Detroit RBA

[Karl Overman]

Western Grebe
American Bittern
Ibis sp.
Surf Scoter
Hudsonian Godwit
Laughing Gull
Franklin’s Gull
Sabine’s Gull
Smith’s Longspur
Pine Siskin


Monday, September 25, 2006.

This is the rare bird alert sponsored by the Detroit Audubon Society.  
The local hawk watches still are waiting for a big push of Broad- 
winged Hawks which normally have peaked by now.  On September 23rd  
there was a reasonably good flight of Broad-wings at Lake Erie Metro  
Park but still not of the volume that would normally indicate the  
peak of migration for that species. A bonus that day was having a  
Glossy/White-faced Ibis moving with the Broad-wings.  On the same  
day, September 23rd,  a Glossy/White-faced Ibis was seen at Point  
Rosa Marsh at Metrobeach in Macomb County by Chris Lindell.  Tom  
Heatley had an American Bittern as a yard bird in Macomb County on  
September 23rd.

Jack Reinoehl had a Laughing Gull as a one day wonder on Baw Beese  
Lake in Hillsdale County on September 12th.  On September 15th Alan  
Wormington had a stunning total of nine species of gulls at the tip  
of Pelee including Laughing, Franklin’s and Sabine’s.  Hillman Marsh  
north of Point Pelee at the moment has excellent shorebird habitat.   
Birds on September 24th there included Long-billed Dowitchers and  
Hudsonian Godwit.

Scott Jennex had an unprecedented male Smith’s Longspur on the  
breakwater at Lexington on Lake Huron in southern Sanilac County on  
September 22nd. It is seen occasionally in the U.P. but Lower  
Peninsula records have been virtually nonexistent since the first  
state record from Midland in 1971.

Caleb Putnam had 4 Surf Scoters fly by Saugatuck today on Lake  
Michigan, a sign of things to come.  Wormington notes that waterfowl  
are late at Pelee so far and at Belle Isle today there were no diving  
ducks on Blue Heron Lagoon where there normally are some by late  
September.

In the U.P., a Western Grebe type was seen at Houghton today though  
efforts of others to follow up on the bird so far have been  
unsuccessful.  Joe Youngman at seven Sabine’s Gulls mixed in with  
Bonaparte’s last weekend in Baraga County.  Laurie Binford had a  
flock of 200 Pine Siskins on September 24th in the Keweenaw Peninsula  
so it will be interesting to see if this proves to be a harbinger of  
an invasion for that species generally in the state.

On Sunday, October 1st the Detroit Audubon Society will have a field  
trip to the Rouge River Bird Observatory for a bird banding  
demonstration by Julie Craves.  Meet at the Environmental  
Interpretive Center at the U of M Dearborn campus at 8 am.


To report rare birds call Karl Overman at 248.473.0484.
.


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/mich-listers/attachments/20060926/3c7cc4b3/attachment.html