Checklist S46985448

Observations

1. Canada Goose

   Number observed:  15

2. Mallard

   Number observed:  1

3. Wild Turkey

   Number observed:  6

4. Mourning Dove

   Number observed:  5

5. Black-billed Cuckoo

   Number observed:  1

6. Chimney Swift

   Number observed:  4

7. Ruby-throated Hummingbird

   Number observed:  4

8. Sora

   Number observed:  1

9. Killdeer

   Number observed:  3

10. Ring-billed Gull

    Number observed:  2

11. Green Heron

    Number observed:  1

12. Great Blue Heron

    Number observed:  1

13. Turkey Vulture

    Number observed:  2

14. Belted Kingfisher

    Number observed:  2

15. Red-bellied Woodpecker

    Number observed:  2

16. Downy Woodpecker

    Number observed:  2

17. Hairy Woodpecker

    Number observed:  2

18. Pileated Woodpecker

    Number observed:  1

19. Northern Flicker

    Number observed:  1

20. Eastern Wood-Pewee

    Number observed:  3

21. Acadian Flycatcher

    Number observed:  4

22. Alder Flycatcher

    Number observed:  5

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23. Willow Flycatcher

    Number observed:  2

24. Least Flycatcher

    Number observed:  1

25. Great Crested Flycatcher

    Number observed:  1

26. Eastern Kingbird

    Number observed:  2

27. White-eyed Vireo

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    Often seen at this location, though not every year. Distinctive song heard before the bird was located visually.

28. Yellow-throated Vireo

    Number observed:  4

29. Warbling Vireo

    Number observed:  3

30. Red-eyed Vireo

    Number observed:  5

31. Blue Jay

    Number observed:  2

32. American Crow

    Number observed:  3

33. Black-capped Chickadee

    Number observed:  3

34. Tufted Titmouse

    Number observed:  2

35. Tree Swallow

    Number observed:  2

36. Northern Rough-winged Swallow

    Number observed:  3

37. Barn Swallow

    Number observed:  4

38. White-breasted Nuthatch

    Number observed:  1

39. Red-breasted Nuthatch

    Number observed:  1

40. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

    Number observed:  3

41. Rock Wren

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    10th state record, and first for the county. After giving up on trying to see a singing Mourning Warbler on the north side of the bridge, we started walking back east to the parking area and Rodolfo glanced over the guard rail at the pile of rocks on the east side of the Black River. I asked if he had seen anything and he said he had not. Diana joked that maybe he’d seen a Rock Wren, and I countered with a sarcastic joke that a Rock Ptarmigan would be just as likely. Almost immediately, a small sandy-brown bird flitted into the center of the boulder field and perched. My first thought, before putting binoculars on the bird, was that it was a strange place for a Horned Lark. Once in the binoculars, it was quite clear the bird was not a Horned Lark, but actually a Rock Wren. I was flabergasted! It perched upright, between bouts of grabbing insects from between the rocks, and was perhaps slightly smaller than a Horned Lark. The legs were thin, dark, and blackish and somewhat long looking. The bill was nearly as long as the head thin, blackish, and slightly downcurved. The upperparts were a sandy-brown color with small black dots on the back and onto the hindcrown. There was a pale supercilium that sometimes looked very indistinct, sometimes more distinct. The underparts were dirty whitish with narrow, fine streaks on the breast (indicative of an adult). The undertail coverts were barred with black. The wings were narrowly barred brown and buff. The tail was brown with narrow darker bars. The outer tail feather was visible much of the time the bird was foraging, and had a broad rich buffy tip with a broad black subterminal spot or bar. Once, when the bird stretched its wings and tail, it could be seen that at least three outer tail feathers had these buffy tips, and on examination of the photo taken when the bird stretched it appears that the shape and pattern on the primary coverts indicate the age of the bird as an after second-year according to Pyle (1997). After birding elsewhere in the Game Area, we passed by the site again around 4 p.m. and found other birders on-site (I’d made as many phone calls as I could about this bird, and asked Caleb Putnam to post it on Mich-Listers). The bird was again easily located, but on the pile of rocks on the west side of the river. We left soon after, with the bird still in view, and birders still watching it.
    Voice: The Rock Wren did occasionally pause to give a few phrases of quiet song, not as loud as is typical as it could barely be heard even though it was very close (there was also road noise, but not enough to interfere this much with hearing the songs). The short songs were repetions of single or double syllables, jeeer-jeeer-jeeer-jeeer, cliii-cliii-cliii-cliii, chur-tiii, chur-tiii, chur-tiii, chur-tiii etc. Apparently, this individual was a male. Several photos were taken while the bird was vocalizing.
    
    A small sample of the 115 photos taken are included here.

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42. Northern House Wren

    Number observed:  4

43. Marsh Wren

    Number observed:  3

44. European Starling

    Number observed:  10

    Exotic: Naturalized

45. Gray Catbird

    Number observed:  8

46. Eastern Bluebird

    Number observed:  2

47. Veery

    Number observed:  4

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48. Wood Thrush

    Number observed:  2

49. American Robin

    Number observed:  6

50. Cedar Waxwing

    Number observed:  15

51. House Sparrow

    Number observed:  4

    Exotic: Naturalized

52. House Finch

    Number observed:  2

    Exotic: Naturalized

53. American Goldfinch

    Number observed:  8

54. Chipping Sparrow

    Number observed:  4

55. Clay-colored Sparrow

    Number observed:  1

    Details

    Flat buzzy song heard from an area where they had been occurring for several years (Graham and Hewitt roads).

56. Field Sparrow

    Number observed:  2

57. Vesper Sparrow

    Number observed:  1

58. Savannah Sparrow

    Number observed:  5

59. Song Sparrow

    Number observed:  7

60. Swamp Sparrow

    Number observed:  2

61. Eastern Towhee

    Number observed:  3

62. Bobolink

    Number observed:  8

63. Eastern Meadowlark

    Number observed:  4

64. Baltimore Oriole

    Number observed:  2

65. Red-winged Blackbird

    Number observed:  25

66. Brown-headed Cowbird

    Number observed:  6

67. Common Grackle

    Number observed:  4

68. Ovenbird

    Number observed:  2

69. Golden-winged Warbler

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    Singing males seen well. This location was long known as a breeding stronghold for this species, though by 2009 the number of breeding pairs was declining.

70. Blue-winged Warbler

    Number observed:  3

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71. Black-and-white Warbler

    Number observed:  1

72. Mourning Warbler

    Number observed:  10

    Details

    Singing males found at several sites within the game area, this is a fairly typical number for anyone who thoroughly covers the area, which we did.

73. Common Yellowthroat

    Number observed:  5

74. Hooded Warbler

    Number observed:  3

75. American Redstart

    Number observed:  12

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76. Cerulean Warbler

    Number observed:  4

77. Magnolia Warbler

    Number observed:  2

    Details

    Both seen well.

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78. Yellow Warbler

    Number observed:  4

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79. Chestnut-sided Warbler

    Number observed:  3

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80. Pine Warbler

    Number observed:  2

81. Scarlet Tanager

    Number observed:  2

82. Northern Cardinal

    Number observed:  6

83. Rose-breasted Grosbeak

    Number observed:  6

84. Indigo Bunting

    Number observed:  10

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