Check-up Time

(June 21st) Places change dramatically through the seasons. Even a week or two can cause the flora and fauna to be radically different from you last saw. I grabbed Alex again to come along and check out how Pt. Mouilee was doing. This place is a great spot for migrating birds, especially shorebirds, but the swamps and marshes are productive at any time. It's a long walk in to the spots that are good for shooting - roughly an hour. We started just as the sun was at the horizon, but during our walk the sun came out. I caught a glimpse of these Mute Swans flying across the water during the long walk. They are not native American species so I usually avoid them, but I have to admit they are pretty in flight - besides they are much more common than native swans in Michigan.

We had a treat in store for us when we reached a nesting spot for swallows. The swallows were everywhere and some fledglings had just made their first flight. They are pretty weak at this stage and often don't make it very far on their first flight. We watched this fledgling for a while who most of the time was busy watching the flies in the air and the adults flying nearby.

I left Alex to work the fledgling and I focused on a pair of adults for a bit. The two engaged in a long preening session. When birds preen, they often follow it up with a stretch or shake. Here I caught one of the stretch poses.

We weren't even to the shorebird spot yet and so much excitement. After quite a while with the swallows, we returned to the trail. The thistles were coming into bloom - which soon will make for great food for goldfinches. There were so many and often in dense vegetation that isolating was the difficult task. I liked this composition of two facing the water side.

Further down the path I spotted a male Canvasback. I really have little idea what this bird was doing here since they should further to the north and west on their breeding grounds at this time. This time I was going to be very patient and slowly crept up on him. He cooperated and I got some nice shots of him before we headed back. The biggest surprise was on the walk out when a mink ran across the path in front of us. Being completely surprised, we both didn't get a click, but I was amazed to see a mink a few miles from the city limits of Detroit.