Pt. Mouillee SGA in Monroe Co. re-opened to birders again December 15. This morning I took the bike back there for the first time since late August. I was hoping to relocated a Purple Sandpiper that was reported by...
Pt. Mouillee SGA in Monroe Co. re-opened to birders again December 15. This morning I took the bike back there for the first time since late August. I was hoping to relocated a Purple Sandpiper that was reported by Justin Labadie a few days ago. I'd dip...
I took a drive down Haggerman Rd. past the Antennae Farm just before 8 am and saw 3 Short-eared Owls cruising the fields inside the fence just before settling down for the day.
I'd continue down Port Sunlight Rd. but would not see the previously-reported Northern Shrike; a pair of Northern Harriers flying south would have to suffice.
Mouillee Creek parking lot was empty, and I'd have the SGA to myself this morning. Skies were clear and the sunrise was intense as I rode east along the Middle Causeway. Inland ponds were freezing over and a bit of Mouillee Creek was frozen, as well.
A flock of Bonaparte's Gulls were foraging the small amount of open water of the creek near the pumphouse. Lighting was harsh, and the birds were a bit of a distance away, but more birds were flying in from the north.
As I continued on toward the Vermet Unit I noticed a MASSIVE duck flight over Lake Erie and the mouth of the Huron River. I initially estimated 20,000 (presumed) Canvasback and Redhead flying south but decided I should try to photo document the flight and get a better count afterward. So I shot a series of frames across the ½-mile long skein of ducks and generated a panorama so that I could get a better count.
I counted the first 1000 by hand from the right side of the above image, then cluster-counted the rest and came up with 21,000 ducks, so I'll go w/ my original estimate. BTW, I'd find another ~10,000 Redhead/Canvasback in a massive raft just out from Pt. Mouillee HQ a bit later...
I then rode the west side of the Vermet Unit north to the North Causeway and found some 200 Tundra Swans scattered out front of the HQ. Three additional Tundra Swans flew directly overhead just moments later, and several more after that.
Dec 20, 2023 8:13 AM - 11:04 AM
Protocol: Traveling
10.819 mile(s)
25 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 276
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) 65
Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) 430
Gadwall (Mareca strepera) 2
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 322
American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) 2
Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) 10000
Redhead (Aythya americana) 10000 Massive flock of mixed Redhead and Canvasback flew sputh. Estimated 50% of 10000 birds. Another large raft pf 10000 in river out from Pt Moo HQ.
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) 50
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) 102
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) 223
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) 42
American Coot (Fulica americana) 1
Bonaparte's Gull (Chroicocephalus philadelphia) 181
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) 220
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 10
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus) 2
Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) 1
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) 4
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) 1
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 6
American Tree Sparrow (Spizelloides arborea) 5
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S156743001
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)