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

[Russell Emmons]

Caleb/Dave, birders: Shortly after you posted this, I opened it,then went right outside and listened for some time. Nothing but a Killdeer or 2. Crickets, Locusts, Grasshoppers and the like!  We were pretty much clouded up here with the moon coming out from the clouds now & then with colored "coronna" rings around it. I checked it with 10X binocs--- nothing to be seen. The winds here were from the SE to South so I assume the front was not over this far. After Daves Weather and Radar maps finally downloaded on this slow dialup I saw that was the case. Too bad I didn't have the proper url for the radar maps, I could have "refreshed" my browser. I have tended to be skeptical over this as stuff like this rarely happens in these parts but I've heard about and seen pics enough  from others in various areas to know it is so!

Russ Emmons, south St. Clair county
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Caleb Putnam 
  To: Mich Chat 
  Sent: Thursday, September 27, 2007 12:22 AM
  Subject: RE: Thrush migration over southern Michigan, evening 9/26-27


  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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