Thrush migration over southern Michigan, evening 9/26-27

[Caleb Putnam]

To second Dave's post, I too heard (and am currently hearing out my window as I type) a huge movement of thrushes (50+ Swainson's, 20+ Gray-cheeked, 2 Wood), warblers/sparrows (~20), and even Green Heron (1) over my house in Grand Rapids around 11:30PM.  I even experimented with digiscoping (video clips) birds flying through the moon, and succeeded on my second and third tries!  See the videos at my blog:

aviantendencies.blogspot.com

On another note, tomorrow (i.e. following a cold front) and the next 10 days or so should be the best chance for Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrows if you're going to look.  See earlier posts in my blog for habitat cues and searching methods.  We will even be kayaking into St. Clair Flats this weekend to try.

Cheers,
Caleb

Caleb G Putnam 
Grand Rapids, MI
larus10 at hotmail.com

> Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2007 23:32:48 -0400
> From: dave.slager at gmail.com
> To: mich-chat at envirolink.org
> Subject: Thrush migration over southern Michigan, evening 9/26-27
> 
> Just got back from a Kent County hilltop near my apartment where I
> spent from 10pm-11pm listening to night migrants flying overhead.  If
> you're going to go out and listen for night migrants this fall, this
> might be the night to do it.
> 
> During that hour, the sky was noisy.  I heard a thrush call, on
> average, every 2-3 seconds.  Lots of times there were several birds
> calling at once, overlapping with each other and obscuring their ID.
> Intervals of more than 5 seconds without hearing a bird were rare.  I
> estimate that at least several hundred, quite easily much more,
> individual thrushes must have gone over during that hour, and they
> were still going over when I left.
> 
> They were mostly Swainson's Thrushes but I also heard 20 or more
> Gray-cheeked Thrushes and at least a couple presumed Hermit Thrushes.
> 
> Also heard going over:
> 
> 4 Green Herons
> 1 Killdeer
> 10-15 warbler and sparrow "zeep"/"seep" calls
> 
> If any of you get this while it's still dark, it'd definitely be worth
> a listen.  The radar seems to indicate the most movement in our region
> occurring in southern Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio tonight, rather than
> points further north.  I'll post a few radar images on my blog in a
> little while.
> 
> Good birding,
> 
> Dave Slager
> Grand Rapids, MI
> http://empidonax.blogspot.com/
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