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“Wait a minute,” I said to my husband as I peered at the feeder in our side yard this weekend.
“That bird doesn’t look like the brown-colored House Finches.
It looks like it has a raspberry wash over it.”
And the other House Finches on the feeder didn’t seem very happy with it.
The raspberry-colored bird kept chasing the other birds away from the feeder. Continue reading Photo of the Week: Purple Finch at Our Feeder
The first time I saw a Northern Bobwhite was in March 2017, on a cold wintry evening at dusk, as I slowly drove an icy road in eastern Washtenaw County.
Returning from a successful day of birding to see the unexpected first time state observation of the Ivory Gull in Flint, Michigan, I was searching for Short-eared Owls before heading home.
I stopped on the road along a brushy area, looking for the owls, when in front of me, a group of six small brown birds scurried across the road.
I quickly took photos, thinking, could those be Northern Bobwhites?
I’d never seen them before and they’re not common in our area.
Two hours later, after reviewing the dimly-lit fuzzy photos at home and poring over three bird guides, I was convinced.
They were Northern Bobwhites.
The first birds reported in the county for a while. It was a great find!
Which was why I was excited this week to read the reports of multiple Northern Bobwhite in our area.
Most birders reported hearing the distinctive call of the birds, but several people saw the bird along the railroad tracks.
Off I went this weekend to find it, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Within a minute of arriving at the area where they reported, I heard their distinctive call.
Repeatedly within 50 feet of where my vehicle was parked.
I quickly gathered my binoculars and camera, walked along the railroad tracks, and within 30 seconds I found the Northern Bobwhite.
Sitting on the tracks, calling out for five minutes before disappearing into the grasses of the ditch.
What a treat to see him in the bright sunshine of the day!
Our birding community in southeast Michigan has mixed thoughts about Northern Bobwhite reports in our area, many birders believe the native population is no more.
And that the birds we saw are birds that have escaped hunting club areas, where they were introduced.
My thoughts?
I have some reason to think they’re native to the area.
My friend Bill had conversations with homeowners this week in the area where the Bobwhites were found. The homeowners confirmed the birds have been seen and heard in the fields, trees, and along the railroad tracks for years.
When the Blue Grosbeak with its heavy bill and chestnut-colored wingbars was first spotted last week, it caused a frenzy among the southeast Michigan birding community.
Birders throughout Wayne, Washtenaw, and Oakland counties made the trek to view the rare bird. I was one of them!
Luckily, some people saw both female and male birds. (I only saw the male.)
Why were people so excited?
Blue Grosbeaks are not common in Michigan; they’re typically seen in the central to southern portion of the United States during breeding season.
Southern Ohio (four hours south of Michigan) is the northern edge of their breeding habitat.
For one to be seen in Michigan is a rarity!
The bird was initially found in a fenced, shrubby area where birders easily observed it as it perched on trees, branches, sticks, and barbed wire fence.
Both male and female birds were observed with nesting materials in their bill as well as caterpillars.
I’m delighted the Blue Grosbeak has chosen to nest in one of my nearby favorite birding hotspots!
It’s the same hotspot where I’ve seen the rare (for our area) Snowy Owl, Purple Martin, and Upland Sandpiper in the past year.
Not sure why it seems like it’s a monthly habit in 2020 to find another rare bird in our area.
But I’ll take it!