Detroit RBA
August 22, 2003
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2003 17:55:04 -0400
Reply-To: "Karl.Overman@usdoj.gov" <Karl.Overman@USDOJ.GOV>
Sender: "National Birding Hotline Cooperative (Central)"
<BIRDCNTR@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU>
From: "Karl.Overman@usdoj.gov" <Karl.Overman@USDOJ.GOV>
Subject: Detroit RBA 8/22/2003
Comments: To: "'mich-listers@envirolink.org' (Receipt Notification Requested
IPM Return Requested)" <mich-listers@envirolink.org>
To: BIRDCNTR@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
X-Virus-Scanned: by amavisd-new at listserv.arizona.edu
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by virtualbirder.com id
h7MLtMbc022051
Red-necked Grebe
Common Eider
Greater Scaup
Common Goldeneye
White-winged Scoter
Ruddy Duck
Broad-winged Hawk
Black-necked Stilt
Golden Plover
Marbled Godwit
Hudsonian Godwit
Upland Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Knot
Stilt Sandpiper
Wilson's Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Purple Martin
Tennessee Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Ovenbird
White-crowned Sparrow
White-winged Crossbill
Friday, August 22, 2003 at 5:45 p.m.
This is the rare bird alert sponsored by the Detroit Audubon Society. Pointe
Mouillee's shorebird habitat is modest compared to peak years but it still
provides the best shorebirding in the Great Lakes area at the moment. Cell 2 of
the Banana is the center of the shorebird activity. Good numbers of Stilt
Sandpipers and Wilson's Phalaropes have been standard fare there this past week.
On August 20th additional shorebird highlights by Alan Ryff and Tim Smart
included Willet, Knot, five White-rumped Sandpipers and Red-necked Phalarope.
The Black-necked Stilts that successfully nested at Pointe Mouillee this summer
are still being seen including at cell 2 (August 17th) and cell 5 (today).
Jeff McCoy, Indiana's birding machine, did some poaching in Michigan at Pointe
Mouillee on August 20th and located four Hudsonian Godwits and a Marbled Godwit
at the north end of the Lead Unit. This area can be viewed from the Middle
Causeway. Along that middle causeway birders, including Darlene Friedman and
Tim Smart found an Upland Sandpiper on August 16th, a rare find as a migrant in
Monroe County. Cell 4 of the Banana at Pointe Mouillee is popular with boaters
and over summering waterfowl. The female Common Eider that has summered there
was still being seen regularly there this past week. Other duck highlights from
cell 4 this past week included a male Greater Scaup and a female-looking Common
Goldeneye.
Pointe Mouillee's reputation is not only as one of the best birding spots around
but also one of the most dangerous and the unsavory part of its reputation was
fortified today with another birder having his car, Jerry Jourdan at the Roberts
Road parking lot.
The "Banana" is a mostly artificial island created by the Corps of Engineers for
disposing of dredge material from the Detroit River. It is named for the shape
of the island that has basically a north-south orientation. At the north end
it is accessible by a dike road from the Sigler Road entrance which is not a
recommended route this season. At the south end the Banana is accessible by a
dike road from the Roberts Road entrance. This is where to enter if just going
to cell 2. The Banana is made up of five cells, numbered from One at the south
(the Roberts Road access) to cell Five at the north (Sigler Road access). Each
of these cells was designed to be filled with dredge material. Cell one is
completed filled and now support a grove cottonwood grove. Cell 2 is partially
filled and currently has excellent shorebird habitat. Cells 3 and 4 are open
water, accessible to boat traffic from Lake Erie. Cell 5 is mostly filled in
with dredge material and cottonwoods and fragmites though there is still some
open water near Lake Erie.
Four Ruddy Ducks were in Maumee Bay off the Erie Marsh Preserve on August 17th
but there was not significant shorebird habitat at that location.
The onion fields north of Pelee had 26 Golden Plover and 2 Baird's Sandpipers
on August 19th.
In contrast to the last two years, migrant warblers seemed to be on schedule and
arriving in late August. Karl Overman saw a Blackburnian Warbler at Crosswinds
Marsh, Wayne County, on August 17th and Allen Chartier banded a Tennessee
Warbler at Holiday Beach in Ontario last weekend. Julie Craves reports banding
a migrant Ovenbird at U of M Dearborn on August 18th. Purple Martins are
massing at certain locations in the Great Lakes area at the moment. One staging
area is at Crosswinds Marsh were 425 were counted on August 17th.
As reported in its excellent web-page, Whitefish Point has begun its fall
counts. Gleaning the reports so far turns up a Parasitic Jaeger on August 16th,
White-winged Crossbill on August 17th, 1443 Red-necked Grebes on August 16th
and 2 White-winged Scoters on the same date. Intriguingly, one and two
White-crowned Sparrows were seen on August 16th and 17th. It seems too early
for these to be migrants and they are only known to nest in the subarctic in
eastern North America.
On Sunday August 31st there will be a field trip to Pointe Mouillee lead by Jim
Fowler. Meet at the Sigler Road entrance at 8 am.
To report rare birds call Karl Overman at 248.473.0484. Thank you for calling.