With the end of the fall field season on the 15th, so ends the research for 2009. It seems like more than 8 months since we were contending with feet of snow when the the spring research season started. After a particularly wet and cold spring and summer we experienced a beautiful September and November. The combined results of the research seasons resulted in the documentation of over 171,000 individual birds of 241 species. Included in these 241 species are Chaffinch and Whooping Crane, two birds which cannot be officially counted due to their origins. Notable sightings included records of the Point's 1st Tufted Titmouse, 2nd Western Grebe, 2nd American Avocet, 4th Long-billed Dowitcher, Brant, Long-tailed Jaeger, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, and a King Eider at the Tahquameneon River mouth. All nine species of owls that occur at the Point were seen this year, 8 in spring alone. The owl research resulted in the banding of 1,164 owls; 928 Northern Saw-whets, 75 Boreals, 142 Long-eareds, 1 Short-eared, 10 Barreds, 4 Great Grays, 2 Great Horneds, and 2 Northern Hawk Owls. While the larger species of owls are seen fairly regularly when they are present, only 1 Saw-whet and 2 Boreals were found away from the owl banding. The spring hawk count tallied over 15,000 individual diurnal raptors of 16 species and also had a Snowy Owl fly by the platform! Of course the spring & fall waterbird counts are responsible for a large number of the sightings and details can be found on the waterbird blog. Below is a list of the 2009 sightings by season, S=spring and f=fall. Considering our northern location and the fact that our research area is only about 40 acres the list is quite impressive. I will hopefully get another post in before I wrap up here and join Nova down at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in Texas for the winter.

Snow Goose: F

Cackling Goose: F

Canada Goose: S/F
Brant: S

Tundra Swan: S

TUSW/TRSW: F

Wood Duck: S/F

Gadwall: S/F

American Wigeon: S/F

Am. Black Duck: S/F

Mallard: S/F

Blue-winged Teal: S/Fl

Northern Shoveler: S/F

Northern Pintail: S/F

Green-winged Teal: F

Canvasback: S/F

Redhead: S/F

Ring-necked Duck: S/F

Greater Scaup: S/F

Lesser Sacup: S/F

eider species: F

Harlequin Duck: F

Surf Scoter: S/F

White-winged Scoter: S/F

Black Scoter: F

Long-tailed Duck: S/F

Bufflehead: S/F

Common Goldeneye: S/F

Hooded Merganser: S/F

Red-breasted Merganser: S/F

Common Merganser: S/F

Ruffed Grouse: F

Spruce Grouse: F

Sharp-tailed Grouse: F

Red-throated Loon: S/F

Pacific Loon: F

Common Loon: S/F

Horned Grebe: S/F

Red-necked Grebe: S/F

Western Grebe: F

American White-Pelican: S

Double-crested Cormorant: S/F

Great Blue Heron: S/F
Green Heron: S

Turkey Vulture: S/F

Osprey: S/F

Bald Eagle: S/F

Northern Harrier: S/F

Sharp-shinned Hawk: S/F

Cooper's Hawk: S/F

Northern Goshawk: S/F
Red-shouldered Hawk: S

Broad-winged Hawk: S/F

Swainson's Hawk: S

Red-tailed Hawk: S/F

Rough-legged Hawk: S/F
Golden Eagle: S

American Kestrel: S/F

Merlin: S/F

Peregrine Falcon: S/F

Sandhill Crane: S/F

Black-bellied Plover: S/F

Am. Golden-Plover: S/F

Semipalmated Plover: S/F

Piping Plover: S/F

Killdeer: S/F

American Avocet: S

Greater Yellowlegs: S/F

Lesser Yellowlegs: S/F

Solitary Sandpiper: S/F

Spotted Sandpiper: S/F

Whimbrel: S/F
Hudsonian Godwit: S

Ruddy Turnstone: S/F
Red Knot: S

Sanderling: S/F

Semipalmated Sandpiper: S/F

Least Sandpiper: S/F

White-rumped Sandpiper: S/F

Baird's Sandpiper: F

Pectoral Sandpiper: F

Dunlin: S/F

Buff-breasted Sandpiper: F
Short-billed Dowitcher: S

Long-billed Dowitcher: F

Wilson's Snipe: S/F

American Woodcock: S

Red Phalarope: F

Parasitic Jaeger: S/F

Long-tailed Jaeger: F

Franklin's Gull: F
Little Gull: S

Bonaparte's Gull: S/F

Ring-billed Gull: S/F

Herring Gull: S/F

Iceland Gull: S/F

Glaucous Gull: S/F

Great Black-backed Gull: S/F

Black-legged Kittiwake: F

Sabine's Gull: F

Caspian Tern: S/F

Common Tern: S/F

Forster's Tern: F
Rock Pigeon: Summer

Mourning Dove: S/F

Black-billed Cuckoo: F

Yellow-billed Cuckoo: F
Great Horned Owl: S

Snowy Owl: S

Northern Hawk Owl: F

Barred Owl: S/F
Great Gray Owl: S

Long-eared Owl: S/F

Short-eared Owl: S/F

Boreal Owl: S/F

Northern Saw-whet Owl: S/F
Common Nighthawk: S/F
Whip-poor-will: S

Chimney Swift: S/F

Ruby-throated Hummingbird: S/F

Belted Kingfisher: S/F

Red-headed Woodpecker: S

Red-bellied Woodpecker: S/F

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: S/F

Downy Woodpecker: S/F

Hairy Woodpecker: F

Black-backed Woodpecker: S/F

Northern Flicker: S/F

Pileated Woodpecker: S/F

Olive-sided Flycatcher: F
Eastern Wood-Pewee: S

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher: S/F

Alder Flycatcher: S/F

Least Flycatcher: S/F

Eastern Phoebe: S/F
Great-crested Flycatcher: S
Eastern Kingbird: S

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher: F

Northern Shrike: S/F

Blue-headed Vireo: S/F
Philadelphia Vireo: S

Red-eyed Vireo: S/F

Blue Jay: S/F

American Crow: S/F

Common Raven: S/F

Horned Lark: S/F

Tree Swallow: S/F

Northern Rough-winged Swallow: S

Bank Swallow: S/F

Barn Swallow: S/F

Cliff Swallow: S/F

Tufted Titmouse: F

Black-capped Chickadee: S/F
Boreal Chickadee: S

Red-breasted Nuthatch: S/F

White-breasted Nuthatch: S/F

Brown Creeper: S/F

House Wren: F

Winter Wren: S/F

Golden-crowned Kinglet: S/F

Ruby-crowned Kinglet: S/F

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: S/F
Eastern Bluebird: S

Veery: S/F

Gray-cheeked Thrush: S/F

Swainson's Thrush: S/F

Hermit Thrush: S/F

American Robin: S/F

Gray Catbird: S/F

Northern Mockingbird: S

Brown Thrasher: S/F

European Starling: S/F

American Pipit: S/F

Bohemian Waxwing: S/F

Cedar Waxwing: S/F

Tennessee Warbler: S/F

Orange-crowned Warbler: S/F

Nashville Warbler: S/F

Northern Parula: S/F

Yellow Warbler: S/F

Chestnut-sided Warbler: S/F

Magnolia Warbler: S/F

Cape May Warbler: S/F

Black-throated Blue Warbler: S/F

Yellow-rumped Warbler Warbler: S/F

Black-throated Green Warbler: S/F

Blackburnian Warbler: S/F

Pine Warbler: S/F W

Palm Warbler: S/F

Bay-breasted Warbler: S/F

Blackpoll Warbler: S/F

Black & White Warbler: S/F

American Redstart: S/F

Ovenbird: S/F

Northern Waterthrush: S/F

Connecticut Warbler: F

Mourning Warbler: S/F

Common Yellowthroat: S/F

Wilson's Warbler: S/F

Canada Warbler: F

Scarlet Tanager: S/F

American Tree Sparrow: S/F

Chipping Sparrow: S/F

Clay-colored Sparrow: S/F

Field Sparrow: S

Vesper Sparrow: S/F

Savannah Sparrow: S/F

Fox Sparrow: S/F

Song Sparrow: S/F

Lincoln's Sparrow: S/F

Swamp Sparrow: S/F

White-throated Sparrow: S/F

White-crowned Sparrow: S/F

Dark-eyed Junco: S/F

Lapland Longspur: S/F

Snow Bunting: S/F

Northern Cardinal: S/F

Rose-breasted Grosbeak: S/F
Indigo Bunting: S

Dickcissel: F

Bobolink: S/F

Red-winged Blackbird: S/F
Yellow-headed Blackbird: S

Rusty Blackbird: S/F

Brewer's Blackbird: F

Common Grackle: S/F
Brown-headed Cowbird: S
Baltimore Oriole: S

Pine Grosbeak: S/F

Purple Finch: S/F

House Finch: F

Red Crossbill: S/F

White-winged Crossbill: S/F

Common Redpoll: S/F

Hoary Redpoll: S

Pine Siskin: S/F

American Goldfinch: S/F

Evening Grosbeak: S/F

House Sparrow: F
Eurasian Tree Sparrow: S

While the blogs don't get a lot of comments posted on them I'd like to thank the many visitors who have expressed their appreciation of them. Without these compliments we would really wonder if anyone was reading them. Thanks folks.

Chris Neri

Highlights: White-winged Crossbill, Pine Grosbeak

It was again a beautiful day at the Point. A White-winged Crossbill that was coming in to the feeders yesterday was there again today. While we can get large flights of crossbills it is rare for one to come in to the feeders. As I was photographing the crossbill it very unexpectedly came and landed on my camera lens. The Common Redpolls began moving in earnest today, but only a few are coming to feeders. The majority are eating catkins from the alders and birches or seeds from the Jack Pine cones. The below photos show Common Redpolls eating the seeds and fighting over a pine cone. There were also a few Pine Grosbeaks present again today, but no waxwings were present.There was a Great Black-backed Gull at the harbor this morning.

Chris Neri

Bohemian Waxwing

Hilghlights: Wolf & Sharp-tailed Grouse

Tom & Don Jennette saw a Wolf from the waterbird shack this morning. As I have yet to see more than tracks in Michigan I am very jealous. Tom will post photos to the waterbird blog. It was another beautiful day and there was a very nice mix of late season birds around. It's pretty amazing to see Sharp-tailed & Spruce Grouse, Bohemian Waxwings, Pine Grosbeak, Common Redpoll, White-winged & Red Crossbills on a day in November when temperatures hit the mid 50's. There was also a Yellow-rumped Warbler in with the Bohemians all of which were actively flycatching. Definitely not a typical November day, hope it keeps up.


Pine Grosbeak

Chris Neri

Bohemian Waxwing

Highlights: Pine Grosbeak, Bohemian Waxwing, Common Redpoll

While overall activity was somewhat slow it was an absolutely beautiful day and some good birds were around. The 1st Pine Grosbeaks of the season arrived, a flock of about 70 Bohemian Waxwings were around, and Common Redpolls finally found the feeders. There continues to be hundreds of American Goldfinch along with Pine Siskin and Purple Finch at the feeders. Other sightings included Ruffed Grouse, Northern Goshawk, Merlin, Red-winged Blackbird, and Snow Bunting. The King Eider that was present at the river mouth the last two days was not seen today.

Common Redpoll, Pine Siskin, and

part of an American Goldfinch

Chris Neri

King Eider

Highlights: King Eider at the river mouth

A King Eider was found at the Tahquameon River mouth this morning and was still present at nightfall. Also present at the river mouth were Tundra Swan, Long-tailed Duck, Mallard,

Black Duck, Common Goldeneye, and Bufflehead. Sightings in the woods at the Point included Snow Bunting, Fox Sparrow, Evening Grosbeak, Red Crossbill, and lots of Pine Siskin, and American Goldfinch.

Tundra Swans

Snow Bunting

Chris Neri

Spruce Grouse

Highlights:Spruce Grouse & Bohemian Waxwing

Well it's November at that Point and the snow squalls and late season birds have begun to arrive. Evening Grosbeaks have become regular at the feeders and the numbers of Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, and American Goldfinch have also increased there. There has also been several sightings of Bohemian Waxwing, Common Redpoll, and Spruce Grouse. Other sighitngs have included Copper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Merlin, Barn Swallow, Northern Shrike, Winter Wren, Brown Thrasher, Fox Sparrow, Snow Bunting, Northern Cardinal, and White-winged Crossbill.

Brown Thrasher



Glaucous Gull

Chris Neri

Highlights: Western Grebe (photo above), Northern Cardinal

We've been experiencing some extreme weather lately, not to mention a 14 hour power outage yesterday. While the activity in the woods has been slow there have been some good sightings. Certainly one of the birds of the season was the Western Grebe found by Jason Bojczyk at the harbor today. It's a good time of year for gulls and multiple Great Black-backed Gulls and a Glaucous Gull were present. The season's first Northern Cardinal spent the day at the feeders and we have continued seeing an increase in the number of American Tree Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos. We're set to get a little break in this weather tomorrow, hopefully there will be another surprise.

Glaucous Gull

Chris Neri