Photo of the Week: Brants in Marine City

small geese with black heads and subtle white necklace gathered on the grass

Are you interested in a detour along the St. Clair River, I asked my husband as we drove south from the Upper Peninsula last week.

We had spent an extended weekend in the Upper Peninsula, birding and catching the beautiful fall colors along Lake Superior as well as some of our favorite back roads.

The St. Clair River is a good two hours out of our way to where we live in the western suburbs of Detroit, which meant we’d get home after dark, rather than late afternoon.

Why? he asked.

You won’t believe this, but there are half-dozen sea birds hanging out in a park in downtown Marine City. Continue reading Photo of the Week: Brants in Marine City

Photo of the Week: Trumpeter Swans

two white swans raise their heads after feeding in the still waters of the marsh

Wait, slow down a minute, I asked my husband yesterday as we drove down the paved road past Erie State Game Area near the Ohio/Michigan border.

I had seen two large splotches of white in the back of the pond and wanted a second look.

Could they be a pair of Trumpeter Swans? Continue reading Photo of the Week: Trumpeter Swans

Photo of the Week: Black-necked Stilt at Howard Marsh

Black-necked Stilt wading amongst grasses in the blue marsh waters

One of the most distinctive shorebirds, I found the Black-necked Stilt lazily wading along the flats of Howard Marsh, a newly created coastal wetland on Lake Erie’s southern shore, near Bono, Ohio. A graceful bird with the most remarkable looking pink spindly legs, the Black-necked Stilt has a glossy black back, slender black bill, and… Continue reading Photo of the Week: Black-necked Stilt at Howard Marsh