Thursday, May 11, 2017

150 Birds!

Welcome to part three of my "50 birds" posts, where I give a photographic review of  my home county birding efforts so far this year. Each of these posts includes photos of 50 species I've seen, listed in order by the date I first observed them. To see the first two installments, click the links below:

As I predicted in my last post of this series (see above link), this third round of 50 birds came rather quickly in comparison to the last. Spring migration began to take hold, bringing back greater numbers of birds. As dusk reached slowly forward, woodcocks made their presence known,"peenting" in the fields then dancing their aerial displays. A greater variety of sparrows lined the trees, fields, and edges. Swallows, terns, and cormorants returned to our skies, while marsh birds crept through the reeds below. And perhaps most exciting of all, it was time for the beginning of the return of two of my favorite groups of birds, shorebirds and WARBLERS! 😍

Scroll through to enjoy photos of species #101-150 I've seen in Macomb County in '17 (save for a few exceptions where I do not have photos). (')< ♫

Side note: I wonder when I'll be ready for my next "50 birds" post? When will I reach that 200 species mark, and what bird will it be? Last year, my 200th home county bird was a Wilson's Snipe, seen on September 3rd, 2016.  This year's bird remains a mystery (although I know it won't be a Snipe, as I've already found them this year!)... but I'm going to wager I'll get there in August.

April 4th

Chipping Sparrow
Rusty Blackbird

Not pictured: Vesper Sparrow, American Woodcock

April 7th

Double-crested Cormorant
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Thayer's Gull (LIFE BIRD! 2nd from left, with another gull in front of it)

April 8th

Barn Swallow
Swamp Sparrow
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

April 9th

Eastern Towhee (says, "Drink your teaaaaa!")
Brown Thrasher

April 10th  

Common Gallinule
Hermit Thrush

April 12th 

Caspian Tern (I call them "The Dudes". The one on the left appears to be banded)

April 13th

Bonaparte's Gull (non-breeding plumage)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (male)
And I'm breaking my own rule here of one photo per species, but here's a second Blue-gray Gnatcatcher because I felt it'd be good to show the differences between the two individuals above. This seems to be a female, lacking that black "eyebrow" stripe the males have. I don't see the females as often as I do the males, but maybe it's because they blend in better)

White-crowned Sparrow

Not pictured: American Bittern

April 16th

Greater Yellowlegs

April 17th

Pine Warbler
Lesser Yellowlegs
Pectoral Sandpiper
Sora ("The Narcisstic Sora" as coined by Kevin Rysiewski)

April 22nd

Palm Warbler
White-throated Sparrow
Blue-headed Vireo
Eastern Whip-poor-will (LIFE BIRD, found by Ruth Glass)

April 23rd

House Wren

April 24th

Warbling Vireo 💛 ♫ ♪♫
Yellow-rumped Warbler (male)

 April 26th

Yellow Warbler (this warbler is SUNSHINE🌄)

April 27th

Gray Catbird
Red-headed Woodpecker

April 28th

Dunlin (💙shorebirds💙)

April 29th

Chimney Swift (at "Swift Night Out" Event at Swift Sanctuary of Farmington Hills)
Common Yellowthroat (says, "Witchity witchity witchity!")
Baltimore Oriole (possibly gathering nesting material)

April 30th

Willet (first time I've seen them in the county)

May 1st

Prothonotary Warbler (LIFE BIRD!!! Where the Yellow Warbler is sunshine, this bird is the sun itself, glowing on-fire 🌞)

Ovenbird
Black-throated Blue Warbler

 May 2nd

Northern Parula

Indigo Bunting

Black-and-white Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Spotted Sandpiper
Purple Martin