Somehow winter has moved into spring and we are getting close to summer too. That doesn’t mean we didn’t see any birdies, it just means that I let time get away from me without keeping this bloggy thing updated.

So, even though this should be a long one…, well maybe it will be.

This year the winter was actually pretty cold and we had the lakes and rivers freeze over. When this happens the best place to see any life is at the Lakeview Marina in Windsor. This is where we usually hang out because there is a water treatment area just up the Little River Corridor, and the water stays warm as it enters the Detroit River. All the waterfowl congregate here because the food also gathers here.

The Glaucous and Icelandic Gulls were still here, the Black Backed Gull continued enjoying itself, along with the Canvasbacks, Buffleheads, the odd Hooded Merganser, and at one point I watched a couple of Mallard ducks chatting it up as if they were hanging around talking about all the people with cameras (Birds watching people perhaps?). The Eagles returned in larger numbers to Peche Island and kept harassing the ducks throughout the days. But noticeably missing was our little Wood Duck and his Lady Mallard.

In early February we observed a pair of Horned Owls occupying the Osprey nest on top of the cell tower that they squatted in for the past couple of years. Couldn’t get any photos because they always hunkered down low in the nest. Then about halfway through February we saw a Peregrine Falcon perched on one of the spires of the tower before eventually flying off. Sadly we never saw the Horned Owls there afterwards.

Slowly the days began to warm up, not by much but enough to melt the snow a bit.

There was an alert about a Short Eared Owl being active in the north east area of our county and we had an opportunity to wander over and patiently wait, until suddenly it appeared on top of a shrub alongside the road and fly almost directly at us. Got some great photos before the light quickly fell.

So we get quite a few Turkey Vultures coming in, as you may recall from our outbound observations from the last few years. This year there has been a Black Vulture staying in the area recently. My Lady saw one sitting in a tree a couple weeks ago, but I couldn’t see it since we were driving on the highway at the time. Then one day I was at the boardwalk in Pelee and looked up at a few vultures passing when I noticed one on the far side that looked different. Up go the binoculars and sure enough the tail was short and the wingtips are white. Excitedly I fired off a bunch of shots and got a couple for Identification. Not something to put on the wall, but glad to get a look at it anyway.

One of the noisy little guys that entertains us at Holiday Beach almost never stays still long enough to get photos, and doesn’t like being near people. But one morning my Lady and I were at the park and had a visit from the Belted Kingfisher who laughed at us before taking off and getting his breakfast. He beat the poor little fish a couple times on the branch before quickly throwing it down his throat whole.

Going to tell you a little secret, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. We found out where the Horned Owls moved to after the Peregrine Falcon incident. They have taken over a ratty old nest at the top of a tree at Holiday Beach, and are raising a pair of little ones.

Oh Oh Oh , can’t let this one get away… we had to drop our car off for a service and were on our way to Hillman Marsh to check out the shorebirds when we got an alert that a Tufted Duck was spotted in Point Pelee. Initially we didn’t think much of it until a couple of other birders suddenly were extremely interested. The choice was made to go to check it out and when we got there it was difficult to find because it was in a group of other ducks that look so much like it. I finally got a photo of it and learned just how rare it is. Apparently it has only been recorded 3 times in the Pelee area. This bird is usually found in Eurasia, but can be found along the east and west coasts of Canada. This one has really drifted inland.

Along with the Tufted Duck we were happy to get some really nice views of a funny little bird called the Surf Scoter. This is also something that is harder to find close to shore, and is generally rare inland.

Ok, so here comes May and we are kicking into Warbler season. Already the Yellows are coming in, Blue Gray Gnatcatchers, Black Throated Green, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded Warblers, the special little Prothonotary Warbler and so many that are being reported but we haven’t seen yet. Hopefully this year will be so much better than last year’s slow showing.

Wouldn’t it be nice if I can actually put out a few of these blogs over the next month or so. I can dream can’t I?

Once again, thanks for making it this far and I really hope you are enjoying everything as much as I am enjoying telling you about it.

Till next time.