Still can't believe what I contribute to Divine Providence with the Kittiwake sighting from last week.  It looks like this is the 4th inland record in Michigan, and just slightly the farthest inland at 53 miles.  The other inland sightings are Coldwater Lake in Isabella County 50 Miles away from Saginaw Bay, and the 2 sightings at Holloway Reservoir In Genesee were 34 miles away from Saginaw Bay.  I thought it was a review species, but it wasn't.  However I may be able to partially check off that bucket list item of self-found review species.  The 2016 sighting in Isabella the MBRC reviewed due to how far inland it was.  It looks like it might only be the 4th February sightings for the state also.   I will have to take some time and do up the review paperwork.  

The year has been going great on its own, regardless of the BLKI.  I blew away my January best start of 49 birds, with 62.  One less than my previous best pace through the end of February.  I sit at 69 birds now 1/2 through February.  Still not tops in the county.  I think the discussion of Big Year, and what the high number was has pushed some people to try for it.  It really sucks having to try to cram it all in on the weekends, as Chaos rules during the week...and even then some on the weekends.  

Finally was able to find a Rough-legged Hawk on the 23rd, and the Lapland Longspurs availed themselves on B DR N on the 24th.  Northern Harrier and Wild Turkey rounded out the high for January.  Along with the Kittiwake on the 6th, I had FOY Buffleheads and then Gadwall at McClure Park on the 7th (found by Dr. Dale Kennedy).  Chris Peet found a female Long-tailed Duck on the Kalamazoo River off Jackson St. on the 12th. I was able to head out there on the 13th.  Dipped on the LTDU, but found FOY Redhead.  Very frustrating as Chaos intervened in the morning, so when I finally got out there traffic didn't allow much stop and search on Jackson St.  A feeder on 19 Mile Road gave me a bunch of FOY Red-winged Blackbirds.  I headed back out prior to more Chaos on the 14th, and Hercules and I did almost a mile hike on the snow covered trail to finally locate the LTDU.  An early Ruby-crowned Kinglet at the Jackson St. pull-off was a nice add for the year also.  The 14th ended up being so good I managed a new February Big Day high of 40 birds.  I thought I would have to head out to try for more, but the feeders provided all I needed.  

I keep dipping on the Red-shouldered Hawk at Duck Lake.  Every time I go the parking lot is packed with ice fisherman, so I have got to try to get out there during the week somehow.  This bird is probably my biggest worry about missing on for the year, of those located so far.  Another frustrating dip has been trying to find a Hoary Redpoll.  I'm sure I've found one, but no photos showing the rump or undertails of the candidates so far.  Flocks continue to be hard to find, and they don't stay for very long.  These two are the best candidates so far for Hoary, with the first one I'm 75% sure of.  

Some other highlights were a large quantity of Trumpeter Swans at Lee Lake still, 77 was the high count on 1/23.  1-2 Oregon Junco are still showing up at my feeders, still no cismontanus though this winter.  A small Redpoll flock on 23 Mile Road let me have some good looks at them.  Took a while but the feeders have started to attract the accipiters.  I don't think I have had as many as last year, but they are giving me some good looks.  A Sharpie landed on the feeders and I was able to watch it try to find something to go after.  A Coop landed on them also one day, then I watched it try to chase after something in my large juniper tree.  Today I found a couple of nice big mixed flocks of Longspurs, Horned Larks and a handful of Snow Buntings mixed in.  I saw one Snow Bunting that was really close to breeding plumage.  Likely as close as I'll ever see one.  

We are just under 90 birds so far, well ahead of any previous pace for the county.  Really a great start all around Hopefully the momentum picks up.  2021 hasn't been much more fun than 2020, so who knows what will happen.  A few things I need to get done this week are updating the Michigan Listers data.  I forgot to do it last year, but I have my spreadsheet all set to pull all that information together.  Something I don't think I had in a previous post was some photos were obtained of the Smew, once it showed up in Allegan.  The bird had a steel band on it left leg, but also didn't look like it had its rear toe clipped.  So we shall see what the MBRC ends up saying about it.  Fingers crossed.  

I will get something posted tomorrow with some catch-up stuff as this has been a great year so far.  What could make this great start to the year even better?  How about mis-identifying the rarest bird I have ever found!!!  I was looking for waterfowl on the Kalamazoo River and drove past a pull-off spot and thought "Nah, I'll just drive down Jackson and see if anything worth stopping for".  There were a ton of birds, so I turned back around and found the snow-filled pull off parking just East of Bedford Road.  As I sat there trying to spy what was on the river, this gull came flying into view.  I thought "Wow a Bonaparte's Gull in February, that is rare".  I got some decent wing pics showing a decent "M" on the back and searched in the app to make sure it wasn't a Little Gull (it didn't look little).  When I searched I only put in "Gull", so that was all that came up.  The dark collar bothered me a little, but I thought maybe it was still holding onto it.  Also the Sibley app shows the dark secondaries, but the adults don't have it, so again I figured maybe it was molt timing or something.  I emailed the local birders also to let them know and reported it on eBird.
Once I got home and started looking at the pics, something just didn't seem right with it as a BOGU.  I had some pics that had parts of the legs showing and they were not the Orange/Pink legs, but were very dark.  As I flipped through my physical Sibley's book there it was.  Juvenile/1st winter Black-legged Kittiwake with a dark collar, black legs and the "M" on the back.  I posted to what bird, and e-mailed the group "What about Kittiwake?", and got confirmations.  Completely blown away by this find.  Bird would have never been on my radar!  
This is by far the rarest bird I have ever found.  In fact it may be the farthest inland one of these has been in Michigan.  There is a report near Mt. Pleasant and east of Flint that are pretty close to "fingertips on computer screen" distance.  It is a lifer, it is a County first, and it was number 64 for the year.  Already ahead of my best pace through end of February.  
I partially have Hercules to thank for this as I thought he deserved to get out of the Jeep and walk the river.  Even though he had just had a great time playing in the snowbanks at the airport.