Author Archives: rhughes

About rhughes

Robert D. Hughes lives and works in Chicago, Illinois. His professional background is in Web site management and front-end Web development. He also writes about Web development issues and works with Joomla! CMS. When he isn't sitting in front of a computer he's out in the field looking for and photographing birds and other critters.

White-winged Scoters, February 16, 2016

Ice, ice, everywhere

Ice, ice, everywhere (click to see the larger version)

I walked around Montrose for a little bit this morning, February 16. It looked more like winter today than any other day I’ve been out there this winter, with ice on the lake all the way to the horizon, east, north, and south. The ice wasn’t continuous and there were scattered patches of open water here and there. In these patches were Common Goldeneye and Common Mergansers, the typical Lake Michigan winter ducks. Best were 4 White-winged Scoters that flew in and joined the other waterfowl offshore. I haven’t seen many White-winged Scoters this winter and this is the time of the year when they start to appear in numbers. Perhaps the relatively mild winter and lack of extensive ice on the lake have something to do with this. I saw nothing else of note.

Horned Grebe and Ruddy Ducks, February 8, 2016

I walked around Montrose for a bit this morning, February 8, and I can confirm that it still feels like winter. My most unexpected find was a Horned Grebe in the lake on the beach side of the fishing pier. I’m guessing this is an overwintering bird instead of an early migrant because of the date.

I also saw the 2 continuing female type Ruddy Ducks in the lake south of the Magic Hedge. They’re been in the same area for over a week so they must like that spot.

There were also several hundred gulls, mostly Ring-billeds, swarming over the open water at the west end of the harbor. I didn’t spend a lot of time looking through them so I could have missed something unusual. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, some kind of small fish are running in the harbor, which is what’s attracting the gulls.

Slaty-backed Gull, January 30, 2016

Slaty-backed Gull

Slaty-backed Gull in Montrose Harbor. Photo by Kanae Hirabayashi. (click to see a larger version)

An adult Slaty-backed Gull was at Montrose Harbor this morning, January 30. I first noticed the bird sitting on the water at the west end of the harbor around 7:45. I had a hunch it was a Slaty-backed due to the large size, dark upperpart color, heavy head and neck streaking, and prominent white tertial crescent. When the bird flew I could see several additional clinching field marks, including the broad white trailing edge to the wing and “string of pearls” primary pattern. The bird settled down on the ice for the next 45 minutes or so and several people were able to see and photograph it. It seemed quite content but at 8:45 it got up and flew to the north and didn’t come back. This is the 340th species and 20th gull for Montrose.

I had a few other things at Montrose this a.m., including an adult Thayer’s Gull in the harbor, 6 flyby White-winged Scoters, and the 2 continuing female type Ruddy Ducks in the lake south of the handicapped parking lot. Some kind of small fish are running in the harbor, which probably explains why there have been so many Herring and Ring-billed Gulls around, and why the Slaty-backed showed up.

White-winged Scoters and Long-tailed Duck, December 6, 2015

Montrose Sunrise

Montrose Sunrise (click to see a larger version)

I birded Montrose for about an hour this morning, December 6. Most of that hour was spent at the end of the fishing pier looking at Lake Michigan. Except for Red-breasted Mergansers not much was moving, though I did have 3 northbound White-winged Scoters. There wasn’t much on the lake either; I guess most of the expected winter waterfowl are still to the north of us and will come down with colder weather.

When I was done looking at Lake Michigan I walked over to the harbor to look for the Long-tailed Duck, and after a little searching found it in the channel between the docks at the east end of the harbor, pretty much where it’s been since it first showed up.

Rough-legged Hawk, November 22, 2015

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting (click to see a larger version)

I had a Rough-legged Hawk fly south over Montrose Point this morning. Rough-legged Hawks are rare at Montrose; I think I’ve seen fewer than 10 in the 35+ years I’ve been birding there. I saw the bird just after sunrise and it was a couple of hundred feet high so it must have started migrating in the dark.

Other birds seen at Montrose this chilly a.m. include:

American Pipit – 2
Fox Sparrow – 2
Savannah Sparrow – 1
Lapland Longspur – 5
Snow Bunting – ~8
Common Redpoll – 3
Pine Siskin – 1

It was so cold this morning the lake was steaming, something we usually don’t see until well into winter.

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan Steaming (click to see a larger version)