas. The best was the middle one, which includes a little boardwalk and observation platform. At this tiny little bog EVERYTHING seemed to want to come in for a picture: Palm Warbler, several Pines, Brown Creepers, and even the skulky Swamp Sparrows! But among them was yet another trip bird, I guess rather hard to get here but "step on 'em" birds back home: a perky little Wilson's Warbler! The trailhead at Marten Lake Road takes you to another spectacular overlook of Deer Marsh, where a Common Merganser fed, and some Chipping Sparrows hopped up close for pictures, but that was it.

Despite what the AAA map says, Sidnaw Road becomes paved shortly after that, so still having time, I decided to stop at the Gogebic Ridge Hiking Trail, which was on the way to Silver City and crosses highway 64. It wasn't the easiest trail (especially with a couple of fallen trees), but it was worth it when a stunning Blackburnian Warbler came down in my face! I'm beginning to think that ALL the Dendroica warblers have Friendly Genes in them! Heard a Merlin on the way back to the car.

Headed up to Silver City after that, praying that tomorrow will be just as pretty as today!!

Bird List:

Pied-billed Grebe                     Podilymbus podiceps Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis AMERICAN WIGEON             Anas americana Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos Blue-winged Teal                      Anas discors Common Merganser                      Mergus merganser American Kestrel                      Falco sparverius Merlin                                Falco columbarius Ruffed Grouse                         Bonasa umbellus Sandhill Crane                        Grus canadensis Killdeer                              Charadrius vociferus Short-billed Dowitcher                Limnodromus griseus HUDSONIAN GODWIT              Limosa haemastica Greater Yellowlegs                    Tringa melanoleuca Lesser Yellowlegs                     Tringa flavipes PECTORAL SANDPIPER        Calidris melanotos Herring Gull                          Larus argentatus Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura Yellow-bellied Sapsucker              Sphyrapicus varius Downy Woodpecker                      Picoides pubescens Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus Pileated Woodpecker                   Dryocopus pileatus Least Flycatcher                      Empidonax minimus Eastern Phoebe                        Sayornis phoebe Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor Golden-crowned Kinglet                Regulus satrapa Winter Wren                           Troglodytes troglodytes Brown Thrasher                        Toxostoma rufum Hermit Thrush                         Catharus guttatus American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Red-breasted Nuthatch                 Sitta canadensis White-breasted Nuthatch               Sitta carolinensis Brown Creeper                         Certhia americana Gray Jay                              Perisoreus canadensis Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos Common Raven                          Corvus corax European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris Blue-headed Vireo                     Vireo solitarius Purple Finch                          Carpodacus purpureus Pine Siskin                           Carduelis pinus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis Nashville Warbler                     Vermivora ruficapilla Northern Parula                       Parula americana Yellow Warbler                        Dendroica petechia Chestnut-sided Warbler                Dendroica pensylvanica CAPE MAY WARBLER                Dendroica tigrina Black-throated Blue Warbler           Dendroica caerulescens Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata Black-throated Green Warbler          Dendroica virens Blackburnian Warbler                  Dendroica fusca Pine Warbler                          Dendroica pinus Palm Warbler                          Dendroica palmarum Black-and-white Warbler               Mniotilta varia Ovenbird                              Seiurus aurocapillus Northern Waterthrush                  Seiurus noveboracensis Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas WILSON'S WARBLER            Wilsonia pusilla Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Savannah Sparrow                      Passerculus sandwichensis Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Swamp Sparrow                         Melospiza georgiana White-throated Sparrow                Zonotrichia albicollis Rose-breasted Grosbeak                Pheucticus ludovicianus Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Baltimore Oriole                      Icterus galbula

69 SPECIES
So Far: 176 SPECIES

21 May 2002 – Porcupine Mountains State Park

While I was surprised to get no new species for the trip at this place (after reading the writeup I was at least expecting Goshawk), the scenery more than made up for it! Porcupine Mountains is a HUGE state park and a backpacker's dream; I really needed two days to explore it thoroughly. And my prayers were answered: it was another gorgeous day, and it actually got up into the 60s!! (Still 30 when I got up, though...)

Headed down to the Union Mine Trail first (the Visitor's Center wasn't open yet), where I went through the woods, a little meadow, and then down the hill to Little Union River, feeling like I was back in the mountains of California! (No Dippers, though...) Instead had Ovenbirds and Black-throated Greens, by far the most numerous warbler here. Headed back to the lakeshore after that, pulling into various picnic areas, picking up another little cluster of Spotted Sandpipers and some beautiful Common Mergansers. From the fishing dock at the campground, I heard a lone Herring Gull giving a single call, and when I found him on the beach I saw why: a big ol' Bald Eagle (a young one) was swaggering down the beach towards the fish he wanted! I cracked up when the eagle walked up to the fish, and instead of simply putting his foot on it to hold it down while he ate, he lifted his foot high and slammed it down as if to say, "This is MINE, buddy!!" I guess I inadvertantly helped the gull out cuz when I drove back to the picnic area to get a shot, the eagle took off with his fish, but there were still enough leftovers for the gull to gobble some down...

I can't remember anything outstanding about the Whitetail Cabin trail (except that I picked up a Merlin on the way there, and some White-crowned Sparrows back at the car), but the Lake Superior Trail was interesting: you start out through deep woods like all the others, but shortly it goes up the hill and you find yourself on what I guess is escarpment rock, with some kind of stunted deciduous trees overlooking the lake. Picked up Orange-crowned Warbler along this trail, plus a singing Cape May, but the Blackburnians just didn't wanna come out. At one of these stops a Swainson's Thrush was singing, which was nice, seeing as most of the thrushes I've been seeing and hearing around here have been Hermits.

But my favorite stop was the short little hike up to the Lake of the Clouds overlook: what a scene! You see nothing but rolling trees as far as the eye can see, with the Carp River down below you and Lake of the Clouds to the east! A small family (mom, dad, and the teenager) showed up about the same time I did, and they breezed by me on the trail (dad had a cigarette hanging from his mouth, and he was doing a lot better on that grade than *I* was), and then left the overlook shortly after I got there; I felt like saying, "Hey, guys; give yourselves some time to ENJOY this place!" I could have spent all day here!! (It was one of those places you wish YOU were an eagle so you could just lift off and glide over the landscape!) Birdwise it was a lot of fun: Least Flycatchers were "che-bek"ing all over the place, one little guy throwing his head back with all the gusto he could manage! A flock of Chippies came right up to me, and one little guy literally came up to my feet; try taking a picture from THAT angle! He did eventually move to a more respectable photo distance... ;-) Probably the most incongruous bird up here was a singing cowbird...

On the way back I checked out the Government Peak Trail. This is one of those trails that the hard-core hikers love: lots of little rocks and all uphill! Got my exercise, and don't even recall any special birds, outside of more friendly BTGs. Did have another Blue-headed Vireo come in, doing that same funny little scold!

The Visitor's Center STILL wasn't open (this was close to ten, and they had the entrance road gated off), so I asked the ranger at the headquarters building and found out it's only open on the weekends, but I could park on the side of the road if I wanted to do the nature trail (there was no parking area, really). So that's what I did, and spent the next hour and a half poking along this beautiful little trail, again with nothing out of the ordinary, but did see a nice Broad-winged Hawk through the trees, kicked up a cute little Lincoln's Sparrow on one of the wooden bridges, heard several Winter Wrens and Ruffed Grouse, and a Sapsucker put in an appearance (but they're STILL the commonest woodpecker around here). Somewhere in here a few Evening Grosbeaks flew over, and where the trail finally DID dump out at the VC parking lot, a tremendous Pileated Woodpecker flew in front of me!

My feet were shot after that, so I decided (since it was also getting late) to just drive all the way down to Presque Isle to see the falls, so off we went. And what a place! I wasn't gonna go down those stairs at first (cuz I knew you had to come back UP), but I finally gave in, and was glad I did: they have a wonderful boardwalk that takes you along the Presque River, and those Hannabezo Falls are spectacular! I wound up going all the way to the suspension bridge that takes you over to Presque Isle itself (which isn't really an island but rather a little spit of land) and walked down to the lakeshore, but not before spotting some stunning Common Mergansers in the little inlet, the sun shining on them perfectly! Down at the beach I was taking a "habitat shot" when I noticed a big bird flying in the picture: a Bald Eagle! His mate was still on the tree, but not for long... There were also Pine Warblers AND Chipping Sparrows singing side by side, so that was good for comparison. Miraculously I didn't have a heart attack on the way back up (they have strategically placed benches along the way), but the Blackburnian Warblers were giving me fits; they weren't NEARLY as friendly as that one yesterday! A Northern Parula nearly landed on me, though, and was pleased to find a Red-eyed Vireo in with the crowd! Back at the parking lot a Chestnut-sided Warbler sang and fed and fed and sang, giving me a looking over every once in awhile.

It was definitely time to quit after that (was sorry I had to skip the Summit Observation Tower, not that I was gonna climb it or anything), so drove through the beautiful countryside to L'Anse for the night (that's where I got the Savannah Sparrow: at Tony's Steakhouse...)

Bird List:

Double-crested Cormorant              Phalacrocorax auritus Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis Common Merganser                      Mergus merganser Bald Eagle                            Haliaeetus leucocephalus Broad-winged Hawk                     Buteo platypterus American Kestrel                      Falco sparverius Merlin                                Falco columbarius Ruffed Grouse                         Bonasa umbellus Spotted Sandpiper                     Actitis macularia Ring-billed Gull                      Larus delawarensis Herring Gull                          Larus argentatus Yellow-bellied Sapsucker              Sphyrapicus varius Downy Woodpecker                      Picoides pubescens Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus Pileated Woodpecker                   Dryocopus pileatus Least Flycatcher                      Empidonax minimus Eastern Phoebe                        Sayornis phoebe Barn Swallow                          Hirundo rustica Ruby-crowned Kinglet                  Regulus calendula Winter Wren                           Troglodytes troglodytes Swainson's Thrush                     Catharus ustulatus Hermit Thrush                         Catharus guttatus American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Red-breasted Nuthatch                 Sitta canadensis Brown Creeper                         Certhia americana Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos Common Raven                          Corvus corax European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris Blue-headed Vireo                     Vireo solitarius Red-eyed Vireo                        Vireo olivaceus Purple Finch                          Carpodacus purpureus Pine Siskin                           Carduelis pinus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis Evening Grosbeak                      Coccothraustes vespertinus Orange-crowned Warbler                Vermivora celata Nashville Warbler                     Vermivora ruficapilla Northern Parula                       Parula americana Chestnut-sided Warbler                Dendroica pensylvanica Cape May Warbler                      Dendroica tigrina Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata Black-throated Green Warbler          Dendroica virens Blackburnian Warbler                  Dendroica fusca Pine Warbler                          Dendroica pinus Black-and-white Warbler               Mniotilta varia American Redstart                     Setophaga ruticilla Ovenbird                              Seiurus aurocapillus Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Savannah Sparrow                      Passerculus sandwichensis Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Lincoln's Sparrow                     Melospiza lincolnii White-crowned Sparrow                 Zonotrichia leucophrys White-throated Sparrow                Zonotrichia albicollis Rose-breasted Grosbeak                Pheucticus ludovicianus Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater

59 SPECIES
So Far: Still 176 Species

22 May 2002 – L'Anse to Paradise

Kind of changed plans again when I realized that an area called "Moose Country" was right on my way to Paradise, so I just made a quick stop at my planned spot, which was Canyon Falls Roadside Park. I didn't think this place would take me all that long to check out anyway, but as it was I just took a quick peek at the beautiful Sturgeon River, picking up the expected woodland fare around here (the Blackburnians still being stubborn; maybe that friendly one was an exception). Nearly jumped out of my skin when a sapsucker drummed nearby; turns out he was using the plastic ID sign nailed to the tree as an amplifier!

"Moose Country" was actually an area of Copper Country State Forest, north of Van Riper State Park near Michigamme, where they had reintroduced Moose some time ago, evidently. Having never seen a Moose (and not holding my breath that I'd see one today), I wanted to bird the road they recommended. After a couple of false starts on the wrong roads, I finally found the RIGHT one (County Road 607) and followed the directions in the BBB up into what the sign said was a "managed forest". It looked as though several trees had been taken for lumber, but done in such a way that there was still a "forest", if that makes any sense; it reminded me of the way they harvest trees in Australia in their state forests, where the woodland as an environment is still left in tact for the most part. These "gleaned" sections of deciduous forest were the favorites of Least Flycatchers, again tossing "che-beks" back and forth as fast as they could.

I passed several open meadows where pines were just coming back, and also a couple of promising-looking bogs, but no Bullwinkle. The best bird of the route, though, was a Ruffed Grouse slowly making his way across the road! A pair of Black and White Warblers came in at one point, the female coming right in my face while the male held back, proving once again that women are friendlier than men! (Just kidding... ;-) ) It was neat to hear a Common Loon yodeling in the distance, and probably the most incongruous bird was a gorgeous Horned Grebe hidden by himself in a little shadowy bog! I'm so used to seeing them in open water that this really threw me for a loop! (In fact, when my eye first caught the color I thought, "What?! Naaa, there are no Cinnamon Teal out here!!") More Golden-crowned Kinglets came down to the car, and at one stop a Snipe winnowed overhead, so it was fun to hear all three "vocalizations" on this trip! On the way back I kicked myself for not being more observant, because evidently a Broad-winged Hawk was sitting on a snag right in front of me, in perfect light, and I didn't see him till he took off! The road for the most part was good, but there were some interesting rocky spots near the bridges, and one spot in particular where it looked like part of the road had washed away!

It was going to be a LONG drive to Paradise, but I still had a little time, so decided to break up the drive with a stop at Preque Isle Park in Marquette. I fell in love with the town immediately; I was almost tempted to move here! (In the summer only, naturally...) This is the home of Northern Michigan University, and it seems like every home, business, and street has an air of "quaintness" about it that makes it just a delightful place! And Presque Isle Park just added to it! Upon pulling into a parking lot by the bay to check out the gulls, a new state bird flew in: Brewer's Blackbird! I never thought I'd see the day when I'd get excited about seeing what's a "kick-'em-outta-the-way" bird in San Diego... Pulled in to the marina just to see if anything was hanging out in there, and got a Caspian Tern and, WAY out past the power plant, a Red-tailed Hawk soaring away!

They had a great little loop trail that took you into a bog, where interestingly I picked up all three of the look-alike stripe-breasted sparrows: Song, Savannah, and Lincoln's! (There was an open field nearby, hence the Savannahs...) The trail also took you out to the dunes next to Lake Superior, where you get a great view of Partridge Island (where the gulls nest) and the rock faces going down into the lake. A couple of Spotted Sands were on the beach, and a family of Canada Geese (complete with little yellow goslings) floated by as well. A Palm Warbler bobbed at one of the stations, and also picked up Swamp Sparrow in there, as well as Yellowthroat. Was nice to pick up an Eastern Kingbird on the way back, which I hadn't seen in awhile, and Cedar Waxwings in the budding trees.

This place is famous for its White-tailed Deer herd, which includes some albinos, but I didn't run into those, either. But I DID cruise around the island and took their second nature trail, which goes through the woods, and it is a WONDERFUL trail (but it, along with the whole park, really, is also very popular)! Even though it was midday, I got some tremendous looks at Butterbutts, Black-throated Greens, Redstarts, another Wilson's, and even the up-till-now-reclusive Black-throated Blues decided to come out! Coming back along the cliffs was breathtaking (quite literally for one poor soul for whom they had set up a memorial). On the way out caught some swallows ducking under the bridge, so I pulled off to check them out, and sure enough, they turned out to be Cliffs!

Headed on in to Paradise after that, where the wind has REALLY picked up (fire danger extremely high because of it) and finding an open restaurant was the biggest adventure of the day! (Wait till Memorial Day, they all said...) Wound up going to Tahquamenon Falls where they have a brewery and restaurant right there in the park, and it was wonderful; they even had pasties! On the way back a bird flew in front of me and attached itself to a tree, looking suspiciously like a Black-backed Woodpecker, but alas, it was gone by the time I turned around; maybe tomorrow!

Bird List:

Common Loon                           Gavia immer Horned Grebe                          Podiceps auritus Double-crested Cormorant              Phalacrocorax auritus Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura Broad-winged Hawk                     Buteo platypterus Red-tailed Hawk                       Buteo jamaicensis Ruffed Grouse                         Bonasa umbellus Killdeer                              Charadrius vociferus Common Snipe                          Gallinago gallinago Spotted Sandpiper                     Actitis macularia Ring-billed Gull                      Larus delawarensis Herring Gull                          Larus argentatus Caspian Tern                          Sterna caspia Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura Belted Kingfisher                     Ceryle alcyon Yellow-bellied Sapsucker              Sphyrapicus varius Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus Pileated Woodpecker                   Dryocopus pileatus Least Flycatcher                      Empidonax minimus Eastern Phoebe                        Sayornis phoebe Eastern Kingbird                      Tyrannus tyrannus Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor CLIFF SWALLOW         Petrochelidon pyrrhonota Barn Swallow                          Hirundo rustica Golden-crowned Kinglet                Regulus satrapa Ruby-crowned Kinglet                  Regulus calendula Cedar Waxwing                         Bombycilla cedrorum Winter Wren                           Troglodytes troglodytes Hermit Thrush                         Catharus guttatus American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Red-breasted Nuthatch                 Sitta canadensis Brown Creeper                         Certhia americana Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos Common Raven                          Corvus corax Blue-headed Vireo                     Vireo solitarius Purple Finch                          Carpodacus purpureus House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus Pine Siskin                           Carduelis pinus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis Nashville Warbler                     Vermivora ruficapilla Northern Parula                       Parula americana Chestnut-sided Warbler                Dendroica pensylvanica Cape May Warbler                      Dendroica tigrina Black-throated Blue Warbler           Dendroica caerulescens Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata Black-throated Green Warbler          Dendroica virens Blackburnian Warbler                  Dendroica fusca Pine Warbler                          Dendroica pinus Palm Warbler                          Dendroica palmarum Black-and-white Warbler               Mniotilta varia American Redstart                     Setophaga ruticilla Ovenbird                              Seiurus aurocapillus Northern Waterthrush                  Seiurus noveboracensis Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas Wilson's Warbler                      Wilsonia pusilla Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Savannah Sparrow                      Passerculus sandwichensis Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Lincoln's Sparrow                     Melospiza lincolnii Swamp Sparrow                         Melospiza georgiana White-throated Sparrow                Zonotrichia albicollis Rose-breasted Grosbeak                Pheucticus ludovicianus Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus BREWER'S BLACKBIRD          Euphagus cyanocephalus Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula

70 SPECIES
So Far: 178 SPECIES

23 May 2002 – Whitefish Point

Started out overcast, but much warmer this morning; however, the wind WAS kicking up, but rather than wallow in disappointment I chose to go by faith that it would work for good (and that proved to be the case)! Started out on Vermilion Road, the tradition place to get Spruce Grouse (and where I indeed got my life bird several years ago), but this time kicked up nada; the road in was making me nervous as well, as it was very sandy, and if it DID start raining, I didn't wanna be stuck on that thing! So after about five or six miles of stopping and listening (picking up the usual stuff: mostly Chippies, Butterbutts, Pine Warblers, Ovenbirds, and Blue-headed Vireos), I backtracked to Sheldrake Flooding, a little lake and campground. An adult Bald Eagle was sitting across the way, and a pair of Spotted Sandpipers hung out at the spillway. In the shallow creek bed spooked a Great Blue Heron, but other than that just picked up Cedar Waxwing, Red-winged Blackbird, and Belted Kingfisher, which I didn't get elsewhere during the day. A Common Merganser also flew over.

Headed on down to Whitefish Point proper, where the first thing to blow me away (besides the wind) were the Blue Jays: there just hundreds and hundreds of 'em, filling the sky! I had NEVER seen so many Blue Jays in my life! It seemed like half the crowd was at the feeders: I sat myself down and enjoyed the jays (shades of the Green Jay feeding frenzy at Laguna Atascosa), as well as the crowds of Black-capped Chickadees coming in as well. I was shortly joined by Joe and Vicki from Corpus Christi, of Hazel Batemore (hope I got that right) Hawk Watch fame, and we enjoyed Rose-breasted and Evening Grosbeaks in the same bin view, a Clay-colored Sparrow skulking in the bushes, and an incongruous pigeon. They had spotted a Red Crossbill while I was looking elsewhere, which was disappointing; that woulda been a state bird! They shared a little of their trip so far: they got the Kirtland's Warbler on Monday, along with a blanketing of snow!! They had also run into Jon Dunn who had told them about a Little Gull at Tawas Point (which they got); hope the thing hangs around till Tuesday!

They informed me of a hawk watch that was going to take place at nine, so I thanked them and decided to head down to the beach, where a waterbird count was presently taking place. By the time I got to the shelter the wind was REALLY whipping and cold, and it had started to drizzle on top of that! (One of the guys there quipped, "Just another day in Paradise!") But several ducks were making their way north; Long-tailed Duck had been seen, but unfortunately that one passed me by. I DID get excellent looks at White-winged Scoters and Red-breasted Mergansers, and thanks to Joe (he and Vicki followed me down after all), I got a great look at a Red-necked Grebe through his scope! A couple of unknown loons whizzed by, and a tern of some kind WAY out there, but that was the extent of my identifiable ducks for the day. (Did have three American Pipits bounce overhead in the songbird department...)

Trudging back through the woods, I was told by one of the staff guys that the Boreal Chickadees WERE around, but usually in the Blackcap flocks and in very small numbers (and they never came to the feeders :-( ). So I trudged back through the woods and to the hawk watch platform, where Joe and Vicki had set up camp and were happily chatting with one of the staff, who had ALSO been involved with Hazel Batemore! As we sat the wind conditions were great for the hawks, and we'd get a Red-tailed Hawk here, several Sharpies there, the occasional Harrier, and a couple of Bald Eagles, but the real show was a kettle of Broad-winged Hawks WAY in the distance, where there was probably 30 birds at least! Some of the Broadies made their way over the platform, and one had us thinking he was a Goshawk at first! (There HAD been one hanging around...) Great flocks of Evening Grosbeaks kept flying over, along with the occasional Eastern Bluebird doing its little "du-du" call.

Joe had been told about a little pond in the woods where migrants often landed, so I joined them and we weaved our way through the woods once again, finally finding the little pond, and enjoying Magnolia Warblers, Nashvilles, Parulas, Least Flycatchers, Redstarts, and Black-throated Greens at point blank (in addition to the ubiquitous chickadees; still no Boreal, though...). Vicki caught sight of a Mockingbird of all things, but I missed it; I was really starting to get frustrated over all these missed goodies! (They had also had a Rusty Blackbird at the feeders before I got there... :-P)

After that I went back to the car to get my scope and check out the lake, but got waylaid on a little trail with some other birders where Redstarts, Chestnut-sided, and Black-throated Blue Warblers were coming down to our faces (along with more chickadees...)! Decided to scope from the viewing platform; nothing on the water, but on the boardwalk on the way back was a TREMENDOUS flock of chickadees; probably at least 50 birds! They sounded more like Bushtits the way they were carrying on, and they'd fly back and forth, back and forth across the boardwalk to the pines, then back to the straggly seed-bearing trees they were feeding on, then back to the pines again, each time passing by me on both sides and at eye level; a couple of times some almost ran into me!

After that I put the scope away and went back into the woods, not quite ready to give up on the Boreals! On several occasions the Blackcaps almost landed on my camera, and a couple of times I was sure I heard the Boreal, but just couldn't find the bird, they were all moving through so fast (and not convinced that an annoyed Blackcap might sound very similar, I wanted to see the bird to be absolutely sure). Back over by the pond a Swainson's Thrush popped up and allowed close approach, and a Merlin zipped back and forth. Coming back on the trail that dumps out at the feeders, I thought I actually had a Boreal in sight, but the stupid thing flew before I could get a look, never to be seen again! How maddening! I really had to stop and be thankful for all the wonderful birds I HAD seen this day (and how close they got, and the NUMBERS for cryin' out loud!), because I didn't want the one elusive target bird to ruin my whole experience!

Back at the feeders I just sat for a few, adding White-crowned Sparrow for the day and a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird for the trip, when the same staffer who told me about the Boreals called over to me: he had the Mockingbird! I zipped over there (along with several other eager birders) and saw the bird skulking in a tree; what a great tick! Wasn't a state bird, but the only other one I had seen was when I was 12 years old on the golf course back in Port Huron!

It was close to quitting time, so started for Indian River after that (had to smile at the adolescent kids who were all excited about the "huge hawk" soaring low over the parking lot...it was a TV); I really wished I had had more time to check out Tahquamenon Falls, cuz I found a brochure in the gift shop that precicely outlined where in the park to find things like Spruce Grouse, the chickadee, Rusty Blackbird, and Black-backed Woodpecker (which, according to said brochure, I could have very LIKELY had one yesterday on the way back from din-din: that was right where they were supposed to be! Didn't stick around, though, shucky darn!).

Bird List:

RED-NECKED GREBE              Podiceps grisegena Double-crested Cormorant              Phalacrocorax auritus Great Blue Heron                      Ardea herodias Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis WHITE-WINGED SCOTER           Melanitta fusca RED-BREASTED MERGANSER Mergus serrator Common Merganser                      Mergus merganser Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura Bald Eagle                            Haliaeetus leucocephalus NORTHERN HARRIER        Circus cyaneus Sharp-shinned Hawk                    Accipiter striatus Broad-winged Hawk                     Buteo platypterus Red-tailed Hawk                       Buteo jamaicensis American Kestrel                      Falco sparverius Merlin                                Falco columbarius Killdeer                              Charadrius vociferus Spotted Sandpiper                     Actitis macularia Ring-billed Gull                      Larus delawarensis Herring Gull                          Larus argentatus Rock Dove                             Columba livia Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura Chimney Swift                         Chaetura pelagica RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD       Archilochus colubris Belted Kingfisher                     Ceryle alcyon Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus Least Flycatcher                      Empidonax minimus Eastern Kingbird                      Tyrannus tyrannus Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor Cliff Swallow                         Petrochelidon pyrrhonota Barn Swallow                          Hirundo rustica American Pipit                        Anthus rubescens Cedar Waxwing                         Bombycilla cedrorum NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD      Mimus polyglottos Eastern Bluebird                      Sialia sialis Swainson's Thrush                     Catharus ustulatus American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Red-breasted Nuthatch                 Sitta canadensis Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos Common Raven                          Corvus corax European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris Blue-headed Vireo                     Vireo solitarius Purple Finch                          Carpodacus purpureus House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus Pine Siskin                           Carduelis pinus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis Evening Grosbeak                      Coccothraustes vespertinus Nashville Warbler                     Vermivora ruficapilla Northern Parula                       Parula americana Chestnut-sided Warbler                Dendroica pensylvanica Magnolia Warbler                      Dendroica magnolia Black-throated Blue Warbler           Dendroica caerulescens Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata Black-throated Green Warbler          Dendroica virens Pine Warbler                          Dendroica pinus American Redstart                     Setophaga ruticilla Ovenbird                              Seiurus aurocapillus Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Clay-colored Sparrow                  Spizella pallida White-crowned Sparrow                 Zonotrichia leucophrys Rose-breasted Grosbeak                Pheucticus ludovicianus Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater

65 SPECIES
So Far: 184 SPECIES

24 May 2002 – Mackinaw State Forest

Well, we've definitely hit the "law of diminishing returns" with no new species today, but it was just a lovely drive through state forest lands and two Brown Bin Spots: Tomahawk Creek Flooding and Pigeon River Country Elk Range, both of which are in the Mackinaw State Forest. Birding the road going towards the lake and campgrounds, picked up the usual Chipping Sparrows, Pine Warblers, and Ovenbirds. I was surprised at how full these out-of-the-way campgrounds were (but I suppose I shouldn't have been: it IS Memorial Day Weekend, after all...)! The lake was serene with a Killdeer at the boat ramp (well, the Killdeer was upset...), a Spotted Sand along the shore, and a Bald Eagle on the opposite shore. A Common Loon circled low over my head as I was changing film...

I followed a road around that looked like it might access another part of the lake, but it actually went through some mega-harvested parts of the forest (picked up Field Sparrow in there, though, and in a bush along the edge, a Brown Thrasher). At the road's end (or at least as far as I wanted to take the Buick) it looked as though a little trail went into some moister habitat, so I parked and checked it out: indeed, there was a tiny little marsh with Yellowthroats, both Swamp and Song Sparrows, and of course Redwings.

Instead of exploring Tomahawk Road further, I decided to do the Elk Range route, "across the street" from highway 33. This proved to be a delightful little route, even though I didn't see any Elk (a fisherman I ran into said, "They're all at MY house..."). I'm glad the Forest Headquarters building was open, though, because they have a detailed map of the area, and even the AAA and BBB maps put together didn't cut it! To begin, I travelled south on 33 to County Road 622 and made a right. From there the BBB directions were okay, because there were at least street signs along the way: you eventually run into Tin Shanty Road, and make a right. From there all the signs are down, though; it was only by the grace of God I happened to run into the headquarters building! While there a pair of Evening Grosbeaks was hanging around, and both a Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Purple Finch came to their feeder.

Official map in hand, I decided to go back to Osmun Road (where there's a big sign that says "To M-68") and headed north. The designated Elk viewing spots are areas of open fields (looked great for sparrows, and I did indeed get Vesper in one of them), but most of the habitat was mixed woodland. Actually, the drive coming up Tin Shanty was absolutely gorgeous, as the trees are just coming into leaf, and the sun shining through them was just glorious! Again, however, there was a lot of traffic on these dirt roads, and parked trucks with their owners hunting in the woods, I'm sure (did run into several Turkeys here and there).

After that initial Elk Viewing Spot, there was a road to Cornwall Creek Flooding (I'm learning that a "flooding" must be a small reservoir, because every one of them has a little dike and spillway), so I took it, and told myself, "No more 'seasonal roads'!!" This one was pretty bad, with DEEP ruts and bumps, but it wasn't all a loss: picked up three species of swallows down there and another loon, plus the day's only Black-throated Blue Warbler and Blue-headed Vireo on the way out.

They recommend you take a left on Webb Road (look for the signs to Pine Grove Forest Campground), then another left on Fisherman Road about three miles down, but that was another "seasonal road" that looked pretty bad, so seeing as it was getting late, I opted to take Webb Road all the way in to Wolverine and I-75. Closer to "town" you ran into more farm area, where Eastern Bluebirds and Kingbirds showed up (as well as a Bobolink flying overhead), and shortly before the freeway even had Upland Sandpipers!

But I'm getting ahead of myself: all during the "woodland" route I had stopped every mile, and the birding from the road was just fabulous: Ovenbirds were at almost every stop, along with Nashvilles being very common, but there were also lots of "I'm tempted to land on you" type birds such as the Chickadees, Black and Whites, Black-throated Greens, Magnolias, Redstarts, and even a Ruby-throated Hummingbird scared the gee whiz outta me by zooming right up to my backside! In fact, at one stop, a Nashville was singing very close to the road (as well as a Winter Wren), so I pished at it hoping it would come out for pictures, and it seemed like everything BUT the Nashville came in my face! An open area had an Indigo Bunting, a Chestnut-sided Warbler, and a Blue-winged singing an aberrant song, while in one of the wooded areas a Parula was singing one of those Cerulean-like songs; fortunately he came right out, and he was a beauty! At one of the many bogs a family of Canada Geese crossed the road, and at another stop a Scarlet Tanager "chip-PAAA"ed at me. In a tangle actually got to hear a Lincoln's Sparrow singing, and another atypical-looking Broad-winged Hawk flew over that I just couldn't turn into a Goshawk... And speaking of "northern" species, there's no shortage of Ravens in this area, despite what the range maps say! We're also back into Great Crested Flycatcher and Warbling Vireo country as well.

Headed down to Mio for the weekend, staying at a lovely wilderness resort area! Even though I plan on doing the driving tour Monday, I may take the Kirtland Warbler tour tomorrow just for the heckuvit (everything I read talks about closing areas this time of year, even though I've driven the public roads AND gotten the bird on my own fine, but might as well be safe rather than kick myself later...).

Bird List:

Common Loon                           Gavia immer Double-crested Cormorant              Phalacrocorax auritus Great Blue Heron                      Ardea herodias Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura Bald Eagle                            Haliaeetus leucocephalus Broad-winged Hawk                     Buteo platypterus Wild Turkey                           Meleagris gallopavo Killdeer                              Charadrius vociferus Upland Sandpiper                      Bartramia longicauda Spotted Sandpiper                     Actitis macularia Herring Gull                          Larus argentatus Rock Dove                             Columba livia Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura Ruby-throated Hummingbird             Archilochus colubris Yellow-bellied Sapsucker              Sphyrapicus varius Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus Least Flycatcher                      Empidonax minimus Eastern Phoebe                        Sayornis phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher              Myiarchus crinitus Eastern Kingbird                      Tyrannus tyrannus Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor Bank Swallow                          Riparia riparia Cliff Swallow                         Petrochelidon pyrrhonota Winter Wren                           Troglodytes troglodytes Brown Thrasher                        Toxostoma rufum Eastern Bluebird                      Sialia sialis Swainson's Thrush                     Catharus ustulatus Hermit Thrush                         Catharus guttatus American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                 Polioptila caerulea Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Red-breasted Nuthatch                 Sitta canadensis White-breasted Nuthatch               Sitta carolinensis Brown Creeper                         Certhia americana Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos Common Raven                          Corvus corax European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus Blue-headed Vireo                     Vireo solitarius Warbling Vireo                        Vireo gilvus Red-eyed Vireo                        Vireo olivaceus Purple Finch                          Carpodacus purpureus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis Evening Grosbeak                      Coccothraustes vespertinus Blue-winged Warbler                   Vermivora pinus Nashville Warbler                     Vermivora ruficapilla Northern Parula                       Parula americana Chestnut-sided Warbler                Dendroica pensylvanica Magnolia Warbler                      Dendroica magnolia Black-throated Blue Warbler           Dendroica caerulescens Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata Black-throated Green Warbler          Dendroica virens Pine Warbler                          Dendroica pinus Black-and-white Warbler               Mniotilta varia American Redstart                     Setophaga ruticilla Ovenbird                              Seiurus aurocapillus Northern Waterthrush                  Seiurus noveboracensis Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas Scarlet Tanager                       Piranga olivacea Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Field Sparrow                         Spizella pusilla Vesper Sparrow                        Pooecetes gramineus Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Lincoln's Sparrow                     Melospiza lincolnii Swamp Sparrow                         Melospiza georgiana White-throated Sparrow                Zonotrichia albicollis Rose-breasted Grosbeak                Pheucticus ludovicianus Indigo Bunting                        Passerina cyanea Bobolink                              Dolichonyx oryzivorus Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater Baltimore Oriole                      Icterus galbula

76 SPECIES
So Far: Still 184 SPECIES

25 May 2002 – Kirtland's Warbler Hunt

Well, I cheated once again: normally I set aside Saturdays to relax and do chores, but I caved in and took the ranger-led Kirtland's Warbler Tour (since the Forest Service building was right next door to where I was staying), mainly because I wasn't sure what the weather was gonna be like today, and considering that it was lousy, I'm glad I took the tour! About a dozen of us gathered for the informative video, including another Birdchatter from the Bay Area named Tom (sorry I can't remember your last name!) and his wife, and Bill and Kathleen Principe from the Los Angeles area! I ended up riding with them to the spot, where Leah (our VERY young biologist-leader) took us into an area where two Kirtland's were song-battling right away! Eventually everyone got somewhat of a look (except for Tom, I think); mine was distant, of a male sitting on top of a dead tree, and were he not singing I wouldn't have been able to tell what he was. At another spot across the highway, I walked down the road while the rest of the group bushwhacked into a clearing, and ironically I heard the bird right next to the road (wouldn't come out, naturally)! Spot number three had a good overlook, but only a distant singing male, and I think by that time everyone was pretty tired. Bill and Kathleen and I took a second swipe at Spot #2, and the bird still wouldn't come out, but it was a great "listen"! Their rental car was very similar to mine, but Bill was a lot more gutsy than me: we went through sandy spots that even woulda been a challenge for "Jip"! With the help of his handy-dandy GPS, however, we found our way back to the main drag; the way I've been getting myself lost lately, I'm very tempted to get one of those, now that I see how they work! (Oh, we also had a magnificent Bald Eagle right by the road on the way to one of the stops; thankfully we were at the end of the caravan cuz Bill slammed on the brakes and backed up so I could whip off a couple of shots!)

So with the Kirtland's in the bank, this morning I started out on the BBB's "official" auto tour in a drizzling rain. The entire route is paved (starting south from Mio on highway 33 and then turning left on Curtisville Road), with several stops and interpretive signs, plus the entire route is posted with little Brown Bin signs with a warbler sitting on them, so you can't get lost! One of the stops is a nature trail called the Ruffed Grouse Walk, and thankfully the rain had let up long enough to hike this short little loop trail through the mixed woodland. Ovenbirds were of course all over, and these even came close for pictures! A Scarlet Tanager sang in here, and a nice Swainson's Thrush popped up on a branch.

The next stop (which wasn't marked heading north but it was heading south) was an actual Jack Pine management area, and since the rain had started up again I just sat in the car for five and listened, but there was indeed another Kirtland's singing fairly close! There was another management area along McKinley Road, but I didn't hear any warblers here. There are also several places to view the grand Au Sable River, and at one of these places the warblers were just going nuts: had a pair of Bay-breasted come in, as well as Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, and Pine, plus a singing Mourning Warbler! An Eastern Wood Pewee was flopping around as well, and from the opposite shore of the river (way down there) you could actually hear an Alder Flycatcher "fee-BEE-oh"ing!

Because of the rain and limited places to actually get out and bird, I debated about exploring some other Brown Bin spots closer to West Branch, but every time the rain let up a little, I was tempted to bird some of those dirt roads I had wandered years before on my own and successfully gotten the Kirtland's. I knew one of them was off that main tour route, so I went back down to Curtisville Road, and turned right on the first dirt road into the short forest that I could (Kirtland's will only nest in Jack Pines about three to 20 feet tall, so basically you're looking for the stands of "Christmas Tree Farms"). These trees, however, had grown a bit since the last time I was here, and I was wondering if perhaps these had gotten too tall, as I didn't hear any warblers singing here (did pick up a singing Lincoln's Sparrow, though, and yet more Uppy Sands singing in the distance). Still stopped occasionally even in the mixed habitat, getting lots of Hermit Thrushes, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and other woodland species. (I'm noticing that we're picking up the more "southern" species again, such as House Wren, Tufted Titmouse, and Indigo Bunting, but yet we're still north enough for Ravens!) Going back to Curtisville and going right, then taking the NEXT dirt road (Egglemon), I DID find Kirtland's in the stands there, but there were also ORVs coming through, and THAT road was REALLY nasty; I almost DID get stuck before turning around!

Crossed 33 and wandered around some dirt roads there, and miraculously found the road where that one Kirtland's had been so close on Saturday! So I parked where the road was still pretty decent and just walked down the road like I did Saturday, picking up the same pair of Bluebirds we had then on the dead snags (the stand on the right side of the road are all "baby" Jack Pines, whereas the stand on the left are just the right height). Had Brown Thrashers, Field and Vesper Sparrows, and plenty of Nashville Warblers, but the stars of course were the continuing Kirtland's: I had three going at once, but of course, all stayed stubbornly hidden! All was not lost, however: picked up a Slate-colored Junco for the trip on the road!

To get to this terrific spot: The main road into this area is right across the street from Curtisville Road: if you're coming south on 33 from Mio, instead of turning left on Curtisville (where the Brown Bin sign tells you to), turn right, and that dirt road comes to a "kind of" T where, if you were to veer left, you'd see the interpretive sign telling you about the warbler management. Go right instead, and where the road forks, this is where I parked and walked, taking the left fork. Birding from these roads is fine; they just don't want you going directly into the Jack Pine forest (and given my reluctance to bush-beat, anyway, I wouldn't really want to).

My narrative is a little backwards, really: I explored slimy Egglemon road AFTER this, and that took me closer to the Au Sable Scenic Byway, which I took towards highway 65. The overlook along THAT road was lovely, too, with yodeling loons in the distance, a churring Red-bellied Woodpecker, and singing Veeries and Redstarts closer in. But the bird of the day (yes, even better than the Kirtland's) was fly-catching over highway 55 on the way to West Branch: a Black-billed Cuckoo! (Yes, he landed and stayed put while I slammed on the brakes and backed up; he was a young bird without the red eyering, but he just gave a glorious look!) Not only was this a state bird, but it's only the third time I've ever seen one (and the second time was only half the bird...)!

It finally quit dripping by the time I got to West Branch!

Bird List:

Common Loon                           Gavia immer Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura Broad-winged Hawk                     Buteo platypterus American Kestrel                      Falco sparverius Wild Turkey                           Meleagris gallopavo Upland Sandpiper                      Bartramia longicauda Spotted Sandpiper                     Actitis macularia Herring Gull                          Larus argentatus Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO   Coccyzus erythropthalmus Chimney Swift                         Chaetura pelagica Red-bellied Woodpecker                Melanerpes carolinus Yellow-bellied Sapsucker              Sphyrapicus varius Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus Eastern Wood-Pewee                    Contopus virens Alder Flycatcher                      Empidonax alnorum Least Flycatcher                      Empidonax minimus Eastern Phoebe                        Sayornis phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher              Myiarchus crinitus Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor Northern Rough-winged Swallow         Stelgidopteryx serripennis Barn Swallow                          Hirundo rustica Cedar Waxwing                         Bombycilla cedrorum House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon Brown Thrasher                        Toxostoma rufum Eastern Bluebird                      Sialia sialis Veery                                 Catharus fuscescens Swainson's Thrush                     Catharus ustulatus Hermit Thrush                         Catharus guttatus American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Tufted Titmouse                       Baeolophus bicolor Red-breasted Nuthatch                 Sitta canadensis Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos Common Raven                          Corvus corax European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus Red-eyed Vireo                        Vireo olivaceus Purple Finch                          Carpodacus purpureus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis Nashville Warbler                     Vermivora ruficapilla Chestnut-sided Warbler                Dendroica pensylvanica Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata Blackburnian Warbler                  Dendroica fusca Pine Warbler                          Dendroica pinus KIRTLAND'S WARBLER        Dendroica kirtlandii BAY-BREASTED WARBLER      Dendroica castanea American Redstart                     Setophaga ruticilla Ovenbird                              Seiurus aurocapillus MOURNING WARBLER      Oporornis philadelphia Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas Scarlet Tanager                       Piranga olivacea Eastern Towhee                        Pipilo erythrophthalmus Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Field Sparrow                         Spizella pusilla Vesper Sparrow                        Pooecetes gramineus Savannah Sparrow                      Passerculus sandwichensis Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Lincoln's Sparrow                     Melospiza lincolnii White-throated Sparrow                Zonotrichia albicollis DARK-EYED JUNCO               Junco hyemalis Rose-breasted Grosbeak                Pheucticus ludovicianus Indigo Bunting                        Passerina cyanea Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Baltimore Oriole                      Icterus galbula

69 SPECIES
So Far: 190 SPECIES

28 May 2002 – Tawas Point & Tuttle Marsh

What a GLORIOUS day!! The sun came out, and it actually got up into the 70s! But even better were the birds: when I pulled into Tawas Point State Park, the air was just alive with birdsong! One of the first things to hit my ears was a new trip bird: a Tennesse Warbler! They hadn't opened the gate to the point yet, so I parked in the lot next to the entrance station, where not only another new trip bird but a state bird as well went whizzing overhead, then landed in a distant tree: an Orchard Oriole!

It was just as well that the gate was closed, because it forced me to walk the bike path down to the point, and that was a magical experience! Hundreds of Cedar Waxwings let me walk right up to them, and both Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos came in close as well. Some Eastern Kingbirds displayed at each other, and lots of Yellow Warblers sang in the deciduous trees, occasionally coming out for a look. Interestingly, one of the most encountered warblers here was the old familiar Wilson's from back home! At one point a brilliant Baltimore Oriole was sitting in a well leafed-out tree, and when I got my bins on him, there were FOUR brilliant colors in one bin view: said bird (orange), a Scarlet Tanager (red), an Indigo Bunting (blue), and a Goldfinch (yellow)! Wow! Other goodies seen or heard along this road included Yellow-throated Vireo, Catbird, Brown Thrasher, and Phoebe.

Circling back around towards the campground produced a Willow Flycatcher, and in the campground itself an Alder was singing, as well as a Mourning and Blackburnian Warbler. I ran into a lady who had been following spring migration all the way from Texas with her tape recorder (and her husband with his camera), and she told me that Jon Dunn's Little Gull was probably a "one day wonder": it was in with a flock of Bonies and hadn't been seen since. Oh, well. Watched a skirmish between a couple of Black Squirrels fighting over a nest hole (with squirrel #3 already in it), and a Green Heron fled from a Redwing over the little pond.

Once I got back to the car the gate was open, so I drove down as far as I could, because the recorder-lady had warned me that I'd better take my scope down to the point if I wanted to see anything! So off I went, playing leap-frog with a biologist who was tracking the progress of the park's Piping Plover nests (and were it not for him, I never would have seen Mama on the nest, protected by a mesh cage on the beach!) He even had me guard his gear while he went over to check the eggs; his main concern right now is a family of foxes who may get the chicks once they're hatched, and he's trying to figure out a way to get the foxes to go away on their own without them having to be physically removed. He also told me about other goodies seen around the park, such as a Western Kingbird, several Summer Tanagers, and a Harris' Sparrow, but I couldn't kick up any of them; I DID spot one of the Red Knots he told me about, though!

But there were lots of other "regular" goodies to keep me busy: a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers (yes, for real this time) worked a telephone pole while Red-bellied flopped around in a nearby tree. One tree was just FULL of Boblinks singing away, and a little pishing brought out Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Wood Pewees, Redstarts, a Field Sparrow, and more Wilson's. Lots more Orchard Orioles showed up, too, including a young male. I ran into the recorder-lady again, who seemed doubtful about my Mourning Warbler, but I assured her that I knew my vocalizations--except when a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is making like a Red-headed Woodpecker... :-P Once finally out to the point, there wasn't much activity besides gulls, Caspian Terns, cormorants, Dunlin, and a handful of Common Mergansers; there were a few tiny peeps, but I couldn't tell what they were. On the other side of the spit were Semipalmated Plovers and a family of Canada Geese, plus a pair of Common Terns, the male fishing for "gifts" and then promptly giving them to his waiting mate!

My feet were really shot after that, so I sat at the bird feeders for awhile, enjoying the Blue Jays and the young Rose-breasted Grosbeak checking things out, then literally had to take a nap before heading out. Decided to check out Tuttle Marsh, which was just north of Tawas off highway 55. Once on the dirt road I started stopping, where here it was open grassland; I was hoping for good sparrows, but just picked up Savannahs, Meadowlarks, and more Bobolinks displaying. More stopping in the wooded areas added the common woodland birds for the day list.

The first accessible trail in the area is through grassland, so I eagerly hiked that (my feet had recovered somewhat), but just picked up Vesper Sparrow, lots of nesting Tree Swallows, and a single Bluebird claiming one of the houses. Yet another Black-billed Cuckoo flew into a distant tree (at least I could discern no hint of rufous). About a mile later was an area where you could walk up on the dike and view the bog, where lots of Canada Geese (including one with a green neck band) were hanging out. Nothing else out of the ordinary; picked up Mallard and Blue-winged Teal along the road, and a flock of Black Terns batted down the dike. Both Soras and Sedge Wrens called unseen from the marsh as well.

Didn't have time to explore anything else, so headed on in to Bay City for the night.

Bird List:

Double-crested Cormorant              Phalacrocorax auritus Green Heron                           Butorides virescens Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos Blue-winged Teal                      Anas discors Common Merganser                      Mergus merganser Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura Sora                                  Porzana carolina Semipalmated Plover                   Charadrius semipalmatus Killdeer                              Charadrius vociferus PIPING PLOVER           Charadrius melodus RED KNOT                    Calidris canutus Dunlin                                Calidris alpina Ring-billed Gull                      Larus delawarensis Herring Gull                          Larus argentatus Caspian Tern                          Sterna caspia COMMON TERN         Sterna hirundo Black Tern                            Chlidonias niger Rock Dove                             Columba livia Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura Black-billed Cuckoo                   Coccyzus erythropthalmus Chimney Swift                         Chaetura pelagica Ruby-throated Hummingbird             Archilochus colubris Belted Kingfisher                     Ceryle alcyon Red-headed Woodpecker                 Melanerpes erythrocephalus Red-bellied Woodpecker                Melanerpes carolinus Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus Eastern Wood-Pewee                    Contopus virens Alder Flycatcher                      Empidonax alnorum WILLOW FLYCATCHER   Empidonax traillii Least Flycatcher                      Empidonax minimus Eastern Phoebe                        Sayornis phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher              Myiarchus crinitus Eastern Kingbird                      Tyrannus tyrannus Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor Northern Rough-winged Swallow         Stelgidopteryx serripennis Cliff Swallow                         Petrochelidon pyrrhonota Barn Swallow                          Hirundo rustica Cedar Waxwing                         Bombycilla cedrorum House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon Sedge Wren                            Cistothorus platensis Gray Catbird                          Dumetella carolinensis Brown Thrasher                        Toxostoma rufum Eastern Bluebird                      Sialia sialis American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                 Polioptila caerulea Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus Yellow-throated Vireo                 Vireo flavifrons Warbling Vireo                        Vireo gilvus Red-eyed Vireo                        Vireo olivaceus Purple Finch                          Carpodacus purpureus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis TENNESSEE WARBLER     Vermivora peregrina Nashville Warbler                     Vermivora ruficapilla Yellow Warbler                        Dendroica petechia Black-throated Blue Warbler           Dendroica caerulescens Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata Blackburnian Warbler                  Dendroica fusca American Redstart                     Setophaga ruticilla Ovenbird                              Seiurus aurocapillus Mourning Warbler                      Oporornis philadelphia Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas Wilson's Warbler                      Wilsonia pusilla Scarlet Tanager                       Piranga olivacea Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Field Sparrow                         Spizella pusilla Vesper Sparrow                        Pooecetes gramineus Savannah Sparrow                      Passerculus sandwichensis Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Swamp Sparrow                         Melospiza georgiana Northern Cardinal                     Cardinalis cardinalis Rose-breasted Grosbeak                Pheucticus ludovicianus Indigo Bunting                        Passerina cyanea Bobolink                              Dolichonyx oryzivorus Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Eastern Meadowlark                    Sturnella magna Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater Baltimore Oriole                      Icterus galbula ORCHARD ORIOLE            Icterus spurius

85 SPECIES
So Far: 196 SPECIES

29 May 2002 – Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge

Well migration is definitely winding down, as nothing new showed up today (although it was another rainy day, on and off). According to the checklist, today's stop had the potential for a few new species (Prothonotary Warbler, Black Duck, and Marsh Wren would all have been nice), but I was either in the wrong habitat or they just didn't come my way. But at least I got to hike some nice trails.

Started at the bottom end of Shiawassee NWR, south of Saginaw. It rained all the way to Headquarters, where it quit the minute I pulled into the parking lot, so I decided to stroll this little interpretive trail (and I do mean teeny) around their little pond; kicked up some Waxwings, a Catbird, House Finches, and some bunnies, as well as a singing Alder Flycatcher.

Drove down to the Ferguson Bayou Trail after that, picking up Savannah Sparrow and Horned Larks in the fields on the way. This is an almost five mile hike if you want to cover the whole thing; ideally, I was planning on taking the Short Loop, but a clap of thunder sent me back to my car (still got dumped on, but at least that was the only clap I heard)! I would have loved to have seen the whole thing: you start off through farmland with Redwings, Pheasants, and Tree Swallows, then onto a dike with willows, then bayou-type wetlands on either side (this could have been a good spot for the Prothonotary, perhaps, but just had Yellows and Yellowthroats in here). Didn't see much, but heard Warbling Vireos, Pewees, Indigo Buntings, Titmice, Cardinals, and Great Crested Flycatchers galore, plus lots of tame Goldfinches in the parking area. Drove down to the fishing access after that, where I picked up Eastern Kingbird and Bobolink for the day.

Backtracked into Saginaw and headed to Green Point Environmental Learning Center (also part of the refuge, but within a suburban setting), and what a terrific little place! They had a big group of pre-schoolers there at the time in the center, but I had the trails practically to myself, as I took the Songbird Trail (which was probably about a two mile loop). It had quit raining again, so I risked going without my jacket (it was really warming up), and it was just a delightful walk through the woods with Wood Thrushes, four kinds of woodpeckers, vireos, nuthatches, and Redstarts all singing away. The most unusual bird was an oriole who was obviously mostly Baltimore, but I wondered if he might have had some Bullock's blood in him, as he had a big white shoulder patch tinged with orange, and his voice sounded a bit more "western" than I think it should have! Back at the center a Phoebe posed for pictures, and the best news was that the mosquitoes weren't biting! One of the ladies chaperoning the kids was raving about the beehive on display inside the building, and she insisted that I go see it, so I went on in, expecting to see some kind of mounted dead nest, but it truly WAS an active beehive that they had behind glass! It was fascinating!

My feet were complaining, but I still wanted to check out the Woodland Trail on the north side of the refuge, so I went back through town and over to Center, then south to the parking area. There are really three trails here of varying lengths (they all overlap), so I took the one mile Marsh Trail, and this also was a delightful little walk through the bogs and woodlands. Picked up a singing Brown Creeper and Black-throated Green in here, as well as several Redstarts who all seemed to be saying, "Please-send-me-E-mail!" (with the emphasis on the "E"...) I guess I must be going through withdrawal to come up with a neumonic like that... Almost had a heart attack when I saw the trail go straight up this hill, only to discover you COULD go around it; I guess they have that there for the "extreme" bikers (and I did run into a couple on the way back); that must be the extent of any "mountain biking" they get to do around here! A Kingfisher was sitting on a snag at the Bullhead Creek bridge, but like I said, things definitely seems to be winding down. Would be kinda fun to break 200; I only need four more!

My feet were REALLY shot after that (and I needed to check in early anyway to meet a friend for dinner), so headed on down to Waterford after that.

Bird List:

Great Blue Heron                      Ardea herodias Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos Ring-necked Pheasant                  Phasianus colchicus Killdeer                              Charadrius vociferus Rock Dove                             Columba livia Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura Belted Kingfisher                     Ceryle alcyon Red-bellied Woodpecker                Melanerpes carolinus Downy Woodpecker                      Picoides pubescens Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus Eastern Wood-Pewee                    Contopus virens Alder Flycatcher                      Empidonax alnorum Eastern Phoebe                        Sayornis phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher              Myiarchus crinitus Eastern Kingbird                      Tyrannus tyrannus Horned Lark                           Eremophila alpestris Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor Northern Rough-winged Swallow         Stelgidopteryx serripennis Barn Swallow                          Hirundo rustica Cedar Waxwing                         Bombycilla cedrorum House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon Gray Catbird                          Dumetella carolinensis Wood Thrush                           Hylocichla mustelina American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                 Polioptila caerulea Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Tufted Titmouse                       Baeolophus bicolor White-breasted Nuthatch               Sitta carolinensis Brown Creeper                         Certhia americana Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus Warbling Vireo                        Vireo gilvus Red-eyed Vireo                        Vireo olivaceus House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis Yellow Warbler                        Dendroica petechia Black-throated Green Warbler          Dendroica virens American Redstart                     Setophaga ruticilla Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas Scarlet Tanager                       Piranga olivacea Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Savannah Sparrow                      Passerculus sandwichensis Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Northern Cardinal                     Cardinalis cardinalis Rose-breasted Grosbeak                Pheucticus ludovicianus Indigo Bunting                        Passerina cyanea Bobolink                              Dolichonyx oryzivorus Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater Baltimore Oriole                      Icterus galbula

55 SPECIES
So Far: still 196 SPECIES

30 May 2002 – West Bloomfield Hills & Seven Ponds Nature Centre

Well, I'd say that migration has definitely wound down and things are settling in; today was just a nice walk in the woods (or several walks, really)! Started out at Indian Hills Metropark, however, just on the off chance that the Henslow's Sparrows reported there a week or so ago might still be around. They had several promising-looking fields, and I stopped at each one of them, but only picked up Field and Savannah Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, and Pheasant as unique birds for this area, as well as Blue-winged Warbler and Redstart in the woods. Was disappointed to see that the nature study area was all torn up (they were building something, I guess), so I headed on to the planned stop for the morning: West Bloomfield Hills Nature Center.

Fortunately I had that map of metro Detroit that Allen had given me my first day, so I thought I could get there the back way, but I had no idea there would be so much morning traffic on these little windy suburban roads (and construction didn't help any)! There were lots of lakes in the area, so I picked up Green Heron and Great Egret on the fly. I finally found the place, nestled in a really swank neighborhood, and took both the short loop and the longer loop, both just terrific walks through lush hardwood forest (and very popular, as many were taking their pre-work power walks or jogs along the trails)! Picked up the usual suburban forest birds (surprisingly no warblers, though, except for Yellowthroat); had a nice Scarlet Tanager fly in right overhead and sing softly as well! A real surprise was hearing an Eastern Bluebird sing, but then the short loop opened up into a small grassy area with two birdhouses, hence solving the mystery... Their pride and joy is their heron rookery, but you can't see it; can sure hear them, though!

After that headed to Seven Ponds Nature Center (after several wrong turns; wound up over by Orchard Lake with some really, REALLY swank looking mansions--made me wonder what they sell for here as compared to a similar home in San Diego...). It had been years since I was here last, so went in to get a trail map, and one of the docents was all excited about their new boardwalk trail, so I decided to do that first. It was indeed a nice little trail through the swamp, then looped back through the woods, picking up lots of Yellow Warblers and a cooperative Pewee. Ran into a group from St. Clair Community College, in my home town of Port Huron! Back at the center I didn't see any martins using their extensive housing (talk about swank), but I heard them later on the trail.

After a short rest I decided to take the trail that basically went around the edge of the property (there are oodles of cross-trails you can take all over the area), and that probably ended up being about two miles. Got a Song Sparrow upset at me on the first leg, running back and forth across the trail like a little mouse, then I checked out the observation platform at Waterfowl Pond (no waterfowl, though). A Willow Flycatcher sang from the willows (naturally), and in the open field behind me had Bobolinks and Tree Swallows. The group of little school kids had found a baby bunny, so that held them up long enough for me to make my escape and head on!

Some of the Catbirds were pretty cooperative for pictures, and at the road crossing found a Hairy Woodpecker nest! Lots of Indigo Buntings were upset at me, too; I caught myself still falling into "Atlas Behavior" saying to myself, "Feeding young; Agitated Behavior," etc... In fact, actually found the nest of a pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, but they made it pretty clear that I wasn't welcome! At one bench heard what I really could have sworn was a bona fide Red-shouldered Hawk, but then after awhile heard a little bit of a Cooper's-like call, and then finally, just as I was leaving, the culprit did his regular jay noise; guess I'd better take Red-shouldered Hawk off the list totally, cuz if THIS guy was that convincing, then that one at Skegmog could have been a jay, too!

I was really shot after that, so decided to head on in to Port Huron and relax before the big dinner with family.

Bird List:

Great Blue Heron                      Ardea herodias Great Egret                           Ardea alba Green Heron                           Butorides virescens Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos American Kestrel                      Falco sparverius Ring-necked Pheasant                  Phasianus colchicus Killdeer                              Charadrius vociferus Rock Dove                             Columba livia Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura Red-bellied Woodpecker                Melanerpes carolinus Downy Woodpecker                      Picoides pubescens Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus Eastern Wood-Pewee                    Contopus virens Willow Flycatcher                     Empidonax traillii Eastern Phoebe                        Sayornis phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher              Myiarchus crinitus Eastern Kingbird                      Tyrannus tyrannus Purple Martin                         Progne subis Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor Barn Swallow                          Hirundo rustica House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon Gray Catbird                          Dumetella carolinensis Eastern Bluebird                      Sialia sialis American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                 Polioptila caerulea Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Tufted Titmouse                       Baeolophus bicolor White-breasted Nuthatch               Sitta carolinensis Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus Yellow-throated Vireo                 Vireo flavifrons Warbling Vireo                        Vireo gilvus Red-eyed Vireo                        Vireo olivaceus House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis Blue-winged Warbler                   Vermivora pinus Yellow Warbler                        Dendroica petechia American Redstart                     Setophaga ruticilla Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas Scarlet Tanager                       Piranga olivacea Eastern Towhee                        Pipilo erythrophthalmus Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Field Sparrow                         Spizella pusilla Savannah Sparrow                      Passerculus sandwichensis Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Swamp Sparrow                         Melospiza georgiana Northern Cardinal                     Cardinalis cardinalis Rose-breasted Grosbeak                Pheucticus ludovicianus Indigo Bunting                        Passerina cyanea Bobolink                              Dolichonyx oryzivorus Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Eastern Meadowlark                    Sturnella magna Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater Baltimore Oriole                      Icterus galbula

59 SPECIES
So Far: Still holding at 196 (or 195 if I take off that hawk...)

31 May 2002 – Port Huron Area

For the last day of the trip, met up with birding buddy Harriet Davidson and tried to sweep up some missing species in order to break 200 for the trip (which wouldn't be easy because most of the missed birds on my checklist were migrants that had already passed through). We had a big, bangy thunderstorm last night (which I loved; we don't get those in San Diego very often), but Harriet's prediction proved true: when it rains that hard overnight, the next day is usually gorgeous! And that's exactly what happened: the sun came out and it was just a GLORIOUS day (till the wind started up, anyhow)!

Started the "day" actually the night before, when, after talking over my "missing species list" with her, she suggested I go over to my old high school, Port Huron Northern, to get Common Nighthawk at dusk, so after dinner with my brother and his family that's exactly what I did: pulled into the parking lot, rolled down the window, heard "peent!", and drove back to the hotel for the night!

So this morning I met at Harriet's for breakfast, and then we started out to the Game Area, where she had had Canada Warblers just the week before. The first trail we stopped at (at a creek at Norman Road, I believe) had the usual Yellow Warblers, Ovenbirds, Wood Thrushes, Pewees, etc., but as we were negotiating a fallen tree I flushed something whose wings whistled: could that have been my Woodcock?! I didn't see the thing, but that whistle sounded just like the recordings, but I just wasn't sure. But just down the trail we were yapping away when I heard a deliberate, gutteral, "Coouh-----coouh---coouh--" a Yellow-billed Cuckoo! Harriet was pleased as that's the rarer of the two cuckoos here, but as I shuffled through the leaves to try and see if I could spot it across the river, that whistle-winged bird flushed again, and this time I saw it--it WAS the Woodcock! I was so thrilled: my first US sighting (although not much better than my life sighting as a kid in Ontario, I must admit.. :-} )!! Two state birds right in a row!

We went to a couple of other trails to try for the Canada, but only kicked up our other local warblers: Redstart, Chestnut-sided, Black and White, Blue-winged, Mourning, plus one of our local specialties who was singing a real atypical song: a lovely Hooded Warbler! This trail opened up into a large "dump site" of logs and dirt, so I took the opportunity for a potty stop, where I picked up Field Sparrow for the day.

Harriet had a friend in Yale, who also happens to be a Birdchatter (hi, Pat; sorry we missed you!!) who had had Cooper's Hawk coming into her yard where she feeds the birds. And what a yard: they're in the process of building a house, but she's got feeders up all over, and even as we sat around had Downy Woodpecker, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, titmice, and chickadees coming in! I had my lunch as well, but no Cooper's came in for his. On her roof was a white pigeon that looked a lot like a Sheathbill: the feathers over his nose made his beak look a lot fatter!

After that decided to head for Lexington, where we could check the shoreline for late shorebirds. There we had three species of terns, lots of Ringbills, and a very bleached out young Herring. A bunch of Barn Swallows were drinking and gathering mud out of a puddle; so engaged were they that they allowed very close approach!

We then stopped by the sewer ponds of a tornado magnet (aka a mobile home park), which often would produce rarities (Harriet had to procure special permission to get in there, though; even today the maintenance guys asked us about our legality). Today, however, they only had a bunch of "stupid" Canada Geese (Harriet's label), gulls, and a few Mallards (oh, that one of them had been a Black Duck!). Over on the other side I had heard Spotted Sandpipers, but the only thing we saw were three Dunlin and a Killdeer who scared them all off... We also kicked up a Green Heron; Harriet says she always watches the ditches when she drives cuz one time she found an American Bittern sitting in one!

(BTW, I can understand her sentiment about the geese: they've just taken over around here...)

We swung by several fields as well hoping against hope for Henslow's Sparrow, but Harriet said she hadn't had them in two years. We did pick up Savannah Sparrow and Meadowlarks, however, as well as lots of Bobolinks displaying. One field had a male Northern Harrier being bombed by Redwings. Big surprise was no Eastern Kingbirds, and Harriet said she's noticed a decline in them over the last few years. We also swung by a marsh that was quite hidden among the trees in hopes that we might hear a Marsh Wren, but nada.

I had to get going to Romulus after that, so we kissed good-bye, I foisted my cooler and leftover food on her, and took off. I was SORELY tempted to stop at Metro Beach on the way (she had had Least Bitterns there on occasion, and that was another possibility for Marsh Wren), but my anxiety to get through Detroit before rush hour and get the rental car turned in won out, and as it turned out, that was the wisest choice, as I had to get back to the hotel via the airport (cuz that's where the rental car shuttle dropped you off), and after having to do laundry, even NOW it's past my bedtime (and I still have to pack)! Whew! But it was a WONDERFUL trip, even if I DID fall short one bird! Once I get back to San Diego and get settled, I'll compile a total list and "frequency code". (Oh, and to all of you who have written me: I'm not ignoring you--I just have about 250 e-mails to wade through after not being able to download anything for seven days!)

Bird List:

Great Blue Heron                      Ardea herodias Green Heron                           Butorides virescens Canada Goose                          Branta canadensis Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos Turkey Vulture                        Cathartes aura Northern Harrier                      Circus cyaneus American Kestrel                      Falco sparverius Killdeer                              Charadrius vociferus AMERICAN WOODCOCK   Scolopax minor Spotted Sandpiper                     Actitis macularia Dunlin                                Calidris alpina Ring-billed Gull                      Larus delawarensis Herring Gull                          Larus argentatus Caspian Tern                          Sterna caspia Common Tern                           Sterna hirundo Forster's Tern                        Sterna forsteri Rock Dove                             Columba livia Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO      Coccyzus americanus COMMON NIGHTHAWK          Chordeiles minor Chimney Swift                         Chaetura pelagica Ruby-throated Hummingbird             Archilochus colubris Belted Kingfisher                     Ceryle alcyon Red-bellied Woodpecker                Melanerpes carolinus Downy Woodpecker                      Picoides pubescens Hairy Woodpecker                      Picoides villosus Northern Flicker                      Colaptes auratus Eastern Wood-Pewee                    Contopus virens Eastern Phoebe                        Sayornis phoebe Great Crested Flycatcher              Myiarchus crinitus Horned Lark                           Eremophila alpestris Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor Bank Swallow                          Riparia riparia Barn Swallow                          Hirundo rustica Cedar Waxwing                         Bombycilla cedrorum House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon Gray Catbird                          Dumetella carolinensis Wood Thrush                           Hylocichla mustelina American Robin                        Turdus migratorius Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                 Polioptila caerulea Black-capped Chickadee                Poecile atricapillus Tufted Titmouse                       Baeolophus bicolor Blue Jay                              Cyanocitta cristata American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus Warbling Vireo                        Vireo gilvus Red-eyed Vireo                        Vireo olivaceus House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis Blue-winged Warbler                   Vermivora pinus Yellow Warbler                        Dendroica petechia Chestnut-sided Warbler                Dendroica pensylvanica Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata Blackburnian Warbler                  Dendroica fusca Black-and-white Warbler               Mniotilta varia American Redstart                     Setophaga ruticilla Ovenbird                              Seiurus aurocapillus Mourning Warbler                      Oporornis philadelphia Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas Hooded Warbler                        Wilsonia citrina Scarlet Tanager                       Piranga olivacea Eastern Towhee                        Pipilo erythrophthalmus Chipping Sparrow                      Spizella passerina Field Sparrow                         Spizella pusilla Savannah Sparrow                      Passerculus sandwichensis Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia Northern Cardinal                     Cardinalis cardinalis Rose-breasted Grosbeak                Pheucticus ludovicianus Indigo Bunting                        Passerina cyanea Bobolink                              Dolichonyx oryzivorus Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus Eastern Meadowlark                    Sturnella magna Common Grackle                        Quiscalus quiscula Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater Baltimore Oriole                      Icterus galbula

76 SPECIES
For the trip: 199 SPECIES

FINAL TRIP LIST

Here's the final list, grouped according to frequency of occurence. So out of 20 birding days:

ENCOUNTERED EVERY DAY:
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
American Robin
European Starling
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch

ENCOUNTERED MOST DAYS:
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Mallard
Turkey Vulture
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Mourning Dove
Rock Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Blue-headed Vireo
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Gray Catbird
Nashville Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Pine Warbler
Black and White Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Field Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Finch
House Finch
House Sparrow

ENCOUNTERED LESS THAN HALF THE TIME:
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
American Bittern
Great Egret
Green Heron
Mute Swan
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Blue-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Bald Eagle
Osprey
Merlin
American Kestrel
Ring-necked Pheasant
Ruffed Grouse
Wild Turkey
Sandhill Crane
Sora
Semipalmated Plover
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Upland Sandpiper
Dunlin
Least Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Common Snipe
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Forster's Tern
Black Tern
Black-billed Cuckoo
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood Pewee
Willow Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Red-eyed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Gray Jay
Common Raven
Horned Lark
Purple Martin
Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Tufted Titmouse
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
Winter Wren
Sedge Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Wood Thrush
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Brown Thrasher
American Pipit
Cedar Waxwing
Northern Parula
Orange-crowned Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Indigo Bunting
Eastern Towhee
Clay-colored Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Eastern Meadowlark
Bobolink
Evening Grosbeak
Pine Siskin

ENCOUNTERED ONLY ONCE (AND WHERE)
Eared Grebe (Muskegon Sewage Ponds)
Red-necked Grebe (Whitefish Point)
Snowy Egret (Pt. Mouillee)
Trumpeter Swan (Seney NWR)
American Wigeon (Ottowa NF)
Northern Shoveler (Muskegon Sewage Ponds)
Green-winged Teal (Pt. Mouillee)
Redhead (Pictured Rocks NL)
Greater Scaup (Muskegon Sewage Ponds)
Lesser Scaup (Marl Lake)
White-winged Scoter (Whitefish Point)
Red-breasted Merganser (Whitefish Point)
Ruddy Duck (Muskegon Sewage Ponds)
Red-shouldered Hawk--if it really was... (Skegmog Swamp)
American Coot (Pt. Mouillee)
Virginia Rail (West Lake)
Black-bellied Plover (Pt. Mouillee)
Piping Plover (Tawas Point SP)
Hudsonian Godwit (Ottowa NF)
Willet (Pt. Mouillee)
Pectoral Sandpiper (Ottowa NF)
Red Knot (Tawas Point)
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Pt. Mouillee)
American Woodcock (Port Huron SGA)
American Avocet (Pt. Mouillee)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Port Huron SGA)
Common Nighthawk (Port Huron)
Red-headed Woodpecker (Tawas Point)
Acadian Flycatcher (Whitehouse NC)
Northern Mockingbird (Whitefish Point--ironic to get this "southern" bird at almost the northernmost spot in Michigan!)
Tennessee Warbler (Tawas Point)
Cerulean Warbler (Allegan SGA)
Kirtland's Warbler (Huron NF)
Bay-breasted Warbler (Huron NF)
Louisiana Waterthrush (Allegan SGA)
Yellow-breasted Chat (Whitehouse NC)
Grasshopper Sparrow (Pt. Mouillee)
Dark-eyed Junco (Huron NF)
Western Meadowlark (Willow Run Airport)
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Pt. Mouillee)
Brewer's Blackbird (Presque Isle Park)
Orchard Oriole (Tawas Point)

Mary Beth Stowe
San Diego, CA
MiriamEagl@aol.com