New Blog Location.....

Hi all,

I have moved my Blog... My new address is http://porontosbirdingmacomb.com/   I hope you will join me on the new blog as I will update it frequently as I come across interesting Bird sightings or whatever cool wildlife I bump into as I travel thru Macomb County and Beyond...... 

Lk St. Clair Metropark

Took a quick trip at dawn to Lk St. Clair Metropark to scope the beach.... Nothing new... There were a scattering of Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, Dunlin, Pectoral Sandpiper and Spotted Sandpipers.... There were a few Caspian Terns buzzing along the shore at times... I heard a report of a Common Tern sitting within the Ring-billed Gulls the other day, but I had no such luck today.... A very large flock of Swallows near the parking lot.... estimate at least 200... Mostly Barn and Bank..... click on photos to enlarge

Dunlin

Great Egret

Spotted Sandpiper

Pectoral Sandpiper

Pectoral Sandpiper

Common Nighthawk... Eppler Junior High

I finally got to see one of the Common Nighthawks (214) that have nested near Eppler Junior High in Utica.... Kevin Rysiewski found them in the spring... I have known that they were there all summer but I just haven't got my butt into my car to get over there and see them.... I pulled into the parking lot of the school at 845 and I had them with in 10 minutes flying high over the rooftop.... They love to nest on flat roof tops, so I suspect that they nested at Eppler this year....

Piping Plover.... regret that I couldn't go...

I got an email from my friend Mick today... He had the fortune of guarding a Piping Plover nest in an undisclosed location near Glen Arbor... people are taking turns watching over the nest and making sure no predators like Merlins and Humans get to the chicks.... Mick is a new photographer so to have the opportunity to guard the nest and photograph these amazing little birds, was a chance he could not pass up.... I cant wait to see his photos.... He sent me one teaser..... click to enlarge...

Hot afternoon for birding...

I took a run to Wetzel State Park today... It was 90 degrees out and I had my back pack on and carrying my tripod and scope... whooo!!  that was a work out... Least Sandpipers, Solitary Sandpipers (4), Lesser Yellowlegs (8), Spotted Sandpipers and a million Killdeer.... I saw one Osprey soaring over the ponds north of 27 mile rd... Several Bobolinks in Fall Plumage throughout the park....  a couple of Green Heron....

Leucistic Songbird at Wetzel

I went birding at Wetzel State Park tonite with Kevin Rysiewski... There were a decent number of shorebirds in the various ponds... We had Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper and of course, Killdeer.... Plenty of Green Herons about....

Highlight of the evening was a Leucistic bird that we seen toward the end of the evening... The sun was beginning to set and the lighting was not good... I saw a bird fly across the path... I turned and looked at Kevin and said, "hey, a white bird just flew over the path".... Kevin probaly thought I was crazy... we continued walking when all of a sudden the white bird flew in front of us along the pond, sitting in the reeds and the bushes surrounding the pond.... I managed to get a few pics.... Quality is poor because it was dark and shaded, but looking at the tail and its bill, I am going with Bobolink.... Please feel free to leave your guess in the comments..... Very cool way to end a nice evening of birding.....click on photos to enlarge...

Imm. Herons.. Lk. St. Clair Metropark

Stopped by the park today looking for the Least Bitterns.... I seem to be the only one who had not photographed them this summer.... No luck on the Bitterns, but I did manage to see at least 3 Imm. Black-crowned Night Herons and many Green Herons.... click on photos to enlarge..

Imm Green Heron

Imm Black-crowned Night Heron