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Big Day Count May 2008, Beautiful Thieves, John's Eagle Encounter, Another Morning on the Grassfields, Flahive Park, Feller, G.B. and the Possum, April Morning Walk:

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Big Day Count

- May 17, 2008 -

1st Hour: 4:50-6:00 a.m. = 24 Species, Total 24

Seven of us gathered in the darkness by the outer Lane's Landing gate: Charlie DeWitt, Feller DeWitt, Ric Pedler, Bob Pohler (from Fremont!), Jack Pohler (from Hudsonville!), Dayle Vanderwier and Carolyn Weng. Before 5:00 either a Chipping Sparrow or a Swamp Sparrow called from east of Maple Island Road, but we didn't count it.

So our #1 bird for Big Day 2008 was the American Woodcock "peenting" on the south meadow as we drove west before stopping to play Jack's screech-owl tape. No owl replied, but we did hear at least two Whip-poor-wills before heading to the inner gate hearing Northern Cardinal and Swamp Sparrow along the way.

There seemed to be fewer birds calling around the parking lot area than in most years. Nonetheless, between 5:25 and 5:45 Kathryn Mork arrived and we heard Sandhill Crane, Yellow Warbler, American Robin, Common Yellowthroat, Wild Turkey, Mourning Dove, Gray Catbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Canada Goose, Sora (at least two on the marsh, one west, one east) and the Trumpeter Swan playing his broken mouthpiece northeast of us and then clapping his wings in take-off.

It was now light enough to see our notebooks without using flashlights and the trumpeter continued north and west over the U-Ponds followed by his two partners, the first birds we actually saw: Mute Swans. :-(

Before 6:00 we saw a Hooded Merganser, heard a male and female Great Horned Owl whoo-whooing north of the marsh, an American Bittern whunk-ah-chunking to the east, began our northward walk, saw Mallards, saw a flock of six Wood Ducks flying overhead, said hi to Dennis Every, said hi to Jill Henemyer (who heard Eastern Towhee and Wood Thrush on her way in) and saw a Belted Kingfisher.

2nd Hour: 6:00-7:00 a.m. = 14 Species, Total 38

Ten of us headed north toward the woods beyond the marsh. We added Song Sparrow, Common Grackle, American Goldfinch, Brown-headed Cowbird, Ring-billed Gull and American Crow. At 6:20 we watched two Eastern Kingbirds, one building a nest! As always along the elbow in the road we entered Marsh Wren territories.

Then a strange looking yellowish bird with white wing bars, a black chin, warmish colors along the breast sounding kinda like a house finch flitted around among the taller vegetation east of us while we pulled books and tried to figure it out. Voila! A first-year male Orchard Oriole!

Tree Swallows began flying overhead. We saw a little "empy" (Genus: Empidonax) that soon identified itself with some fitz-bews as a Willow Flycatcher, watched a male Blue-winged Teal swim on one of the U-Ponds and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird fly past us heading north, heard a Virginia Rail between the U-Ponds giving what somebody in the group identified as its "third alternate song" (not the clicks and not the pig call).

3rd Hour: 7:00-8:00 a.m. = 17 Species, Total 55

Somewhere along here we lost Dayle. The injection he'd had last Thursday for his ailing knee did not take effect well enough and he had to head south. So nine of us continued north along the marsh adding Blue Jay, Barred Owl (cooking for you-awl in the woods north), Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Bluebird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Yellow-billed Cuckoo (kwowp-ing repeatedly from the woods north), Barn Swallow, Pied-billed Grebe (calling from the east), a male Baltimore Oriole, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Warbling Vireo (surprisingly not singing; I heard no WAVI's singing until late afternoon at the nature preserve). But this one was our 50th bird of the day.

A Least Flycatcher chu-BK'd near the woods just before a Great Crested Flycatcher called further in. Just before entering the woods we saw a female American Redstart to our left, a Great Blue Heron flying behind us, and a couple White-throated Sparrows to our right.

4th Hour: 8:00-9:00 a.m. = 5 Species, Total 60

There were Prothonotary Warblers singing in wooded bog on the east side of the trail this morning, at least three. But they never came near the trail and were visible only in fleeting glances through the trees. At 8:10 Dave Dister (Ludington, formerly Ohio) joined our group. A Northern Waterthrush and Downy Woodpecker showed themselves in the boggy area before we continued north. We added Indigo Bunting and a thumping Ruffed Grouse before 8:50 when some of us (with boots or wet feet from crossing the puddle north of the woods) arrived at the River. There was another waterthrush along the riverbank, dunno which species. We turned around and headed back toward the marsh.

5th Hour: 9:00-10:00 a.m. = 14 Species, Total 74

A Turkey Vulture was up by 9:15 as we arrived back at the cars. Near the parking lot we heard a Yellow-throated Vireo. Janet Helmer arrived at 9:25 and told us some more people were walking our way from the outer gate. We walked toward them along the marsh hearing a Field Sparrow and seeing a White-crowned Sparrow and two Ruby-crowned Kinglets along the way. At 9:55 we met Dave Herdegen, Bonnie Kott and Dick Good as they broke out of the woods into the marsh area. On their walk in they had recorded Tufted Titmouse, Black-capped Chickadee, Scarlet Tanager, Black-and-White Warbler, Black-billed Cuckoo (calling), Red-eyed Vireo, Killdeer and Magnolia Warbler. Our combined group added Blue-gray Gnatcatcher as this hour came to an end. (Notice that the running total of 74 was all at Lane's Landing.)

6th Hour: 10:00-11:00 a.m. = 5 Species, Total 79

We arrived at State Game Area headquarters at 10:30 and met John Walhout. From the parking lot we added House Finch, Eastern Phoebe (when I called this a "black phoebe", Jill gave me that "you've gotta be crazy" expression I often see on people first learning that fact) and House Sparrow (any species is good on Big Day).

On our walk west along the north side of the Maple River we heard an Ovenbird and saw a male and female Blue-winged Warbler (not vocalizing, but some did on our return walk next hour).

7th Hour: 11:00 a.m. -12:00 = 5 Species, Total 84 (for the morning)

Walking through the mosquito-like insects buzzing around our shoes on the outbound path, our group got stretched apart. Those further back saw a Wilson's Warbler and a Hermit Thrush. Those in the lead checked the marshy fields west toward Lane's Landing for sedge wren, bobolink or other good birds. We saw none but Carolyn found a toad ...

... and Charlie spotted a sora (that I tried to morph into a female red-winged blackbird) before we re-grouped at 11:30 and headed back toward the parking lot along the south bank of the river. Along the way we saw a definite Chipping Sparrow (not indefinite like 4:50 this morning) plus Northern Flicker and European Starling.

8th Hour: 12:00-1:00 p.m. = 5 Species, Total 89

Pat Bazany arrived at 12:05 to join us for lunch on the headquarters patio. Although the sun was out, we felt a few drops of rain. This was the only precipitation we encountered all day, proving once again that The Farmer's Almanac is as accurate at predicting weather as a Muskegon long-range forecast.

A mature Bald Eagle politely flew over our heads as we ate, then impolitely soared right into the sun. Ouch!

At 12:35 we parked some cars near the west Wastewater entrance and began a winding car-pool parade through the dry cells. Before our second stop near the wet B-10 cell we added Horned Lark, Bank Swallow, Short-billed Dowitcher (several foraging in and out of sight in the grassy edges east of B-10) and Eastern Meadowlark.

9th Hour: 1:00-2:00 p.m. = 21 Species, Total 110

While scope-users were setting up their optics, a male Bobolink flew northward right past our parked parade. Feller pointed out two Northern Rough-winged Swallows. Then the scope users picked out several shorebirds in and along B-10: Semipalmated Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper and Least Sandpiper.

We drove over to the Bank Swallow hill to add that species plus Cliff Swallow, then headed east along the south side of the dry cells where we all but ran over our 100th bird of the day: an Upland Sandpiper browsing leisurely along the edge of the road.

Up on the dike between the headquarters building and the aerator cells we stopped while Feller and others checked out an Eared Grebe down near the east-west ditch (of all places) and Jill and I observed a hawk being harassed by dickie birds to our northwest. We noted this as an unidentified accipiter at the time (sharpie or coop), but because we positively ID'd a sharpie later at the nature preserve, we officially recorded this bird at this time as a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Anyone objecting, get a lawyer.

We drove up to the big lagoons and parked at the north end of the main dike. Scopers identified and shared their telescopic views of such species as Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Herring Gull, Ring-necked Duck (1 in the west lagoon), Surf Scoter (2 females found by Dave way south near the west edge of the east lagoon) and Redhead.

10th Hour: 2:00-3:00 p.m. = 6 Species, Total 116

Before driving west between the west lagoon and the aerator cells we saw a few Lesser Scaup on the west lagoon. A Savannah Sparrow flew past our cars just before we stopped to scope the western aerator cell for shorebirds. The normally notable Wilson's Phalaropes would have garnered more attention had not Dave (I believe) mentioned the BIRD OF THE DAY. "Hey, there's a Hudsonian Godwit over there near Number 10 among those phalaropes!"

And indeed there was! Carolyn made several unsuccessful cell phone calls trying for somebody who might be near a computer to get this bird out on Mich-Listers. The rest of us shared the various scope views and I tried snapping some for-the-record shots with my little Canon S410 through Dave's spotting scope. Charlie took some too. (Not to worry; the godwit stuck around for at least three days for many others to see.)

Other birds seen later in the same cell once people could take their eyes off the godwit were Dunlin and Greater Yellowlegs. I stupidly forgot to look at the latter and thus lost my chance at a year bird. (Despite that gaff, I still added 36 species to my Michigan list today.)

11th Hour: 3:00-4:00 p.m. = 6 Species, Total 122

Someone spotted a Hairy Woodpecker earlier and shortly after 3:00 when Feller and I were comparing notes, I made this correction to mine. Just as we were leaving the aerator cells, Jill noticed our first (and only) Red-tailed Hawk of the day soaring above the western horizon.

We drove back to the cars, un-car-pooled, said some good-byes and headed east on White then south on Swanson to the "Zelenka" fields (Wastewater properties south of Apple Ave.) We made a fruitless stop hoping to hear grasshopper sparrows on the field southwest of Laketon and Swanson, but there was too much wind to hear even if they were calling. There were no new species at the Clay Ponds, but a few folks saw a Vesper Sparrow near the mini-marsh northwest of the silo.

At 3:30 we headed for the copse of trees on Seba north of Laketon. Jack had already been west of Seba and reported Brewer's Blackbirds (we all got these later along the western elbow of Laketon, at least a dozen in a couple small flocks). In the copse we heard House Wren and saw a Palm Warbler. (We also scared out a deer and two woodcocks, a nice visual of the species that started our morning!)

12th Hour: 4:00-5:00 p.m. = 2 Species, Total 124

The brewer's blackbirds were nice but I would have preferred a kestrel as we departed Wastewater properties at 4:15 saying more good-byes to various quit -- I mean normal people -- and heading west.

I arrived at the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve at 4:35 p.m. Once again Jack had preceded us and recorded a new bird for the day: Double-crested Cormorant. As we began our walk south through the preserve we saw the ever-dependable Rock Pigeons over by the Causeway.

13th Hour: 5:00-6:00 p.m. = 9 Species, Total 133

The preserve wasn't full of birds, but many such as white-crowned sparrows flitted through the underbrush as we headed toward the overlook platform. Once there Jill's eyes and Feller's scope produced one adult Peregrine Falcon atop a structure on the B.C. Cobb Plant roof. We also saw a few Caspian Terns, one Forster's Tern, Chimney Swifts and a couple female Purple Martins.

On our walk back toward the cars we had nice views of a Cape May Warbler, a Blue-headed Vireo and a Black-throated Green Warbler (plus the previously mentioned sharp-shinned hawk).

We then experienced one of those rare moments when you check an area for a certain species and actually find it: an American Coot in the little bay west of the preserve at 5:37 p.m.!

Pat (and perhaps others?) dropped out of the hunt back at the preserve parking lot as the skies to the west looked menacing. Some die-hards continued directly out to Snug Harbor; some others made a pit-stop first at McDonalds ...

14th Hour: 6:00-7:00 p.m. = 3 Species, Total 136

... but at 6:20 the seven who would continue to the end* regrouped in the eastern Snug Harbor parking lot at Muskegon State Park.

* Feller, Charlie, Ric, Carolyn, Jack, Jill and Dave

We headed up the Lost Lake trail. A loud chip note that I'd discounted as a cardinal caught Dave's ear and he pointed out the northern waterthrush that was making it. We had two good looks at two Swainson's Thrushes along this trail and a nice look at a Veery. North of the hemlocks someone saw a Blackburnian Warbler and pointed it out for the others. By the time I got my binocs on it, it was flying; positively the worst view I've ever had or hope to have of that species!

15th Hour: 7:00-8:00 p.m. = 1 Species, Total 137

Before we got out to the lake, Dave heard what he believed to be a Pine Warbler calling off to our west. We walked off the trail a ways, Dave pished, and several birds reacted but most importantly the warbler who traveled east from the pine he'd been occupying to flit around high in the deciduous branches directly above us. Without him we would have been shut out this hour as Lost Lake provided very little and nothing new.

16th Hour: 8:00-9:00 p.m. = 1 Species, Total 138

We could have been shut out this hour as well, but we emphatically weren't! Having returned from Lost Lake via the maintenance buildings and birded the fringes of the western Lost Lake parking lot, we entered the Lost Lake trail and headed toward Devil's Kitchen. Along the way we stopped to look at the adult bald eagle up on the nest near Warbler Alley and listen to wood thrushes and black-throated green warblers down to the kitchen and back.

While the others walked the pavement back toward the cars, I tried the fringe along the water's edge and spotted a new bird. Not wanting to shout because of some nearby fishermen, I tried to attract our people's attention but couldn't. I didn't want to be the only one to see the Green Heron, but it was hard enough to see even with binoculars from my vantage point. By the time I got up to the group, it was hard for them to see the dark object way back in the west end of the harbor. But not to worry. Another one flew by going west to east. Then two more flew by east to west. Thank you very much!

We headed out to Lake Michigan and the channel parking lot across from the Silversides. The original plan was to bird the fisherman's campground parking lot until dark hoping for something new. But seeing nothing new in the channel and realizing there would be people scurrying around the campground, we decided instead to head over to the beach house and scope the Big Lake for something.

We arrived at the Beach House at 8:45, scoped the Lake without luck, but saw some shorebirds far up the beach north of us.

17th Hour: 9:00-9:30 p.m. = 2 Species, Total 140

Shortly after 9:00 we had walked far enough up the beach to identify spotted sandpipers (one performing some sort of mating routine, puffing up and chasing another up the sand) and Sanderlings in the small flock to our north.

Back at the cars in gray light we said our good-byes, not knowing for sure our total birds (Feller's and my numbers didn't match; this is a constant in the natural world.) But we had one more to be added, one of our nemesis birds for the day. (We had been bemoaning all afternoon that we'd seen neither nuthatch yet.)

As Charlie remained in his truck making a cell phone call and the rest of us drove back northward toward our real lives, Jill (bless her heart still technically part of our parade, so again if you have a problem, get a lawyer) noticed a bird in the woods alongside the road that she reported via email the next morning -- White-breasted Nuthatch!

When we finally calculated that this made our total a beautiful 140, I was happy we'd never seen a red-breasted nuthatch. 141 is such an ugly number!

Great time, Gang! Let's do it again next year!

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"Handsome is as it may do!

Don't forget that, Sammy Jay.

Underneath that coat of blue

Is a black heart, Sammy Jay.

Everybody near and far

Knows you for just what you are --

Of all mischief-makers chief.

Handsome clothes won't hide a thief."

- Thornton W. Burgess, The Adventures of Sammy Jay, 1925

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When my granddaughter Elizabeth hears the Blue Jay's "Thief, Thief, Thief," she yells, "No, you're the thief, Sammy Jay!" Weaned on my father's Burgess books (as were my sons and I), she knows that Sammy Jay is the real thief despite his calls to the contrary.

Yet we admire Sammy too.

What's not to admire? For sheer beauty, what bird has more than a Blue Jay? That beautiful coat, so many hues from aqua to purple. The white and black trim, handsome gray "waistcoat", perfectly proportioned tail, intelligent face framed with black earmuffs and necklace, black eye line, all perky under a blue crest.

If Blue Jays didn't live in Muskegon, we'd travel far to see them and marvel when we did. Fortunately Blue Jays do live here, so we can marvel more.

And wonder.

What are they doing?

Oh, sure, if they're screaming at your feeder, they're chasing the other birds away and bragging about it.

If they're screaming faster than usual and frenetically mad, they're mobbing a hawk.

If they're watching us watching them, they're reporting us to every creature within miles.

But what of their incessant jaying when there's nothing to jay about? What are they saying? I'd love to know.

What of their flights in all directions high above the trees? What business have they up there? Where are they going? Why?

What of the jays carrying acorns over the Muskegon Channel? I call these "locals" (not "migrants") despite their southbound direction because they fly alone or in small groups, usually lower and faster than the migrating jays.

It takes eleven seconds for a local jay to fly his acorn from the trees north of the Channel to the trees south. He often looks left and right as he flies. He may be a she, too, but I think of all jays as Sammy.

The migrant jays, typically 15-50 birds per band, sometimes fly east or west along the north side before crossing the Channel. They might settle into the trees awhile before crossing, but when they cross they're usually well above the trees and don't seem as hurried as the local jays. But what do I know?

I didn't even know Blue Jays migrated until my first nature club fieldtrip to Whitefish Point with Andy in 1987. There we witnessed for the first time the flocking behavior that we've often enjoyed later at Whitefish in the spring and Pelee in the fall.

During migrations a band of jays will fly from the trees, apparently intending to cross the "big water" of Lake Superior or Lake Erie. Then one will "chicken out". He'll head back toward land, and all the others will follow. It's a wonder they ever get anywhere!

I witnessed this behavior over "little water" last month while hawk-watching. A few dozen migrating jays had already flown across the Channel and were high in the sky south of the Silversides when one of them turned back. Like a school of scared fish, the whole band swooped back to the trees on the north side of the Channel. Why?

Another day I watched a Sharp-shinned Hawk dive into a migrating band of Blue Jays north of the Channel. The sharpie hit one jay but didn't seem to hurt it. The targeted jay screamed at the hawk as he dove into the trees, and that time I don't think he was saying "Thief"!

Years ago I was standing on Hoffmaster's Dune Climb platform when a cast of migrating sharpies hung around for several minutes. During their visit, Blue Jays kept flying across the blowout.

The sharpies tried to catch them every time, always without success though sometimes missing by inches. Nevertheless, the jays kept flying across that opening even though the hawks were there. Why?

It's not because they're stupid. As members of the Corvid family, like crows and magpies, they're considered to be smarter than your average bird.

Maybe it's because they're sneaky. Mr. Burgess, who was a naturalist as well as a children's writer, shows this mischievous side of jays in his many adventures of the delightful Sammy.

Maybe it's because they're sassy. Or bold. Or showy.

Whatever they are, they're fascinating -- to me, to Elizabeth -- and I hope to you.

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Common Name: "Blue Jay" (Sammy)

Group Name: "band" (flock)

Family Name: "Corvidae" (raven)

Genus: "Cyanocitta" (bluejay)

Species: "cristata" (crested)

Call: "Jay!" (thief)

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John's Eagle Encounter

In September 2005 when I was still using the tallest dune at Kruse Park for our hawkwatch, John Contrady and his wife Edna happened by. They visited me again at Kruse and several more times after we switched that hawkwatch site to the south Channel wall. John joined our club back then though never attended any meetings.

Edna passed away. I never saw John during the 2006 hawkwatch season. although he and I did email occasionally.

John attended his first MCNC meeting on November 15, 2007. That evening he handed me a CD containing several photos he had taken on July 8, 2004 of an immature Bald Eagle and its encounters with some other birds at Snug Harbor.

Here are some of John's photos followed by his fascinating description of the bird and some of its encounters.

 

"The information given to me about that Bald Eagle is that it had been under observation by staff at Muskegon State Park since it had been an egg in the nest. The tree in which the nest had been located had been pointed out to me. As a citizen who remained in his car when observing the bird, park staff was kind to me. Often when I would pull into the park at Snug Harbor, the person at the gate would inform me where the eagle might be seen.

"At Snug Harbor, there was a fish cleaning station. Many fisher persons knew of the Bald Eagle in the park. The fisher persons would cast unwanted fish or unwanted fish parts on the beach at Snug Harbor. When I first encountered the eagle, the bird was a ground feeder.

"My wife, Edna, and I were in the habit of taking our lunch to Snug Harbor. Edna liked to look at the swans, the herons, other birds & the Bald Eagle. Off & on, I made photos of the Bald Eagle.

"On that one particular day ( 08 July 2004 ) when most of the photos were made, the sky was clear & the sun was bright. There were two places on the beach where fish had been placed on the sand by unidentified persons. The food was separated by a distance of about 40 feet.

"As the eagle fed, the crows flew in. At first, the crows attempted to feed at the fish which was not being eaten by the eagle. The eagle would rush over to defend. Then the crows entered into the spirit of a contest & made a game of it. One crow would walk toward the eagle. The eagle would adopt a hostile/defensive posture. The crow would begin a slow walk to a side. The eagle would follow. At that time another crow would walk casually toward the nearby unguarded fish and tear off a piece. The crow would move away, carrying the prize, by hopping or with a short flight. The eagle would rush toward the fish which had provided a prize for the crow. It was almost a choreographed dance. After a short rest, the crows would begin a new game. As I recall, at one time there were 4 crows.

"It was a matter of special interest to me when I observed the eagle enter the water and walk about near the Mute Swans. The eagle displayed some hostile behavior toward the swans. The swans returned to their feeding. No altercation took place.

"On 11 July 2004, I was present at a turning point in the life of that Bald Eagle. As I pulled into Snug Harbor, the eagle was on the ground, feeding on remaining rotting carrion which was then more than 3 days old. After a short period, the eagle flew into a tree about 150 feet away from my van. I could not see the it. I vacated the van and began to move right to left, seeking a view of the eagle thru the branches of the tree.

"Suddenly the eagle left its perch, flew over my head and into another tree. Other persons were also witnesses to the events which followed. There was a great screeching of many birds. I was fumbling with settings on my camera. The eagle flew back over my head while clutching a bird in its talons. Two large birds followed the eagle. ( Don't ask for ID. Everything was happening too fast for my inexperience. I settled for watching.).

"There was much screeching. Birds in flight were harassing the eagle. The eagle settled near the top of a pine tree at about 300 feet distance. I kept pushing the button to operate the camera shutter. Unfortunately, most of the pictures were not good. The eagle was inexperienced. It may have been its first kill. It kept moving its head & body & the victim put up a struggle. There was much shrieking by birds. The fight ended when the victim stopped struggling.

"The eagle sat in the tree for some time. Feathers were torn off the victim and floated to earth. I did not pick up any feathers. I did not know one feather from another. There was no desire to put eagle feathers in my pocket & be busted by a Federal agent. It is my opinion the scene I witnessed was graduation day for that Bald Eagle. On that day, I believe, the eagle learned it could capture, kill and eat food. After that date, I did not see it on the ground. I did see a Bald Eagle many times during the remainder of the summer/fall period. A Bald Eagle would be perched in various trees near the Lake Michigan shore, within Muskegon State Park. There would be no way for me to know whether I had repeated views of the same Bald Eagle."

- John Contrady: <johncontrady2@aol.com>

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07-07-07: Another Morning on the Grassfields

Shame on me for today being the first time this summer that I was on the old "Zelenka" grassfields at sunrise. As always, the place and the time didn't disappoint.

With a fresh scent of skunk in the air and lotsa Turkey Vultures in the surrounding trees, I turned south off Apple onto Swanson. A Red-eyed Vireo sang from the trees. Ground fog covered large areas of the fields. I had intended to park at Laketon and Seba, but the sound of a Dickcissel near the model airport stopped me.

A few minutes after six the sun appeared as I was setting up my scope and tripod, so I quickly snapped its picture.

Then I went looking for the Dickcissel. He wasn't hard to find. For more than an hour he sat on a low perch (perhaps a Moranus Stickus?) north of Laketon and east of the airport driveway singing constantly. He was not wearing any of Brian and Lena's jewelry. Maybe that's why a Savannah Sparrow joined him for awhile?

During the course of the morning I saw and/or heard at least seven Grasshopper Sparrows along Laketon west to the elbow.

The usual suspects were around: Killdeer, Eastern Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird, Ring-billed Gull and American Crow. Occasionally an Upland Sandpiper rose from the field south of me, gave its three-whistle twitter and half-flutter-flew half glided to another field (or sometimes circled back). Dunno why he/she/they were doing this or why a Barn Swallow decided to chase one of them and buzz it as if it were a raptor.

At 6:25 a lone Sandhill Crane kah-RAWWKED northeast over the old orchard down by the clay pond. Ring-necked Pheasants called from various locations four or five times this morning. The caws of distant crows, warblings of vireos to the west and frogs in the nearby ditches filled my ears as I scoped a large doe crossing Laketon southbound at Seba.

As I started strolling west a male red-winged flew close around my head swearing. A few dozen Tree Swallows perched in the row of trees west of the first grassfield and around 7:00 a flock of 26 meadowlarks flew from that field to the mowed grass of the model airport and began grazing.

I first noticed the ultralight airplane at 7:05 on the northern horizon. The pilot soon made his aircraft easier to see by flying right over my car, waving, circling the clay ponds, and then flying even lower over my car before heading back where he'd come from.

At 7:30 I drove down to Laketon and Seba and began a clockwise walk south on Seba. American Robins and warbling vireos were singing, but more obvious were the Orchard Orioles! There was one male and two female-types foraging southwest of the kingbird tree at the intersection. Occasionally the yellow orioles would fly north to the grassfield on the other side of Laketon. Others (?) would fly back from there. It wasn't possible to count, but I think there were at least five of the yellow-plumaged OROR's in that area. So was the Eastern Kingbird who always seems to nest in that tree.

Enjoying the beautiful cool breeze, the big blue sky and life away from house siding, I sauntered slowly south on Seba. A few Field Sparrows sang and flew around, as did kingbirds, warbling vireos, robins, a Song Sparrow and a male Yellow Warbler. At the ditch a juvenile Green Heron jumped up, flew east, south and west in front of me dangling what appeared to be its broken right foot. A meadowlark flew over making a sort of bzzzzt flight call.

At 8:00 a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak foraged in one of the small trees along the road. Then I noticed the Eastern Wood-pewee that I'd been hearing. Apparently not knowing its own name, it perched on a low branch about one foot above the ground on the west edge of the grassfield and occasionally flew out to the grass to hawk bugs.

A bright American Goldfinch repeatedly said "be-uhh-bee" while others in the area gave their up-the-scale siskin-like calls. I'm wondering if that was Dad talking to the kids? Then I followed a loud chipping note that sounded sort of like a quick kiss. That proved to be a Brown Thrasher.

At 8:10 a loud tapping sound came from (maybe from inside?) a hollowed stump. I couldn't find the tapper, but moments later a female Downy Woodpecker appeared several trees south of the stump, and I suspect she was the tapper. A House Wren began its persistent song (I've had enough of this sound for one lifetime in my yard, thank you!). Then I heard a kind of "szhwaay" sound that I thought might be a titmouse with a speech impediment, but which proved to be -- DUHHH! -- a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

Turning west toward the mini-marsh I could have stepped on a "tame" orange butterfly. I'm calling this a Comma, but it might be a Question Mark or a Chocolate Orange Fritillary for all I know. Can anybody confirm?

Walking the edge of the mini-marsh I heard Common Yellowthroat, a mad oriole (Baltimore I presume, but maybe the Orchards do that too?), saw and heard a couple of Brown-headed Cowbirds and Gray Catbirds, and watched a pair of redwings chase a screaming adult Red-tailed Hawk west from the marsh.

Then I cut back north to the equipment building on Laketon hearing a few more grasshopper sparrows to the west and watching a couple of savannahs flitting around to the east. There were European Starlings and Mourning Doves on the roof of the building. At least 60 tree swallows foraged low over the field northwest of Seba and Laketon and a Chipping Sparrow perched with a small bug in its beak on a weed stalk near my car. I left the grasslands at nine o'clock.

Heading toward Lane's Landing to see if that road was open again, I cut through the main Wastewater properties. A few Mallard families occupied the east lagoon along with some Spotted Sandpipers. All the perched gulls were Herrings. In a quick once-down-once-back trip through the middle of the dry cells I heard one Dickcissel in B5 and a Grasshopper Sparrow in B6.

The Lane's Landing road is open again. They did a nice job of cutting the big tree and removing all its branches. On my drive toward the inner gate I counted my 41st species for the morning, an Eastern Towhee drinking its tea south of the road.

If July 21 is half this good a day, we'll have a great fieldtrip!

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In early April, Don Peterson at Hoffmaster State Park told me about a place he goes in the spring to see warblers and many other birds:

This beautiful little park is at the east end of Franklin Street in Grand Haven. Carol and I spent one hour there early in the afternoon on April 22. Don was absolutely right! Even at this rather early date, the trees and shrubs had many birds darting around. Notable were Yellow-rumped Warblers, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, a Brown Thrasher, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, more than a dozen Cedar Waxwings, a few White-crowned Sparrows, one Savannah Sparrow, and our first Palm Warbler of the season. There were also many frogs and turtles in the water and several butterflies in the air.

I'm anxious to come back in a week or two. This place has all the looks of a "warbler trap" -- a place where small birds might spend the day because there's no other good habitat for them for miles around, just city and the Grand River marsh.

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Feller DeWitt, G.B. Girardi and an unidentified opossum at Flahive Park on May 4, 2007

Tiring of possom-watching, they looked for birds at Hoffmaster: