Ohio & Michigan mammals & landscapes.

So last blog about the recent trip, mostly mammals and landscape shots. Thanks again to James P. Smith for leading the trip and looking after the five of us which included John & Shirley Dodds, Stephen Davis and Margaret Smith. Check out John's and Stephen's websites and Flickr sites here
http://www.doddsnaturephotosuk.com/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/21606110@N08/sets/

Btw. any suggestions on the snake species below?

Beaver, Magee Marsh, Ohio.

Musk Rats, Nayanquing Point Wildlife Area, Michigan.

Black morph Eastern Grey Squirrel, Tawas Point State Park, Michigan.

 

Fox Squirrel, Magee Marsh, Ohio.

Eastern Chipmunk, Pearson Metropark, Ohio.

Woodchuck, Groundhog/Whistle Pig, Pearson Metropark, Ohio.

Unidentified small black snake species, Magee Marsh, Ohio.

One of the many ubiquitous signs dotted around rural areas.

Another example of posting. This was out in the middle of the woods in Michigan, why put up a fence when you can put up signs!

 

Very small section of the car park at Magee Marsh.

The tower part of the boardwalk at Magee, pair of Prothonary Warblers were seen here on a few occasions, didn't see them anywhere else on the trip.



View down from the tower, the folks below were mostly looking at a Mourning Warbler here.

Birders taking shelter from one of the many heavy rain showers at Magee. Cars in their droves would leave at the first sight of rain.

Why go looking for the birds when they would just come to you.

Entrance to the boardwalk.

Magee Marsh proper.

Wet woodland along the boardwalk.

Our group at the far end of the East beach overlooking the marsh.

Waterloo Recreational Area, Michigan, note the lack of leaf cover.

We past through County Clare and Roscommon in Michigan.

Very empty Magee boardwalk after the Biggest Week.

 

Ohio 18th May 2014

So we had one last chance to pop into Magee Marsh in the morning. The number of birders was well down as the Biggest Week was now over. There was still an excellent selection of migrants around the place however including an extremely late Fox Sparrow that I picked up in amongst the undergrowth. A few local birders were very dubious about the sighting until they managed to see it for themselves. This was to be my last lifer of the trip. I got around 57 lifers for my troubles (first summer visit to the States). I've included a rough trip list below (can't find my official trip list at the moment). I'll add another post on the few mammals and other bits we saw during the trip also.

Wild Turkey	Common Nighthawk	Northern Waterthrush
Canada Goose	Chimney Swift	Golden-winged Warbler
Mute Swan	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Blue-winged Warbler
Trumpeter Swan	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Black-and-white Warbler
Wood Duck	Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	Prothonotary Warbler
Gadwall	Downy Woodpecker	Tennessee Warbler
American Wigeon	Hairy Woodpecker	Orange-crowned Warbler
Mallard	Northern Flicker	Nashville Warbler
Blue-winged Teal	Pileated Woodpecker	Mourning Warbler
Northern Shoveler	Eastern Phoebe	Common Yellowthroat
Green-winged Teal	Olive-sided Flycatcher	Hooded Warbler
Bufflehead	Eastern Wood-Pewee	American Redstart
Hooded Merganser	Yellow-bellied Flycatcher	Kirtland's Warbler
Common Merganser	Acadian Flycatcher	Cape May Warbler
Red-breasted Merganser	Alder Flycatcher	Cerulean Warbler
Common Loon	Willow Flycatcher	Northern Parula
Pied-billed Grebe	Least Flycatcher	Magnolia Warbler
Least Bittern	Eastern Kingbird	Bay-breasted Warbler
Green Heron	Great Crested Flycatcher	Blackburnian Warbler
Great Blue Heron	Yellow-throated Vireo	American Yellow Warbler
Great Egret	Warbling Vireo	Chestnut-sided Warbler
Double-crested Cormorant	Philadelphia Vireo	Blackpoll Warbler
Turkey Vulture	Red-eyed Vireo	Black-throated Blue Warbler
Northern Harrier	Blue Jay	Palm Warbler
Bald Eagle	American Crow	Pine Warbler
Red-tailed Hawk	Northern Raven	Myrtle Warbler
American Kestrel	Cedar Waxwing	Black-throated Green Warbler
Sora	Tufted Titmouse	Canada Warbler
Common Gallinule	Black-capped Chickadee	Wilson's Warbler
American Coot	Horned Lark	Orchard Oriole
Sandhill Crane	Sand Martin	Baltimore Oriole
Black-bellied Plover	Tree Swallow	Brown-headed Cowbird
American Golden-Plover	Purple Martin	Red-winged Blackbird
Semipalmated Plover	Northern Rough-winged Swallow	Brewer's Blackbird
Killdeer	Barn Swallow	Common Grackle
American Woodcock	American Cliff Swallow	Eastern Meadowlark
Wilson's Snipe	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Yellow-headed Blackbird
Short-billed Dowitcher	Marsh Wren	Bobolink
Solitary Sandpiper	House Wren	Fox Sparrow
Greater Yellowlegs	Blue-grey Gnatcatcher	Song Sparrow
Lesser Yellowlegs	White-breasted Nuthatch	Lincoln's Sparrow
Spotted Sandpiper	Grey Catbird	Swamp Sparrow
Ruddy Turnstone	Brown Thrasher	White-crowned Sparrow
Semipalmated Sandpiper	Common Starling	White-throated Sparrow
Least Sandpiper	Eastern Bluebird	Dark-eyed Junco
Dunlin	Veery	Savannah Sparrow
Red-necked Phalarope	Grey-cheeked Thrush	Henslow's Sparrow
Bonaparte's Gull	Swainson's Thrush	Chipping Sparrow
Ring-billed Gull	Hermit Thrush	Clay-colored Sparrow
American Herring Gull	American Robin	Vesper Sparrow
Caspian Tern	House Sparrow	Eastern Towhee
Common Tern	Buff-bellied Pipit	Scarlet Tanager
Rock Pigeon	Purple Finch	Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Mourning Dove	House Finch	Northern Cardinal
Black-billed Cuckoo	American Goldfinch	Indigo Bunting
Eastern Screech-Owl	Ovenbird

Female Magnolia Warbler

Female Magnolia Warbler

Male Magnolia Warbler

Male Canada Warbler

Male Canada Warbler

Male Chestnut-sided Warbler

Male Blackburnian Warbler

Male Blackburnian Warbler

Male Black-throated Blue Warbler

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Grey Catbird

Fox Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

 

Solitary Sandpiper, in shade and strongly backlight unfortunately.

Veery

Swainson's Thrush

Common Nighthawk

 

Non warblers Michigan 17th May 2014

A few other shots from the 17th May. After Tawas Point we visited Nayanquing Point Wildlife Area as we headed back South to Ohio. It was only about ten minutes out of our way and we had a quick look from the tower in between the showers. A few more new species for the trip included Yellow-headed Blackbird and Least Bittern. This was to be our last full days birding unfortunately :-(

Male Baltimore Oriole

 

First-summer male Baltimore Oriole

 

Male Baltimore Oriole

Male Orchard Oriole

Male Orchard Oriole

Female Orchard Oriole

Male Bobolink

Common Grackle

Warbling Vireo

First-summer male Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak

American Robin

Clay-coloured Sparrow

Least Flycatcher

Tree Swallows



Tree Swallows

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird

White-crowned Sparrow

Male "Yellow" Scarlet Tanager

Male Scarlet Tanager

Shore/Horned Lark

Shore/Horned Lark

 

Nayanquing Point Wildlife Area