Michigan Birding Trip Report - Day 6 (Wednesday 30th May 2018)

With another day up in the Upper Peninsula, we headed east over to the areas of Pickford, Rudyard and Munuscong Potholes, with the charismatic Sharp-tailed Grouse our primary target. Heading through the rich farmland fields around the remote townships of Dick and Fibre resulted in a number of birds, with a showy Eastern Kingbird providing outstanding views while Savannah Sparrows chirruped from the fence posts. 

Eastern Kingbird

Savannah Sparrow

Glossy blue Tree Sparrows lined up on the telephone wires providing a jazzy display of colour, while an American Kestrel drifted overhead in the breeze. 

Tree Swallow

White-tailed Deer - the commonest species of deer we saw in Michigan

Our first new bird of the day soon came in to fruition in the form of several dapper Bobolinks, perched sporadically on the wooden fences before leaping up and performing their display flights, belting out their song.

Bobolink

Once common across America, these smart black and yellow grassland specialists are suffering somewhat thanks to the intensification of farming practices, with many fields being mown earlier and more frequently than in the past, resulting in nest failure of these vulnerable ground nesting birds. Consequently, their numbers have unsurprisingly plummeted over the past few decades. 

Female Bobolink

Despite this though, we managed to notch up good numbers of these charming farmland birds in this area at least, stopping to admire them as they perched obligingly for us on the field margins and wires.

Arriving at Munuscong Potholes we were immediately met by two showy Upland Sandpipers on the fenceposts, showing much better the more distant birds at Pellston a few days earlier. 

Upland Sandpiper

A flyover Wilson’s Snipe was our next new bird of the day, powering over the driveway, while scores of Yellowthroats, Red-winged Blackbirds and Savannah Sparrows all called vociferously from the surrounding shrubbery. Sadly, despite a careful search of the site, we couldn’t locate either of the local specialities of LeConte’s Sparrow or Sharp-tailed Grouse, while a rather large tick crawling on my leg that appeared out of nowhere (I hadn’t even been in any grass) was somewhat disconcerting, even more so when repeated attempts to crush it with a large stone had no effect!

Munuscong Potholes

With nothing more of note at Munuscong, we headed over to Pickford, a particular hotspot for Sharp-tailed Grouse and a place where double figures of the birds are reported regularly. Despite driving the ‘Pickford Loop’ (where the majority of records originate from) several times, we drew a complete blank on the grouse front, a handful of Northern Harriers quartering low down over the grass some consolation. 

Prime Sharp-tailed Grouse habitat!

Thankfully, nearby Rudyard came to the rescue, and on scoping out a rather scrubby field, Alex excelled after managing to pick out a single Sharp-tailed Grouse, hidden amongst the grassy tufts and proving to be spectacularly elusive as it retreated back in to the thickets. Nevertheless, we could still pick out the shining purple neck patches - not quite the displaying males we had been hoping for at the start of the day but a huge relief after hours of searching.

Sharp-tailed Grouse

Well hidden - Sharp-tailed Grouse in there somewhere!

Experiencing a mixed bag up in the Upper Peninsula – failing to locate a number of key species but achieving success with the grassland birds, we were glad to be heading back south again, crossing the bridge in to the more populated areas once more and leaving the endless masses of pines behind, a much needed pepperoni pizza just hitting the spot after a long day in the field. 

Polyphemus Moth - one of the largest moths in Michigan. We found this resting outside the hotel door so moved to a safer spot in some nearby trees