On the Boardwalk Havin' Some Fun

 

April 21st

          This morning Mike and I were up very early because he had to be at Toledo Hospital for an outpatient procedure by 6:30am.  The actual procedure took no time at all, and he was discharged by 8:30am.  We came home and he was feeling pretty good, so we decided to go birding.  I did all the driving today and we went out to the lakeshore.

          We walked the boardwalk at Magee Marsh and saw several Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Yellow-rumped Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets.  We also saw a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe, Brown Creeper, Fox Sparrow, and Rusty Blackbirds.  Our one new species on the boardwalk was a Palm Warbler.  It has a rusty cap, yellow underparts with rusty streaks on the breast and yellow eyebrows.  This bird’s near-constant tail-wagging can help confirm its identity.  It is usually found on the ground or in low vegetation.

Before we left Magee, we checked the beach.  Along the edge of the lake, we saw our first Spotted Sandpiper of the year.  It is a small shorebird that constantly bobs its tail and is found along the edge of streams, ponds, and lakes.  The “spotty” has spotted underparts in summer.  It flies low over the water with stiff shallow wingbeats that are unique.

We checked a few other spots and ended up at Metzger Marsh where we saw several Forster’s Terns flying down the channel.  Mike was unable to get photos of our new species.  They were not very cooperative.  (3 new species, total 165)

Spotted Sandpiper

Forster’s Tern

Palm Warbler

                                                    Eastern Comma

                                                   Yellow-rumped Warbler

                                                    Another view



                           

           


                                            


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