A striking cinnamon-brown, black, and white shorebird, the American Avocet stood out on the mudflat of the Lake Erie marsh near the Michigan/Ohio state border.
The slightly-upturned long thin black bill is distinctive as is the white body with white-striped black wings.
The American Avocet is a rare bird in Michigan and one I had never seen before.
Continue reading Photo of the Week: Elegant American Avocet
Despite our back and forth winter weather in southeast Michigan this month (yesterday, we had snow squalls and “feel-like” temperatures of 9 degrees Farenheit, two days ago we had temperatures in the mid-50’s), signs of spring have arrived.
Spring-flowering purple crocuses are blooming, maple buds have burst, and Song Sparrows have returned to our area.
Continue reading Photo of the Week: Song Sparrow, Sign of Spring
What a surprise my friends Donna and Bill had when they learned the small dark duck they saw at a nearby inland lake was a Harlequin Duck.
A sea duck typically seen in northwest North America, Greenland, and eastern Canada, the Harlequin Duck winters along the coast of Atlantic Canada and New England as well as the Pacific Northwest coast.
The Harlequin Duck my friends found is a rare bird for southeast Michigan and the first time the bird was sighted in Washtenaw County.
Continue reading Photo of the Week: Harlequin Duck