Sunday, October 11, 2009

Crisp cool morning makes for slow moving birds

I was hoping for an influx of kinglets but not today. It was very chilly with temps down to 33 degrees so no smart kinglet was going to move around until it warmed up. You could see the cloud bank line over the lake. Michigan was getting sunshine and we were in the clouds for most of the morning. This kept the temperatures cold until afternoon. It was very quiet birdwise in the marsh today. Some of the birds were skinny but not most of the Blackpoll Warblers.
You can tell there has been a turnover of Swainson’s Thrushes to Hermit Thrushes. We are getting only a few new Swainson’s as compared to the number of new Hermit Thrushes.
The highlight of the day was this bird: Here is its back. Can you tell what it is? Sorry about you folks who are colorblind. There is some blue on the wings and tail. That was probably a big hint.

Beach top species:
Golden-crowned Kinglet-8
Blackpoll Warbler-6
White-throated Sparrow-5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet-4

Main Inside top species:
Blackpoll Warbler-10
Golden-crowned Kinglet-8
Hermit Thrush-8
Ruby-crowned Kinglet-5

Here is the side view of the highlight bird. It is a very nice looking adult male Indigo Bunting. It too has its basic plumage. It still has blue-edged primary coverts which makes it an adult.
As you can see, there is more outside than one would expect for October. Nine species of warbler today were seen including Nashville, Magnolia, Cape May, Black-throated Blue, Myrtle, Blackpoll, Ovenbird, Mourning, and Common Yellowthroat. Also another highlight was our 3rd Marsh Wren for the fall season! Enjoy!

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