UP Rare Bird Report for June 19, 2007

Tue Jun 19 23:19:37 EDT 2007

UP Rare Bird Report for June 19, 2007

The breeding season is in full swing now. This seems to be a great year for Le Conte’s Sparrows, as they seem to be in every old pasture or wet meadow. Other birds that have been reported with higher numbers then normal include Olive-sided & Great Crested Flycatchers and Cuckoos. Still the effects of the major snow storm in April can still be felt. Many birders have commented on the lack of Bluebirds, Hermit Thrushes & Eastern Meadowlarks this summer. It is certainly possible that some of these early migrants were caught in this storm.  

I have finally updated the photo site in the 2007 bird gallery on www.UPBirders.org to catch it up through the spring and summer. Highlights include Chestnut-collared Longspur, Pacific Loon and Prairie Warbler among many others.

Highlights

American White Pelican

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Yellow Rail

Whimbrel

Franklin’s Gull

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Black-backed Woodpecker

Kirtland’s Warbler

Connecticut Warbler

Dickcissel

Western Meadowlark

Ontonagon County

Ryne Rutherford found a PHILADELPHIA VIREO singing on territory in the Porcupine Mountains State Park.

Keweenaw County

Zach Gayk found a YELLOW RAIL and 2 BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS in a remote bog near Point Isabelle on the June 16th. Zach along with Joe Youngman did a 3 day atlasing adventure into the wilds of the tip of the Keweenaw. Highlights included a CONNECTICUT WARBLER and 3 BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS. Tom Auer reports that there is a singing WILSON’S WARBLER on territory on 5 Mile Point. 

Houghton County

A GRASSHOPPER SPARROW was near Rice Lake on the 17th. 

Iron County

Greg Cleary reported a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO nest, YELLOW-THROATED VIREO, and 2 CAPE MAY WARBLERS near the Paint River on the 16-17th. 

Dickinson County

Greg Cleary had 2 CAPE MAY WARBLERS south of Sagola on June 8th. 

Marquette County

A DICKCISSEL and 11 LE CONTE’S SPARROWS were at the Sand River Flooding on June 11th. An AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN was observed flying over the City of Marquette on June 18th. An AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN was on Big Shag Lake south of Gwinn on June 10th. 2 BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS and 2 CAPE MAY WARBLERS were on the Sands Plains on June 12th. A KIRTLAND’S WARBLER and a FIELD SPARROW were also on the Sands Plains on June 9th. Greg Cleary found a CONNECTICUT WARBLER in the Cyr Swamp on June 10th. A LE CONTE’S SPARROW was in Northland on the 12th. A BOREAL CHICKADEE was along the Mulligan Creek on June 16th. Also on the Mulligan was a CAPE MAY WARBLER on the 8th. 

Menominee County

A very high count of 67 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS were along the south Menominee County shoreline between Bailey and Airport Parks along M-35 on June 13th. 3 WILLOW FLYCATCHERS were at the Kukuk Bridge on the G-12 Road. DICKCISSELS were present in Harris on the 13th and Palestine on the 14th. Also in Palestine were a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and 5 GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS. Another YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and 2 BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS were north of the Menominee County Airport on the 13th. 2 GREAT EGRETS were north of Stony Point. Colonies of GRASSHOPPER & LE CONTE’S SPARROWS were noted in Dagget.

Delta County

Ryne Rutherford reported a singing DICKCISSEL near 10 Mile Creek in western Delta County. Once again there is at least one pair of RED-NECKED GREBES nesting in Kipling near the DNR boat launch. 

Alger County

Scott Hickman found an adult FRANKLIN’S GULL at the mouth of the Au Train River on June 11th. Steve Caird found a late WHIMBREL on June 10th in Grand Marias. It was last reported on June 12th. There are several pairs of PIPING PLOVERS nesting this year at Grand Marias. Rod Planck reported that a hybrid GREAT BLACK-BACKED/HERRING GULL was nesting on the cliffs near Mosquito Beach in Pictured Rocks Nat. Lakeshore- the take home message being of course, be very aware of any dark-mantled gulls in the Munising area, as it could be a hybrid. 

Schoolcraft County

Ron Annelin reported 2 GREATER YELLOWLEGS on the Manistique beachfront on June 16th. This is an interesting report as northward Yellowlegs have been gone for about a month, and we are still about 2 weeks away from the normal arrival date for fall migrants. 

Luce County

 A canoe trip on the Two-Hearted River yielded a YELLOW-THROATED VIREO, 2 BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS, and 4 CAPE MAY WARBLERS on June 10th. A BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was present at the railroad crossing on CO RD 421 north of McMillan on the 16th. A BLACK TERN colony and 3 LE CONTE’S SPARROWS were at the Dollarville Flooding near Newberry on June 16th. Also on the 16th, 4 LE CONTE’S SPARROWS and 2 CAPE MAY WARBLERS were along Skyline Road.

Chippewa County

Several BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS have been seen in the last week including 1 male on Vermilion Road on the 9th; 1 along Forest Road 3344 on the 15th; 1 at the Clark Lake Parking area on the 15th; and 1 along M-123 about 5 miles west of Paradise on the 16th. A number of WESTERN MEADOWLARKS have recently been reported the Soo/Rudyard areas in the last week including a bird on Shunk Road on the 16th, 1 east of Bound Road on the 17th, and 1 on Prairie Road in Dryburg also on the 17th. The Trout Lake CONNECTICUT WARBLER was reported most recently on June 16th. 2 WILSON’ WARBLERS were singing on M-123 south of the Tahquamenon River-mouth near Lone Pine Road on June 16th. A CAPE MAY WARBLER was by the DNR boat launch at the Tahquamenon River mouth. A hen SPRUCE GROUSE with chicks was found on the Tower Road in Tahquamenon Falls State Park on the 15th. LE CONTE’S SPARROWS are common in several areas in the County this year including FO RD 3344, Brimley and Dryburg. Brian Johnson banded a GRASSHOPPER SPARROW in Pickford on the 18th.  

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All birds marked with an asterisk “*” in the report are review species in the State of Michigan and should be documented with photos or a written description. Please send documentation to Adam Byrne at the Michigan Birds Records Committee at either 11771 Rachel LN, Dewitt, MI, 48820 or by email at Byrnea”AT”msu.edu

For further information about the Records Committee, please visit:     http://www.michiganaudubon.org/mbrc/mbrc_home.html

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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