Short-eared Owl Pte Mouillee

[Karl Overman]

Today, I teamed up with Jim Fowler and Lyle Hamilton in doing a  
section of the Rockwood Christmas Count.  With a couple groups not  
reporting yet, the unofficial total for the count was 96 species.

Jim, Lyle and I saw a Short-eared Owl over the Bloody Run Unit at  
Pointe Mouillee, Monroe County at 5:18 p.m.  Lyle and I had 71  
species for the day.  The Scarlet Tanager at Lake Erie Metropark was  
not found today after being seen as recently as yesterday.

There were stunning numbers of waterfowl where the Huron River  
empties into Lake Erie.  I would be curious to know what the number  
of Canvasback in that area is.  Tens of thousands for sure.

Here are some of the species Jim, Lyle and I had today in and around  
Pointe Mouillee:

15 Pintail--mouth of Huron River.
  1 Long-tailed Duck--Lake Erie off of Pointe Mouillee
  1 Black Scoter--Lake Erie off of Pointe Mouillee
  7 N. Harrier
  1 Red-shouldered Hawk--adult; across road from former shooting  
range at Pte Mouillee
  1 Hermit Thrush--Estrel Beach
  1 Catbird--Near entrance to Pointe Mouillee headquarters in Wayne  
County
  3 Northern Shrike
  1 Savannah Sparrow--in a weedy field with sunflowers in the Vermet  
Unit at Pointe Mouillee
  2 Brewer's  Blackbird (males)--seen in a corn field outside the  
gate of the Fermi Nuclear Plant.

Cheers,

Karl Overman
Farmington Hills, Mi.