Balance the chaos
  • Balance the Chaos
  • Contact
  • Hobbies/Passions
    • Art >
      • Sculpting and Painting
      • Garage Kits
      • Baseball Reference
      • Chipper's Customs
    • Throwback Baseball Game Database >
      • 1990 - Brewers at White Sox
      • 1991
      • 1992
      • 1993
      • 1994
      • 1995
      • 1996
      • 1997
      • 1998
      • 1999
      • 2000
      • 2001
      • 2002
      • 2003
      • 2004
      • 2005
  • Birding
  • Birding Calhoun County
    • Calhoun County Checklist
    • Birds of Calhoun County >
      • Calhoun County Birds by Code >
        • Yearly Calhoun County Birds
      • Loons (Gaviidae) >
        • Common Loon
      • Grebes (Podicipedidae) >
        • Pied-billed Grebe
      • Pelicans (Pelecanidae)
      • Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae)
      • New World Vultures (Cathartidae)
      • Bitterns, Herons, and Allies (Ardeidae)
      • Ducks, Geese, and Swans (Anatidae) >
        • Long-tailed Duck
      • Ospreys (Pandionidae)
      • Hawks, Kites, Eagles, and Allies (Accipitridae) >
        • Northern Goshawk
      • Grouse, Pheasants, Quail, and Turkeys >
        • Greater Prairie-Chicken
        • Wild Turkey
      • Flamingos
      • Cranes, Rails, Gallinules and Coots >
        • Yellow Rail
        • King Rail
        • Virginia Rail
        • Sora
        • Common Gallinule
        • American Coot
        • Sandhill Crane
        • Whooping Crane
      • Shorebirds, Gulls and Relatives >
        • Black-necked Stilt
        • Black-bellied Plover
        • American Golden-Plover
        • Semipalmated Plover
        • Killdeer
        • Spotted Sandpiper
        • Solitary Sandpiper
        • Greater Yellowlegs
        • Lesser Yellowlegs
        • Upland Sandpiper
        • Semipalmated Sandpiper
        • Least Sandpiper
        • White-rumped Sandpiper
        • Baird's Sandpiper
        • Pectoral Sandpiper
        • Dunlin
        • Stilt Sandpiper
        • Buff-breasted Sandpiper
        • Short-billed Dowitcher
        • Long-billed Dowitcher
        • Wilson's Snipe
        • American Woodcock
        • Wilson's Phalarope
        • Black-legged Kittiwake
        • Bonaparte's Gull
        • Laughing Gull
        • Franklin's Gull
        • Ring-billed Gull
        • Herring Gull
        • Iceland Gull
        • Lesser Black-backed Gull
        • Glaucous Gull
        • Great Black-backed Gull
        • Caspian Tern
        • Black Tern
        • Common Tern
        • Forster's Tern
        • Dovekie
      • Pigeons and Doves >
        • Rock Pigeon
        • Mourning Dove
      • Cuckoos, Roadrunners and Anis >
        • Yellow-billed Cuckoo
        • Black-billed Cuckoo
      • Owls >
        • Eastern Screech-Owl
        • Great Horned Owl
        • Snowy Owl
        • Barred Owl
        • Long-eared Owl
        • Short-eared Owl
        • Northern Saw-whet Owl
      • Goatsuckers, Nighthawks and Allies >
        • Common Nighthawk
        • Eastern Whip-poor-will
      • Swifts and Hummingbirds >
        • Chimney Swift - Swifts (Apodidae)
        • Ruby-throated Hummingbird
        • Rufous Hummingbird
      • Kingfishers
      • Woodpeckers and Allies >
        • Red-headed Woodpecker
        • Red-bellied Woodpecker
        • Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
        • Downy Woodpecker
        • Hairy Woodpecker
        • Northern Flicker
        • Pileated Woodpecker
      • Perching Birds >
        • Tyrant Flycatchers >
          • Olive-sided Flycatcher
          • Eastern Wood-Pewee
          • Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
          • Acadian Flycatcher
          • Alder Flycatcher
          • Willow Flycatcher
          • Least Flycatcher
          • Eastern Phoebe
          • Great Crested Flycatcher
          • Eastern Kingbird
        • Shrikes >
          • Loggerhead Shrike
          • Northern Shrike
        • Vireos >
          • White-eyed Vireo
          • Yellow-throated Vireo
          • Blue-headed Vireo
          • Warbling Vireo
          • Philadelphia Vireo
          • Red-eyed Vireo
        • Jays, Magpies, Crows and Ravens >
          • Blue Jay
          • American Crow
          • Common Raven
        • Larks
        • Swallows >
          • Purple Martin
          • Tree Swallow
          • Northern Rough-winged Swallow
          • Bank Swallow
          • Cliff Swallow
          • Barn Swallow
        • Titmice and Chickadees >
          • Black-capped Chickadee
          • Tufted Titmouse
        • Nuthatches >
          • Red-breasted Nuthatch
          • White-breasted Nuthatch
        • Creepers
        • Wrens >
          • House Wren
          • Winter Wren
          • Sedge Wren
          • Marsh Wren
          • Carolina Wren
        • Gnatcatchers and Gnatwrens
        • Kinglets >
          • Golden-crowned Kinglet
          • Ruby-crowned Kinglet
        • Thrushes >
          • Eastern Bluebird
          • Veery
          • Gray-cheeked Thrush
          • Swainson's Thrush
          • Hermit Thrush
          • Wood Thrush
          • American Robin
          • Varied Thrush
        • Mockingbirds and Thrashers >
          • Gray Catbird
          • Brown Thrasher
          • Northern Mockingbird
        • Starlings
        • Wagtails and Pipits
        • Waxwings >
          • Cedar Waxwing
        • Longspurs and Snow Buntings >
          • Lapland Longspur
          • Snow Bunting
        • Wood-Warblers >
          • Ovenbird
          • Worm-eating Warbler
          • Louisiana Waterthrush
          • Northern Waterthrush
          • Golden-winged Warbler
          • Blue-winged Warbler
          • Black-and-white Warbler
          • Prothonotary Warbler
          • Tennessee Warbler
          • Orange-crowned Warbler
          • Nashville Warbler
          • Connecticut Warbler
          • Mourning Warbler
          • Common Yellowthroat
          • Hooded Warbler
          • American Redstart
          • Kirtland's Warbler
          • Cape May Warbler
          • Cerulean Warbler
          • Northern Parula
          • Magnolia Warbler
          • Bay-breasted Warbler
          • Blackburnian Warbler
          • Yellow Warbler
          • Chestnut-sided Warbler
          • Blackpoll Warbler
          • Black-throated Blue Warbler
          • Palm Warbler
          • Pine Warbler
          • Yellow-rumped Warbler
          • Prairie Warbler
          • Black-throated Green Warbler
          • Canada Warbler
          • Wilson's Warbler
          • Yellow-breasted Chat
        • Tanagers >
          • Summer Tanager
          • Scarlet Tanager
        • Emberizids >
          • Eastern Towhee
          • American Tree Sparrow
          • Chipping Sparrow
          • Clay-colored Sparrow
          • Field Sparrow
          • Vesper Sparrow
          • Lark Sparrow
          • Lark Bunting
          • Savannah Sparrow
          • Grasshopper Sparrow
          • Henslow's Sparrow
          • Fox Sparrow
          • Song Sparrow
          • Lincoln's Sparrow
          • Swamp Sparrow
          • White-throated Sparrow
          • Harris's Sparrow
          • White-crowned Sparrow
          • Dark-eyed Junco
        • Cardinals, Piranga Tanagers and Allies >
          • Northern Cardinal
          • Rose-breasted Grosbeak
          • Blue Grosbeak
          • Indigo Bunting
          • Dickcissel
        • Blackbirds >
          • Bobolink
          • Red-winged Blackbird
          • Eastern Meadowlark
          • Western Meadowlark
          • Yellow-headed Blackbird
          • Rusty Blackbird
          • Brewer's Blackbird
          • Common Grackle
          • Brown-headed Cowbird
          • Orchard Oriole
          • Baltimore Oriole
        • Fringilline and Cardueline Finches >
          • House Finch
          • Purple Finch
          • Red Crossbill
          • White-winged Crossbill
          • Common Redpoll
          • Hoary Redpoll
          • Pine Siskin
          • American Goldfinch
          • Evening Grosbeak
      • Old World Sparrows
    • Hotspots >
      • 1/2 Mile and Marl Lake Rd
      • 10 Mile Road near G DR S
      • 23 Mile Road Flooded Field
      • Waterfowl
      • Shorebirds
    • ID
  • Macro, Bugs and Moths
    • Moths >
      • Bombycoidea
  • YouTube Links

Birding

[Birding (and more) in Calhoun County and beyond

Cackling Geese are now "boring", and a new bird for Emmett Township.

11/24/2017

0 Comments

 
They aren't really boring, but they have become very consistent birds for Homer since October 7th.  I'm not completely convinced that there are a few different subspecies of Canada/Cackling there, but I've yet to get the banding information from the one bird.  I'm definitely learning quite a bit about the two species.  

Skipping Chaos on 11/13 I hit up Beadle Lake, which I neglect way too much, and found Tundra Swans and a group of 4 Trumpeter Swans.  After checking Lee Lake, and a few other backroads I was heading down R DR S on my way to check 6 Mile Rd for Roughies.  Just West of 8 Mile Road I heard quite the racket coming from the trees.  I pulled over, got out and was greeted with the deafening calls of hundreds of Common Grackles.  This spot was not far from the large group I had located previously, so I think this may be where they were roosting.  I followed some of them to an open field where they were feeding, and was able to observe them doing some murmurations that sounded like thunder as they flew.  
Not far from this spot I finally had my FOY Wilson's Snipes, with 2 in a small fluddle on 6 Mile Rd near U DR S.  I finally got to the spot I wanted to be at for the Roughies, but found a large group of Ring-necked Pheasants.  At least 3 males and 8 female/juveniles were right near the Branch County border.  
Homer had the continuing Cacklers, a flyover of 28 Tundra Swans to go with the 2 on the large lagoon.  Duck Lake WTP also gave up a pair of Wilson's Snipes and a tagged high count of 160 Buffleheads and 9 Killdeers.  Duck Lake had an interesting Merganser group.  Usually the Red-breasted and Common Mergansers I've seen are in their own separate groups.  This was a very tight group of 2 of each.  I was still unable to refine the dilute plumage Sandhill Crane (probably a better description than leucistic).  
November 18th Duck Lake finally gave up a good bird this year.  It is going to have to give up a few more I think if we are going to get to 220 Calhoun birds for the year.  There was a Long-tailed Duck relatively close to the South shore diving for extremely long periods.  3rd time in the last 4 years we have had Long-tailed Ducks show up in the county.  The next day Beadle Lake gave up a pair of them but not for long.  They quickly disappeared as I tried to find them again around a large tree.  I did manage some ID'able pics.  Wish they would have stuck around longer.  That gave me bird number 159 for Emmett Township (barring anything popping up from a location I don't have listed in that patch yet).  There was also a large flyover of 75 Tundra Swans there.  

November 20th I thought I'd give Grever's and Baker's a chance, seeing as how they are a couple of the few locations which I'd have any hopes of seeing Red Crossbills that seem to be moving through the Great Lakes region.  Both locations were relatively quiet.  Baker had a late Song Sparrow, and 2 juvenile Bald Eagles along with an adult.  I missed some excellent photo opportunities of a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk dive bombing one of the juvie Eagles.  
The days prior to Thanksgiving started to see multiple reports from Southern Michigan locations of Snowy Owls, including Kalamazoo Airport.  I decided to hit up the Airport in BC, with no such luck.  In fact most places I tried on Thanksgiving had very little to offer.  The Cacklers continued at Homer, along with a couple of very small "Canada", or maybe some sort of hybrid.  One juvenile bird was maybe 10% bigger than the larger Cacklers in the group.  That along with the narrow sharp tip bill could make it a candidate for parvipes.  There also continued a few Canada Geese sporting partial of full white collars around their neck.  Unfortunately I couldn't locate the banded bird while they were close by on the main road.  For 11/24, it was rinse and repeat, except with some pics I'm pretty happy with of Cackling and Canada Geese in flight.  Other than surprise sighting of 6 Turkey Vultures today was extremely quiet.  Duck Lake was impossible to see much of anything with the warmer weather, the mirage was a disaster.  White blobs and brown blobs were aplenty.      
Long-tailed Duck helped push the count to 216 for Calhoun overall this year.  Still need 4 more to go.  Hopefully at some point we get some combination of 4 of the following:
  1. Surf Scoter
  2. Black Scoter (would be County first, but they have been showing up nearby)
  3. Red-throated Loon
  4. Lesser Black-backed Gull
  5. Snowy Owl
  6. Red-necked Grebe
  7. Franklin's Gull (might be too late)
  8. Iceland Gull
  9. Glaucous Gull
  10. Common Raven
  11. Red Crossbill
  12. Northern Shrike
  13. Short-eared Owl
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    My exploits in my latest passion, Birding...not Bird-watching;-)
    Attempting to get the Calhoun County life-list to 206 by the end of 2015.....Mission accomplished, 249 and counting.  

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    Categories

    All
    1st County Record
    23 Mile Road
    American Golden Plover
    Big Yard
    Junco
    Lifer
    North Carolina
    Research
    Shorebirds
    Swallow Tailed Kite
    Warblers
    White-winged Junco

    RSS Feed

    iNaturalist.org
    Thumb View chipperatl's observations »
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Balance the Chaos
  • Contact
  • Hobbies/Passions
    • Art >
      • Sculpting and Painting
      • Garage Kits
      • Baseball Reference
      • Chipper's Customs
    • Throwback Baseball Game Database >
      • 1990 - Brewers at White Sox
      • 1991
      • 1992
      • 1993
      • 1994
      • 1995
      • 1996
      • 1997
      • 1998
      • 1999
      • 2000
      • 2001
      • 2002
      • 2003
      • 2004
      • 2005
  • Birding
  • Birding Calhoun County
    • Calhoun County Checklist
    • Birds of Calhoun County >
      • Calhoun County Birds by Code >
        • Yearly Calhoun County Birds
      • Loons (Gaviidae) >
        • Common Loon
      • Grebes (Podicipedidae) >
        • Pied-billed Grebe
      • Pelicans (Pelecanidae)
      • Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae)
      • New World Vultures (Cathartidae)
      • Bitterns, Herons, and Allies (Ardeidae)
      • Ducks, Geese, and Swans (Anatidae) >
        • Long-tailed Duck
      • Ospreys (Pandionidae)
      • Hawks, Kites, Eagles, and Allies (Accipitridae) >
        • Northern Goshawk
      • Grouse, Pheasants, Quail, and Turkeys >
        • Greater Prairie-Chicken
        • Wild Turkey
      • Flamingos
      • Cranes, Rails, Gallinules and Coots >
        • Yellow Rail
        • King Rail
        • Virginia Rail
        • Sora
        • Common Gallinule
        • American Coot
        • Sandhill Crane
        • Whooping Crane
      • Shorebirds, Gulls and Relatives >
        • Black-necked Stilt
        • Black-bellied Plover
        • American Golden-Plover
        • Semipalmated Plover
        • Killdeer
        • Spotted Sandpiper
        • Solitary Sandpiper
        • Greater Yellowlegs
        • Lesser Yellowlegs
        • Upland Sandpiper
        • Semipalmated Sandpiper
        • Least Sandpiper
        • White-rumped Sandpiper
        • Baird's Sandpiper
        • Pectoral Sandpiper
        • Dunlin
        • Stilt Sandpiper
        • Buff-breasted Sandpiper
        • Short-billed Dowitcher
        • Long-billed Dowitcher
        • Wilson's Snipe
        • American Woodcock
        • Wilson's Phalarope
        • Black-legged Kittiwake
        • Bonaparte's Gull
        • Laughing Gull
        • Franklin's Gull
        • Ring-billed Gull
        • Herring Gull
        • Iceland Gull
        • Lesser Black-backed Gull
        • Glaucous Gull
        • Great Black-backed Gull
        • Caspian Tern
        • Black Tern
        • Common Tern
        • Forster's Tern
        • Dovekie
      • Pigeons and Doves >
        • Rock Pigeon
        • Mourning Dove
      • Cuckoos, Roadrunners and Anis >
        • Yellow-billed Cuckoo
        • Black-billed Cuckoo
      • Owls >
        • Eastern Screech-Owl
        • Great Horned Owl
        • Snowy Owl
        • Barred Owl
        • Long-eared Owl
        • Short-eared Owl
        • Northern Saw-whet Owl
      • Goatsuckers, Nighthawks and Allies >
        • Common Nighthawk
        • Eastern Whip-poor-will
      • Swifts and Hummingbirds >
        • Chimney Swift - Swifts (Apodidae)
        • Ruby-throated Hummingbird
        • Rufous Hummingbird
      • Kingfishers
      • Woodpeckers and Allies >
        • Red-headed Woodpecker
        • Red-bellied Woodpecker
        • Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
        • Downy Woodpecker
        • Hairy Woodpecker
        • Northern Flicker
        • Pileated Woodpecker
      • Perching Birds >
        • Tyrant Flycatchers >
          • Olive-sided Flycatcher
          • Eastern Wood-Pewee
          • Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
          • Acadian Flycatcher
          • Alder Flycatcher
          • Willow Flycatcher
          • Least Flycatcher
          • Eastern Phoebe
          • Great Crested Flycatcher
          • Eastern Kingbird
        • Shrikes >
          • Loggerhead Shrike
          • Northern Shrike
        • Vireos >
          • White-eyed Vireo
          • Yellow-throated Vireo
          • Blue-headed Vireo
          • Warbling Vireo
          • Philadelphia Vireo
          • Red-eyed Vireo
        • Jays, Magpies, Crows and Ravens >
          • Blue Jay
          • American Crow
          • Common Raven
        • Larks
        • Swallows >
          • Purple Martin
          • Tree Swallow
          • Northern Rough-winged Swallow
          • Bank Swallow
          • Cliff Swallow
          • Barn Swallow
        • Titmice and Chickadees >
          • Black-capped Chickadee
          • Tufted Titmouse
        • Nuthatches >
          • Red-breasted Nuthatch
          • White-breasted Nuthatch
        • Creepers
        • Wrens >
          • House Wren
          • Winter Wren
          • Sedge Wren
          • Marsh Wren
          • Carolina Wren
        • Gnatcatchers and Gnatwrens
        • Kinglets >
          • Golden-crowned Kinglet
          • Ruby-crowned Kinglet
        • Thrushes >
          • Eastern Bluebird
          • Veery
          • Gray-cheeked Thrush
          • Swainson's Thrush
          • Hermit Thrush
          • Wood Thrush
          • American Robin
          • Varied Thrush
        • Mockingbirds and Thrashers >
          • Gray Catbird
          • Brown Thrasher
          • Northern Mockingbird
        • Starlings
        • Wagtails and Pipits
        • Waxwings >
          • Cedar Waxwing
        • Longspurs and Snow Buntings >
          • Lapland Longspur
          • Snow Bunting
        • Wood-Warblers >
          • Ovenbird
          • Worm-eating Warbler
          • Louisiana Waterthrush
          • Northern Waterthrush
          • Golden-winged Warbler
          • Blue-winged Warbler
          • Black-and-white Warbler
          • Prothonotary Warbler
          • Tennessee Warbler
          • Orange-crowned Warbler
          • Nashville Warbler
          • Connecticut Warbler
          • Mourning Warbler
          • Common Yellowthroat
          • Hooded Warbler
          • American Redstart
          • Kirtland's Warbler
          • Cape May Warbler
          • Cerulean Warbler
          • Northern Parula
          • Magnolia Warbler
          • Bay-breasted Warbler
          • Blackburnian Warbler
          • Yellow Warbler
          • Chestnut-sided Warbler
          • Blackpoll Warbler
          • Black-throated Blue Warbler
          • Palm Warbler
          • Pine Warbler
          • Yellow-rumped Warbler
          • Prairie Warbler
          • Black-throated Green Warbler
          • Canada Warbler
          • Wilson's Warbler
          • Yellow-breasted Chat
        • Tanagers >
          • Summer Tanager
          • Scarlet Tanager
        • Emberizids >
          • Eastern Towhee
          • American Tree Sparrow
          • Chipping Sparrow
          • Clay-colored Sparrow
          • Field Sparrow
          • Vesper Sparrow
          • Lark Sparrow
          • Lark Bunting
          • Savannah Sparrow
          • Grasshopper Sparrow
          • Henslow's Sparrow
          • Fox Sparrow
          • Song Sparrow
          • Lincoln's Sparrow
          • Swamp Sparrow
          • White-throated Sparrow
          • Harris's Sparrow
          • White-crowned Sparrow
          • Dark-eyed Junco
        • Cardinals, Piranga Tanagers and Allies >
          • Northern Cardinal
          • Rose-breasted Grosbeak
          • Blue Grosbeak
          • Indigo Bunting
          • Dickcissel
        • Blackbirds >
          • Bobolink
          • Red-winged Blackbird
          • Eastern Meadowlark
          • Western Meadowlark
          • Yellow-headed Blackbird
          • Rusty Blackbird
          • Brewer's Blackbird
          • Common Grackle
          • Brown-headed Cowbird
          • Orchard Oriole
          • Baltimore Oriole
        • Fringilline and Cardueline Finches >
          • House Finch
          • Purple Finch
          • Red Crossbill
          • White-winged Crossbill
          • Common Redpoll
          • Hoary Redpoll
          • Pine Siskin
          • American Goldfinch
          • Evening Grosbeak
      • Old World Sparrows
    • Hotspots >
      • 1/2 Mile and Marl Lake Rd
      • 10 Mile Road near G DR S
      • 23 Mile Road Flooded Field
      • Waterfowl
      • Shorebirds
    • ID
  • Macro, Bugs and Moths
    • Moths >
      • Bombycoidea
  • YouTube Links