It has been a while since I have written and I wanted to catch everyone up with the latest news. Since my last post, 2022 has ended and 2023 has revved up and taken off. With the change of the year, birders in the area have been rushing around helter-skelter, attempting to find new birds and mark them on their lists. On New Year's Day, I was able to have a strong start to my New Year and found many unique species of waterfowl on the west side of Pere Marquette Lake. These species included:
Trumpeter Swans
Canvasbacks
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup Female (Left) & Redhead (Right)
On January 2, local birders found and photographed a Horned Grebe in winter plumage. They also saw a female Long-tailed Duck, but were unable to click the camera shutter in time.
Horned Grebe
On January 3, myself and others saw a total of three Great Blue Herons. One was sighted at the Madison Street Bayou, the second GBH was seen along the PM River at the Conservation Park, while the third was seen by the Island Trail bordering Hamlin Lake.
Great Blue Heron
Besides these unusual sightings, the birding has been quite normal, with the predictable nuthatch, chickadee, and cardinal. However, eyes and ears are always alert for something extraordinary!