Part of the Evening Grosbeak and Purple Finch irruption of fall 2020, the Common Redpolls have found their way to southeast Michigan.
The brown and white birds, smaller than a sparrow, have a distinctive red forehead patch, rosy breast (males) and streaked sides.Continue reading Photo of the Week: Common Redpoll, Unexpected Visitor from the North
When it comes to identifying scaup, a common duck seen in winter in southeast Michigan, I’m zero for two in the past two months.
I’ve photographed and identified the duck as a Greater Scaup, only to be gently reminded the bird I found was a Lesser Scaup.
They can be challenging to identify. Continue reading Photo of the Week: Lesser Scaup on a Wintry, Snowy Day
On one of the last warm days of November in southeast Michigan, the Greater Yellowlegs feeding in the shallow waters of Washago Pond at Willow Metropark was a pleasant surprise for me this weekend.
And when I reported my sighting of the bird on eBird, it was flagged as a rare find for this time of the year.
I visited the pond because another birder reported finding a Cackling Goose, which I found as well.
Along with about 300 Canada Geese, almost two dozen Mallards, a couple Hooded Mergansers, and another surprise this late in the season: Yellow-rumped Warblers.
But I wasn’t expecting to find any shorebirds. Continue reading Photo of the Week: Greater Yellowlegs in Late Autumn