2011-06-15 Wetzel SRA (Macomb County), Michigan

2011-06-15 Wetzel SRA (Macomb County), Michigan
I will probably put more words and pics here later, or at least add other pics to my PBase site. I got lots!

Judy and I had the great fortune to bird with Janet Hug today at Wetzel SRA. We had only met her once before - at Kensington MetroPark - serendipity! - but we have been Facebook friends for a long time. Janet is a really great photographer - especially for birds.

We slowly birded for about 2 1/2 hours and walked a mile and a half (per Judy's inseparable pedometer).

I was really proud to able to put Janet on her first Bobolink of the year. Other birders have done that for me ("do you have a whazzit?") on many occasions, but this was my first time leading the way. Better yet, the Bobolink came with a matched pair - even I got great pics of both the posing male and the much harder female! The male kept up antics - including overhead aerial when a nest is nearby - to draw attention away from the family. Once we figured out we were near the nest location, we shot a few pics and left them to their normal activities.

Singing male Bobolink

Janet's pics will be much better. I just felt really proud I could put her on the exact spot for the Bobolinks (must be the name - smile...) she needed this year.

In addition, Janet had brought her iPod, so when we saw a brief glimpse of a dinky bird at the edge of the pond, she could play and verify the lovely song of her lifer Marsh Wren we were hearing. High fives! What a lovely gurgling wren song! Lacking Aaron Copeland, anyone have ideas of an extant classical music composer to whom to suggest the song as an adapted inclusion in a musical score?


My "lifer" companion, photo-biographer, and general love of my life - Judy - took a pic of Janet and me at the start of our walk.

Judy took another on the trails. It is fantastic that DNR keeps the main trails mowed but does not mess with the natural habitat! In my experience locally, Wetzel is truly unique! We are in the Savannah Sparrow habitat. Bobolinks are just "aways down the road". You might notice the fact Janet has her pant legs tucked into her socks. We do as well. Our normal protocol at Wetzel is to "tuck and spray" lower extremities with DEET as a tick barrier. It is not a big deal, but it is easy and helps.

The Bobolinks were in the same area as last week , but a different specific location. It leads me to suspect that there at least two breeding pairs there this year. We started at "6", and the Bobolinks were at "3".  Round trip was 1.5 miles. Last week they were between "3" and "4".

We were lucky enough to get pics of both the posing male, and the feeding female. We watched the female with bug in mouth - probably a dragonfly - checking out several locations before heading back to the nest. My guess is that she wanted something for everyone.  On many occasions I have seen my "deck birds" stuff their cheeks before leaving. Maybe a big family is why? I suspect Momma Bobolink was just trying to make sure everyone would get something. She tried (bug in mouth) in at least 4 spots before heading to the nest. Fascinating! I think if I ever wanted to take home a dragonfly for the kids, I would take one first, and then go back out for more for the others. On the other hand, I am not sure what I would do faced with gaping mouths and no knife or ability to wield one to slice my catch. Certainly I would not want to give my kids the impression of playing favorites!  "Sorry 'Bobeeta', 'Junior' eats first!"  Well there were plenty of d'flies, so I am sure "every-bob" got fed! :)

Female Bobolink with d'fly food for kids

The most abundant bird was the Savannah Sparrow. We must have seen at least two dozen, and were quite amazed at the morphological variations we observed.

- insert Savannah pics -



Oh! Not to forget other "flappy things". Lots of dragonflies and many butterfly species. I think dragonflies must be the preferred food of the blackbird family - which includes Bobolinks  - who would have thought about birds eating dragonflies?  OK, I can see the resemblance between Bobolinks and RWBB. Learning am I!

I well remember watching a dragonfly last year at Holland Ponds and waiting for it to land so I could get a pic, when a female Red-winged Blackbird caught it in the air and took off. I wonder about the "ode guys"  (dragonfly catchers) with big nets trying to catch dragonflies when a bird with essentially tweezers (i.e., bill) can catch them in mid-air. Now THAT would be a pic! I can just imagine a cartoon of good buddy Darrin O'Brien chasing "odes" with tweezers. Ha!

OK, Darrin, here are a few for you to ID for me. I am calling them all "clearwing dragons" because I can see right thru the wings. For communication reference I named them all myself. I'll update after you have a look.

Note: I just updated the photos with the right names per Darrin's IDs - Thanks Darrin! Not a true "Clearwing" in the bunch - so much for my naming efforts... I must have been thinking about the Hummingbird Clearwing I shot on the next trip - but that was a butterfly ... OK, now I can see it - or see thru it as the case may be - clear wings are rare in b'flies, but too common in d'flies to mean anything. Interesting!



Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) - I called it Yellow-striped abdomen clearwing

 

Common Whitetail (Libellula lydia) - I called it Rocky Clearwing 

Per my reference, this  looks like an immature male. Interesting that I thought it was a totally different species than the abundant bulky white-tailed things that are so common there.



Dot-tailed Whiteface (Leucorrhinia intacta) - I called it Yellow-butt-dot Clearwing

We had a wonderful day, and can't wait to bird with Janet again. Great fun! Not only that, but she again showed me a new trick with my camera. I actually read my camera booklet, but never knew what some things meant in practice. I have been too complacent just getting a pic to possibly adjust to get a better pic - and obviously need help. (Thanks Janet! My Clay-colored Sparrow pics a couple days later benefited greatly!)
Wetzel is an amazingly unspoiled natural place so relatively near us. I highly recommend any local birders to visit the Wetzel  "Friends"  website, and if you are a Facebook user, to "Like" them (link on the referenced page). Community support for such unspoiled places is essential to guarantee perpetuity - especially in these hard economic times.

We anticipate birding with Janet again soon.

What fun!!!

Note: Rob Golda (Hiking Michigan) made a great map for Wetzel SRA. Another fantastic addition to Wetzel was the recent posting of trail maps by the Michigan DNR (per my photo above) on posts at trail branches so you can see where your are and where you might want to travel. We really appreciated these - thanks DNR!!! Between Rob's map and the DNR signposts, it is really easy to navigate! Check it out!

Michigan Prothonotary Warblers and Great-Crested Flycatchers!

2011-06-03 West Bloomfield Birding - OC Nesting Prothonotary Warblers

Following postings of Oakland County Prothonotary Warblers on the Southeast Michigan Birders list, our friend and mentor Ed Lewandowski called us up and asked if we wanted to bird with him. He knew it was perfect "Setzer birding" - that is: it was local, nice weather was predicted, a rest facility was available if needed, and there was a decent chance of seeing new birds. Ed knows us well. Sure; yes, yes, yes! What a great teacher and mentor. Thanks again Ed!


I also offer many thanks to Leslie, Kathy, and Mike for pin-pointing the location and increasingly accurate directions on the "Michigan Birders list" and for "firing Ed up"!

First to set the stage:

Last night Judy and I were walking/birding around Streamwood. Birding was not great - too many leaves! After awhile, we just really enjoyed sitting on our neighbors' deck and chatting awhile while watching the forest. We told Gary and Linda we were going out tomorrow with a friend to see a Prothonotary Warbler. (Geez. This does not look like much in print - but just try saying Pro-tho-no-tary Warbler (wrong!) or Pro-THON-o-tary Warbler (correct). And say it in mixed company. Well, anyway, off goes Linda - bending her recently hurting neck looking at imaginary birds in the forest behind her home! Fun!

It was very significant to me! I realized that with a straight face I had said something that was always very strange sounding thing to me before, and a source of humor. I spoke the names of fanciful - yet real - birds. I realized that I now must have fallen into the very strange - almost sci-fi - world of being a "birder"! I talked some "weird talk". Whew! Am I "are one" now? Guess so ...

So back to the story.

Not only did we get the advertised Prothonotary Warbler, but we saw (and I photographed!) a pair together. And we saw their nest hole. Yes! They are nesting in Oakland County! We had seen them at Magee Marsh (Ohio) last year and also this year and marveled at their beauty, but this was a Michigan lifer. I think it was also one for Ed - certainly an Oakland County lifer! Whee!

Not only a Prothonotory Warblet (amazing in itself), but a great pic!!

A pair of the most fantastic warblers. In love  - in Michgan!



Prothonotary Warbler eats blue dragonfly


Not only the pair of Prothonotary Warblers, but also a Great Crested Flycatcher talked to us incessently and posed for pics! This was only the second time I saw one, and the first time I had really good looks. Great indeed!

There were lots of other birds as well, including a Hairy Woodpecker feeding young in another dead tree. Alas, it was too far away for pics, but we could see a small head occasionally pop out of the hole.

In addition to birds, we saw a snapping turtle on the path, many butterflies, and more species of dragonflies (bird food) than we have ever seen at one place before.

Incessant talker!

OK - just an amazing shot of a Great Crested Flycatcher in flight!

Geez! What deck talk this will make!!! (Yes, I think "I are one" - a birder ...). Makes for interesting - albeit bizarre - conversations with regular folks. Thanks Linda for understanding, and being so knowledgeable as to put on a great charade to exemplify what birders must look like! I do hope your neck is OK! Fun! And, it was all true.

Then we went to Drayton Plains to see Mike Mencotti's Common Moorhen (more good deck talk,and another local lifer), but without location specifics and with the flightieness of birds, we "dipped" = birder talk for we missed it. We walked the whole circuit around the ponds there. From its distinctive song, I added a Common Yellowthroat to my OC life list.

I plan to drop a bunch more pics on this blog (or more likely on my PBase site) later, but for now just want to get the initial story "out there". Ed has always been our "lucky charm" for local lifers, and indeed we seem to do likewise for him. Fantastic day!

Directions:
Go to the West Bloomfield Woods Nature Preserve and Trail Network. This is off Arrowhead Road just south of Pontiac Trail. We parked in the main lot and walked across Arrowhead to a newly opened gravel trail on the bed of the former Grand Trunk Railroad.  As Leslie and Mike had indicated, the Prothonotaries were about a couple hundred yards down the trail. Ed was surprised to see that a formerly closed area was now open for hikers/bikers and birders. I was personally amazed that I found an alternative to our beloved Holland Ponds, and that it seems to have far more diversity and potential than Holland. Great day indeed! It will also be fun on return visits to explore the park itself.

Most Michiganders have no idea what it is like to live without easy access to public lands within a suburban environment (...says the guy from California ...). "Backyard birding". Magee Marsh may concentrate migrating birds, and the Prothonotary Warblers are often the birds people remember best, but they are nesting right here in Oakland County! Go local!

Thanks Ed!!! And thanks all for the inspiration and references from the list that started this fantastic day!!

Go Bird! Go local!
- "Dr, Bob"

May 2011 Ohio Trip

2011-May 08-09 Northwest Ohio - Magee Marsh and Metzger Marsh

This was the most amazing ever trip to the area. We actually went during "The Biggest Week in America Birding". Despite the crowds we avoided last year - we hate crowds - we really benefitted greatly from the combined talent of local and international guides as well as the expertise of "just regular" birders.  Next year we will again go during the most crowded week. Wherever and whenever else can you harness the expertise of so many birders at one time.

I have hundreds of pics to process before I fill out this blog, but needed to drop it in now as a "placeholder" ... Stay tuned ...

Spring 2011 - Local Birding in Southeast Michigan

(Pics enroute ... come back again)

Interestingly, today Judy and I walked locally at Streamwood  and one of our friends (and correspondent) kiddingly said "how can I know what you actually saw when you never post photos anymore"? Ya, sure - point taken.

I am quite embarassed I have not posted since February. This has been the best spring for birding around here ever in my short birding life! Yes, I have been meaning to update my blog, and I am really embarrased! I am really been proud of the fact I have a blog and that many people like it. Thanks so much! Here is my start.

Yes, it has been a great spring! What to do? Work on my hundreds of pics, and try to find words to express my excitement and joy at dozens of new lifers, or go birding? I guess y'all know my choice. I have been "doing" rather than writing. I have often posted sightings and "rambles" on the southeast Michigan birder's listserv, but my postings have done nothing for this blog.

Now the darn leaves are out, and the heat and humidity return. Maybe it is a good time to catch up.

The greatest thing about this spring was that the temperatures were cool (like a high in 50's on a good day). While we enjoyed non-freezing temps and got out birding, the plants did not have enough warmth to go "all out". It is the first time I remember migratory birds arriving before the leaves. I guess they must have had a few bugs to eat enroute to their final destinations, but I am sure the bugs were not in normal quantities. All the better for us I suspect! No leaves, lingering migrants needing more  food before continuing north, and few 'skeeters - whew! Great spring for birding for humans and photographers!

We also followed the recommendation of a scruffy man we met at Beaudette Park this winter while we were observing the diving ducks that concentrate there in open water when local lakes are frozen. We normally just go to Beaudette to see the ducks, and when they leave, so do we. Scruffy man (cloaked in winter hair camo) said Beaudette Park is great for warblers during migration. Try it. OK, fine ...

Well he was right! He also said that he often sat on a picnic table overlooking the forest and could see warblers. Right again!

We were so lucky to see two birders at Beaudette Park when we made our initial spring visit this year. We watched them surveying the trees, and respectfully paused in approach, and they waved us to come in. It turns out our "winter friend" - now clean-shaven and no longer looking  homeless - remembered us. "Dr. Bob and Judy". Easy for him - we did not look much different except for lighter jackets, and one of his birding friends is named Judy. Huh? Eventually a few synapses fired and I remembered the now-shaven Bill from our winter walks. This time he had his friend Gordon (another excellent birder) with him.

It did not look like they were seeing much until they said "look there" and named a bird. Sure enough!  Again and again!

Eventually I "got into it" and offered  places to look. They always knew the name of the bird. On a rare occasion or two (a "rattling" Baltimore Oriole for one), I could actually point out a good one for them before they saw it. Synergy!

So much fun! So many new local lifers!

We also birded other local places.

<< add places, lists, pics >>

On my own, I saw and shot a Black-throated Green Warbler right here at Streamedge!


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Another highlight was definitely meeting Kevin Rysiewski at Stoney Creek. We met him near the lake down the path heading west from the parking area by North Dam. It overlooked where I had proposed to Judy over a decade before, and actually is a good fishing spot! Kevin - also a fisherman - confirmed the fishing idea. Needless to say, my best catch was recorded there! It was I who hooked the best!

<< add sightings, pics>>

Anyway, Kevin suggested we try the mountain bike trails at West Branch of Stoney Creek and told of wonderful birds to seek. We did so.

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I later suggested to Kevin that he join the Michigan Birder's listserv. He did so. He has become an amazing contributor to "the list", providing not only bird records, but also specific mile-markers at West Branch, Stoney Creek where they were sighted. Not only has he become an important contributor to "the list", but also a wonderful resource to Stoney Creek Metro Park in compiling a species list. Great "kid"!!!  It is so nice to see Stoney Creek MP recognized as  a great birding hotspot in our area! Based on the Nature Center area, we always thought it quite boring, but we never walked the West Branch trails before Kevin suggested it.

I am so happy to report as I age: "And a child shall lead them"! (I think Kevin is in his 20's  - still a "kid" to me...). I proudly acknowledge this now as I age; yet I was - and sometimes still am - a great teacher. I find that I am learning so much from my juniors these days. And I am so proud to have the "kids" recognize me as a colleague (if you will) or at least as a birder to be befriended. What a great community this birding endeavor breeds!

Thinking here specifically about Kevin (but appropriate to many more "kids" who help us), Kevin tolerated my slower walking pace. In a way, it really did not hurt "the hunt" much. I seem to have learned that the more you slow down and wait, the more birds will come to you (hey - a "lesson"). But I remember specifically that Kevin (who knows the trails at West Branch so well) told us "there is just one more hill, then it is all down hill". Thanks! I needed that! What had started as a projected less than 2 mile flat walk had turned into about 4.5 miles on the "mid-difficulty" trails at West Branch. Whew! Yet, I doubt Kevin ever knew that when we started following him.

To our birder friends I say, if you ever pick us up along the way, or ever choose to take us with you from the start, we will go as far as we will. We have the choice to disconnect if we need to, yet we will continue to push forward. Our most memorable experiences have come by pushing ourselves. I tend to call us "fair weather birders" - and might add "lazy" sometimes. Yet, we will follow your lead when available!

Following Kevin on the trails was great. Just after the comment of "one more hill", I caught my first ever sighting of a Barred Owl in the wild! Similarly, walks with other birders always offered more new species after a time we might have normally quit on our own.

Gotta love "kids"!

Sure, even Allen Chartier is a "kid" compared to me. Certainly my buddy Ed Lewandowski; my mentor Jerry Jourdan; Darrin O'Brien; Janet "Kissin Hugs"; Cathy Carroll; Chris Goulart; so many more - sorry if I forgot anyone... just rambling ... Y'all push me and indeed I need it!

But when talking "kids",  of course James Fox, Harold Eyster, Sarah Toner, Andy Johnson - many more? WOW - real "kids"! Someday I want to bird with them! Hey, kids, lead me!

It is so wonderful to have inspirations! At this point in my life, I know I can never achieve what I might have done before, but I am so delighted that it seems like I have teachers and inspirations everywhere. Yes, and often a child shall lead!

Anyway, I dispersed a few pics throughout this  "ramble" and I hope you like.

And, once again, I thank all my mentors, friends and "kids" for the inspiration to share my "ramble"!

2011-02-04 Winter visitors photographed on a rare sunny day!

2011-02-04 Dutton and Lapeer Roads

Judy and I went back yesterday to the place off Dutton Road that Ed made us start visiting. We were wondering if any birds were still around after the large snowfall this week. Judy always thinks of what the birdies do when there is a big snowfall.

We were in luck. The flock was much smaller than we previously saw there. Instead of about 100 individuals, it was now about like two dozen. But the great news was that all three winter visitors were present!

It was full sun. My "cheap" Canon DSLR only seems to get decent renditions when it is sunny. Judy's Kodak always seems to work just fine. I will always wonder...

Anyway, the lighting and pics were great. I can now add some decent pics of the three major "winter visitors" to my blog. Also in playing with my pics, I also found out that now I have a "birdie foot fetish". Allen Chartier commented on an earlier photo of mine that it showed the long curved hind toe that gives the Longspur its name. So now I gotta look at birdie feet. Hey - it turns out quite fascinating. Check them footsies out.

Lapland Longspur

  The related Snow Buntings also have  long spur as well. (Note I said related ...)


Snow Bunting

  I am starting to think of  the spiked "ice creepers" some fishermen use ... On the other hand, I also think about nuthatches, titmice, and others that I know have curved hind toes. Each is for a specific adaptive reason, so now I just gotta pursue my new fetish.


Horned Lark - showing horns

 The foot thing with Larks is different. Interesting. I did notice that they were in a different family than the Longspurs and Buntings. Maybe this is one reason? Maybe pursuing my birdie foot fetish may shed some light on bird families as well as environmental adaptations. Always learning ...


Horned Lark - showing straight hindtoe

 Anyway, just wanted to share my really great pics (if I do say so myself...) with everyone.

2011-01-26 Lapland Longspurs in Oakland County

2011-01-26 Lapland Longspurs and other rare winter birds off Dutton Road

Darn (well ... I really mean bless!) Ed Lewandowski! I had just settled down for a short winter's nap and Ed called to tell me that he had just seen Lapland Longspurs (Monday, 2011-01-24) at the spot where previously I had seen his Snow Buntings. I immediately recognized the name of a bird we had never seen ("lifer" in bird-speak) - all the while thinking in my waking moment "Where the heck is Lapland?" It's not as easy as you might think. I knew Scandinavians had something to do with it, but different countries seem to lay claim. Since the Finland tourism agency pays for the top ad on Google, I guess they win. I do think they have really cool costumes in Finland. I guess if I lived there I would have a really cool costume as well - just to stay warm! Hey, sounds like birds to me ... they all have evolutionarily-expensive down jackets. Even the more "southerly" Michigan birds have down jackets! I suspect if we were "street people" only those of us with good winter coatings (and a good food source) would survive here.

And what is a long spur anyway? I guess it must have something to do with the birds foot - spur, get it? I have not pursued it yet.

So up I get, and off I go. Ed knew it was a "lifer" for me and he always knows how to get my attention with a quick call telling me of a nearby bird. What a wonderful friend!

The weather was overcast with light snow. In other words it was not very good for photos. But I was rewarded with a large flock of Snow Buntings and a few Horned Larks. On my prior trip to this spot I had seen  and photographed a single Snow Bunting (a "lifer" then) with the Horned Larks and that was exciting enough. Snow Buntings are beautiful birds. Now I saw a bunch of Snow Buntings. Indeed beautiful!

Because of less than decent pics, I doubted the Longspurs I saw and photographed Monday - until today (Wednesday, 2011-01-26). In comparing my pics from today with the pics from Monday, I found - indeed - I had shot a couple of Longspurs feeding with the Horned Larks at the back of the area. Cool! I can now recognize the differences between some of the very rare "drop in birds" from up north.

So after my initiation and original frustration to the presence of fin birds (I always thought that somehow birds were related to fishes - I think maybe somehow involving an evolution thru herps ...), I returned each day this week.

Yesterday (Tuesday) there were no Longspurs present in the brief 20 minutes time I was there, but the flock of Snow Buntings was now in the order of 80 birds. Simply incredible! Today I believe a second smaller flock joined them so the Snow Buntings now number over 90 birds.

I am so happy with the Snow Bunting pics I have processed so far.

Flocking Snow Buntings - how pretty!

Snow Buntings doing breast stroke! Incredible!

I am really amazed at this lucky pic. Over the last year, I took many pics that look like many different individual birds were being shot into dart boards, but never several at the same time. Now I finally understand. Some bird species "do the breast stroke" as they are flying. They are cutting the air very similar to how we cut the water when we do a breast stroke. OMG! I surely wish I had such muscles in my chest! Or ever did for that matter! Maybe I could have been a "water bird" to show off before female friends! Flap - push thru medium - glide as a bullet. Repeat as necessary. Geez! It happens so fast we never even see it with birds! They just kind of look like they are constantly flapping.

Gorgeous birds! Another lucky shot.

Off we go into the wild grey yonder ...



Hey! Food here! Come on in!

I am not really sure about "the story" on how Longspurs relate to Snow Buntings or Horned Larks. On Monday, the Longspurs were hanging out with the dozen Horned Larks in the rear of the area. They did not fly off much. On Tuesday and Wednesday the Horned Larks (again about a dozen) fed for quite awhile, then went off to sit on the retaining wall. The Longspurs were not with them. I was even using my Christmas binocs!

Horned Larks are much less spooky than Buntings. I do not know about Longspurs, I have never seen any Longspurs on the wall. Where did they go?

So far I think I have seen that the Snow Buntings have two flocks at Dutton. The largest one has about 80 individuals and is "pure". The second one has about 20 buntings and the longspurs seem to join it as they like. Sometimes they "flock off" together, but I am guessing that the longspurs are not very loyal to the flock. I really wonder when the longspurs detach and do their own thing!

From postings on the UM Birders and Ohio birders lists it seems that Lapland Longspurs are a regular rare minority within flocking buntings and I just can't help but to think maybe they opportunistically join either larks or buntings as they will. (Not that this makes any sense when thinking of a bird from "up north". I would certainly want to make the long flight with buddies ...) So many questions...

Buntings fly in together, eat briefly and take to the skies. In 20 minutes they might do this several times. Often they fly a quick loop and return. Sometimes they just go away. Their flight is such a marvelous sight with their contrasting wing patterns! I wonder how the tidbits they grab so briefly justifies the energy expended in flying in and out so often!

Horned Larks do not seem to be triggered by whatever drives the flocking buntings. Here I think about my deck birds. House Sparrows come in, eat, and leave almost instantly like the Snow Buntings. I have learned from birders that flocking has this distinct advantage. Bird paranoia triggered by probably one individual. With so many birds, some bird is always looking in every direction.  Quick! I saw a possible bird-eater! Flee! Dumb trigger bird probably forced the flock to use up all the calories they ate in the last minute? Well, it seems to work well, so who am I to second guess?



Horned Larks - the right one is definitely horned!


Mourning Doves on our deck will just sit there when the flockers flee until I approach the window, and even then will not leave until I approach further and smile at them. Maybe that is why Mourning Doves are so much bigger and fatter than Snow Buntings or House Sparrows? To me at this moment Horned Larks are the Mourning Doves of winter migrants. They eat - then just go sit on the wall until they get hungry. Yet, I tend to wonder why they are not larger... So many questions ...

Anyway, back to the story. The Dutton Road place Ed set up is just a fantastic gift to all local birders. It is perfect. I am normally not willing to leave the house in the dead of winter except for sure things - like needing groceries - and this spot is a sure thing. Barring "weather" - I mean scary roads or bad visiblity for my camera - I plan to go there often while the property is "Ed-tended". It is like having my deck feeder yet away from home where I can sit in my car and watch birds in my new backyard! I am warm. I am happy. I see fantastic birds! What more could I want? 

I tried on my first visit to get out of the car to take pics of the Horned Larks.  Just then a flock of Snow Buntings (then they were my lifers) flew in. They made some of the cute bunting noises I have heard since ("Let's get the heck outta here") and left me quite disappointed. My brief out-of-focus wing shots gave me enough confidence to call my lifer bunting for eBird.

I persisted in revisiting, knowing that Ed was ensuring the vistations. This has been one of the most memorable experiences of my birding life. I know exactly where to go. I know for sure that if I sit there for 20 to 30 minutes, a flock of buntings will drop in - normally several times. I love the wonderful colors and patterns of Snow Buntings on the ground and in flight. I will not pull the scope out of the trunk when it is freezing, nor do I need it here. I certainly will return again and again when I think there is an excellent chance of seeing birds that are normally found so much farther up north. Ed was the main person who got me into using eBird and I just recorded three species for Oakland County I will never see again before next winter. Great "car-birding"!

Suggestion: do NOT get out of your car. I suspect the birds are becoming accustomed to cars, but not moving people. I learned this last week - they flew in, saw me, flew off, and never returned for the twenty minutes I stayed there.

I have over 1000 pics I took there. I am still processing them. I'll eventually add them to my Pbase site, but just wanted to share highlights now. I set the camera to bracket my shots so I have three shots for each one! Bracket means the camera shoots one at original setting, then one at a "stop" darker and a "stop" brighter. Yes, most will be deleted. The most frustrating thing is that when I shoot the three pics almost simultaneously, most often the best pose is not the one with the best lighting. So goes frustration.

Oh - and the Lapland bird?  This really has been fun. Just seeing the lifer bird was great. Looking at the pics was fun. Quizzing Judy from the pics was even more fun. She knows what it is. She remembers looking for it along the road in all the freshly-manured fields last year and this year as we visited relatives in mid-Michigan. We never saw one. I realize now it was an impossible quest - espacially at highway speeds! Heck, I can drive up to the Dutton Road site and still never see any birds until I stop the car and pull out a lens to focus on the "spots" there. I guess it is like most birding - birds are always hidden by natural camo, and the main indication of presence for something on which to focus is triggered by seeing flight and landing. Anyway, quizzing Judy was fun. It takes her awhile as it does for me. Her best answer was a Laplong Landspur. She knows what it is, but until you get one yourself it does not stick very well. It's all fun! Now she knows it.

Here are a few pics. I suspect that James, Darlene and others got much better pics with their better lenses and look forward to seeing them soon, but I am just so happy I had a chance to "be there then"! Yes, the Lapland Longspur is quite different than a Horned Lark.

Lapland Longspur and Snow Buntings

Lapland Longspur and Snow Buntings

Lapland Longspur and Snow Bunting

Lapland Longspur and Snow Buntings



What fun!!!

And for y'all on the UM Birders list, refer to Ed's posting this week. Ed made this whole story possible. Thanks so much Ed...

2011-01-21 Beaudette Swans a' Swimming

2011-01-21 Beaudette Swans - Three Species!

On the advice of my good birding friend Ed Lewandowski, I went to Beaudette Park in Pontiac today to see the swans. Last year Judy and I were rewarded with decent looks at Trumpeter Swans and especially rewarded with their trumpets blaring  - confirming the identifications. We had to walk thru the snow and beat a trail to the point where all the swans were congregated then and thought we had a decent ID of a Tundra Swan, but the pics were not good.

This year was much better. It even allowed "car birding" which was nice in the frigid temps and even more frigid wind chills. Most of the water at Beaudette was frozen. The only open water was east of the boat launch and the birds were all concentrated near the shore. I was delighted that all three species of swans were there. I was even more delighted that they were so close that identification and a confirming photographic record worked well.

I have been having fun playing with my pics. I have decent photos of the birds sideways and front-on. Both views together really help with positive IDs. For awhile I had to flip back and forth in my bird books to see what characteristics were stressed. It was much easier this year than last! I had captured the salient features.

I also remembered that last year Bruce Bowman had offered a summary table of swan characteristics to the UM Birders listserv. I found the list in my files. It well summarized what I had been trying to do with my "flipping". I think I had been trying to make (and was close to making) the same list in my mind. I found it quite interesting that Bruce often commented "must be near to see this feature" - this is very true. Also to get a decent pic showing the feature!
Anyway, with confidence, I now happy to report I shot all three species this year. I am still not sure about the juvenile. It seems to have a "V" over the bill, but it hung out more with the Tundra Swans, so I am going with familial connections.

My intent here is to post pics on this blog entry with all the salient features to complement Bruce's summary table. I think I have covered most of them with my pics.

FIX - (Many pics to go - pics here are just starters ...) (I now need drop a blog on the Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs with which I have been occupied since, then I'll come back)




Adult and juvenile Tundra Swan



"My Three Swans" (unfortunately not three species...) - Tundra Swans

Tundra Swan (nicely shows yellow patch near eye)

Trumpeter and Mute

Tundra and Trumpeter



I thank my buddies:  Ed (for telling me about the swans and forcing me to get out of the house!) and Bruce (for always being helpful, and for the great summary table).

Hey, even in winter, birding does not have to be so hard. With good friends and good luck it all comes together. Go car-bird!