July 12, 2019

Recent Notable Bird Sightings

• Stearn's Creek County Park - 6/1/19 - A special early access bird walk for Mug Club members (see photo below) found territorial, singing Nashville Warblers (which normally breed further north) and Black-billed Cuckoos among others.

• Eurasian Collared-Dove - Josh Kamp found a pair of these rare birds near Zeeland Farm Services on 6/20/19 (later photographed by Judi Manning).  See photo below.  This species has been spreading across the southern and western US since its introduction in the Bahamas in the 1980's.  It has spread more rapidly in the past 10-15 years and has been found in Michigan on occasion.  This is not the first record in Ottawa County as one was found on 4/13/13 and was seen several times that year east of Ravenna.

• A Yellow-headed Blackbird has been an occasional visitor this spring and early summer at the feeder of Dave Herdegen along the Grand River east of Grand Haven.  It was last seen/recorded on 6/12/19.  This regular occurrence makes me wonder if there is any breeding by this more westerly species in the extensive marshlands of the Lower Grand River.

• Avocets, Willets & a Marbled Godwit - Port Sheldon Pier -  7/10/19 - All three of these unusual but fairly regular mid summer visitors were seen at one time by John VanOrman from the North Pier at Port Sheldon (see information below for location/access).  Birders should be vigilant at this time of year for adult shorebirds already migrating south.  Piers are the most common location to encounter them, but they sometimes are only seen as a flyby without stopping for extended views.  Such was the case earlier that same day for John VanOrman at Holland State Park.  It's possible these were the same birds traversing the shoreline through the day.

Mug Club members "early access" bird walk at Stearn's Creek County Park - 6/1/19

Eurasian Collared-Dove, Zeeland, MI; 6/20/19

Nesting Birds Field Trip Summary On Saturday, June 15th we were granted access to bird the "ash fields" area of the Consumer's Energy Campbell Power Plant for the Nesting Birds Field Trip.  Located just east of Lakeshore Drive in Port Sheldon, this expansive area of shrubby grassland harbors lots of grassland birds such as Grasshopper Sparrow (picture at left by Emily Tornga), Vesper Sparrow and is the only known nesting location for Clay-colored Sparrow in Ottawa County.  Consumer's Energy staff escorted us around the property for about 2.5 hours while we recorded the birds we saw and heard.  The conditions were windy with the threat of rain (it didn't!) but we were still able to have a successful trip.  You can see the checklist here: Campbell Power Plant - East - Ash Fields - 6/15/19 We also birded Hiawatha Forest Open Space and Pine Bend County Park for the remainder of the morning. Hiawatha Forest Open Space - 6/15/19 Pine Bend County Park - 6/15/19 The plan is to repeat this field trip again in June 2020 with continued special access to the ash fields.  So keep that in mind when planning for next spring!

Birding South Manitou Island

Curtis Dykstra, Ottawa County Parks Naturalist One of my favorite places is South Manitou Island, a Lake Michigan island and part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Leelanau County, MI.  I have many fond memories of visiting this wilderness island as a child with my Dad and the "Trail Finder's" club we were a part of.  I am now in process of taking all 3 of my kids there, one at a time.  This June I took my 10 year old son for his first time.  We had a wonderful time together exploring the beautiful forests & perched dunes, virgin cedars, historic farmsteads, old shipwreck, lighthouse and more! Of course, as is always the case, I see birds everywhere I go!  Each time I visit the island, I like to record the birds we encounter.  This year, some highlights from our trip include Red-breasted Mergansers with young seen in Lake Michigan, Merlins hunting along the shoreline, Vesper Sparrows singing from the shrubby dune vegetation, Ovenbirds and Black-throated Green Warblers singing in abundance from the extensive, mature deciduous woodlands, and we were almost never out of earshot from one or more American Redstarts! Day-trips and overnight, primitive backpacking-styled camping are both ways to explore South Manitou.  Information on the ferry to the island can be found here:  https://manitoutransit.com/

American Redstart (L) and Ovenbird (R)

View from the top of the dunes on South Manitou Island

Pigeon Lake Boardwalk Trail OPEN!

This boardwalk trail that leads out to the Port Sheldon Pier through Consumer's Energy Campbell Power Plant property is a popular birding and fishing destination.  It had been closed down this spring by Consumer's Energy due to winter damage.  It is now open again to the public.  If you are interested in visiting this trail, see the map below for the location.  Drive the entrance road to the parking area at the end and walk the .75 mile long boardwalk out to the pier.  Note there is no access to the beach from the pier.  The boardwalk is typically open for public use from April 15 to October 15 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.  Click HERE to locate the entrance road on Google Maps.

Upcoming Birding Programs

The full Summer 2019 Newsletter is now available!  Below are listed the upcoming scheduled birding outings.  Be sure to update your calendars!  You can view all of our program offerings online at http://www.miOttawa.org/OCPEvents

Shorebird Field Trips

Shorebirds are on their way south for the winter. Intercept and identify a variety of them on these half day field trip options.

Shorebird Field Trip - Part 1: Shoreline & Sod Farm

Start at Holland State Park and then visit the AAA Sod Farm in Hudsonville.

• Saturday, September 7; 7:30 - 11:30am (CLICK TO REGISTER)
• Saturday, September 21; 7:30 - 11:30am  (CLICK TO REGISTER)

Shorebird Field Trip - Part 2: Wastewater Shorebirds

Start in Coopersville before travelling to Muskegon Wastewater.

• Saturday, September 7; 12:30 - 4:30pm  (CLICK TO REGISTER)
• Saturday, September 21; 12:30 - 4:30pm  (CLICK TO REGISTER)

NOTE:

• Details will be emailed to participants after registration. This program is designed for ages 12+.
•   PLEASE REGISTER SEPARATELY FOR EACH PART.  You may mix dates, but please only register for ONE Part 1 and ONE Part 2.

Yellowlegs: Greater (left and center) and Lesser (right)

Coffee with the Birds 2019 Mug Club Photo Contest

Have you taken a bird photo in Ottawa County that you think would look great on our 2020 Coffee with the Birds mug? We want to see it! To enter, email submissions of original size image files (up to 3/person) to naturecenter@miottawa.org.  All entries must be from 2019.  All entries must be taken in Ottawa County Please also include your first and last name, location, date of photo, and bird species.  Submission deadline: November 1 at 9 am

The winning photo & mug will be revealed on December 14, 2019 at the first Coffee with the Birds event of the season. The winning photographer gets prizes and chooses spring & fall mug club bird walk locations.

2018 contest winners are pictured on the above.

Nature Center Bird Feeders Down for the Season

As of April, the feeders at the Nature Center have been taken down until late summer.  This is due to the invasive pest Hemlock Wooly Adelgid.  During this time of year, the pest can be spread by migrating birds, making Hemlock Trees near bird feeders more susceptible to the Adelgid's attack.  If you have Hemlock Trees near your bird feeders, please consider taking them down until August.  Thank you!  You can find out more information about this invasive pest and the risks it poses to our area and all of Michigan at the link below: SAVE MI HEMLOCKS!

Still Searching for Coffee with the Birds Poem

At the final Coffee with the Birds session on March 2, a woman read a poem she had written about the event.  It was very well-received!  I regret that I didn't ask for a copy of the poem nor can I remember her name.  If anyone can connect me to her, I would appreciate it! Thank you!

Happy Summer Birding Trails!

Scarlet Tanager at Port Sheldon Natural Area by Curtis Dykstra