Tag Archives: Longspurs

Red-throated Loon, White-winged Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, and Snow Bunting, March 7, 2014

Red-throated Loon

Red-throated Loon (click to see the larger version)

This is beginning to sound like a broken record. Lake Michigan was ice covered from horizon to horizon but there were a few areas of open water and these open areas had birds. Best was probably the Red-throated Loon at the harbor mouth. Unfortunately the bird flushed when a fisherman walked onto the north pier. This must have been one desperate fisherman as there was barely enough water to fish in. There were also a dozen or so White-winged Scoters and a drake Long-tailed Duck here.

A larger group of ducks (100-150 birds) were in the lake a couple hundred yards north of the end of the fishhook pier. I didn’t have my scope but most appeared to be scaup, White-winged Scoters, and mergansers. Another small pool of water south of here held more White-winged Scoters and 2 Long-tailed Ducks.

A few ducks are hanging on in the ever decreasing water hole near the bend of the point. It’s really a sad sight. There were probably more birds standing on the ice around the hole than actually in the water, and there were multiple dead ducks scattered around.

Finally, I heard a Snow Bunting flying over the beach.

White-winged Scoter and Snow Buntings, January 13, 2014

I walked around Montrose for a little while this morning. There wasn’t a lot around, as is expected for mid January, but I did see 2 Snow Buntings on the beach inside the protected area and a White-winged Scoter just outside the entrance to the harbor. The scoter was right up against the rocks with a group of Mallards. I saw nothing else of note birdwise, though the ice formation on the beach is rather striking.

December 23, 2013

I was surprised to see 4 Snowy Owls at Montrose this morning. I thought most had left but it appears more came in to replace them. Two were on the fishing pier, one was on the ice shelf at the west end of the beach, and the other was flying south over the point, almost like it was migrating. I also saw an adult or near adult Glaucous Gull flying north, the Snow Goose in the harbor, and 4 Snow Buntings and a single Lapland Longspur on the beach.

December 19, 2013

I had 2 Snowy Owls at Montrose this morning, an immature male or older female sitting on the shelf ice at the east end of the beach and an immature male or older female on one of the star docks inside the harbor. I did not see the immature female, which had been hanging around the fishing pier. I also had a Snow Bunting and Lapland Longspur flying over the beach.

Lapland Longspurs, December 16, 2013

I had 6 Lapland Longspurs at the east end of Montrose Beach on this wintery morning. They were feeding in the dunes on grass seeds near the light tower. Oh, I almost forgot, I also had 4 and possibly 5 Snowy Owls. I saw one in the harbor when I arrived and then one on the beach and three on the fishing pier, including a bird that flew in. I didn’t see the Snowy in the harbor when I went back so one of the birds on the fishing pier could have been the harbor bird.

Franklin’s Gulls, October 26, 2013

Karen and I spent a couple hours at Montrose on October 26.
The highlight were a 100 or so Franklin’s Gulls. Most were flying over
and continuing south but a few spent some time on the beach. The largest
flock was about 50 birds, the smallest 4. This is one of my best counts
of Franklin’s Gulls at Montrose ever, a consequence no doubt of the
recent strong westerly winds. In addition to the Franklin’s we had a
number of other birds of interest, including:

American Bittern – 1 in the dunes
Bonaparte’s Gull – 6, all first cycle birds
Short-eared Owl – 2 flying around the dunes and over the lake
Greater Yellowlegs – 1 on the beach
Wilson’s Snipe – 1
American Woodcock – 1
Lapland Longspur – 1
Snow Bunting – 2
American Pipit – 1

West winds in late October do a birder good.