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
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| Chipping Sparrow |
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| Rusty Blackbird |
Not pictured: Vesper Sparrow, American Woodcock
April 7th
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| Double-crested Cormorant |
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| Ruby-crowned Kinglet |
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| Northern Rough-winged Swallow |
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| Thayer's Gull (LIFE BIRD! 2nd from left, with another gull in front of it) |
April 8th
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| Barn Swallow |
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| Swamp Sparrow |
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| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker |
April 9th
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| Eastern Towhee (says, "Drink your teaaaaa!") |
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| Brown Thrasher |
April 10th
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| Common Gallinule |
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| Hermit Thrush |
April 12th
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| Caspian Tern (I call them "The Dudes". The one on the left appears to be banded) |
April 13th
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| Bonaparte's Gull (non-breeding plumage) |
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| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (male) |
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| 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) |
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| White-crowned Sparrow |
Not pictured: American Bittern
April 16th
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| Greater Yellowlegs |
April 17th
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| Pine Warbler |
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| Lesser Yellowlegs |
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| Pectoral Sandpiper |
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| Sora ("The Narcisstic Sora" as coined by Kevin Rysiewski) |
April 22nd
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| Palm Warbler |
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| White-throated Sparrow |
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| Blue-headed Vireo |
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| Eastern Whip-poor-will (LIFE BIRD, found by Ruth Glass) |
April 23rd
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| House Wren |
April 24th
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| Warbling Vireo 💛 ♫ ♪♫ |
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| Yellow-rumped Warbler (male) |
April 26th
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| Yellow Warbler (this warbler is SUNSHINE🌄) |
April 27th
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| Gray Catbird |
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| Red-headed Woodpecker |
April 28th
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| Dunlin (💙shorebirds💙) |
April 29th
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| Chimney Swift (at "Swift Night Out" Event at Swift Sanctuary of Farmington Hills) |
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| Common Yellowthroat (says, "Witchity witchity witchity!") |
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| Baltimore Oriole (possibly gathering nesting material) |
April 30th
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| Willet (first time I've seen them in the county) |
May 1st
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| Prothonotary Warbler (LIFE BIRD!!! Where the Yellow Warbler is sunshine, this bird is the sun itself, glowing on-fire 🌞) |
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| Ovenbird |
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| Black-throated Blue Warbler |
May 2nd
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| Northern Parula |
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| Indigo Bunting |
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| Black-and-white Warbler |
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| Black-throated Green Warbler |
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| Blackburnian Warbler |
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| Spotted Sandpiper |
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| Purple Martin |
