Spring Favorites

Eastern Kingbird in Redbud
St. Pat's Park
South Bend, In.

Gray-cheeked Thrush
Potato Creek State Park
North Liberty, In.

Mourning Warbler
Warren Dunes State Park
Sawyer, Mi.

Eastern Bluebird
Potato Creek State Park
North Liberty, In.

Yellow-throated Warbler collecting nesting material
Kessling Nature Preserve
Galien River, Mi.

TRUMPETERS

Trumpeter Swan

11/29/14

North Chain Lake

South Bend, Indiana

It has been a good year for waterfowl on our lake. We have had Canvasback, Redhead, Common Goldeneye, Ruddy Duck, Horned and Pied-billed Grebe and Common Loon. For the past week, we have had the pleasure of having 4 Trumpeter Swans on the lake - an new yard bird.  I was a bit surprised when they paddled over to our side of the lake and eventually in front of the house. They are huge, spectacular birds.

This picture shows some of the defining characteristics of both adults and juveniles. They are distinguished from the smaller Tundra Swan by the lack of a yellow lore and large, sloping bills. The juvenile's bill is darker overall than Tundra's, especially at the base.

Their long necks enable them to dabble in much deeper water than other waterfowl.

Summertime Blues

Blue Grosbeak 7/23/14
Beverly D. Crone Restoration Area
South Bend

The St. Joseph County Parks recently established The Beverly D. Crone Restoration Area. The site was previously known as the Jackson Road Landfill. I was turned on to the birding possibilities about a year ago by Vince Gresham who at the time was the naturalist at Rum Village Park nearby. I have birded the area several times, but never during breeding season. When I stopped by a couple of weeks ago, I was struck by the diversity of grassland species - Dickcissel, Henslow's Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark and Bobolink to name a few. Today, I was pleasantly surprised to find this Blue Grosbeak... The BCRA is on Jackson Rd. south of Ireland Road and can be accessed from either Locust  Rd. or Linden Rd.

Dickcissel 7/16/14

I spent a couple of hours late this morning looking for waterfowl on the St. Joseph River between Leeper Park and Darden Bridge. I had 3 target birds: White-winged Scoter, Greater White-fronted Goose and Red-necked Grebe. I found the scoter along Riverside Dr. near Brown School. I first noticed a large, black scoter while driving. I parked at Brown School and walked to the river walk where there was a large number of Canada Geese and other waterfowl. I found what I thought at first glance to be a Greater White-fronted Goose as I scanned the Canadas, but as the picture below shows, it turned out to be a Greylag Goose and a hybrid Greylag x Canada. Also present were approximately 12 Common Mergansers, 8 Hooded Mergansers, 15 Common Goldeneye, 10 Bufflehead, and 5 Redhead. I eventually tracked the White-winged Scoter down at the little park about 1/4 mile north. Below are a few pics:

White-winged Scoter; first winter female

White-winged Scoters digiscoped on St. Joseph River several years ago

Common Goldeneye

Greylag Goose and hybrid Greylag x Canada

While on the topic of domestic geese... these Swan Geese were present on our lake (North Chain / Bass Lake) last year.

Imperial Moth

In celebration of National Moth Week:

 I was at a party last weekend when someone spotted something fluttering in the night. At first, it was mistaken for a bat. It soon dropped down into the light and landed on the house... Imperial Moth.

Measuring 6" across, it was quite beautiful. Click on the link to learn more about this amazing saturniid moth. 

Imperial Moth - female
Eacles imperialis

Bird Collage

I learned how to use the APP Loupe to create this collage of bird photos. Pass your cursor over a picture or click on a picture to get a larger view. Very cool.





While I'm on the topic of art, I thought I would share some of my early attempts...

Blue-winged Teal 1979

Red-tailed Hawk 1982

Golden Eagle 1983

Northern Hawk Owl 1989

I'iwi 2000

Bendix Meadows

For the past 20 years, South Bend Audubon has had the privilege of monitoring nesting birds at Bendix Meadows adjacent to the South Bend Regional Airport. This former landfill has reverted to prairie-like habitat. The primary focus of our survey is Upland Sandpiper - a state endangered species. Other grassland species include Grasshopper, Savannah and Henslow's Sparrows; Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark and Dickcissal. Sadly, the Airport Authority and South Bend Parks Department have proposed a variety of "improvements" for this site ranging from Christmas tree farm to challenger little league park. Fortunately, those plans have not come to fruition, and for the time being, Bendix Meadows remains one of the most important bird habitats in Northern Indiana.

Butterfly Weed in Bloom

 This time of the year, the flowers are in peak bloom and the grassland birds are largely done nesting. Below are a few of my favorite pictures taken over the years at Bendix Meadows.

One of my favorite summer experiences is the Bobolink display at Bendix Meadows.

Bobolink

Killdeer

Killdeer nest

Dickcissal

.... and one of my favorite butterflies...

Buckeye