UP Rare Bird Report for June 18, 2006

Sun Jun 18 22:12:33 EDT 2006

UP Rare Bird Report for June 18, 2006

Birding in the Upper Peninsula is pretty much all about the breeders right now. The nesting season is in full swing from reports of Yellow-bellied Flycatchers building nests to the Robins already starting their second brood of the year. There have been still a few reports of northbound shorebirds, mostly Black-bellied Plover, Dunlin, Sanderling and Semipalmated Sandpipers. That being said, the first southbound Least Sandpipers and Lesser Yellowlegs should be here in the next week or so. Both species of Crossbills are starting to be seen regularly for the first time after a long absence. I think it should be a great fall for White-winged Crossbills, the spruce cone crop this summer is excellent.
I have recently updated both the butterfly & 2006 bird photo galleries on www.UPBirders.org, so please feel free to check out some of the new additions. 

Highlights

SAY’S PHOEBE
White-winged Scoter
Spruce Grouse
Rough-legged Hawk
Black-backed Woodpecker
Philadelphia Vireo
Blue-winged Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Connecticut Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Dickcissel
Western Meadowlark
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill

Exotics
Chaffinch
Serin 

Keweenaw County
For all you chasers who like to travel by zodiac, Zach Gayk & Joe Youngman made a weekend run out to Manitou Island where they found a SAY’S PHOEBE on the 11th, on the eastern tip of the island by the lighthouse. I believe this may be Michigan’s 1st summer record of a Say’s Phoebe. Photos of the Phoebe can be seen in the 2006 bird picture gallery at . They also experienced a late movement of raptors on Manitou, including a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were said to be common on Manitou right now.
Joe Kaplan reported having a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER in Bay de Grie this last week.

Ontonagon County
I had a singing PHILADELIPHIA VIREO along South Boundary Road in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park on the 16th. This is a very rare breeder in the State and is not seen every summer. There were 11 DICKCISSELS along Larson Road in between 2 & 3 Mile Roads north of the village of Bruce Crossing on the 16th. Another DICKCISSEL was seen on N. Cemetery Road north of EWEN. 
Kitt Wolf reported having a EUROPEAN GOLDFINCH at her feeders in Topaz on June 7th. 

Gogebic County
I spent several days in Gogebic County surveying for the Breeding Bird Atlas, with several notable sightings (yes there are birds out there!). There was a LE CONTE’S SPARROW in a wet field at the corner of Airport and Lakerold Rd. north of the town of Bessemer on the 13th. A high count of 11 CAPE MAY WARBLERS were found in various sections of the western end of the Ottawa Nat. Forest, including a small concentration on the Forest Hwy. 8190 east of Korpela Rd., east of Wakefield. A prison sewage lagoon on Forest Road 8220 yielded a hen COMMON GOLDENEYE with 9 chicks. This is the Ojibwa Corrections Facility located east of M-64 south of Marenisco, and is relatively large compared to most UP sewage ponds (about the size of the Baraga Ponds). There could be good shorebirds here and even though not on the map, should be checked during migration.
Other sightings this week in the Ottawa included TRUMPETER SWANS, GREY JAY, BOREAL CHICKADEE, YELLOW-BELLIED & OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHERS.

Marquette County
There has been a small group of DICKCISSELS in the prison fields along County Road 545 south of Beaver Grove including a pair feeding young, with 2 more additional singing males. Sadly this field was hayed yesterday, and I doubt the Dickcissels will remain at this location. A WESTERN MEADOWLARK was singing along Besser Road west of US-41 north of Skandia on the 17th. I have been regularly bumping into BOREAL CHICKADEES and RED CROSBILLS in the Mulligan Plains and Clowry areas in the last couple of weeks. Greg Cleary reports there have been good concentrations of GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLERS along Kate’s Grade southwest of Gwinn. A BLUE-WINGED WARBLER was reported in Big Bay by Ginny Dunn & John Pepin. This is the first report for this species in Marquette County.

Menominee County
I spent June 7-9 atlasing in Menominee region with the following highlights. 2 different BLUE-WINGED WARBLERS and a singing “BREWSTER’S” WARBLER hybrid were found on the 9th near the Shakey Lakes area. There were decent numbers of GOLDEN-WINGED WARBERS present as well. I believe this is the first time Blue-winged Warblers have been found singing on territory in the UP. Other highlights include 4 DICKCISSELS in the Eustis/Harris farm county and a total of 15 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS in various locations. 

Delta County
Scott Hickman reported having 12 RED CROSSBILLS and a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER in the Hiawatha Nat. Forest. There have been RED-NECKED GREBES present at the Kipling DNR boat launch, but no chicks as of yet. 

Alger County
Jude Halloway led a field trip to the Limestone DNR preserve and Chatham Ponds on the 17th, with the highlight of a DICKCISSEL being found in Limestone. Other good birds included SHARP-TAILED GROUSE, GADWALL & GRASSHOPPER SPARROW.
Scott Hickman reported a pair of GREY JAYS on Doe Lake Road on the 13th.

Luce County
Rick Baetsen & Keith Saylor had a singing PRAIRIE WARBLER in northern Luce County as well as 4 SPRUCE GROUSE. It has been a couple of years since a Prairie Warbler has been found singing in the UP in the summer. Also in Luce County there are a couple of singing WILSON’S WARBLERS, presumably on territory.

Chippewa County
Louie Dombroski reports that the exotics saga over at Whitefish Point has just gotten stranger. In addition to the continuing pair of Chaffinch’s at the Gift Shop feeders, 1 possibility 2 Serins were seen this week. Louie also had a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO at Whitefish on the 18th.
Caleb Putman reports that there is a territorial WILSON’S WARBLER singing a mile north of the Taquamenon River mouth along M-123. The CONNETICUT WARBLER on Forest Rd. 3344, north of Trout Lake was last reported to me on the 9th. 

To report rare birds please email me at TheOwlRanch at aol.com or to Birdnet at UPBirders.org if you are a subscriber. If you are not on the net, call the Marquette Hotline at (906) 225-3886. For more information on Birdnet, or UP birds, please visit www.UPBirders.org

Till next time,

~Skye Haas
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