(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Daily Bucket -- Birds of Early Fall at Lake St. Clair Metropark [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-09-07 This is Part 2 of late summer/early fall check ins at Lake St. Clair Metropark in southeast Michigan. Part 1 focused on late blooming wildflowers. This one focuses on the changing cast of birds as summer turns to fall. First, some context. The park sits on the shore of Lake St. Clair, which is part of the Great Lakes watershed, between the St. Clair River and the Detroit River. Map of the Great Lakes Basin from a display at Oakwood Metropark. Heart-shaped Lake St. Clair is circled lower middle. Closer look. Zooming in a bit, here’s a map of the Huron-Clinton Metroparks system. 1 is home base in Ferndale. 2 is Lake St. Clair Metroparks. 3 is Kensington Metropark and 4 Lake Erie Metropark, both frequent targets in my nature walks. Closer. Zooming in even more, one last map — of Lake St. Clair Metropark itself. The metroparks cater to many types of users. Being in a large metropolitan area, I don’t begrudge the golfers their acres or kiddies their water parks. I’m just happy the space has been set aside and all of the parks have nature study areas devoted to the quiet appreciation of nature. I usually head straight to the boardwalk on the far southwest corner of the park, and then walk north to the trails around the nature center. Bigger. If I have time and I’m not worn out, I’ll head to Huron Point at the bottom right, especially in the winter months to see lake ice formation. In marking the change of seasons, I’ve been watching the Double-crested Cormorant colony by the boat launch (upper center on the map). In peak season, there are hundreds of nesting birds, and the eagle-eyed can even spot the Neotropic Cormorant pair sharing the space. As of the first week of September, there were still a good number of birds, but no where near full capacity. Part of the Double-crested Cormorant colony. Next stop is the Point Rosa marsh overlook and boardwalk. This time of year is relatively quiet. Later in the fall through early spring there are usually lots of waterfowl. Marsh Wrens, Soras, Virginia Rails and Sandhill Cranes nest there. The guardians of the marsh in summer are Belted Kingfishers, whose chatter always alerts me to their presence. Last week I saw three, which I’m assuming are the nesting pair and an offspring. The winter guardians are Northern Harriers. Belted Kingfisher chattering at the Point Rosa marsh overlook. I always have my ears opened, as well as my eyes, anytime I’m out walking. As I headed north along the boardwalk, I heard a shorebird as it flew overhead and down into the marsh. Its continuing calls helped me zero in on where it was. Can you spot the Spotted Sandpiper? Zoomed in. Jewelweed, also called Spotted Touch-me-not (Impatiens capensis), is a late blooming native. I’ve learned to look for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, who fuel up before heading south. The Ruby-throated is our only hummingbird. This one rested on an overcast day between forays into a Jewelweed patch next to the boardwalk. The nature trails are covered with either gravel or woodchips and are easy to walk. They wind through a small woods that’s a mix of cottonwood, willow, pine and oak, with areas of wetland and meadow. Throughout August and into September, there have been young Wood Ducks in a canal bordering the nature trail area. I counted upwards of 40 in August, down to about 15 when I visited this week. They have been chowing down on the plentiful duckweed and are not at all bothered by humans walking nearby. Small flock of young Wood Ducks in August. A young Wood Duck drake tucking into the duckweed this week. Another surprise was the Green Heron in the title photo, who didn’t immediately squawk and fly away. As I explained in the caption, it was a cool morning but warming up quickly in the sun. A short sequence: Taking a break from preening, something caught its eye. Setting the dagger to strike mode. It came up empty …. … and tried the other side. That neck is a wonder of nature, isn’t it? Success! In winter, the first place I head after the boardwalk is to the Bucket. No, not the Daily Bucket, but a metal bushel basket that park personnel installed to encourage Great Horned Owls to nest. Unfortunately, the nest failed this year. Great Horned Owl in the Bucket in February this year. Red-tailed Hawks successfully used the Bucket last year. This year the pair nested by the nature center. Cooper’s Hawks also nest at the park. The park hosts nesting Red-headed Woodpeckers, as well as Downies, Red-bellied, Northern Flickers and the occasional Hairy and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Last week, the two Red-headed parents and one juvenile were noisily making the rounds by the Bucket. I suspect most of the noise came from junior, who was being encouraged to forage on his own and was none too happy about it. Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker. A sight I’d never seen before. In late August, a Red-headed adult claimed the nectar feeder behind the nature center. My main goal in recent visits was to see some of the migrating warblers that had been reported on eBird. Very few species nest in this area, so spring and fall migration are the only chances to see them. First-of-season warbler — a Magnolia. I jumped the gun when I first posted this in a comment, seeing the yellow rump patch and assuming it was a Yellow-rumped. Thanks to lanius and nook for pointing me in the right direction. A better profile of the Magnolia Warbler from this week. The best I could do with a Northern Parula. They are rarely out in the open like this, and it was very close to the trail. I wasn’t fast enough on the shutter button, resulting in a butt shot that’s good enough for ID. Another not great shot. But I missed seeing any Blackburnian Warblers in the spring, so I’m happy to add this to my annual list. American Redstarts were the most common warbler this week. This Black and White Warbler was super accommodating, working down a tree trunk in a spiral. Sometimes there’s a good reason to keep a butt shot. Black and Whites can be hard to distinguish from Blackpolls. The undertail covert chevron pattern is unique to the B&W. And a couple fellow travelers with the warblers, feasting on the insects. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Red-eyed Vireo. I saw two surprise first-of-seasons. White-throated Sparrow — usually I don’t see them until November. Merlin sound picked up a Swainson’s Thrush’s cluck, so I knew to look a little closer around me. Too bad they don’t sing this time of year. In the still here category — Song Sparrows have been present and vocal since spring. I didn’t hear any singing this week, and I’m keeping tabs on the LOS (last-of-season). Last, this being confusing fall warbler season, I’m hoping for help in identifying a lurker. I didn’t get clear shots, but warblers will be warblers. I see a white eyering and stout bill (for a warbler). Maybe dark legs, but that could be shadow. I couldn’t find a match to the undertail pattern in my Stephenson & White “Warbler Guide.” Zoomed I see strong white wingbars, light yellow head, and a very faint blush on the flanks below the wings. Bay-breasted?? Zoomed THE DAILY BUCKET IS A NATURE REFUGE. WE AMICABLY DISCUSS ANIMALS, WEATHER, CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, WATERS AND NOTE LIFE’S PATTERNS. WE INVITE YOU TO NOTE WHAT YOU ARE SEEING AROUND YOU IN YOUR OWN PART OF THE WORLD, AND TO SHARE YOUR OBSERVATIONS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PURPOSE AND HISTORY OF THE DAILY BUCKET FEATURE, CHECK OUT THIS DIARY: DAILY BUCKET PHENOLOGY: 11 YEARS OF RECORDING EARTH'S VITAL SIGNS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS What’s going on in your neck of the woods? [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/9/7/2268132/-The-Daily-Bucket-Birds-of-Early-Fall-at-Lake-St-Clair-Metropark?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/