Evening Grosbeak Irruption

 

I had to laugh.  I usually can catch a view of the Evening Grosbeak at Hartwick Pines State Park in Grayling, MI. It's not too far from our place in Gaylord.  I was excited to hear about the irruption and headed up there to go search.  No luck.

Come home and I have 7 on my feeder! It was such a delight! They have continued to visit my feeders that last couple weeks. At one time I counted 15 of them. Not sure how long they are sticking around but I enjoy watching their flurry of activity!  

Snowy Owl

I was so joyful to see the Snowy Owl again this winter!  I observed him at a local airport and I'm happy to say that the other birdwatchers  present were respectful too and kept their distance.  How about you? Have you seen a Snowy Owl this winter?

Take a walk with me!

Come with me for a little walk! (This walk we're taking just occurred this past Saturday for the GBBC- so we're going back in time. Humor me and pretend.) We are going to head to the Ausable River in Grayling, Michigan.

Did you know that Grayling is home to the longest non-stop canoe race in North America? It is called the Ausable River Canoe Marathon.



Here's a nice little bridge for us to cross and see if we can find ourselves some "fancy" ducks!




Well here's a handsome Mallard.....



Omigosh! He has a girlfriend! Good for him! Hey you two, are there any Golden Eyes, Loons or Blue Herons with you?



Now I've made them upset and they're flying away with one of their friends. Okay, let's head over to Spikes Keg O Nails and have some of the best burgers in town. I'm buying!

No birds but how about this view?

This is Bradford Lake - home to my beloved Loons in the Spring & Summer. No birds on this day but wanted to share this autumn view.

More Gull Photos on Bradford Lake

I wish I could've caught the front view of these sea gulls - but I still liked the way their reflections looked on an autumn touched lake.

A Loony Sunday

After my husband and our neighbor reported seeing loons on a small, no wake lake (Emerald Lake) nearby to our log cabin, I was racing out the door today with my camera bag. My friend and I paddled a canoe (well really she did most of the paddling)through every nook on the 50 acre lake until finally we saw the mating pair of Common Loons. Of course as soon as they saw us, they immediately dove underwater and swam at the speed of lightening ahead of us. Then they swam in opposite directions almost like they were trying to trick us. We circled the entire lake while I was trying to get a "few nice shots." I am just Loon crazy!

Great Backyard Bird Count Starts Today!

The 11th annual Great Backyard Bird Count starts today! It runs from February 15th through February 18th. To learn more and submit your checklist, please visit: http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ . Last year Michigan was one of the top ten states to submit the most checklists. I received a beautiful certificate which I framed. We're heading up north to Gaylord today to check on the progress of our log cabin, so I will be counting from there. I already have suet cakes and bird feeders set up with black sunflower seeds. Last weekend we had quite a few Black-capped Chickadees flying about so I expect more of the same this weekend. My mom is hoping she gets a better variety than her usual "10,000 sparrows." I bought her a heated bird bath this year so hopefully that acts as a good attractant.