Magee and Beyond

On Wednesday, 5/15, I visited Magee Marsh in Ohio to try to clean up some of my missing warblers and other migrants I had yet to photograph. The winds looked good, and a Kirtland's Warbler had been seen the previous day. I was hoping the migrants would cooperate.

In short, they did. It was an awesome day. East Beach was loaded with warblers, including the female Kirtland's from the day before. I also added Chestnut-sided and Bay-breasted Warblers to the year list.

Bay-breasted Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Kirtland's Warbler

After enjoying the migrants at East Beach, I retreated to my car to avoid a nasty rain squall that looked like it would quickly pass. I moved to the boardwalk where the birds were just as numerous as the people. The one upside to a crowded boardwalk is that if a bird is around, some one will see it. However, I didn't need the crowd of people to point out this very vocal, and skulky Mourning Warbler.

Mourning Warbler

One of my favorite warblers, the Canada Warbler, was also present. I never see a lot of these warblers, so I always appreciate a sighting.

Canada Warbler

It was also neat to see this American Woodcock resting up right off the path, being admired by many. I wondered if I would be able to photograph this bird this year.

American Woodcock

There were a couple other migrants around the boardwalk, but you'll have to visit the flickr page to see them.


Today, 5/18, my dad and I birded Muskegon County, Michigan. I had three main targets: Ruddy Duck, Eastern Meadowlark and, most importantly, Upland Sandpiper.

On our drive over, near Coopersville, I spotted a white goose with some Canadas off the highway. I exited and backtracked, happy to find that white goose was indeed a Snow Goose. +1

Snow Goose

We drove to Pere Marquette Park to look for shorebirds. Only shorebirds present were a plethora of Spotted Sandpipers.

At the Muskegon Wastewater, Ruddy Duck was common and easy to photograph.

Ruddy Duck

Eastern Meadowlark proved to be a bit more of a challenge. I finally got one photo to show the white malar.

Eastern Meadowlark

While driving around the wastewater proper, we spotted a couple Eared Grebes. The lighting was the worst, and the picture is barely manageable.

Eared Grebe

This was going very well! Now to just find an Upland Sandpiper. On our first drive around the property boundary, we didn't see one. On our way back, we spotted one running around. If it hadn't been moving, we would have missed it.

Upland Sandpiper

We even made it back to Lansing in time to watch the Detroit Red Wings crush the Chicago Blackhawks. All in all, a great day!

I won't be doing a lot of birding in the coming few days. I need to prepare for my first field season as a graduate student, which involves a quick trip to Minneapolis. I leave for the field season  (in Nevada) on May 23rd. I hope to get one or two more birds in Michigan before I head out. Stay tuned.

Alaska Trip- Final Day

Sunday, 5/12, was my last day of birding in Alaska. We were still in Homer and woke early to get to the spit. We had a tip from another birder that Aleutian Terns could be seen from the middle of the spit early in the morning and would fly over with fish. It only took about 30 seconds before we found two distant terns foraging over the bay. They came closer and closer, eventually giving us great looks at Aleutian Terns! Although we had wonderful looks, the fog, low light and distance made photography a nightmare.

Aleutian Tern

Although the above picture is horrendous, this tern can easily be identified as an Aleutian by the dark secondary bar, the only tern in Alaska to have one. The tail is short, unlike Arctic and contrasts with the gray body.

Scott and I decided to leave the spit and do some land birding before heading back to Anchorage. Immediately after getting out of the car, a solid flock of White-winged Crossbills were noisily feeding in some conifers. At this point is was starting to lightly rain. I still got some photos.

White-winged Crossbill

There were Varied Thrushes singing (if you can call it that) everywhere. We ran into a few throughout our walk. Yet another mediocre photo for you to look at.

Varied Thrush

This hike was already very productive. I started pishing for migrants but instead a pair of curious Gray Jays responded. They hopped around, checking us out, before moving on.

Gray Jay

It was a long, uneventful ride back to Anchorage. We stopped again at Potter's Marsh so I could get some distant Red-necked Grebe photos. Keeping with the theme of poor photos, this fits in perfectly.

Red-necked Grebe

My time in Alaska was a huge success for my Photographic Big Year. In two and a half days I scored 36 new photographed year birds. The people were great as always, the birding was amazing as usual and I'm already missing Alaska.

I wasted no time once I got back to Michigan. Yesterday (5/15) I had an excellent day at Magee Marsh in Ohio, adding quite a few of my missing warblers and a few other birds as well. Stay tuned.

All funds raised through this big year go to support bird conservation in Hawaii. See this page for more information. The pledge is tax deductible.

Alaska Trip- Day 2

On Saturday, 5/11, I woke in Homer. Scott and I birded a bit around Homer before he dropped me off at the boat launch where I hopped on a small enclosed boat with an open back. Glaucous-winged Gulls greeted me at the harbor.

Glaucous-winged Gull

As I was walking down to the boat, I thought to check the shore as I've seen Wandering Tattlers here in the past. Wouldn't you know it, a Wandering Tattler was present.

Wandering Tattler

I was relieved to see the Tattler since they can be very hit or miss. This particular bird only stuck around for about a minute before heading elsewhere. It would turn out to be the only Tattler I saw all weekend.

Once on the boat, I was saddened by the news that the captain hadn't seen Yellow-billed Loon, Red-faced Cormorant or Tufted Puffin, three big targets, on any of his previous tours this spring. I figured they had to be out there somewhere and kept a watchful eye. Sure enough, one of the first birds I spotted on the way to our first destination was a showy Yellow-billed Loon. The captain turned around so all aboard could enjoy.

Yellow-billed Loon

This got me excited. Anything could be out in Kachemak Bay. As we cruised around the shoreline at our first destination, we scanned for Black Oystercatchers. None were seen in the traditional spots, but the captain had one more idea of where we might find them. We found a pair loafing, then feeding along the rocky shore.

Black Oystercatcher

Things were looking good! We ran into a few more of my targets as we cruised the shore including Black Turnstone and Surfbird.

Black Turnstone

Surfbird

To finish off the new shorebirds seen in Kachemak Bay, thousands of Red-necked Phalarope were scattered. Luckily, the water was like glass which made finding them easy.

Red-necked Phalarope

We made a stop at Gull Island where a huge nesting colony of Black-legged Kittiwake was in full swing. Surrounding the islands were thousands of alcids. Common Murre were the most numerous.

Common Murre

I knew now was the time to find a Puffin. If they were back, they would be alongside the Murres. Things looked hopeless until I spied two Tufted Puffins swimming by themselves, completely separated from the massive Murre flocks. Bingo!

Tufted Puffin

Also present in the bay in many locations were Pigeon Guillemots. They were busy pairing up and chasing each other around. I could even hear the high pitched calls they gave. Pretty cool!

Pigeon Guillemot

Murrelets nest in the mountains surrounding the Kachemak Bay. Marbled Murrelet is the most common, usually quite abundant. We saw pairs scattered all around the bay. Some were in full alternate plumage, while others were still in basic.

Marbled Murrelet in basic plumage

Kittlitz's Murrelet is much less common in the bay, but still present. I only saw one Kittlitz's this time. It was also in basic plumage, providing a nice comparison with the basic Marbled. Notice the white face compared to the black face of the Marbled.

Kittlitz's Murrelet

Red-faced Cormorant was my last big target for the boat trip. Unfortunately, there weren't many cormorants around. As I picked through the available cormorants, all I could find were Pelagic Cormorants. Red-faced would be my one big "miss" this trip.

Pelagic Cormorant

The trip was over by 3:30pm, leaving plenty of time to bird the Homer spit. Once Scott picked me up, he received a call about some Pacific Golden-Plovers in a grassy area long the spit.

Pacific Golden-Plover

This was turning out to be a fantastic day! The birds were all being very cooperative. After we left the plovers, a small group of Brant were seen in the bay off the spit. Yet another new year and photo bird.

Brant

White-winged Scoters were also present in the bay. While most were seen from a distance, we got pretty close to a few while on the boat.

White-winged Scoter

The last new year bird for the day was this Eurasian Wigeon. They were quite numerous on Saturday. Up to 8 individuals were reported from various locations around Homer. I missed the one I chased in Michigan, so this was a nice backup.

Eurasian Wigeon

So, day 2 of my quick Alaska trip was another great success. Sunday (5/12) would be my last day in Homer and Alaska. I was still missing Aleutian Tern, among a few other birds. You'll have to check back soon for the next update!

If you are enjoying the blog and are interested in pledging to support bird conservation, please see this page for more information. All pledges are tax deductible!

Alaska Trip- Day 1

This past weekend I visited Alaska, specifically Anchorage and Homer with a few stops between. I got to Anchorage on Thursday night (5/9) and enjoyed pizza and beer with a couple friends from Moose's Tooth, my favorite beer and pizza pub.

On Friday, I birded Westchester Lagoon and a couple other coastal areas around Anchorage while waiting for Scott Schuette to get out of work. It wasn't hard to pick up year birds. Black-billed Magpies are common right in town.

Black-billed Magpie

Westchester only had a little open water, but that concentrated the waterfowl. Three Barrow's Goldeneye were present in the available water.

Barrow's Goldeneye

Another bird seen along the path was this Northwestern Crow, a very rare bird for Anchorage. They are common to the south. This is the only crow present in Alaska. This individual has been hanging around Anchorage for a while now.

Northwestern Crow

Mew Gulls are the most common gull in Anchorage and were setting up territories at Westchester. The harsh lighting made photography difficult.

Mew Gull

Following the path along the coast provided a few more photo opportunities. The tide was really far out and so were the birds. This Red-throated Loon was along the edge of the mud flats. I'm surprised the picture turned out at all! Not that it is a wall hanger, but it will do for now.

Red-throated Loon

On the mudflats were scattered Hudsonian Godwits. They were also quite distant, but close enough for identifiable pictures. Again, not the greatest (a theme that will become common from this trip...).

Hudsonian Godwit

I checked below the Clitheroe Center for ducks, but came up empty.  I did, however, have two very skulky and silent Golden-crowned Sparrows. It took a while to even get them to sit still.

Golden-crowned Sparrow

With Scott now out of work, I met him back at his place to start the drive south to Homer. But not before photographing this Violet-green Swallow flying around his apartment.

Violet-green Swallow

On our way out of town, we stopped briefly at Potter's Marsh so I could photograph an Arctic Tern. They are abundant at the marsh, and very tame.

Arctic Tern

We continued south heading for Homer. While driving through the mountains, a Varied Thrush along the road teased me as I couldn't stop for a picture. Luckily, I knew there would be more. We made a quick stop at the Kenai Flats but found nothing to brag about. We also checked Cannery Road as I've had great luck here in the past. This place proved to be very birdy with Pipits, Longspurs, Ducks, Geese and Shorebirds all taking advantage of the open water.

American Pipit

Cackling Goose

Greater White-fronted Goose

Lapland Longspur

Pectoral Sandpiper

We continued south, and as we were driving, Scott got a call about a Eurasian Hobby at the Anchor River. We were almost there, and had planned on stopping there anyway. We spent a couple hours, along with many others, but came up with no Hobby.

We ended the night in Homer. I was signed up for an all day boat trip into Kachemak Bay on Saturday. Check back soon for pictures from Homer!

Failed Chasing

The past two days have been a bit disappointing. Yesterday (5/7), I drove from Lansing, MI to Linton, IN to look for the Spotted Redshank. It was present the previous night until after dark, but on my trip it was a no show. It was a good time with good company, besides the absence of a Redshank. Just down the road, a Bell's Vireo was singing constantly, so I took advantage.

Bell's Vireo

Today (5/8), I birded Waterloo State Rec Area, mainly Glenn Road east of Mt. Hope Road in Michigan. This is a hotspot for Cerulean Warblers and produced at least 8 birds, if not more. I was glad to get a few photos.

Cerulean Warbler

Also singing all along the road were Wood Thrushes. I never got close to one as they were singing high in the trees, but it was really great hearing so many breeding birds singing on territory.

Wood Thrush

My main goal for the morning, however, was to see and photograph the Eurasian Wigeon at Trinkle Marsh at the corner of Dancer Road and Trinkle Road in Washtenaw Road. Unfortunately, I saw no Wigeon of any species.

I ended my morning at the corner of Parker and Scio Church Road, a crossroads where Trumpeter Swan is a given. Sure enough, the pair was busy working on a nest.

Trumpeter Swan

The rest of the day was spent packing and preparing for my trip to Alaska. I leave tomorrow and have Friday-Sunday to bird before returning back to Michigan on Monday. I'll be going to Homer for the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival. Next update will come on Tuesday with, hopefully, lots of pictures!

If you would like to support this photographic big year with a pledge, please see this page here. The pledge is tax deductible and the entire amount will go to the American Bird Conservancy for Hawaiian bird conservation!

Back in Michigan

I left Florida very early Sunday morning, although I really didn't want to. Florida has so much going for it, but I needed to get back to Michigan. I made it back Sunday night after 16 hours of driving. I had plans to get up early this morning and go birding around Muskegon, but I couldn't talk myself out of bed.

Instead, I slept in and opted to get some chores done that needed doing. I still got out to Fenner Nature Center and Crego Park. Both places were dead. At Fenner, I found a Nashville Warbler singing from very high in the canopy. I took a few shots anyway. Given my limited time left in the east, I'll take what I can get.

Nashville Warbler

 At Crego Park I was pleased to hear Warbling Vireos insistently singing. I always get Warbling Vireos here at the right time of year. This picture would have turned out alright, too, if I hadn't blown the highlights in the background so bad!

Warbling Vireo

Even on a really slow day, I added two new birds to the photographic big year list.

I think tomorrow I need to head to Magee Marsh in Ohio as they have been having some great birding lately. I'm not a fan of the crowds, but maybe the boardwalk on a Tuesday won't be so bad... Wishful thinking?

300 down, 200 to go

Last Sunday I went to St. George Island State Park along the gulf coast of Florida. The weather wasn't looking good for migrants and I expected it to be slow, but surely I could find a Cape May Warbler, right? I needed two new birds photographed for 300, so I set that as a modest goal. It was harder than it sounds.

When I got to the youth camp area of the Island, it was dead. However, a Merlin was seen carrying some fresh prey. Conditions were horrible for photography and it was distant.

Merlin

Not long after, I spied a Cape May Warbler, but it was very flighty and didn't sit still. After exploring more of the island, finding hardly any birds, I returned to the youth camp area. I refound the Cape May and it was a bit more cooperative this time.

Cape May Warbler

Tomorrow morning (5/5) I leave very early for Michigan. The Black-faced Grassquit in Miami is tempting, but I just can't imagine making the 15 hour detour. I'll live to regret this decision, I'm sure.

Once back in Michigan, I intend to bird as much as I can, but I'll be very busy. I leave for Alaska on Thursday to attend the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival. I've been to the festival the past two years in a row and look forward to returning. I had enough frequent flyer miles to get there for free, otherwise this trip wouldn't have been possible.

Check back soon!