UP birds - Plegadis sp, Purple Sandpiper, Townsend's Solitaire

[Santner, Steven]

    Those of you going to chase the solitaire should make sure you have gasoline in your car before you leave M28.  It is 40 miles in (and 40 more miles out) before you can get gas again.  I would nominate this site as the most remote location in Michigan.  It was the prime location in a book from many years ago on the Spruce Grouse.  Unfortunately, it is now heavily logged but there may still be spots for boreal species here.
 
    Steve Santner

-----Original Message-----
From: mich-listers-bounces at envirolink.org [mailto:mich-listers-bounces at envirolink.org]On Behalf Of Cccta at aol.com
Sent: Sunday, October 24, 2004 9:42 PM
To: mich-listers at envirolink.org
Subject: UP birds - Plegadis sp, Purple Sandpiper, Townsend's Solitaire


Listers,
    Had a great weekend (except for rain much of the time) in the UP. 

Highlights:

       8 dark Ibises (Plegadis species) Sunday at Whitefish Point in the late morning initially flying west of the tip - my first true chase of the year since some of us were in the parking lot when the report came over the radio and had to sprint to the beach to catch looks at these wayward beauties

       Purple Sandpiper about 15 minutes later - flew in and landed at the tip allowing everyone great long looks

       Townsend's Solitaire - Sat 3:15 pm  - Yellow Dog Plains, Marquette Co - Skye Haas has the directions - this bird is out in the stinking boonies! 25 miles on the paved road northwest of Marquette and then about 15 miles on the unmarked dirt (who am I kidding) MUD roads and sure enough, in the same general area Skye and Zach had the bird on Friday, it was calling and flying around

       All 3 scoters in the bay at Marquette, lots of White-wingeds flying by Whitefish Point

       Rough-legged Hawks - 3 on 123 in Mackinaw Co and one dark morph on I-75 in Crawford Co on Sunday

       Northern Shrike - first year bird terrorizing the feeders at Whitefish Point Saturday morning

       Snow Buntings - 3 flocks (20, 40 & 400+) on Saturday morning in Luce Co on 123, also at WPBO

       2 White-winged Crossbills flying and calling at Whitefish Point on Sunday morning

       Purple Finches everywhere there were feeders - dozens at Whitefish Point (lots of Rusty Blackbirds too)



Good Birding,

Scott Jennex
Ferndale 

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