Saginaw Bay Area Bird Survey - Summer '08

[Joe Soehnel]

Below is the Summer '08 Saginaw Bay Area Bird Survey summary as written by David Peters.  You can find the complete report, compiled by David, at Saginaw Bay Birding.  The SBA continues to harbor a good selection of birds due to its good habitat diversification and the willingness of birders that share their sightings.
 
Good fall birding!
 
Joe Soehnel
Saginaw Bay Birding
 


Summer is the peak vacation season in Michigan, and indeed many observers appear to take time off from birding in the summer as well. This annual reduction in observer effort during the period has recently been countered by an increase in field trips collecting breeding data for the Michigan Breeding Bird Atlas. This year, Midland and Huron County received a considerable amount of attention, and to a lesser extent, Tuscola and Bay County. In addition to all of the more well distributed species recorded for the Atlas, a number of species with limited SBA summer distribution were encountered at their favored locations, including Common Tern, Acadian Flycatcher, Swainson’s Thrush, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Blackburnian Warbler. One of the most active SBA observers this summer spent time exploring a few of the seldom visited portions of Arenac County. As a result, a few additional species with limited SBA summer distribution, such as Blue-headed Vireo, Hermit Thrush, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, and White-throated Sparrow, were reported from otherwise unfamiliar locations. Encouraging numbers of Clay-colored Sparrows were reported from Arenac County, and likewise Grasshopper Sparrows from single fields in Saginaw and Tuscola County. Black Terns reports were notably widespread and represented in better than average numbers. Just one MBRC review species was reported this summer, a King Rail**. White plumage was a shared trait of the summer straggler species reported - American White Pelican, Snowy Egret, American Avocet, and Franklin’s Gull. Other species reported that are not typical summer occurrences in the SBA were Common Goldeneye, Eared Grebe, and Merlin.  A nice summer total of 191 species were reported, ten more than the 1989-2007average.  


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