New November Big Day Record

[Karl Overman]

On November 1st  Sue Wright and I set a Michigan Big Day record for  
November, 99 or 100 species.  We definitely identified 100 species.   
The question is whether urban Peregrines, such as birds in Ann Arbor,  
Detroit and Grand Rapids, are countable on Big Days. Free ranging  
Peregrines would never consider wintering in the Great Lakes area and  
even November would be stretch for them.  However the scions of  
hacked Peregrines don't know any better so they put up with wintering  
in say,  gritty downtown Detroit instead of joining other Peregrines  
enjoying tropical vacations in, oh, Panama.

It is worth noting that a key to our route was birding Lenawee  
County, one of the least birded counties in the lower peninsula.   
Lenawee County was also a critical birding area for Tom Kemp and  
Steve Stockford in setting the December Big Day record last year as  
well.

Here is a thumbnail version of our route:  pre-dawn in northern  
Lenawee County, early morning birding around the town of Morenci,  
Lenawee County,  near the Ohio line; the Monroe County shoreline;  
Lake Erie Metro Park in Wayne Co.; downtown Detroit including Belle  
Isle, Metrobeach in Macomb County and finally the Lake Huron  
shoreline at Port Huron (OK, we really ended the day in Sanilac  
County at Lexington Harbor but saw nothing in Lake Huron in our  
headlights).

A key of course is not missing much and we didn't .  Still birds  
like  Common Loon, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser (I am picking  
up a theme here) eluded us as did that obviously close relative of  
the Ivory-billed Woodpecker,  the Flicker.

Here are some of the birds we came up with:

Horned Grebe--one of NW side of Belle Isle, Detroit

Great Egret--one at farm pond across from Lake Hudson, Lenawee Co.

Black-crowned Night-Heron--one is all we needed--on Belle Isle, Detroit

Snow Goose--one blue phased bird at Morenci sewage lagoons, Lenawee Co.

Black Duck--4 Morenci sewage lagoons

Pintail-- 3 or 4 Morenci sewage lagoons

Black Scoter--4 Port Huron

Surf Scoter--9 Port Huron

Merlin--1 preparing to go to roost at the Lakeside Cemetery in Port  
Huron where it has wintered the 	two previous years

Pheasant--a bonus bird these days--quite a few heard at dawn in farm  
country in west-central 		Lenawee County.

Black-bellied Plover--at least 7 on flats off Pointe Mouillee  
headquarters, Wayne Co.

Golden Plover--one Pointe Mouillee headquarters, Wayne Co.

SEMIPALMATED PLOVER--late for this species.  Found by Walt Pawloski  
earlier in day on flats on north side of Huron River on W. Jefferson  
just inside Wayne County.

Greater Yellowlegs--2 at Morenci sewage lagoons; numerous off Pointe  
Mouillee headquarters.

Lesser Yellowlegs--on flats on W. Jefferson north of Huron River,  
Wayne Co.

Least Sandpiper--at least one, Morenci sewage lagoons, Lenawee Co.

White-rumped Sandpiper--1 Morenci sewage lagoons

Pectoral Sandpiper--seen at a couple of places, including Morenci  
sewage lagoons

Dunlin--a dozen at Lotus Road, extreme southern Monroe Co.; 100 plus  
Pte Mouillee headquarters

Wilson's Snipe--4  Morenci sewage lagoons

Lesser Black-backed Gull--1 adult, Lotus Road, Monroe Co.

Great Black-backed Gull--1 adult Luna Pier, Monroe Co.

Forster's Tern--35 Luna Pier, Monroe Co.--no Common Terns!

Tree Swallow--25 hugging shoreline and heading south at Luna Pier,  
Monroe Co.

American Pipit--trashy at Morenci sewage lagoons

Chipping Sparrow--3 in a yard SE of Adrian, Lenawee Co.

Field Sparrow--1 Morenci sewage lagoons

Fox Sparrow--1 Lake Erie Metro Park

Lincoln's Sparrow--1 downtown Detroit

White-crowned Sparrow--numerous and singing, Morenci sewage lagoons

Rusty Blackbird--boy has this species become scarce.  Seen twice:  
Pointe Mouillee headquarters 	and Lake Erie Metropark, both in groups  
under 5.

Purple Finch--1 female Lake Erie Metro Park, Wayne Co.

Pine Siskin--1 at feeder on Greely Street off North Street in  
Morenci, Lenawee Co.

Cheers,

Karl Overman
Farmington Hills, Mi.