UP Rare Bird Report for October 10, 2007

Thu Oct 11 01:05:37 EDT 2007

UP Rare Bird Report for October 10, 2007

After an extended period of warm temperatures and south winds, a strong cold front moved into the Upper Peninsula today. North winds and evening temperatures in the high 30’s are predicted for the next couple of days. New migrants recorded this week include Long-tailed Ducks, Black Scoter, and Snow Buntings. A number of Harris’s Sparrows are still being reported, and Whitefish Point is having an excellent season for Jaegers with 37 being reported so far this season. Some finch movement has been reported with decent amounts of Pine Siskins and smaller numbers of Red & White-winged Crossbills, and a few Evening Grosbeaks. 

Highlights

PACIFIC LOON*

Ruddy Duck

Franklin’s Gull

Parasitic Jaeger

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Black-backed Woodpecker

Northern Mockingbird

Le Conte’s Sparrow

Harris’s Sparrow

Baraga County

Joe Youngman had 3 HARRIS’S SPARROWS at the Arnheim Unit of the Sturgeon River Sloughs MDNR land, with a 4th HARRIS’S SPARROW at Lynn Murphy’s feeders all on the 5th. Mark & Joanie Hubinger reported a total of 6 BLACK-BLACKED WOODPECKERS at the Baraga Plains/Covington burn on the 6th.

Marquette County 

An adult PARASITIC JAEGER and 12 RED-THROATED LOONS were observed migrating past the Black Rocks of Presque Isle Park on October 10th. A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was found at the Presque Isle Park Bogwalk on October 8th-9th. Other birds at Presque Isle this week include an adult RED-HEADED WOODPECKER on the 7th, and a HARRIS’S SPARROW on the 7th-10th. Ryne Rutherford reported a male BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER near Harlow Lake on the 7th. Ryne also reported 2 GRAY JAYS and a BOREAL CHICKADEE on the Mulligan Plains on September 30th. A YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and 3 BLACK SCOTERS were at the Big Bay Lighthouse on the 6th. Also on the 6th, Scot Stewart had a LE CONTE’S SPARROW at the mouth of the Dead River. 7 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS were at this location on the 8th. A rare visitor to the county, a female RUDDY DUCK was observed in Marquette’s Lower Harbor on the 5th. 47 CACKLING GEESE were in the prison farm fields in Beaver Grove on the 9th. Two different reports of GRAY JAYS along M-95 on the 7th, with 2 birds just south of US-41, and 1 south of Witch Lake.

Delta County

Jude Holloway & Jean Carpenter had 1 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and 2 HARRIS’S SPARROWS at Portage Marsh on the 4th. 

Alger County

Mark Hubinger & Miles Willard found a 1st year FRANKLIN’S GULL at the mouth of the AuTrain River on the 9th. Janel Crooks had a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD along M-28 just west of Munising High School on the 7th. Scott Hickman had a very late WHIMBREL at Sand Point in Munising on the 6th. Scott reported that a RED-THROATED LOON was present in Munising Bay, and 2 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS were at Sand Point, all on the 7th. Scott also reported a LE CONTE’S SPARROW on Laughing Whitefish Point on the 8th. A YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO was at this location on the 7th. 

Luce County

Rick Baetsen reports that a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was along CO RD 414 near the Sleeper Lake burn, and both GRAY JAYS and BOREAL CHICKADEES were at Pike Lake in the last week. 

Chippewa County

WPBO reported its 3rd PACIFIC LOON* for the season on October 9th. Other notable sightings this week including a GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL on the 10th; 1 JAEGER species on the 9th; 2 PARASITIC JAEGERS on the 8th; 1 PARASITIC JAEGER, 1 FORSTER’S TERN and a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO on the 7th; 1 LE CONTE’S SPARROW on the 6th; 1 YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO and an amazing waterbird flight with over 6000 birds tallied, 3000 of which were Aythya ducks on the 5th; and 1 JAEGER species on the 4th. Other waterbirds noted at the Point this week include sightings of SURF, BLACK & WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, RED-THROATED LOONS, AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS, and DUNLIN. Chris Neri reports that up to 3 HARRIS’S SPARROWS at the Gift Shop feeders this week. Owl Banders Keith Bagnall and Wendy King report that an unprecedented movement of BARRED OWLS have been banded this fall, with an amazing total of 43 caught. Other owls banded this season include 96 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS and 1 LONG-EARED OWL.

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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 the 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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