UP Rare Bird Report for May 31, 2007

Thu May 31 22:40:37 EDT 2007

UP Rare Bird Report for May 31, 2007

It’s the last day of spring (survey period-wise), and migration is quickly slowing in the Upper Peninsula. Most birds are back on breeding territory with still some flycatchers & Cuckoos straggling in. I’ll probably have a few more notes about the progress of the breeding season in the next update, but for now I’ll mention that this is shaping up to be a great year for the spruce-budworm warblers, notably Cape May Warblers which have been widespread. There are also quite a few “winter” finches around with lots of Pine Siskins present, and still some decent sized flocks of White-winged Crossbills in boreal/bog country. There have been a few reports in the last week of Red Crossbills feeding young. Particularly exciting are the record high number of Piping Plovers nesting in the UP this season. While some nesting areas are very sensitive, birders wishing to observe Pipers can do so at Aronson Island/Ludington Park in Escanaba and at Grand Marais where there are now 5 pairs! One can hope that Kirtland Warblers will do as well this summer. 

Highlights

EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE*

SAY’S PHOEBE*

LARK BUNTING*

EURASIAN TREE SPARROW*

American White Pelican

Willet

Hudsonian Godwit

Marbled Godwit

Red Knot

Red-necked Phalarope

Wilson’s Phalarope

Laughing Gull

Western Kingbird

Blue-winged Warbler

Prairie Warbler

Connecticut Warbler

Yellow-breasted Chat

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Ontonagon County

A EURASIAN TREE SPARROW* has returned to Kitt Wolf’s feeders at the Topaz Way-station on May 31st.  

Keweenaw County

Zach Gayk found a SAY’S PHOEBE* in the Bete Grise Bog near Lac La Belle on May 27th. This is a remote area, and this bird may be difficult to relocate.

Houghton County

Bruce Wolck reported a male LARK BUNTING* on Little Traverse Bay on May 23rd. The bird has not been seen since. Russ Hanson found a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE and a RUDDY DUCK at the Atlantic Mine Sewage Ponds also on the 23rd. 

Baraga County

Joe Kaplan found an adult LAUGHING GULL at the head of the Keweenaw Bay in Baraga on May 24th. The bird was seen again early on the 25th, but has not been seen since. Also on the 24th, a PIPING PLOVER was present in the large shorebird flocks at the head of the bay. 2 TUNDRA SWANS remain present along the Baraga waterfront as of the 25th. 

Iron County

Ryne Rutherford reported an impressive total of 18 CAPE MAY WARBLERS and 1 BAY-BREASTED WARBLER on territory near Golden Lake in the Ottawa National Forest on May 28th. 

Marquette County

A EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE* was found near the Greenwood Reservoir southwest of Ishpeming along County Road 476 on May 30th. Also along CO RD 476, there were singing CAPE MAY & BAY-BREASTED WARBLERS. Also on the 30th, 6 more CAPE MAY WARBLERS & 3 BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS were observed on the Peshekee Grade. A female CONNECTICUT WARBLER was observed at the Presque Island Bog Walk on May 30th. A rare migrant on the Superior watershed, a FIELD SPARROW was seen at the Bog Walk on the gravel 2-track on the 31st. 

Delta County

A WESTERN KINGBIRD was at Peninsula Point from May 23-24th. Other notable sightings recently from Peninsula Point include a WILLET on the 22nd; RED KNOT on the 23rd; 5 RED-HEADED WOODEPCKERS on the 24th; NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD and WOOD THRUSH on the 25th; and BLUE-WINGED WARBLER & NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD on the 26th. Portage Marsh south of Escanaba has also been host to many excellent sightings including 2 HUDSONIAN GODWITS & 2 MARBLED GODWITS from May 21-25th; 2 WILSON’S PHALAROPES from the 20-26th; RED KNOT on May 21st, and 2 WILLOW FLYCATCHERS on May 26th. A flock of 30+ AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS were observed in Big Bay De Noc on the 23rd, and there have been reports of breeding Pelicans on islands in Bay De Noc. GREAT EGRETS have been present at Portage Marsh, Peninsula Point & Ogantz Bay in the last week. 

Alger County

Scott Hickman found a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE at the Shingleton Sewage Ponds on May 23rd, and a NORTHEN MOCKINGBIRD at Sand Point. A male RUDDY DUCK was at the Shingleton Sewage Ponds on May 26th. 

Schoolcraft County

A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was seen along US-2 in Gulliver on May 21st. 

Chippewa County

Whitefish Point has been somewhat quiet this spring, but there still have been a few notable sightings in the last week. A PURPLE MARTIN was seen on the 31st; YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT, PRAIRIE WARBLER and a female YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD were seen on May 30th; a WESTERN KINGBIRD was seen for a short while on May 29th, along with 2 PURPLE MARTINS; a young male YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD was present at the feeders on May 25-26th; and a very late GOLDEN EAGLE was seen on May 28th. Chris Neri reports that over 800 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS have been banded this season!

Joyce Peterson reported a singing CONNECTICUT WARBLER along Hiawatha National Forest Road 3344, north of Trout Lake on May 28th. Please, if you go to observe this bird, please use recordings to lure the bird in sparingly, if at all. This location sees a high volume of birders, and effort should be made not to harass the bird. It frequently sings over the course of the day and should be easy enough to find without tapes. Also in the Hiawatha NF on the 28th, a total of 4 territorial CAPE MAY WARBLERS were found in the Delirium Wilderness Area. A male BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was at the parking area of the Clark Lake Trail in Tahquamenon Falls State Park on May 27th. A SPRUCE GROUSE was seen on Vermilion Road on the 29th. 

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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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