I had the adult Red-throated Loon at Montrose again this morning, March 8 in the lake just south of the concession stand. The bird dove once and I never saw it again, but I ran into Al Stokie and he informed that it was moving west very fast and the last time he saw the bird it was near the harbor mouth.
Tag Archives: Loons
Red-throated Loon, March 7, 2015
Red-throated Loon (click to see a larger version)
I had an adult Red-throated Loon at Montrose this morning, March 7. The bird was in the lake just off the southeast corner of the point. I had been standing on the walkway scanning the lake when the loon appeared out of nowhere and in front of me. Red-throated Loons are uncommon but regular spring visitors to Montrose.
Great Black-backed Gull and Red-throated Loon, January 19, 2015
Great Black-backed Gull (click to see the larger version)
A walk around Montrose this morning, January 19, yielded a couple good birds. While I was scanning the lake from the fishing pier I saw a Red-throated Loon on the water a few hundred yards offshore. The bird was slowly drifting to the north and I thought I could get a better look at it by walking north on the pier as it swam north but I lost sight of it. Red-throated Loons are rare in winter at Montrose, though they are the expected loon at this time of the year.
I also had a first cycle Great Black-backed Gull near the parking lot adjacent to the bathroom building. The bird was actually up on the grass feeding on handouts like a Ring-billed Gull, a behavior I don’t think I’ve seen before for GBBG. The bird also has a bad left foot as can be seen in the photo below. I saw nothing else of note.
Red-throated Loon, April 9, 2014
Red-throated Loon (click to see the larger version)
A basic type Red-throated Loon was in the lake just off the end of the fishhook pier this morning, April 9. The bird was swimming and diving between the many fishing lines that fishermen have put out, and I was worried that it would get tangled or worse take the bait. What a mess that would be, both for the loon and the fishermen. When I last saw the bird it was moving away from the lines, which made me feel a little better. I saw nothing else of note this morning.
March 29, 2014
I spent about an hour and a half at Montrose this morning, mostly looking at the lake and checking the harbor. I thought there might be migrating waterfowl, loons, and grebes, but there was very little movement on the lake. Migrant passerines were almost non-existent. I did see a few interesting birds though. Here’s my partial list:
White-winged Scoter – ~12, most in the lake off the end of the fishhook pier
Long-tailed Duck – 3 moving north
Northern Pintail – 7 migrating north
Lesser Scaup – ~250, almost all in or just outside the harbor
Greater Scaup – ~10, in or just outside the harbor
Redhead – ~25
Hooded Merganser – 2 moving north
Common Merganser – Still a few around
Red-throated Loon – 1 in basic type plumage off the end of the fishhook pier
Common Loon – 4 moving north, my first of the year
Horned Grebe – ~10, in various stages of molt and plumages
Great Black-backed Gull – 1 adult flying north close to shore
Red-throated Loon, White-winged Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, and Snow Bunting, March 7, 2014
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.