- This Year's Fieldtrip Reports and Photos -

October 18 Wastewater Fieldtrip

-Feller DeWitt -

Promptly at 8:00 a.m. fourteen members of the Muskegon County Nature Club left the McDonalds on Apple Avenue and headed to the Muskegon County Wastewater System for a morning of birding. We noticed several flocks of Canada Geese heading the same way, flying overhead and following Apple Avenue like it was a map. By the time we arrived at our destination, we had added five trash birds and a Red-tailed Hawk to our bird list. At the entrance, we also added two more members to our hearty birding group.

Charlie DeWitt had already been out at the clay ponds and photographed a Northern Shrike -- a very early bird. This was a bird that everyone wanted to see so we headed over there, stopping just long enough at the north end of the center dike to look at the thousands of Canada Geese and Ruddy Ducks with some Northern Shovelers mixed in. There might have been other ducks out there, but the sun was a very bright red ball at eye level so we could not see very well. We did not find the shrike but we really started to find other birds, especially sparrows.

Savannah and Song Sparrows were seen at the little marsh. At the silo area, we added White-crowned, White-throated and Field Sparrows plus Eastern Towhees, Golden–crowned Kinglets, American Robins, Blue Jays, Red-winged Blackbirds and American Crows.

The morning was moving along rather quickly so we drove over to Seba Road and walked the two-track out to the double ponds where we found several Eastern Bluebirds (some of them singing), another pair of towhees and a Hermit Thrush along with lots of Mourning Doves that flushed as we made the long walk back to our cars.

We finished the morning with forty-seven species on our list. It was a very enjoyable morning thanks to John Walhout, Kathryn Mork, Carolyn Weng, Judy Fleener, Connie Peoples, Pat Bazany, Dick and Shirley Good, John and Betty Blanshine, Floyd Kuehnl, Bonnie Kott, Dave Herdegen, Jerry Lang, and Charlie and Feller DeWitt.

October 11 CraneFest Trip

Our 38 passengers trickled into the old K-Mart parking lot on Henry Street between 1:15 and 1:50. Most were greeted by our Gold Star bus driver Chuck. Here he poses to contrast his hat, complexion and outfit with Dave Herdegen's. (A straw vote concluded Chuck won in all three categories -- sorry, Dave.)

By 1:50 the bus was rolling. Dee DeWitt prepared snack bags and door prizes to keep everyone entertained on the two-hour ride to the Baker Sanctuary in Calhoun County. After scaring one parking lot attendant and his golf cart, Chuck parked our bus on the grassy field, we disembarked and headed for the action.

For the next two hours people like our own John Walhout meandered around the area checking out art exhibits, book and binocular displays, food venders and good viewing areas for later.

We tried not to step on or be eaten by the traveling tortoise.

By 6:00 we had found our preferred viewing areas and awaited the incoming flights of Sandhill Cranes.

The birds did not disappoint. For the next 45 minutes hundreds and hundreds of them flew in from afar, loudly crawking and bugling, soaring down to the shallow waters of the sanctuary for their night's sleep.

By 6:45 there were thousands on the marsh, most of them hidden in the vegetation, but hundreds still viewable in the warm evening sunlight.

As nightfall descended, our group returned to the bus and headed back toward Muskegon at 7:15. Passengers were considerably quieter on the bus than the cranes had been on the marsh!

Everyone had a great time! Many said they want to do this again next year. If so, we'll request Chuck for our driver, Dee for our activity director and Charlie for our photographer again!

September 20 Walkinshaw Fieldtrip

- Report by Dayle Vanderwier, photos by Charlie DeWitt -

At 7:00 Saturday morning our group gathered at the Tractor Supply lot in North Muskegon to head for the Hesperia Dam area, Walkinshaw Sanctuary and Gale's Pond. On the way to Hesperia we spotted European Starlings, Great Blue Heron, Mourning Dove and American Crows. At the park across from the dam we met up with Charlie DeWitt who was awaiting our arrival and had already taken this picture.

At the park we observed Canada Geese, Hooded Mergansers, Mallards, Killdeer, Green Heron, Blue Jay, Belted Kingfisher and Song Sparrows along with other birds we were not able to identify due to the light fog over the marsh.

As we arrived in the Walkinshaw area, we observed several Wild Turkeys along the way. Once we arrived on 204th Avenue, the Sandhill Cranes we were looking for were surprisingly quiet, but there was other small bird activity near the bridge. Around this time Marilyn Crane caught up with us.

At the bridge we picked up Northern Cardinal, Northern Flicker, American Goldfinch, Common Yellowthroat, Black-capped Chickadee, Cedar Waxwing, Red-tailed Hawk, Gray Catbird, Bay-breasted Warbler, Tufted Titmouse, Eastern Phoebe, American Robin, Downy Woodpecker and Nashville Warbler. Eventually we did see a total of six Sandhill Cranes while at the bridge.

We moved over to Dickinson Road where we found fifty or so Sandhill Cranes along with Rock Pigeon, Common Grackle, Eastern Bluebirds and a Sedge Wren.

Then it was time for breakfast at RJ's Den in Walkerville. After breakfast we headed for Gale's Pond and picked up Turkey Vultures along the way. Once at the pond we added to the list Hairy Woodpecker and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. On the way home Ken added an American Kestrel completing our list at 34 species.

My thanks to Ken and Joyce Sherburn, John Walhout, Floyd Kuehnl, Diane Morton-Pletcher, Charlie DeWitt and Marilyn Crane for a most enjoyable morning of birding.

- Dayle

August 16 Local Fieldtrip

by Feller DeWitt

The Muskegon County Nature Club’s August 16th field trip started out with sightings of European Starling, House Sparrow, Rock Pigeon and Ring-billed Gull species from our McDonald’s parking lot meeting point. With the hard birds out of the way, we car-pooled out to the Muskegon Wastewater System adding Mourning Dove, American Crow and Red-winged Blackbird along the way.

Arriving at the Wastewater site, we added two more birders to our group and headed for the little model airplane field on the south side of Apple Avenue. The swallows were starting to flock up, and we were able to identify Barn, Bank and Tree Swallows all in one flock by the maintenance barn at the corner of Swanson and White Roads. Heading south on Swanson Road, we noticed three American Kestrels flying around the sprinklers in one of the fields. One of our “sharp-eyed” birders also spotted a Cooper’s Hawk and a couple of Red-tailed Hawks.

When we got to the corner of Seba and Laketon Avenues, we decided to walk the two-track out to the hidden ponds -- about a quarter mile walk. We saw Monarch, Cabbage White, and Cloudless Sulfur butterflies flitting among the Spotted Knapweed. Towards the woods where the two-track turns to the right, Eastern Kingbirds were sitting in the trees along the side of the road. Northern Flickers were in the road, and we could hear Eastern Bluebirds singing. (Note: Did you ever notice that the call of the bluebird sounds sad in the fall, but it is such a cheerful sound in the spring?)

Arriving at the pond, we surprised a flock of Mallards and two Wood Ducks that flew off. Then just as we started back, someone called out a Coyote that was watching us as it sat at the end of the two-track. It started to run towards us, stopped, came a little closer, and finally veered off to the back side of the ponds. Back-tracking to our cars, we saw Black and Giant Swallow-tailed Butterflies, an Indigo Bunting and several Sandhill Cranes that were calling as they flew overhead.

Again on the Wastewater System, we added a Horned Grebe and four species of ducks. Checking out the agitation ponds, we came away with nine species of shorebirds. It was now about one o’clock so we called it a day with fifty-two birds on the list. Carolyn Weng, Jill Henemyer and Kathryn Mork stayed on and added bird number fifty-three -- an American Golden-Plover which they spotted on the north side of the west lagoon.

Thanks to Dick and Shirley Good, Ken Sherburn, John Walhout, Karen Zipser, Dave Herdegen, Bonnie Kot, Carolyn Weng , Jill Henemyer, Kathryn Mork, Pat Bazany and Kathy Neff for their participation on the trip. Feller DeWitt

July 19 Fieldtrip

by Ric Pedler

I arrived at the McDonald's on Sternberg Road shortly after 7:00 wondering if I'd beaten Feller DeWitt to the coffee. Through the front door windows I saw a man sitting at a table who looked a lot like -- in fact who was -- Tim Hicks!

Yes, our fieldtrips attract people from far and wide. No, Tim had not driven up here from south Texas just for this fieldtrip. But it sure was great to see him again and have him along for the morning! Ditto for everyone else, including Dayle Vanderwier who is almost but not quite recuperated from his surgery last month.

Along with Feller who arrived moments behind me, others at the restaurant included Judy Fleener, Pat Bazany, Bob Pohler, Mary Christian and Mike and Becky VanderStelt. Birds there included House Sparrow, European Starling, Red-winged Blackbird, Cedar Waxwing, Mourning Dove, Ring-billed Gull, Barn Swallow, and two Americans: Robin and Crow.

Under darkening skies we car-pooled through a light rain to the Kitchel-Lindquist Preserve north of the Grand Haven Channel where Dick and Shirley Good, Charlie DeWitt, Jack Pohler, Marilyn Crane and Kathryn Mork were waiting along with American Goldfinch, Tree Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Song Sparrow, Purple Martin, House Finch, Northern Cardinal, Mallard and Brown-headed Cowbird.

The rain had stopped, the sky was brighter (relatively speaking) so I left the umbrella on the back seat of my car and sixteen of us began our northward walk along the Connie Lindquist trail from the parking lot. Among the already-counted species we added Brown Thrasher, Eastern Wood-Pewee and Great Crested Flycatcher. In a clearing a small spider made its way high over our heads using a thread connected to trees at least thirty feet apart. Mike took an excellent photograph of it, but not the best picture he was to snap this morning.

Back at the road behind the boat warehouse we noticed some Turkey Vultures perched on the pylons south of us. We also noticed many indications that it was going to rain very soon.

My Question: "Should we head back to the cars or follow the Marjorie Hendricks Trail as planned?"

Someone's Answer (her name shall remain anonymous to protect the guilty): "Why don't you walk the trail and anybody who wants may follow?"

Better Answer: "Since we're not ducks, let's high-tail it for the cars right now!" (But no one said this.)

History: We all walked the Hendricks Trail, saw some wonderful birds, and most of us got soaked.

At a fork in the trail half of us were watching a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher while the other half were trying to see a very vocal but ever-skulking American Redstart. The rain was light.

At the observation platform we saw Downy Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Gray Catbird and Great Blue Heron. We listened to an Eastern Towhee. Mike signaled for us to look at a picture he had just taken of a bird harrassing the vultures. He protected the camera's viewing screen from raindrops as we looked down at a close-up image of the head and breast of a flying first-year Peregrine Falcon!

As the rain picked up slightly, we continued along the trail and spotted a raptor in a tree on the far side of a meadow. A peregrine! Odd place for one, but probably the same bird Mike had photographed and undoubtedly one of this year's fledglings from the Board of Power and Light smokestack.

A week ago Feller and I had meandered the Hendricks trail, checking the turn-offs to the Channel's edge looking for shorebirds, etc. But a week ago it was beautiful and sunny. Today the rain was increasing by the minute. We didn't meander (though we might as well have). The skies never really "opened up", but the rain was steady as we worked our way back around the trail, headed west behind the boat warehouse and then across the parking lots and back to our cars. By then those of us without rain gear were soggy and the "official trip" was over.

Some of us still headed over to the north Channel wall at 10:00. A pair of unnamed brothers even walked out to the beach far enough to see if there were any shorebirds there. Their walkie-talkie report to us wimps back in the cars was garbled by static so I am not including what sounded like snowy plover or bar-tailed godwit in this report.

The only trip bird at this location was a Double-crested Cormorant. When the DeWitts returned from the beach, their cars followed ours north to Hoffmaster State Park. They avoided an accident by keeping their eyes on the road despite the presence of some distracting wet wildlife along the way.

Charlie, Feller, Tim and I walked the quiet trail up from the Gillette parking lot in hopes of seeing a hooded warbler. No such luck, but we did add Red-bellied Woodpecker, Wood Thrush, Ovenbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Tufted Titmouse and Scarlet Tanager on our walk around and down past the picnic pavilion and up to our cars again.

The rain stopped during this walk (or perhaps all raindrops morphed into mosquitoes) and before we got back to our cars the sun actually popped out for a few minutes. Pat also popped out of the trail, but by then even the unofficial trip was over.

Our tally of bird species at that point was that despicable number 39. Tim corrected this by spotting an Eastern Kingbird near the interchange of I-96 and Sternberg Road on our way back to his car in the Macs parking lot.

Forty good birds, sixteen wonderful people. Who cares if it rained? Feller's got our next trip, August 16. Hope to see more of the same then!

June 21 Montague Fieldtrip

by Ric Pedler

The best sighting this morning was of Dayle Vanderwier walking into the MacDonald's for "his fieldtrip". Although he was unable to accompany us north, he now can drive, lift binoculars and perform the other kerzillion tasks all of us take too much for granted.

The twelve who birded the Montague area this morning were Jack Pohler, John Walhout, Floyd Kuehnl, Karen Zipser, Dave Herdegen, Bonnie Kott, Dick Good, Shirley Good, Mike VanderStelt, Becky VanderStelt, Jill Hennemyer and me.

On the drive north we watched a Red-tailed Hawk chased over the highway by some Red-winged Blackbirds, one of which actually grasped the back of the Redtail and rode it toward the woods! An Eastern Kingbird was there to enjoy the chase.

We began our fieldtrip by walking around the lake (now actually the marsh) at Henderson Preserve. Highlights from the 23 species there included nesting Cedar Waxwings, nesting Baltimore Orioles and nesting Red-eyed Vireos (whose cup-shaped grassy-woven homes built beneath Y-shaped twigs are engineering marvels). We also enjoyed watching and listening to a Pied-billed Grebe, seeing an immature Scarlet Tanager and an immature Baltimore Oriole foraging along the water's edge like shorebird siblings.

At the marsh boardwalk Dave was unable to persuade any rails to answer his recordings (thus I didn't kiss his feet), but Swamp Sparrows, Song Sparrows and a male Scarlet Tanager entertained us.

On our drive south to Clear Stream some of us observed Eastern Towhees and Bluebirds. The park provided 14 more species for the morning including an immature Brown-headed Cowbird looking for its foster parents, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, a Belted Kingfisher that finally answered Becky's wishes, and a Barred Owl that answered Dave's screech-owl recording after several dickie birds told Dave what they thought of his "owl".

Despite never seeing or hearing a Red-bellied Woodpecker (go figure), we counted 42 species for the morning and enjoyed a beautiful day until our departure for home shortly after noon.

May 24-26 Tawas Fieldtrip

by Feller DeWitt

This year's Tawas trip had nine participants -- Dick and Shirley Good, Bonnie Kott, Kathryn Mork, Karen from Holland, Dayle Vanderwier, Judy Fleener, and Dee and Feller DeWitt. Meeting for dinner Friday night in Tawas, we planned our weekend of birding.

After dinner there was still a little time left before dark so we birded the point at Tawas State Park. Lots of Cliff Swallows were flying around the lighthouse, and several Baltimore Orioles were around the oranges placed at the feeders by the Iosco Audubon group. At the path to the ridge overlooking the bay, we walked right into a wave of warblers like I have not seen in years -- Black-throated Blue being the best one. The shorebirds were noteworthy by not being there except for the two very large flocks of Dunlin. Back on the main path we were monitored by Eastern Kingbirds and Brown Thrashers that seemed to follow along with us.

A young man from Houghton Lake walked up to Kathryn and said that he knew her from a trip to Whitefish Point that they had both attended. When he found out we were the Muskegon County Nature Club, he complimented us on our web page. Thank you, Ric, for the fine job that you do for all of us.

Saturday morning we met at the point. The bright, clear day made it a very pleasant experience for everyone except Dayle, whose bad knee was really acting up. To his credit, he made as many trips through the sandy area on the trail as the rest of us. This morning we saw a few shorebirds, lots of Dunlins, some Semipalmated Plovers, and a Whimbrel.

We took a breakfast break and then went back to the point. A mother fox entertained us during the morning as she was spotted several times running up and down the path; she finally let us see two of her kits. The birding activity had slowed considerably so we knocked off early agreeing to meet for dinner and our yearly tour of Tuttle Marsh.

At Tuttle Marsh our first bird was an American Bittern. Judy Fleener said, "I just love that bird", something that she said with many birds that were seen. It reminded us of our club president, Diane Morton-Pletcher, who often is known to say the same words.

On Sunday morning we again met at the point. A birding group from Indiana pointed out a Mourning Warbler using a laser pointer that showed up in spite of the bright sun -- a great birding tool that we may have to start using.

Most of us were going home on Sunday so we planned a stop at Nayanquing Wildlife Area for our last birding spot of the weekend where there were lots of Yellow-headed Blackbirds seen from the tower with a Great Egret or two flying past. We drove over to the dike area and made the long walk out to see the Black Terns (twelve)--a life bird for Bonnie. (Bonnie was not supposed to look at any life bird as Dave was not along to also see it, but she looked anyway -- sorry Dave.) Bonnie also heard the Sedge Wren and pointed it out to the rest of us. An Osprey was flying by with a fish in its talons but was mobbed by about 20 Yellow-headed Blackbirds; it did not drop the fish.

We took a vote if we should continue on down the trail to see if there was a Common Moorhen. Kathryn raised both hands for the vote, so we took the walk. There was no moorhen but two Sandhill Cranes, two American Bitterns, and several Marsh Wrens made up for it.

It was a nice weekend -- good birds and good friends -- so we are going to do it again next year. Come on along, Everyone!

May 2-4 Ohio Fieldtrip

On Friday, May 2, eleven MCNC members meandered on their own to Port Clinton, Ohio.

Several miles east of Toledo Jack Pohler and I stopped at Metzger Marsh for some afternoon birding. Dodging little rain showers we observed Great Egret, Trumpeter Swan, Pied-billed Grebe, etc. and listened to a Sora.

The tiny woodland at the end of the road was full of little migrants: Yellow Warbler, Warbling Vireo, Swamp Sparrow, White-crowned and -throated Sparrows, Scarlet Tanager and seventeen tons of Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers. On our way out we drove past a Wilson's Snipe probing short grass as if it were a robin!

A few miles east we swung through the Magee Marsh parking lot for some quick birding. Three thrush cousins -- Hermit, Swainson's and Veery -- showed themselves within minutes. We also had up-close views of Hooded Warbler, Ovenbird, Black-and-White Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler and Blue-headed Vireo before heading on to Port Clinton.

By pure luck as we walked through the motel's front door, everyone else was piling through the back: Greg and Judy DeWeerd, Feller and Dee DeWitt, Charlie and Carol DeWitt, Ken and Joyce DeSher -- I mean Sherburn, and Dayle Vanderwier.

We compared notes (approximately 55 species enroute), enjoyed supper at the Kokomo Bay Restaurant, and hit the sack.

Saturday arrived wet and windy. Our morning at Magee Marsh consisted of brief periods of birding along the parking lot fringes interrupted by longer stints in our cars waiting for the rain to stop. Eventually we headed out to the visitor's center for some coffee and dry air.

Nevertheless we saw lotsa good stuff, not the least of which was Caleb Putnam. He drew our attention to two Blackpoll Warblers frolicking in some parking lot trees. Other birds of note included Cape May Warbler, Purple Martin, Green Heron, Prothonotary Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Northern Parula, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Magnolia Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Prairie Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler and eighteen tons of Yellow-rumped's and Palm's.

Around 12:15 Dayle headed back to Port Clinton to meet zero people arriving on Saturday and buy a back-up alternator for the one misbehaving in his car. He returned to us at the parking lot shortly after my son Steve's arrival in a gaudy, red, ugly Ohio State cap.

Charlie and Carol had the foresight to grab hotdogs during serving hours at the tent near the park entrance. The rest of us took a non-direct route west to the Blackberry Tavern for some mid-afternoon sustenance, then rejoined C&C at Metzger Marsh.

Once again bad weather threatened, but it was mostly sound and fury with no precipitation. We enjoyed the marsh birds, the migrants in the woods, and various gulls and terns flying along the Lake Erie shoreline.

At 5:00 Steve headed south toward his home in Findlay (but phoned in a Bald Eagle at 5:15) while the rest of us headed west toward brighter skies and the marsh boardwalks at Maumee State Park. Highlights included a Raccoon in an open-topped nesting box, an Eastern Screech-Owl sleeping in a tree near the boardwalk and an Osprey flying by twice, once with a fish in its talons. We headed back to Port Clinton with 85 species for the day.

During supper at Big Boy we learned of Gert Walhout's passing. Although not unexpected and in some ways a blessing, that sad news put a damper on the evening. I remembered Gert's face; the set of her mouth and the gleam in her eye, as if she were seeing the humorous side -- or maybe it was simply the good side -- of everything.

Sunday was simply beautiful. Sunny, very cool, breezy, no bugs, birds everywhere. For the first time on the trip we actually walked the length of the Magee Marsh boardwalk! No sense listing all the birds, but gotta mention another Eastern Screech-owl -- this one actually awake, perched in a wood duck box, peering into the bright morning sun across the marsh as if ready to fly after anything that looked delicious -- and nineteen more tons of Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers.

(Speaking of warblers, of the 37 species that migrate regularly over the Crane Creek Maggie Marsh area, our group saw 22: blue-winged, Tennessee, Nashville, northern parula, yellow, chestnut-sided, magnolia, Cape May, black-throated blue, yellow-rumped, black-throated green, Blackburnian, prairie, palm, blackpoll, black-and-white, American redstart, prothonotary, ovenbird, northern waterthrush, common yellowthroat and hooded. What a place!) The group split up before midday and headed for Muskegon.

For the trip we recorded 109 species and uncountable memories.

Sunday evening we re-gathered at the funeral home, proving once again that some of us clean up well and our "club" is really more than a club.

- Ric Pedler

April 19, 2008 Northside Fieldtrip

As many as 19 people were together for today's northside fieldtrip. We began with Floyd Kuehnl, Feller DeWitt, John Walhout, Dayle Vanderwier, Bob Pohler, Judy Fleener, Jerry Lang, Pat Ganson, Dave Herdegen, Bonnie Kott, Mary Christian, Roger Tharp, Jackie Meyers, Kathryn Mork and Mike and Becky VanderStelt; for awhile we were joined by Dayle's son Scott and granddaughter Sierra.

We began at the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve with Rock Pigeon, American Robin, Red-winged Blackbird, Mourning Dove, Mute Swan and Swan Sparrow. Two Pied-billed Grebe swam in the bayou between the preserve and the conservation club.

We continued with American Coot, Double-crested Cormorant, Northern Cardinal and Barn Swallow before even entering the gate!

Northern Flickers were all over the property. Beginning our walk south we added Common Grackle, Great Blue Heron, Blue Jay, Mallard, Chipping Sparrow, Rusty Blackbird (2 now, 2 on our return walk, perhaps same 2; on dry run yesterday there were 11 Rusties on the preserve), American Goldfinch, Yellow-rumped Warbler (several seen here and at Snug Harbor today), Downy Woodpecker and European Starling.

Thanks to Mike VanderStelt's scope we discovered accidentally today what we tried to discover intentionally yesterday; namely, which box the Peregrine Falcons at the Cobb Plant are using this year: two peregrines in the north box today!

West of the viewing platform we heard a White-throated Sparrow ocanada-peabodying. On the walk back we added Canada Goose, Common Merganser, Tree Swallow, Caspian Tern, Killdeer, Bald Eagle (immature perched in tree west of Cobb Plant), Ring-billed Gull, American Crow, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (2), Brown Creeper, Brown Thrasher (singing and flying around), Black-capped Chickadee, Blue-winged Teal and Greater Scaup.

At 10:15 with those 37 species "in hand" we left the preserve and arrived at Snug Harbor at 10:25. In the parking lot we added Tufted Titmouse (lotsa these sprinkled around the park today), Pileated Woodpecker (a pair flew over), Red-bellied Woodpecker (a pair), White-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned Kinglet (several in one flock southeast of Lost Lake, ironic because we saw none of these yesterday but several ruby-crowned's -- go figure) and Turkey Vulture.

We then heard and saw a relatively cooperative Red-shouldered Hawk as it soared overhead pre-Lost Lake, and soared and screamed overhead post-Lost Lake. A lady we met on the trail said these hawks are nesting near her house on property near Snug Harbor.

At Lost Lake ...

... today there was only one hard-to-find Belted Kingfisher whereas yesterday there were three flying around and generally showing off. On our return from the lake we added Herring Gull, Hermit Thrush (photo below by Bob Pohlar), Eastern Towhee and Hairy Woodpecker (a pair out near the road).

The fieldtrip "officially" ended back at the parking lot at noon. However, several of us continued over to Snug Harbor and added some female Buffleheads and one Common Loon swimming way over on the "Bay Mills" side of the harbor..

The predicted rains never came, the day was warm and lovely, and our species total of 52 was one more than yesterday's total on our "dry run".

- Ric Pedler