Sunday, March 17, 2024

Birding 2024

9/25, Asylum Lake, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Co., MI

  • Little Green Heron
  • Kingfisher
  • Double-breasted Cormorant

9/24, Home, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Co., MI

  • female Rose-breasted Grosbeak on the flat feeder

7/23, Home, Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Co., MI

  • Wild Turkey hen and 3 juveniles in our yard!

7/6, Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery, Mattawan, Van Buren Co., MI.

  • Wood Duck hen and her 6 ducklings 
  • Kingbirds with their fancy flight
  • Tree Swallows
  • Barn Swallow
  • Trumpeter Swan which trumpeted
  • Song Sparrows with the dark spot on their breast
  • Sandhill Cranes (2)
  • Chimney Swift
  • Warbling Vireo
  • Great Blue Heron wading 

and a muskrat swimming.

7/4, Bishop's Bog, Portage, Kalamazoo Co., MI

  • juvenile Baltimore Orioles
  • Catbirds
  • Towhee

7/1, Lillian Anderson Arboretum, Oshtemo township, Kalamazoo Co., MI

  • Common Yellowthroat warbler
  • Towhee

5/8, traveling 131 N between Kalamazoo & GR:

  • Black Tern flying!
  • GBH flying

5/7, Blandford Nature Center, Walker, Kent Co., MI

  • Merlin sound app identified Parula warblers, but eyes identified 2 male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks!

5/3, Blandford Nature Center, Grand Rapids, Kent Co., MI

  • Baltimore Orioles
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak

4/30, Home, Kent Co., Walker, MI

  • Yellow-rumped Warbler at the pond

4/29, Blandford Nature Center, Grand Rapids, Kent Co., MI

  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak

4/27, Home, Kent Co., Walker, MI

  • Chipping Sparrow pair

4/18, Home, Kent Co., Walker, MI

  • Barred Owl calling
  • White-throated Sparrow calling
         Blandford Nature Center, Walker, Kent Co., MI
  • Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus
  • Golden-crowned Kinglet
  • Blue-headed Vireo calling

4/16, Blandford Nature Center, Walker, Kent Co., MI

  • Brown Thrasher calling

4/15, Blandford Nature Center, Grand Rapids, Kent Co., MI

  • female Hooded Merganser

4/9, Aman Park, Ottawa Co., MI

  • Catbird

4/8, Aman Park, Ottawa Co., MI

As the eclipse progressed, the birds stopped singing and frogs got quiet. My eyes kept trying to adjust to the dimmer light, as if dusk were coming on, and the light had an eerie quality. The shadows got longer.

3/29, Aman Park, Ottawa Co., MI

  • Golden-crowned Kinglets (many)
  • Killdeer

3/21, Blandford Nature Center, Walker, Kent Co., MI

  • Fox Sparrow calling
  • Cardinals
  • Robins
  • Crows
  • Blue Jays
  • Red-winged Blackbirds
  • White-breasted Nuthatch
  • Tufted Titmice
  • Chickadees
  • Grackles
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • Juncos
  • House Finches
  • Goldfinches

3/16, home, Kent Co., Walker, MI

  • Phoebes calling
  • several groups of Sandhill cranes

3/2, traveling (ponds on Maynard), Kent Co., Grand Rapids, MI

  • Turkey vultures
  • Sandhill cranes
2/26, Blandford Nature Center, Walker, Kent Co., MI or Aman Park, Ottawa Co. ?
  • Brown Creeper
2/23, Blandford Nature Center, Walker, Kent Co., MI
  • Pine Siskin

Wildflowers 2024

11/26 Lillian Anderson Arboretum, Oshtemo, Kalamazoo Co., MI:

  • Bearberry / Kinnikinick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) - berries

11/7 Aman Park, Ottawa Co., MI

  • False Rue Anemone! Yes, November 7.

7/4 Bishop's Bog, Portage, Kalamazoo Co., MI:

  • Tufted Loosestrife (Lysimachia thyrsiflora)
  • Pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata)
  • Wild blueberries
  • Clustered-leaved Tick Trefoil (Hylodesmum (Desmodium) glutinosum)

7/1 Lillian Anderson Arboretum, Oshtemo Township, Kalamazoo Co., MI:

  • Yellow Jewelweed (Impatiens pallida)
  • Bee balm / Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa
  • Joe-Pye Weed

6/8 Bishop's Bog, Portage, Kalamazoo Co., MI:

  • Arrow arum (Peltandra virginica)
  • Southern Blue Flag (Iris virginica)
  • Spatulate-leaved Sundew (Drosera intermedia)

4/29 Blandford Nature Center, Grand Rapids, Kent Co., MI

  • Wild geraniums

4/22, Aman Park, Ottawa Co., MI

  • Buttercups (common / Ranunculus acris)
  • Cut-leaved Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata)
  • Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)
  • Early Meadow Rue (Thalictrum dioicum)
  • False Rue-Anemone (Enemion biternatum)
  • Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica)
  • Spring Cress (Cardamine douglassii)
  • Squirrel Corn (Dicentra canadensis)
  • Trillium (common / Grandiflorum)
  • Trout lilies (Erythronium americanum)
  • Violets (common)
  • Violets (yellow / Viola pubescens)
  • Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
  • Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata)
  • Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)
  • Wintergreen berries (Gaultheria procumbens)
  • Wood Betony (Pedicularis canadensis)
  • Large-flowered Bellwort budded but not quite blooming

4/9, Aman Park, Ottawa Co., MI

  • Trout lily
  • Buttercups

4/8, Aman Park, Ottawa Co., MI (Eclipse!)

  • Bloodroot
  • Mayapples are up but still furled

3/29, Aman Park, Ottawa Co., MI

  • Cut-leaved Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata)
  • Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullariain the shelter of a fallen log
  • False Rue-Anemone (Enemion biternatum)
  • Sharp-lobed Hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba)
  • Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica)
  • Wild Leeks/Ramps (Allium tricoccum) are up

3/28, Aman Park, Ottawa Co., MI

  • Round-lobed Hepatica (Hepatica americana)
  • Pink Spring Cress (Cardamine douglassii)

 3/16, Blandford Nature Center, Grand Rapids, Kent Co., MI

  • Spicebush
  • Violets