Detroit RBA 12/25/04

[Karl Overman]

Surf Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Turkey Vulture
Golden Eagle
Iceland Gull
Snowy Owl
Hawk Owl
Great Gray  Owl
Long-eared Owl
Pileated Woodpecker
Catbird
Varied Thrush
E. Towhee
Fox Sparrow
Harris’s Sparrow

Saturday December 25, 2004 at 11 am

This is the rare bird alert sponsored by the Detroit Audubon Society.  
Mike Walls (sp?) at 64 81 Springfield Lane, Springfield twp, Oakland 
County, is hosting a Harris’s Sparrow which has been present for about 
10 days.  The bird feeds with a host of other birds on seed Mike placed 
out between 2 large evergreens in his backyard.  Mike would prefer you 
call before coming, at least at this time.  His home phone is 
248.625.3088.

His  house is the second house on the right on Springfield Lane, 6481 
and it has a For Sale sign on it.  Springfield Lane is off of Big Lake 
Road, .2 miles east of Andersonville Road.  The most direct route for 
most people is probably taking I-75 to the Dixie Road exit west of 
Clarkston and going south on Dixie Highway to the first road going west 
south of I-75, which is Big Lake Road.  Follow Big  Lake Road through 
several turns until Springfield Lane appears on the north side of the 
road .2 of a mile before the road hits Andersonville Road.

This week long cold snap probably makes many waterfowl records from the 
first week of Christmas Counts ancient history, nonetheless it is 
notable that Jim Fowler had both Surf Scoter and Long-tailed Duck at 
Metrobeach in Macomb County on December 18th on the Anchor Bay Count, a 
count that located around 81 species.  Both Fox Sparrow and Eastern 
Towhee were found at the feeder at the nature center at Metrobeach on 
December 18th. On December 24th Greg Norwood and Mark Dettling had 2 
Iceland Gulls on Tyler Road in western Wayne County at the pond  on the 
Visteon property just east of I-275.  They also had 3 Long-eared Owls at 
Lake Erie Metro Park, southern Wayne County on the same date.  This is a 
traditional wintering site for that species where they have been vied by 
hundreds of people over the last 4 years.

More evidence of Pileated Woodpeckers incursion into SE Michigan was  
Jeff Beucking finding one along the Flint River at Richfield Park, 
Genesee County on December 18th.
Darrin O’Brien reports that 3 Turkey Vultures turned up on the Clinton, 
Christmas  Count in Lenawee County.  That count seems to be the best bet 
for winter TVs in Michigan.  A Catbird is still hanging on at the 
Chippewa Nature Center in Midland as of December 22nd..

In the far reaches of the U.P., Scott Jennex continued is quest for a 
Big Year in Michigan, picking up the Varied Thrush in Jacobsville, 
Houghton County on December 23rd.  In the eastern U.P., Scott and Tim 
Smart saw a Great Gray Owl on Point La Barbe Road, Mackinaw County just 
over the Straits, on December 24th.   Greg Norwood and Mark Dettling had 
a Great Gray on Sugar Island near the Soo  on December 20th.  
Surprisingly, given the multitudes in Minnesota and nearby Wisconsin, 
the only Hawk Owl staked out so for iin the UP is at the dead end of Soo 
Line Road north of M-28 in extreme eastern Luce County.

The Muskegon Waste Water Treatment area would be a rewarding destination 
for some winter birding this holiday season given reports such as Caleb 
Putman having 2 Snowy Owls there on December 22nd and Mike Moran per 
Rick Pedler having 2 Golden Eagles there on December 24th.

To report rare birds call Karl Overman at 248.473.0484.

Karl Overman
Farmington Hills, Mi.