UP Rare Bird Report for May 19, 2009

Tue May 19 23:17:56 EDT 2009

*UP Rare Bird Report for May 19, 2009*

Well this is the week so many of us have been waiting for all winter long.
Migration should be peaking over the next several days with the movement of
many passserines and  shorebirds as well as the the remaining waterbirds and
raptors. Even a few late season migrants like Olive-sided Flycatcher,
Philadelphia Vireo and Mourning Warblers have been reported, though I expect
migration to continue for a few more weeks, perhaps even extending into June
as it did last year. Very notable this spring has been 4 different Baird's
Sandpiper sightings. Normally absent as a migrant in Michigan in the spring,
birds have been reported from 4 counties in the last week. Encouranging are
several reports of Red-headed Woodpeckers in several counties; this species
has experinced a major decline in the Upper Peninsula.

*Highlights*

*WHITE-WINGED DOVE*
SMITH'S LONGSPUR**
Greater White-fronted Goose
American White Pelican
Swainson's Hawk
Willet
*BAIRD'S SANDPIPER** (spring records)
Hudsonian Godwit
Franklin's Gull
Snowy Owl
Boreal Owl
Black-backed Woodpecker
Northern Mockingbird
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER
SUMMER TANAGER
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Orchard Oriole

*Gogebic County*
Bob Anderson photographed a 1st year male SUMMER TANAGER at his feeders in
Marenisco on May 9th.

*Keweenaw County*
Joe Kaplan and Louie Dombroski found a breeding-plumage male *SMITH'S
LONGSPUR** on the West Bluff lookout of Brockway Mountain on May 12th. The
welcoming bird for the start of this year's Manitou Island bird surveys was
a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER on May 15th. This sighting is the 8th UP record,
and amazingly, the 3rd for Keweenaw County.

*Houghton County*
Joe Kaplan and Louie Dombroski found an adult FRANKLIN'S GULL in the
Ring-billed Gull colony on Torch Lake on May 14th. They also reported at
least 4 WILSON'S PHALAROPES as well as 4 CANVASBACKS at the Tamarack Sewage
Ponds on the 13-14th.

*Baraga County*
Joe Kaplan found a *WHITE-WINGED DOVE** on Huron Bay just north of Skanee on
May 10th. Joe also reported 13 WILLETS in the Keweenaw Bay on May 9th. Louie
Dombroski found a *BAIRD'S SANDPIPER** at the Baraga Sewage Ponds on May
14th.

*Iron County*
Steve Santner found a 1st year ORCHARD ORIOLE on the southern edge of the
Village of Alpha on May 19th. Beth Rogers reported 2 WESTERN MEADOWLARKS
along M-73 near the Wisconsin border on May 8th.

*Marquette County*
Highlights from the NAMC include 4 WILLETS in the lower harbor of Marquette,
1 AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN at Saux Head Lake, and a NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD at
the Presque Isle Bogwalk.  Eileen Small reported 12 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS
at Lake Independence on May 11th.  Joe Christensen reported 5 pelicans
remained as of the evening of May 12th. Wendy Schalk had a YELLOW-HEADED
BLACKBIRD in Marquette on May 19th. A SPRUCE GROUSE was in the Sands Plains
on May 18th.

Delta County
A female ORCHARD ORIOLE was observed at Peninsula Point on May 16th. A
"BREWSTER'S" WARBLER was present here on May 15,as was an AMERICAN WHITE
PELICAN on May 10th. The GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE remains near the
Lakeside Asisited Living Center in Kipling as of the 16th. 1 *BAIRD'S
SANDPIPER** and 2 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS were seen at Nahma on May 19th.

*Alger County*
Scott Hickman found a *BAIRD'S SANDPIPER** at the mouth of the Au Train
River on May 14th. Scott also found a WILLET at the mouth of the Au Train
River on May 12th. A SNOWY OWL was at the Little Indian River on the
Buckhorn Road on May 11th. Judy Flewellen reported a pair of male
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS at her feeders in Deerton on May 11-12th. A
NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was at Miners Castle in Pictured Rocks Nat. Lakeshore
on May 17th.

*Schoolcraft County*
Anna Young had 2 HUDSONIAN GODWITS at Rocky Point on May 16th. Ron Annelin
reported a LECONTE'S SPARROW in Manistique on May 15th.

*Luce County*
3 BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS were observed in the Sleeper Lake Burn on May
9th. 3 SPRUCE GROUSE were observed here as well on the 9th and 11th.

*Chippewa County*
Recent highlights from WPBO include 2 HUDSONIAN GODWITS, and 8 WHIMBREL on
the 19th; 1 GLAUCOUS GULL on the 16th; 1 SNOWY OWL on May 14th; 1 SWAINSON'S
HAWK on the 13th; 41 RED-THROATED LOONS on May 12th. Owls are beganing to
wrap up their migration with only 1 BOREAL OWL, 3 LONG-EARED OWLS and 37
NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS reported in the last week. Finally PIPING PLOVERS are
potentially nesting at Whitefish Point for the the first time in many years
and can be seen daily. A NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD was in Paradise on May 9th.

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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 gmail.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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