Sean's Blog

Location: Wintergarden Park/St. John’s Nature Preserve
Observation date: 5/9/09
Notes: The weather started about 60 degrees (F) and overcast and ended around 62 degrees (F) and partly sunny. The wind gusted occasionally.
Number of species: 22

• Canada Goose 1
• Wood Duck 2
• Mallard 8
• Turkey Vulture 7
• Cooper’s Hawk 1
• Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2
• Red-eyed Vireo 1
• Blue Jay 5
• Tree Swallow 2
• Tufted Titmouse 2
• Wood Thrush 1
• American Robin 6
• Gray Catbird 1
• European Starling 1
• Chipping Sparrow 3
• Swamp Sparrow 1
• Northern Cardinal 3
• Indigo Bunting 2
• Red-winged Blackbird 2
• Brown-headed Cowbird 3
• American Goldfinch 5

We went to Wintergarden rather early (compared to when we go on Sundays) as Meghan had to be at Finders for her last day of work by 9:00 AM. This meant getting up around 5:30/6:00 AM in order to get everything together and have enough time to bird. We didn’t see as much as we had hoped for, as it was very windy and we weren’t going at our normal, slow pace. We’re heading up to the lake tomorrow to see what’s there for migration season.

Location: Wintergarden Park/St. John’s Nature Preserve
Observation date: 5/3/09
Notes: Conditions were mainly sunny throughout the day. The temperature when we began was about 58 degrees (F) and about 68 degrees (F) when we finished. Despite the fact that they should have migrated by now, we did see some American Tree Sparrows. I also had the opportunity to see the red-headed woodpecker because I was speaking with another birder while I was taking the time to watch the dozen 1.5 inch mice come out of hiding and run around the underbrush.
Number of species: 33

• Mallard 6
• Turkey Vulture 1
• Mourning Dove 1
• Red-headed Woodpecker 1
• Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
• Downy Woodpecker 1
• Great Crested Flycatcher 1
• Eastern Kingbird 2
• Blue Jay 20
• American Crow 1
• Tree Swallow 5
• Black-capped Chickadee 2
• Tufted Titmouse 6
• White-breasted Nuthatch 2
• Winter Wren 1
• Hermit Thrush 3
• Wood Thrush 2
• American Robin 25
• Gray Catbird 6
• European Starling 5
• Black-throated Green Warbler 2
• Pine Warbler 1
• Eastern Towhee 1
• American Tree Sparrow 2
• Field Sparrow 2
• Song Sparrow 2
• White-throated Sparrow 6
• Northern Cardinal 13
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak 5
• Red-winged Blackbird 2
• Common Grackle 2
• Brown-headed Cowbird 3
• American Goldfinch 12

Location: Wintergarden Park/St. John’s Nature Preserve
Observation date: 4/26/09
Notes: This outing started somewhere around 75 degrees (F) with clear skies but ended around 82 degrees (F) and partly cloudy.
Number of species: 20

• Mallard 3
• Mourning Dove 3
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 4
• Downy Woodpecker 2
• Blue Jay 10
• Tree Swallow 1
• Tufted Titmouse 4
• White-breasted Nuthatch 5
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet 5
• Eastern Bluebird 1
• Hermit Thrush 3
• American Robin 40
• Gray Catbird 1
• Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
• Song Sparrow 1
• White-throated Sparrow 8
• Northern Cardinal 2
• Red-winged Blackbird 4
• Brown-headed Cowbird 4
• American Goldfinch 12

My wife was disappointed by the lower number of species that we observed, but that was due to the weather being at that point where it actually got too warm.

One thing that struck me as odd this year was the number of crows that were around this winter/early spring. I do not recall a winter/spring when they were so noticeable in this area. Sure, there were some, but I just don’t recall many.

On a related note, there was a bird call that I’ve never heard before a number of weeks ago while I was getting out of my car one morning; a chirping trill. Once I found the bird making the call, I took note of it’s features and it’s call and went and looked it up. The bird was a (supposedly common) chipping sparrow, which, according to it’s range map, summers in this area. I spoke with my wife about it, and this past week she has also heard the call in some of the areas she has gone for runs or walks. However, she was not familiar with the call much either; I do not recall ever hearing that call on campus, and I lived on that side of campus for 3 years.

I found these two changes in the local population of birds to be odd, and this can be either good or bad. I’m going to have to look to see if an abundance of crows means anything in regards to the local ecology, sort of like the the progression predators take in an area: first foxes, then coyotes (who eat/chase away foxes), then wolves (who eat/chase away coyotes and foxes).

There’s a pond north of the Kroger in BG that is on the property of some company. On Wednesday as we were heading out of town up to pick up my tailored suit from the Men’s Warehouse, we noticed 2 Great Egrets. On the way back into town, I took a glance to see what was there, and there happened to be a Great Blue Heron.

While these are necessarily rare birds, I have never really seen much at this location aside from Canada Geese or Mallards.

Location: Magee Marsh Wildlife Area (Lucas Co.)
Observation date: 4/12/09
Notes: Clear skies; mid 40s.
Number of species: 31

• Canada Goose – 13
• Tundra Swan – 5
• Northern Shoveler – 2
• Ring-necked Duck – 4
• Pied-billed Grebe – 1
• Double-crested Cormorant – 2
• Great Blue Heron – 9
• Great Egret – 5
• Snowy Egret – 2
• American Coot – 34
• Killdeer – 3
• Bonaparte’s Gull – 1
• Ring-billed Gull – 5
• Herring Gull – 2
• Mourning Dove – 4
• Downy Woodpecker – 4
• Northern Flicker – 1
• Tree Swallow – 50
• Brown Creeper – 3
• Winter Wren – 3
• Golden-crowned Kinglet 14
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 1
• Hermit Thrush – 4
• American Robin – 50
• American Tree Sparrow – 5
• Fox Sparrow – 4
• Dark-eyed Junco – 1
• Northern Cardinal – 1
• Red-winged Blackbird – 50
• Rusty Blackbird – 5
• Common Grackle – 30

Location:     Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge (Ottawa Co.)
Observation date:     4/12/09
Notes:     Clear skies; low 40s. Meghan realized this isn’t where she wanted to bird at today, so we drove down the road after a very quick half-hour survey.
Number of species:     19

• Canada Goose – 7
• Tundra Swan – 2
• Northern Shoveler – 4
• Pied-billed Grebe – 1
• Great Egret – 2
• Bald Eagle – 1
• Killdeer – 1
• Ring-billed Gull – 1
• Mourning Dove – 1
• Downy Woodpecker – 2
• Blue Jay – 1
• Tree Swallow – 3
• Brown Creeper – 1
• Golden-crowned Kinglet – 2
• American Robin – 7
• European Starling – 6
• Northern Cardinal – 2
• Red-winged Blackbird – 12
• Rusty Blackbird – 4

After this past weekend’s birding trip to Wintergarden, my wife entered some of the lists she kept from previous outings, including the refugee near her parents’ place in New York (state, not city) and the park behind a friend’s complex in Minnesota. As such, my current life list is at 78 species across 3 states. I’m sure that’ll increase as migration season heats up and our planned trip up to the lake (Erie) this weekend.

Location:     Wintergarden Park/St. John’s Nature Preserve

Observation date:     4/5/09

Notes:     Started about 50 degrees and sunny.  Ended near mid 40s and overcast with some precipitation.

Number of species:     27

• Wood Duck – 2
• Mallard – 2
• Turkey Vulture – 1
• Cooper’s Hawk – 1
• Mourning Dove – 1
• Red-bellied Woodpecker – 6
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 6
• Downy Woodpecker – 7
• Hairy Woodpecker – 4
• Eastern Phoebe – 2
• Blue Jay – 4
• Tufted Titmouse – 4
• White-breasted Nuthatch – 4
• Brown Creeper – 3
• Carolina Wren – 2
• Winter Wren – 1
• Golden-crowned Kinglet – 2
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 1
• Eastern Bluebird – 5
• American Robin – 40
• European Starling – 1
• American Tree Sparrow – 2
• Song Sparrow – 1
• Dark-eyed Junco – 5
• Northern Cardinal – 4
• Pine Siskin – 4
• American Goldfinch – 2

I didn’t search my actual name, but my typical web name, Sean Et Cetera. I found two sites (here and here) referencing me as the photographer of the image shown here.