Manistee birds

[Brian A]

Carl Freeman and I birded Arcadia on Sunday during the wonderful SE wind in 60-70 sunny degrees.  After the usual scoping of Common Mergansers, Scaup, Ring-necked Ducks etc. we decided to hit the hills and see if the SE wind brought in the raptors.

The wind was not perfect.  It seems that a ESE is better, then it did switch to the south but we did have a mild flight seen from a new subdivision carved out of the moraine north of Nelson Rd.  Total birds appx. 25 Red-tails, 5 Red-shouldered (some resident) 12 Roughlegged, 3 Harriers, 2 Coopers, 10 Sharp-shins, 6 Turkey Vultures, 2 Bald Eagles, 35 Sandhill Cranes in about an hour of viewing.

At one time a gorup of 9 Sandhills were on a collision course with a soaring Red-tail.  When they literally bumped wings the Sandhills appeared enraged and dove at the Red-tail with tremendous bugle calls.  The Red-tail dove well out of the way and the cranes regrouped and continued north.

This morning in the dawn fog I had two Virginia Rails calling vigorously with both the kid-ick call and the grunting.  This is my earliest record for the county.

BA
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