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

Michigan Birding Trip Report - Day 5 (Tuesday 29th May 2018)

Heading out of Gaylord and travelling towards the Upper Peninsula, our first port of call en-route were the fields surrounding Pellston Airport, where a number of Upland Sandpipers were known to reside. Driving slowly around the field margins, several families of Sandhill Cranes foraged with their young, much smaller in size than the birds we’d previously seen down in Florida and as such clearly recognisable as the “Lesser” subspecies. 

"Lesser" Sandhill Cranes

Eastern Meadowlarks provided a welcome burst of spring song as we drove, while a pair of Killdeer patrolled the grassy edges warily. Parking up on a small lane at one of the junctions, our luck was in as we quickly located a family party of around 5 Upland Sandpipers, albeit distant - slightly wary at first but soon moving happily through the grassy tussocks as they foraged before us.

Upland Sandpiper

The fields at Pellston

Leaving the Upland Sandpipers behind, we quickly covered ground north, a handful of Common Terns flying alongside the Mackinac Bridge crossing the imposing Lakes Michigan and Hudson the only real birds of note as several small flocks of Goosanders sped by. 

The Mackinac Bridge

The shores of Lake Michigan

With scattered records of Gray Jay at Hulbert Bog, we made this our first port of call, arriving from the eastern section where the thick tree cover created a vast leafy canopy above the road. Less of a bog than a forest track, Alex’s sharp hearing immediately noted the distinctive calls of a Least Flycatcher and sure enough, upon stepping out of the car (artfully dodging hundreds of caterpillars dangling ominously from the trees) we locked on to a number of birds calling in the copse. 

Least Flycatcher

With a rather cute looking appearance and sporting a bold eyering and thick white wing bars, Least, along with Acadian, pose less of a headache ID wise than Alder/Willow, as well as being one of the smallest empids, making ID that little bit easier. 

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Once more we were serenaded by the haunting melodies of a number of Veery on territory, by far the most abundant species of thrush we encountered in Michigan and this time providing mouth-watering views as they perched out in the open, their mechanical flutey sounds cascading around us. 

Veery

Heading down the track to Hulbert Bog, our next new bird came in the form of a pair of Golden-crowned Kinglets, the bright yellow crest of the male flashing as their high pitched calls filled the forest. Similar in appearance to Firecrests in the UK, these two birds turned out to be the only individuals of the trip.

Golden-crowned Kinglet - superficially similar to a Firecrest

Enjoying a spot of lunch in the pines, the distinctive trilling of a male Blackburnian Warbler had us soon putting our snacks down and grabbing the cameras, providing our best ever view of what is surely near the top of many people’s American warbler list. 

Male Blackburnian Warbler - one of my favourite birds in the world

The king of the pines, we were treated to an outstanding performance as this smouldering beauty sang and paraded in front of us, his fiery orange throat positively glowing in the sunshine. 

One of my favourite species of bird in the world, Blackburnian Warblers hold a special place in my heart, and to see one so close was a magical experience I will never forget.

With no sign of any Gray Jays we pressed on, a lone White-throated Sparrow and the blazing tones of a male American Redstart the only birds of note in a disappointingly barren landscape. Exploring several other forest tracks further south also proved fruitless on the Jay front, the deep sand on the tracks hindering our progress and forcing us to turn back on more than one occasion. 

Cedar Waxwing - one of only a few individuals that stopped still long enough for a photo

The view down Hulbert Bog road

In a last attempt to find some form of life in the dense pines, we headed over to a local site where Black-backed Woodpeckers were known to reside. Again, we were met with a deafening silence, the only sign of life the hundreds of mosquitos buzzing around the car in an ominous swarm, making getting out an almost impossible task. Not anticipating there being many mosquitos in Michigan, we had come completely unprepared, all mosquito repellent clothing and net hats safely folded away in drawers back home thousands of miles away. With opening the window even a crack resulting in droves of mosquitos diving in to the car, the afternoon proved to be a bit of a nightmare, and we unsurprisingly couldn’t locate any Black-backed Woodpeckers (a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers did get our hopes up on one occasion) with just singles of both Nashville and Black-throated Green Warblers for our efforts along with a female Eastern Bluebird.

The views from some of the Forest Roads near Trout Lake

With Spruce Grouse remaining heard only as their calls echoed deep in the bogs, the onslaught of mosquitos eventually proved too much, attacking us in scenes reminiscent of a ghastly horror movie and forcing us to retreat and find our accommodation for the night, a small chalet set in the peaceful and tranquil setting of Trout Lake.

The bogs surrounding the Forest Roads - a haven for Mosquitoes and biting flies!

With very few towns and villages in the remote Upper Peninsula, unsurprisingly there were no local restaurants or bars around for food, the one shop for miles around also closed by our arrival, so a tea of pot noodles and grape jelly croissants was all we could muster up for the evening, watching a lone Common Loon drifting peacefully on the lake as we ate while a small Song Sparrow busied itself in the reeds.

The views over Trout Lake

Sadly, despite shelter, our mosquito nightmare continued thanks to a hole in the bathroom vent that ensured a steady stream could make their way in to our room come nightfall – our count of squashed mossies by morning reaching an alarming 40+ and the sinister buzzing as one approached our faces while trying to sleep making rest all but impossible.