A bird-watching account!

Many thanks to Dick Chase, who wrote this lovely account of this weekend's bird-watching walk at the Wheeler Service Center!

Photo thanks to crookrw on Flickr!

We did see cool birds, not to mention fine views of Ann Arbor.

We had great looks at Eastern Meadowlarks and Bobolinks, both perched and flying. More significantly from my point of view, we got to listen to their songs over and over again. Savannah Sparrows were everywhere on the landfill.

Barn Swallows patrolled the air above the landfill. A few Red-Winged Blackbirds competed with Bobolinks, Meadowlarks, and Savannah Sparrows for perches on the methane pipes. A pair of Brown-Headed Cowbirds sat ominously on one methane pipe, possibly surveying the field for nests to parisitize. We watched a couple of House Finches singing from perches near the parking lot.

Carpooling to the borrow pit, we stopped for a brief look at an Eastern Kingbird and a long look at a cooperative Willow Flycatcher as it broadcast its "fitz-bew". We watched a Blue Jay roust a Red-Tailed Hawk from a power line tower and later saw both an adult and immature Redtail on another tower. Among the American Robins and abundant European Starlings in a mowed area, we watched a pair of Killdeer, but we were unable to locate a nest.

At the wetland in the borrow pit, there was a lot of activity. We saw the young female Surf Scoter that has been reported on this list, and we had multiple views of a diving male Ruddy Duck. He even thoughtfully preened for several minutes before we left to give us a more unhurried view. Six or so female Hooded Mergansers were diving and sunning. After a bit, they were joined by five or six Hooded Merganser chicks that were energetic, to say the least. They seemed to run across the water, as they splashed and dove. A few Mallards, Canada Geese, and Ring-Billed Gulls also were at the pond.

Rough-Winged Swallows and Tree Swallows worked the air above the water. Large numbers of European Starlings and Red-Winged Blackbirds foraged around the margins. A House Sparrow sat on one of the bluebird boxes.

We watched several Spotted Sandpipers along the shore, as well as a pair of Killdeer in the shallows. Perhaps the highlight as the session drew to a close was spotting first one Belted Kingfisher and then its mate. After watching one of them splashing after a fish, the crowd of about two dozen cheered as the pair briefly mated.