After the Festival

[Will and Joan Wolfe]

Will  and I arrived at Tawas on Sunday evening, the 18th, having sadly missed the Kirkland's warbler and getting Caleb's reports of all the warblers seen. By the time we arrived, most of the warblers were silent in the cold north wind.

However, Monday morning, birders led us to a Long Eared owl -- very camouflaged in the evergreens, but facing outward with ears, eyes and face very visible through binoculars.

Tuesday, on again asking birders what they'd been seeing,   we learned that another Kirkland's was seen thi time at the Point.  Sure enough, a short search and we aw (and heard) it putting  on a great show.  People said that it was not the bird seen over the weekend because that one had a band on it and this one didn't.    It was singing lustily, often out in the open, not more than 15 or 20 feet from the watchers.  Periodically it would move further down the trail.   Everyone who tried (which was mostly everyone)  got repeated good looks standing in the trail and watching it in the bushes along the trail.   

Wednesday the 20th several Black Bellied Plovers, a Lesser Yellow Leg and a Willet
were seen, and a flock of Sanderlings were at the end of the down
  We went to Tuttle Marsh in the afternoon and saw a Bittern in the reeds close by the road and a grouse with its black ruff very ruffled and tail spread out as it walked across the road in front of us.  The phragmites seem to be taking over the marsh, which of course concerns us.

Overall, at the Point, the warblers were scarce.   We usually see lots of Orchard Orioles, but saw only one.  Gnatcatchers surprised us -- we saw quite a few.  The Swallows were in incredible numbers most of the time.  The Cliff Swallows quickly made nests on Tuesday and were sitting on them in the pavilion and on Wednesday the nests were down -- We suspect the staff cleans them out because they do make a horrible mess on the picnic tables under them.   

The moral of all this is that you may not hit days like the festival did, but anytime at Tawas Pt. is apt to bring wonderful surprises.     Cheers,  Joan  Wolfe


Although it was the worse year we ever had in terms weather (mostly cold northwest winds) , and rain this afternoon)today of number of species (very few warblers)
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