UP Rare Bird Report for June 10, 2008

[theowlranch at aol.com]

UP Rare Bird Report for June 10, 2008

 

 

Well spring migration is finally starting to wrap up for the year, though there are still pulses of shorebirds, warblers, flycatchers and other lingering species that are moving north through the UP. Conditions have become more noticeably summer-like, with leaf out having now occurred across the Yoop, and June flower & insect emergences being spurred on by this recent warm front that stretched all the way from Texas. Still it is amazing to note that Ryne Rutherford reported a small patch of lake ice on the northern Marquette County coastline on June 3rd.  
A reminder of the late spring is the presence of several species of birds not usually recorded during June including Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Red-throated Loon, Horned Grebe, Rough-legged Hawk, Philadelphia Vireo, Orange-crowned Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, and White-crowned Sparrow. Notable breeding birds include another strong showing this year already developing for Cape May Warblers, with reports of birds on territory stretching across the UP, with high counts in the west. Wilson’s Warblers are also making another strong showing this June. While a notorious late migrant, a number have been found in both traditional and possible new breeding locales for the species, as well as migrants drifting through along the lakeshore. 

Finally, two sides of the coin that has been this cooler, wetter spring/early summer season to report- mosquito and black fly hatches have been particularly fierce this week, perhaps the worst in several years. On the more pleasant side, it looks like the blueberries are having a banner year at least in the amount of flowers present.

This weeks report will follow the MAS announcement below. For further information as well as updates to the 2008 photo gallery please visit www.UPBirders.org

 

 

2nd Annual Michigan Audubon U.P. Regional Meeting

 

July 12, 2008 11am-4pm at the Peter White Public Library, Community Room - Marquette, Michigan

 

Some of the speakers and presentations include:


Joelle Gehring (Michigan Natural Features Inventory) ~ Birds and Communication Towers

Joe Kaplan (Common Coast Research) ~ Loons & Avian Botulism 

Alexis Raney (Save the Wild UP) ~ Sulfide-based Mining in the Upper Peninsula and Bird Habitat

Natasha Koss ~ Michigan Audubon Safe Passages Program

Reports from the field ~ Updates on Kirtland’s Warbler, Piping Plover, Breeding Bird Atlas and other bird related topics

Chapter reports from the various UP Audubon Societies.


 

Prior to the meeting the Laughing Whitefish Audubon Chapter’s Greg Cleary will be hosting a field trip at the Bog Walk on Presque Isle from 8-10am.  Please contact Greg at g.cleary at sbcglobal.net for more information.

 

Light snacks and coffee will be provided, lunch on your own. 

Please contact Natasha Koss, natashalapinski at yahoo.com for further information

 

 

Highlights

PACIFIC LOON*

SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER*

NORTHERN WHEATEAR*

American White Pelican

Yellow Rail

Hudsonian Godwit

Red Knot

Black-backed Woodpecker

Western Kingbird

Cerulean Warbler

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Western Meadowlark

Orchard Oriole

 

 

Gogebic County

Ryne Rutherford had a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER southwest of Lake Gogebic on June 1st. Ryne also reported a total of 6 singing CAPE MAY WARBLERS along the Presque Isle River. 

 

Ontonagon County

A total of 4 singing WESTERN MEADOWLARKS were present in White Pine on May 31st; this is a location that had at least 9 singing males last year. A singing ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER made for a surprising June 1st record south of the Porcupine Mountains State Park. 

 

Keweenaw County

A group of birders recently returned from a late spring outing to Manitou Island. Avian highlights include a HUDSONIAN GODWIT on the 1st, 1 FIELD SPARROW, 2 NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRDS, as well as an amazing fallout of flycatchers including 50-60 YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHERS, along with 20-30 LEAST FLYCATCHERS, all on 2nd, and a female HOUSE SPARROW on the 3rd. A major hawk flight that included some late ROUGH-LEGGED HAWKS as well as 2-3 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS were also recorded during the trip. Zach Gayk reports that pair of WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS were at Point Isabelle on June 7th.

 

Houghton County

Patricia Gotschalk reported a pair of YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS along the Sturgeon River Road on June 2nd. A pair of WILSON’S PHALAROPES were present at the Atlantic Mine Sewage Ponds on May 30th. 

 

Baraga County

Joe Youngman reports that there are now 15 active nests with at least another 13-15 pairs of BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS at the Baraga/Covington burn.

 

Iron County

Beth Rodgers reports that a WESTERN MEADOWLARK is back on territory for a 3rd year in a row along M-73 near the Wisconsin border. Greg Cleary reported 2 HORNED GREBES lingering on Lake Ottawa on June 4th. Greg also reported having a total of 12 CAPE MAY WARBLERS on territory within two days.

 

Marquette County

Alec Lindsay reports that the PACIFIC LOON* was still present in the upper harbor of Marquette as of June 2nd. The CERULEAN WARBLER that was noted in the last report, is still present and singing on territory as of June 8th, at the home of Beth Olson at the “crossroads” (west of the intersection of County Roads 553 & 480) at 5 Arrowhead Drive. Louie Taccolini had a male ORCHARD ORIOLE at his home on May 29th. Making for the first record in many years in Marquette County was a RED KNOT at McCarty’s Cove on 28th. A RED-THROATED LOON was also present along with the PACIFIC LOON*. A late migrant WESTERN MEADOWLARK was at the Big Bay Lighthouse on June 7th. Greg Cleary found a BOREAL CHICKADEE along the Michigamme River near Republic on June 1st. 

 

Menominee County

Ross Iho reports that there were at least 100 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS along the Menominee waterfront on May 25th. 

 

Delta County

Alec Lindsay reported a flock of 20 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS flying past Peninsula Point on May 30th. Sadly, all the nests of PIPING PLOVERS at Aronson Island were washed out by strong waves. Hopefully it is early enough in the season that they will re-nest. 

 

Alger County

Pat McConeghy had the incredible find of a NORTHERN WHEATEAR* at his home along the harbor in Grand Marais on June 6th. An apparent one-day wonder, the bird was well observed and photographed by several observers. If accepted by the MBRC, this will be the 1st spring record (10th overall) for Michigan, and one of only a handful of spring records for the mid-continent. Scott Hickman found a KIRTLAND’S WARBLER and a WESTERN MEADOWLARK in the Hiawatha National Forest on June 2nd. Scott also reported a PIPING PLOVER at the mouth of the Au Train River on May 31st. Grand Marais is currently hosting 4 pairs of PIPING PLOVERS. 

 

Schoolcraft County

Seney National Wildlife Refuge is having a banner year for YELLOW RAIL with at least 30 birds on the refuge. The J-G Spillway on the Fishing Driving Loop has had good concentrations of rails. 

 

Luce County

Multiple observers have been reported BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS at the Sleeper Lake Burn near M-123 in the last couple of weeks. A female BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER was reported most recently on June 6-7th. 

 

Chippewa County

A number of notable end-of-season migrants have been recorded at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory including a great find of a SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER* in the harbor of refuge by Kelli Heindel Levinson on June 2nd. The bird was subsequently refound the next day by Tom Wheeker in the row of cottages north of the Tahquamenon River mouth, but not seen since. Other highlights include a WESTERN KINGBIRD on the 2nd, as well as PURPLE MARTIN, BOREAL CHICKADEE, BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER, and “LAWRENCE’S” WARBLER. A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was at Lone Pine Road in Tahquamenon Falls State Park on the 5th. A few SPRUCE GROUSE have been reported along the road that leads into Clark Lake in Tahquamenon Falls State Park in early June. Caleb Putnam reported that 2 CONNECTICUT WARBLERS were at their traditional spot along Forest Road 3344 west of M-123, north of Trout Lake on June 6th. Caleb also had a YELLOW-THROATED VIREO in Trout Lake on the 5th. 

 

Mackinaw County

Scott Brownell reported a flock of 15-20 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS on South Manistique Lake on June 8th. Ron Annelin reported a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD in late May just west of the Cut River.

 

 

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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. For more information on Birdnet, or UP birds, please visit www.UPBirders.org

 

Till next time,

 

~Skye Haas
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