RECENT OBSERVATIONS

• House Wrens and Chipping Sparrows have returned! We also saw our first warblers of the spring: Pine Warbler and Yellow-rumped Warbler. It won't be long before we see our first Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Spring has sprung! (4/25/24)
• This morning we were privileged to see a male Wood Duck - certainly regarded as one of the most beautiful birds - perched on the rooftop of our boathouse. From inside the building, we put the spotting scope on this stunning duck and everybody enjoyed great looks, and we were able to take a photo using a smartphone through the scope. We maintain about 30 large nest boxes throughout our property, which are intended for Wood Ducks but are sometimes utilized by Eastern Screech-Owls, squirrels, and other creatures. (4/4/24)
• Today we spotted our first Eastern Phoebe of the spring. These small birds are flycatchers - the first species of flycatcher to arrive in Michigan each spring. Let's hope they find enough insects over the next couple weeks! (3/28/24)
• Tree Swallows have arrived! Today we spotted one on a utility wire in the North-80, and then saw four individuals flying high overhead, hopefully finding a supply of insects way up there to eat. (3/25/24)
• Today we spied a groundhog (a.k.a. woodchuck, among many other colloquial names) visiting our birdfeeder area. Groundhogs are rodents in the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Groundhogs play an important role maintaining healthy soil in woodlands and plains. The groundhog is considered a crucial habitat engineer. (3/14/24)
• This morning, while still dark, the distinctive call of a Barred Owl could be heard coming from the North-80. The Barred Owl seems to ask, "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you alllll?" (3/14/24)
• One of our naturalists spotted a Muskrat busy at work in Waterfowl Pond in the North-80. Muskrats are an important member of the freshwater marsh ecosystem. They help manage cattails and other aquatic vegetation, and their lodges create resting and nesting spots for waterfowl. (3/13/24)
• We found a colorful mylar balloon tangled out of reach in a tree at Seven Ponds. Please don't release balloons - they come down somewhere, resulting in unsightly trash (at best) and hazards to wildlife (at worst). (3/13/24)
• One of the first butterflies of the spring is the Mourning Cloak, which overwinters in leaf debris and emerges on warm spring (and late winter!) days. (3/13/24)
• March is when waterfowl migrate in large numbers through Michigan. This morning we saw several Common Mergansers on Treetop Pond. These diving ducks are just passing through, and will be gone in a few weeks. The males are mostly white with dark green heads, while the females are gray overall with a dark reddish head. (3/7/24)
• An American Woodcock - a small, plumpy shorebird that spends its time in wet woods and performs its aerial courtship display over open fields - was seen and heard over the fields of the North-80 this past weekend. Males give a buzzy "peent" call before taking flight over open fields and forest openings to perform their dazzling sky dance, flying up in a wide spiral. As he gets higher, his wings produce a twittering sound, and after reaching a height of 200-350 feet, he begins to descend, chirping all the way down before landing in nearly the same spot as his take-off. He repeats this display several times until there is no light left in the sky, hoping a female will be impressed. (3/5/24)