Birding Journeys: April 2014

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Birding And Herping Are Hard To Do At The Same Time

I apologize for not posting in a while. With that said, I have a lot to cover in a very short time. I has been many weeks since my last post, and things are quickening pace. The frogs are already out in force, along with the snakes, and spring migration. Back in March, a Cackling Goose was found near the southern boundary of the county. I tried for it, but was too late. As a consolation prize, I did see Tundra Swans and Rough-legged Hawk. On March 30, The Michigan Young Birder's Club met at Maple River State Game Area in the central portion of the southern lower peninsula. A whole day of birding yielded 58 species (over 60 for some of the group). We saw many species including, Greater White-fronted Goose (Lifer), Red-necked Grebe, Northern Harrier, Northern Shrike, Eastern Meadowlark, Ring-necked pheasant, Greater Yellowlegs, and many more. In addition, I heard my first herp for the year; Western Chorus Frog. A field trip with my Zoology class took us to a pit stop at our professor's house where I saw Eastern Screech Owl. Later, I saw Vesper Sparrow and American Woodcocks at Luton Park. Common Loons are everywhere now; 6 at Reeds lake, 4 at Versluis Lake, and 1 at Bostwick Lake. On my way to Saul Lake Bog the other day, I saw Rusty Blackbirds. Field Herping is in full force now. Some of the species that I have found include, Blue-spotted Salamander, Eastern Red-backed Slamander, Northern Green Frog, Eastern American Toad, Northern Spring Peeper, Wood Frog, Eastern Garter Snake, Northern Ribbon Snake, BLUE RACER, and Midland Painted Turtle. This long paragraph was written VERY quickly, so I apologize for errors and the "choppiness" of the events. This is a summary of the past few weeks. I forgot to mention, that the female Red-shouldered Hawk stays on the nest 24-7 now, so I will be looking for chicks soon. As the title reads, birding and herring is hard to do at once. I have a backpack will some gear, net, snake hook, binoculars, and the camera with me at all times; mobility has been substantially lessened. Last year, I focused on Pickerel Lake Park Nature Preserve. I have a fairly large list there, and now am going to focus on the Cannonsburg SGA, Saul Lake Bog Nature Preserve, and Luton Park. Now, for the pictures (and there are a lot of them):