Michigan Birding Trip Report - Day 8 (Friday 1st June 2018)

With a number of targets still to track down, our penultimate day in America saw us head back in to Ohio to Oak Openings Preserve, a sprawling network of habitats and trails situated around an hour south of Detroit. Upon arrival we headed straight for the stretch of road that our first target was known to be nesting in, and sure enough it wasn’t long before we were enjoying close up views of a pair of Lark Sparrows, foraging on the roadside and surrounding grassland before flying over to feed their grown young waiting under a nearby bush. 

Lark Sparrow

The stretch of road we encountered the Lark Sparrows

On the eastern most periphery of its range in Ohio, Lark Sparrows are relatively uncommon in the state, much preferring the great open plains of the West and central portion of America, however Oak Openings in particular has long been a stronghold for this species in the area. 

Lark Sparrow habitat

Lark Sparrow warning signs!

With our Lark Sparrows well and truly in the bag we headed further in to the preserve, parking up near the lodge area and immediately clocking on to a pair of Field Sparrows busying themselves in the car park. A short walk in to the nearby wooded fields soon revealed our next new bird in the form of a solitary Brown Creeper, calling and clinging on to the side of a large trunk, working the crevices for any insect morsels as we watched on. Having missed these throughout our time here this was a welcome surprise, turning out to be our only bird of the trip.

Brown Creeper - virtually a Treecreeper

Red-spotted Purple

A very worn Spicebush Swallowtail

A calling empid further down the track had us hurrying over to try and nail it to species level, and our suspicions were confirmed with several audio recordings that we’d finally found a Willow Flycatcher, the high to low pitched call the reverse of the low to high call of the Alders that we had been hearing throughout (an Alder Flycatcher calling in the distance offered a nice comparison).

Willow Flycatcher

Thankfully this was the last of the flycatchers we needed for this trip, and with ID always a bit tricky in the field, in particular when trying to separate Alder and Willow, a sound recorder is a must. 

Eastern Wood Pewee was also in attendance

The scrub at Oak Openings Preserve

We were soon distracted by a calling Yellow-breasted Chat in the next tree along, our first and only of the trip. Much larger than I was expecting, we had good views as it beetled around in front of us, obscured at times by the foliage on the branches but often sitting right out in the open belting its song, the large yellow chest shining out like a beacon. 

Yellow-breasted Chat

Admiring a showy Song Sparrow at the side of the road but with more Field Sparrows giving us the run around by not keeping still long enough for a photo, having cleaned up on most of our remaining targets and with no sign of those elusive Winter Wrens we called it a day, a showy Red-headed Woodpecker making short work of a rotten tree near the car park our only bird of the trip.

Song Sparrow

Red-headed Woodpecker

Northern Cardinals were also calling in the thickets

Heading back in to Detroit for a final evening of pizza before our flight back to the UK the next day, the large “Dip” sign on the wall seemed a little bit ominous and hopefully not a forewarning of our final day's outcome in our continued quest for Sedge Wrens…

Dip!

Michigan Birding Trip Report - Day 7 (Thursday 31st May 2018)

Leaving Grayling behind and heading much further south in to Washtenaw and Jackson counties, our main targets for the day were some of the grassland loving birds found at Sharonville SGA. Arriving on site and checking out the eastern most car park first, we were immediately met with the distinctive song of a male Dickcissel, starting off distant but soon coming in to the trees surrounding the car park. 

Dickcissel

Achieving good views as it flitted from perch to post, our attention was soon captured by a small brown bird perched on a nearby fence wire. Needing several species of sparrow still for the trip, further scrutiny into the markings as well as the large head and bill shape revealed it to be a Grasshopper Sparrow, one of our main targets for the day and what transpired to be our only bird of the trip. 

Grasshopper Sparrow

Like the Bobolink, Grasshopper Sparrows are sadly also in decline across the states, the population declining by 68% in recent years due to the loss of traditional grassland habitats. 

With nothing else of note bar a Great Blue Heron drifting over the distant treetops, we headed west to the Wildlife Management Area, a hotspot for our next target bird and another grassland specialist – the Henslow’s Sparrow. A shallow puddle at the side of the road on our way in produced a number of House Finches and Chipping Sparrows quenching their thirst, while a pair of Turkey Vultures paraded on the gravel in front of us scavenging a number of titbits left behind. 

Sparrow habitat at Sharonville SGA

This Groundhog popped its head up for a few moments to check us out

A short burst of song amongst the long grass soon alerted us to our second Field Sparrow of the trip, much showier than the bird seen in Grayling and providing point blank views outside the car window as it sang. 

Field Sparrow

After a short time, a distinctive short wheezing song struck up in a patch of weeds nearby, and it wasn’t long until we had located the subtle yet beautiful olive green head tones of our sought after Henslow’s Sparrow. 

Henslow's Sparrow

Another grassland species in decline, we had fantastic views as it clambered acrobatically in the weeds, briefly joined by a second bird as it performed. 

With our targets secured at Sharonville, we stopped off to explore nearby Watkins Lake, but with it becoming quickly apparent that no Willow Flycatchers were playing ball here, we made the short journey north to another flycatcher hotspot – Nan Weston Nature Preserve – just as the skies darkened and the heavens opened. 

Sheltering in the car until the thunder subsided, the change in weather undoubtedly helped our cause, as no sooner had we stepped out of the car as the last drops of rain fell than our ears were met with the loud explosive calls of an Acadian Flycatcher, circling the car park and calling from various exposed branches. 

Acadian Flycatcher

With a distinctive call, yellowish colouration and bold white wingbars, Acadian Flycatchers are one of the easier empids to ID, and we had great views as it remained on show for the next half hour. 

The break in the weather had clearly brought the birds out, as several woodpeckers joined in the action in the form of both Red-bellied and Downy, while a tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird hovering daintily and visiting the flowers carpeting the woodland floor was an unexpected and enchanting highlight – buzzing from petal to petal like a forest fairy as it gathered essential nectar. 

The car park at Nan Weston

With the rain looking set to return and with all our targets bar the Willow Flycatcher secured, we called it a day and headed in to Detroit for our penultimate evening, filling up on more sizzling chicken and mushrooms at Applebees after a successful day in the field.

The American Robin that made its home at the hotel in Detroit offered excellent views in the car park