[Mich-chat] Belle Isle Birds - April 25, 2011

[Allen T. Chartier]

Birders,

Another rainy day, but the surveys must go on! Highlights of the 72 species found today included my first Field Sparrows and Yellow Warblers of the year, as well as the first Northern Rough-winged Swallows on the island this year (they've been at Metro Beach for at least a week already). At sunrise, an immaculate breeding-plumaged Common Loon was only about 20 yards offshore, and the total of 8 loons included several off the northern end of the island where most of the 90+ Buffleheads were also found. At the east end of the island, a pair of Common Terns seemed to be interested in the decoys and audio lures set up there to attract them for nesting. They chased off a pair of Forster's Terns and a Herring Gull, and landed amid the decoys. Five each of Brown Thrasher and Belted Kingfisher were also good numbers. There was a definite increase in the number of White-throated Sparrows this week, though there were still a few lingering American Tree Sparrows. No Fox Sparrows were found today. For those who might be interested, a complete list follows.

Canada Goose - 171
Mute Swan - 22
Wood Duck - 12
Mallard - 20
Blue-winged Teal - 2
Redhead - 7
Ring-necked Duck - 11
Greater Scaup - 5
Lesser Scaup - 4
Bufflehead - 96
Hooded Merganser - 5
Red-breasted Merganser - 34
Ruddy Duck - 57
Ring-necked Pheasant - 1
Common Loon - 8
Pied-billed Grebe - 2
Horned Grebe - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 276
Great Blue Heron - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 1
American Kestrel - 1
American Coot - 1
Killdeer - 11
Bonaparte's Gull - 85
Ring-billed Gull - 233
Herring Gull - 56
Common Tern - 2
Forster's Tern - 79
Rock Pigeon - 19
Mourning Dove - 2
Belted Kingfisher - 5
'Red-bellied Woodpecker - 4
Downy Woodpecker - 3
Northern Flicker - 15
Blue Jay - 35
American Crow - 3
Tree Swallow - 113
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 34
Barn Swallow - 30
Black-capped Chickadee - 8
Tufted Titmouse - 5
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Brown Creeper - 3
Carolina Wren - 1
Winter Wren - 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 3
Hermit Thrush - 15
American Robin - 115
Brown Thrasher - 5
European Starling - 140
Yellow Warbler - 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 7
Eastern Towhee - 1
American Tree Sparrow - 8
Chipping Sparrow - 2
Field Sparrow - 2
Savannah Sparrow - 7
Song Sparrow - 30
Swamp Sparrow - 5
White-throated Sparrow - 81
Dark-eyed Junco - 1
Northern Cardinal - 20
Red-winged Blackbird - 246
Rusty Blackbird - 17
Common Grackle - 34
Brown-headed Cowbird - 21
House Finch - 3
American Goldfinch - 9
House Sparrow - 72

Allen T. Chartier
amazilia1(at)comcast.net
Inkster, Michigan, USA
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