Tag Archives: American Pipit

January 13, 2024

Herring, Ring-billed, and Iceland Gulls

Herring, Ring-billed, and Iceland Gulls (click to see the larger version)

The middle of January is about the slowest time of the year for birding at Montrose. If you see 20 species on a visit you’re doing very well. January 13, 2024 proved to be the best mid winter day of birding I’ve experienced at Montrose. I tallied 32 species in a couple hours of birding, and 41 species were reported to eBird by all observers for the day. My highlights include

Iceland Gull
Long-tailed Duck
Long-eared Owl
Northern Harrier
American Pipit
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting
Horned Lark
Orange-crowned Warbler
Common Grackle
Fox Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow

Some of these birds were likely driven south by an approaching Artic cold front. The temperature on January 13 was in the 20s, but dropped below zero overnight and is expected to stay in this range for several days. Extreme weather events like this often produce extreme birding events.

May 7, 2016

I spent a couple hours at Montrose this morning, May 7, from just before
sunrise to about 8 when the cold front passed and the rain and lightning
started. There were good numbers of birds and I ended up with 70 species
on the head. Sparrows were the big story, especially White-crowned,
which probably peaked today. Flycatchers, thrushes, and vireos on the
other hand were scarce and warbler diversity was low. Passerines were
coming in off the lake for about an hour after sunrise. I had several
FOYs. Here are my highlights:

Common Loon – 1 adult in breeding plumage in the lake
Great Egret – 3 flyovers
Northern Harrier – 1 going north low over the lake
Black-bellied Plover – 1 cracking adult male in breeding duds on the beach
American Avocet – 4 on the beach
White-rumped Sandpiper – 1 flying around the beach with a group of Least
Sandpipers
Lesser Yellowlegs – 13, a nice count for Montrose which tends to be
Tringa repellent
Dowitcher sp. – 1 with the yellowlegs
Great Crested Flycatcher – 1 This and an Eastern Kingbird were my only 2
flycatchers
Blue Jay – ~100 flying over and around the Point
Cliff Swallow – 1
Bank Swallow – ~25, moving north and south
Marsh Wren – 1 in the Dunes
Hermit Thrush – 1 This and a Veery were my only Catharus thrushes
American Pipit – ~5, all at the beach
Northern Parula – 1
Clay-colored Sparrow – 1
White-crowned Sparrow – Hundreds
White-throated Sparrow – ~75
Savannah Sparrow – ~30
Rose-breasted Grosbeak – 3
Orchard Oriole – 1 adult male

I also had a dead Sora on the fishing pier.

April 25, 2016

Montrose was hopping this morning with passerines, dominant among them Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers and Swamp Sparrows. Also, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Hermit Thrushes, White-throated and Savannah Sparrows, American Pipit, Cliff Swallow, and a male Scarlet Tanager. Non-passerine highlights include Great Egret, Green Heron, Solitary Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Wilson’s Snipe, and Virginia Rail.

South winds in spring are the ticket.

November 6, 2015

Given the strong west winds I expected the dunes to be full of Short-eared Owls this morning but alas I could only muster one. Other birds seen or heard at Montrose this a.m. include:

Wilson’s Snipe – 1 in the western panne
American Woodcock – 1 flushed from the Magic Hedge
American Pipit – 1 flying over the beach
Lapland Longspur – 3 in the dunes
Snow Bunting – 1 in the dunes
Rusty Blackbird – 1 in the western panne
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 1
Pine Siskin – 1
White-throated Sparrow – 3
Fox Sparrow – 1

West winds in fall do a birder good.

Short-eared Owl, November 1, 2015

Tis’ the season for Short-eared Owls at Montrose. This morning I kicked one up out of the western panne in the dunes. The bird flew out over the lake and circled around a few times before I walked away and lost sight of it. This is typical Short-eared Owl behavior at Montrose, and sometimes they come back and sometimes they don’t.

Migration is really winding down, especially passerine migration, but I did have a few other birds, including:

Great Black-backed Gull – 1 second cycle type
Sanderling – 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 1
Hermit Thrush – ~10
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 1
Palm Warbler – 1
Winter Wren – 2
American Pipit – 1
Swamp Sparrow – 1
White-crowned Sparrow – 1
Savannah Sparrow – 1
Pine Siskin – ~40
Lapland Longspur – 2
Rusty Blackbird – 1

That’s about everything. In another couple of weeks there will be even less.

Long-tailed Duck, November 26, 2014

Long-tailed Duck

Long-tailed Duck (click to see the larger version)

I walked around Montrose for a little while this morning, November 26. My best find was a female Long-tailed Duck in Lake Michigan near the tower at the southeast corner of the point. I’m guessing this is the same Long-tailed Duck that was seen at Loyola a couple of days ago.

Other birds seen at Montrose this a.m. include good numbers of Red-breasted Mergansers, both on the water and migrating south, the continuing Ruddy Duck inside the fishing pier, a small loon that was probably a Red-throated, flyover American Pipit and Snow Bunting, and a lingering Fox Sparrow at the Magic Hedge.