Toledo Talk "U.P. birding" id 583

Small numbers of Great Gray and Northern Hawk-owls (and also Boreals, though much harder to find) are annual in the U.P. of Michigan. Invasion years get all the press, and rightfully so, but even in non-invasion years, there are a few owls to be found with some luck.

As Paul says, pay attention to www.northbirding.com, as well as the 2 relevant Michigan list-servs. These resources will likely provide you with the most current information.

Regardless of what the reports say, I would encourage you to go as long as the weather does not look brutal. There are ALWAYS interesting things in the eastern UP to find, if you just go and look. For owls specifically, cruise the country/farm roads south and east of Sault Ste. Marie. Any of the "Mile" roads, Shunk road, etc. are good bets. Great Grays and Hawk-owls are possible here, and you are likely to find Sharp-tailed grouse, Northern Shrikes, Rough-legged hawks, lots of Snow Buntings, and maybe interesting birds at feeding stations.

Other good ideas in general include visiting Neebish and/or Sugar Islands, both available via ferry SE of "The Soo". Be sure to check ferry schedules. Neebish can be an "ace-in-the-hole" for Great Grays in non-invasion years. Again, there will be other interesting things to see. Just cruising the roads of the islands is the plan.

The area around Rudyard is excellent for Snowy owls.

And, if you are feeling adventurous, you may try your hand on the Canadian side of the St. Mary's river for Harlequin ducks in the fast current below the bridge.

It also seems like a good thing to check the big Soo Edison Power PLant back on the American side of the St. Mary's. There you will see some common waterfowl and maybe Bald Eagles, but Gyrfalcon is possible. It certainly is much less reliable today than in the past, but it's still worth a look.

Dunbar Forest Research Station can be good for winter finches, and finally, you may want to check out fruiting trees anywhere, but especially around Lake Superior college, as Bohemian Waxwings are possible as well.

strategy

Also, do you have the Michigan Gazetteer? Pages 106 and 107 are the most important for here. And try the website www.northbirding.com . You will have to sign-up but it is a good site for UP information.

I would suggest exiting at Rudyard exit on the UP when you get to the area in the afternoon. It should only take you about 6 hours from Toledo so you should be there around 3 or 4:00 PM. Turn right after exiting, go to the stop sign (about 200 yards), turn right and drive that road (Hantz). Look for Snowy Owl, Rough-legged Hawk, Snow Bunting, Sharp-tailed Grouse, and turkey. We had turkey at the end of the road off this which you come to about 2 miles down. When you get to the stop sign, turn right and go back over I-75 to the first intersection. Turn right and head north. This is Centerline Road. Look for the same birds. You can vary from this by driving any off roads you want. You never know what you will find. Three miles north you come back to SR48 and the entrance to I-75. You can get back on here and go to the Soo if it is dark. Or you can continue north to the next intersection. This is H 63 or the Mackinaw Trail. It goes into the Soo. About 9 miles north on this you come to 12 Mile Road which only goes to the left here. If you turn left and go about 1/2 mile you come to the Dafter Dump. When you come out of here turn left and continue north to the Soo by check the feeders at the next few houses. They can be very good. Bird your way to the Soo.

On Saturday I would bird along the river. Check the power plant, ferry landing, and work your way to the Dunbar Research Station which is at the end of 13 Mile (sort of). Take 12 Mile east until it dead ends in (I believe) Hay Lake Road. Turn right and follow this road. About a mile down it you will have to turn right again or you dead end at the river. Follow this to the research station. If you cross the cheek, you just missed the station. They have numerous feeders and it is a good area to walk and bird. Also check out 5 Mile road in the morning for Sharp-tailed Grouse. That seems to be the area for the best luck this year. There is a great feeder at the end of 11 Mile before it hits or would hit I-75. Go west from M-129 to reach the house. You drive into the yard to bird and turn around. We had a shrike along this road also. I would just bird these roads back and forth for most of the day.

On Sunday, get up early and drive west on M-28 to the intersection of M-123 and M-28. The Maple Ridge Diner is just west of here and is a great place for breakfast. Plus they have numerous feeders. Lso watch the raod along the way for crossbills. After breakfast, head west to Hulbert Corners, turn left, bird the feeders on the right and eventually you are in Hulbert Bog where you look for Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee, both crossbills, etc. When you are done here, go back east on M-28 to M-123. Turn right and follow this to I-75 and back to Ohio. You should be home by 6:00 or 7:00 PM.

You could also go north on M-123 to Eckerman which is about 2 miles. There are feeders at the Bear Butt Inn on the right and the house across the street. It is 30-40 minutes to Paradise and more to Whitefish Point.

Jan 19-21

Subject: Trip Report, Eastern UP, Jan 19-21, 2007
From: "Lathe Claflin"
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2007 08:36:45 -0500

Snowy Owl � Two immature-types were seen in the Rudyard "flats"; one
on Centerline Rd. about 1.5 mi. N of 'lower' M48 and the other on
Hantz Rd. about 0.75 mi S of the 'upper' M48.

Sharp-tailed Grouse � A flock of 14 birds was seen on Jan 19 at 9 Mile
Rd just E of Nicolet Rd. A large flock of 50+ birds was seen Jan 20
near the large house on 9 Mile Rd. W of Riverside.

Hoary Redpoll � One individual seen well on West Lakeshore Rd. about
2-3 miles W of the Pendills Fish Hatchery.

Evening Grosbeak � We found a flock of about 20 individuals at the N
end of Ranger Rd. (address, 1478 Ranger Rd.). Ranger Road runs
between M28 (W of Raco) and Lake Shore Rd.

Pine Grosbeak � Four individuals at the same location as the Hoary
Redpoll and 12+ on Salt Point Rd (enters M28 in the community of
Strongs) near the N end of the big S curve.

Gray Jay � Two birds in the traditional location on Basnau Rd. in the
Hulbert bog.

Pine Siskin � A large flock of 60+ was found on East Shore Rd. on
Sugar Island, which cooperatively came to the road while we were
there. A few birds were seen at the feeders in Dunbar Forest and on
Basnau Rd. in the Hulbert Bog.

Five to six Northern Shrike were found at scattered locations on Sugar
Island and south of the Soo. Rough-legged Hawks were extremely
numerous, but the best was a very dark phase bird(adult male?) between
12 and 13 Mile Rd. on Riverside (Jan 19) and on 13 Mile Rd. E of
Riverside (Jan 20). The best feeders were around 3500 to 3600 West
Shore Rd. on Sugar Island (Purple Finch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pine
Siskin, etc.). The only Common Redpolls were found on Whitefish Point
Rd.

Mich listserv

Jan 29

Subject: UP Rare Bird Report for January 29, 2007
From: theowlranch AT aol.com
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2007 17:26:28 -0500

UP Rare Bird Report for January 29, 2007

Winter continues to progress with Munising Bay, Keweenaw Bay and Bay de Noc all
freezing over in the last couple of days. This should start pushing out the
last of the lingering waterbirds from the UP, still it should be noted how this
season has been excellent for setting many new late dates for several species.
Finches are still widespread, with large numbers of White-winged Crossbills and
Common Redpolls being reported from the western UP. Red Crossbills and Pine
Siskins are also somewhat common, and Pine & Evening Grosbeaks can be found in
scattered locations. Numbers of Bohemian Waxwings have still been very low this
season and the UP has yet to get a single report of Varied Thrush.

Highlights

GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE
GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH
Spruce Grouse
Gyrfalcon
Iceland Gull
Glaucous Gull
Black-backed Woodpecker
Boreal Chickadee
Townsend’s Solitaire
Hoary Redpoll

Keweenaw County
2 TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRES continue to be seen in Copper Harbor, most recently
on the 21st. A number of observers have been consistently finding individuals
or small groups of HOARY REDPOLLS in COMMON REDPOLL flocks in the Lac La Belle
& Copper Harbor areas.

Baraga County
Dan Peak reported that the GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH was still present in
L’Anse as of January 26th. Max Henschell & Sarah Fretiag found 4 SPRUCE
GROUSE in the Baraga Plains on January 21st.

Marquette County
The GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE remains in Marquette at the home of Louie Taccolini as
of the 28th. Ryne Rutherford saw a dark-morph GYRFALCON at Matteson Park/Cinder
Pond Marina in the Lower Harbor of Marquette on January 26th. Efforts to refind
the bird have not been successful, though the bird could easily still be
present. A number of BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS have found in the county in the
last couple of weeks. Zach Gayk found a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER near DNR Cabin
5 at Harlow Lake State Forest area on the 16th. A NORTHERN SHRIKE was seen near
here on the 21st. Another BLACK-BACKED WOOPECKER was seen in a Red Pine
plantation along County Road 550 across the road from the parking area for
Wetmore’s Landing, north of the City of Marquette on the 22nd. The Peshekee
Grade turned up a male BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER along with a HOARY REDPOLL on
the 20th. Large numbers of WHITE-WINGED & RED CROSSBILLS, as well as COMMON
REDPOLLS, 5 BOREAL CHICKADEES and 3 GRAY JAYS were also seen. HOARY REDPOLLS
were seen along County Road 601 north of Republic on the 21st, and along County
Road 476 near National Mine on the 28th. An ICELAND GULL and 2 GLAUCOUS GULLS
were in Sand’s Township on the 25th. A GLAUCOUS GULL was at the mouth of the
Dead River on the 27th. Very late for the UP was a report of a GREAT BLUE HERON
on the Escanaba River in Gwinn on the 12th.

Delta County
Dee Miller reported an “OREGON” DARK-EYED JUNCO, along with a female
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER and a pair of CARDINALS on January 21st at the MSU Tree
Research Farm near Escanaba.

Alger County
I received a belated report of a SNOWY OWL just east of Shingleton, along M-28
on January 14th.

Chippewa County
Lathe Claflin reported a HOARY REDPOLL on West Lakeshore Road about 2-3 miles
west of the Pendills Fish Hatchery on January 20th. 4 SNOWY OWLS continue to be
seen in the Rudyard area along Centerline Road and Hantz Road as of January
28th. Tom Bartlet reported 3 ICELAND GULLS & 3 GLAUCOUS GULLS at the Dafter
Dump on January 27th. Tom also reported A GRAY JAY at Hulbert Bog. Now that
there is some snow on the ground, observers are finding more SHARP-TAILED
GROUSE in several locations around the farm country south of the Soo. There
have also been several reports of NORTHERN SHRIKES in the Soo area.

Though not actually in the UP, Ken McIlwrick found a GYRFALCON on the Canadian
side of the St. Mary’s River in Sault Saint Marie on January 26th.
Traditionally, Gyrs move around quite a bit in this area and could easily be
refound on the UP side of the river.

To report rare birds please email me at TheOwlRanch AT aol.com or to
Birdnet AT UPBirders.org if you are a subscriber. If you are not on the net, call
the Marquette Hotline at (906) 225-3886. For more information on Birdnet, or UP
birds, please visit www.UPBirders.org

Jan 20-21

Subject: From Grand Rapids to Soo Country
From: byronkbutler_06 AT comcast.net
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2007 05:39:15 +0000

>From Grand Rapids to Soo Country

Highlights of birds seen Jan 20-21, 2007
1. Long-tailed Duck (hundreds, pos. thousands, Pere Marquette Park, Muskegon)

3. Bald Eagle (1 adult, M48 s.e. of Rudyard)
4. Northern Goshawk (1, Brimley area, M28)
5. Red-tailed Hawk (11; 10 along I-75 in LP; 1 in UP n. of Rudyard)
6. Rough-legged Hawk (20; eastern UP, incl. 3 dark morphs s. of Rudyard)
7. Merlin (1, Grand Rapids)
8. Purple Sandpiper (1, Pere Marquette Park, Muskegon)
9. Snowy Owl (2 imm., Rudyard, Centerline Road)
10. Northern Shrike (2; 1 M55 e. of Lake City in LP; 1 on Shunk Road, Soo area)

11. Common Raven (50+, then lost count (many more); n. LP & everywhere in UP)
12. Black-throated Gray Warbler (1, 1st winter female, Grand Rapids)
13. Snow Bunting (200+, eastern UP, half where M48 crosses I-75)
14. Common Redpoll (2, M48 Rudyard area)

With the report of the Grand Rapids Black-throated Gray Warbler, this past
weekend Maggie and I were seduced by the lure of the chase. A Merlin had also
been reported at 1345 Monroe Street, and from there we could run up to Muskegon
to look for Purple Sandpiper and Long-tailed Duck. Thus we had four good target
birds to make for an exciting day trip.

We arrived at Caleb�s office building on the Grand River at 9:35 am ET. Within
minutes those ahead of us had located the vagrant warbler. Everyone present had
multiple good looks at the bird, which, according to the Sibley guide, I
determined was a first winter female, and assume others independently came to
the same conclusion. Following satisfactory looks at the warbler, Maggie and I
began to search for the Merlin. Within minutes this bird, too, appeared, flying
down the Grand River.

We decided to now run up to Pere Marquette Park in Muskegon. Before we left we
spoke with two Michigan birders, Sean (sp?) and Tom (to whom I apologize for
forgetting your last names) who told us about birding the Muskegon Wastewater
System. This sounded very good to us so we took off to fatten our day list in
Muskegon.

An hour later we arrived at Pere Marquette Park. Stepping out of our car and
walking the short distance to the base of the breakwall, we immediately found
the Purple Sandpiper where so many said we would find it�right at the base of
the wall on the south side. Walking a little way out on the wall we took great
looks and photos of this bird. We wish to express our appreciation for the many
Michigan birders who so cheerfully responded to my RFI about this Sandpiper;
everything you told us was entirely correct!

Leaving the sandpiper, we walked further out on the jetty to look for
Long-tailed Duck. This was a treacherous walk on very slippery ice. Each step
was carefully placed before shifting weight on that foot, yet we still had a
few scares. I was thinking to myself how foolish was this venture and what a
trooper was Maggie to follow along without a complaint. I was carrying
thousands of dollars in optics (binocs, scope, and camera equipment) in
addition to the risk upon our bodies. But after months of waiting for
Long-tailed Ducks to show up in Indiana, I wanted that duck!

We made our way out to the elbow but dared not go further since the ice out
there appeared to be worse than what we had just walked upon. To our southwest,
a bit of a distance offshore, was a huge raft of ducks and it looked like most
of them were long-tails! Shortly, these ducks arose from the surface and flew
to the northwest of the north jetty where they were much more difficult to see,
obscured by both the jetty and shimmer. Yet in passing, we saw high-hundreds,
perhaps thousands, of Long-tailed Ducks among some other species. There were
were so many and they were swirling around so much we did not try to estimate
them. Five of the birds came to within 400 yards of us, giving us very good
looks in the scope.

We now made our way off the jetty, thankful to have made it without breaking
anything. On the return we looked again for the Purple Sandpiper but did not
see it. It was only 11:30 am and we had all four of our target birds for the
day! Boy, that had been easy! As I began to look up how to get to the
wastewater area Maggie asked me what was my next most important Michigan target
bird. Of course, that was Hoary Redpoll, but the western UP was too far out of
reach and I had no knowledge of them anywhere else in Michigan. I replied, �I
guess that would be Sharp-tailed Grouse, in the eastern UP. Snowy Owls have
been seen there recently, too.�

At noon we were outside Muskegon headed east on M46, driving for Rudyard. This
was very uncharacterisitc of us. Normally, our trips are very well planned and
prepared, often to the Nth degree. We had just made a rash decision, to
transmogrify a moderate day trip into a long-distance weekend trip! We had no
change of clothes, toiletries, medicines, cell phone chargers, ABA directory,
AAA tour book, etc.--or even cash! We had no knowledge of the weather
conditions ahead, or the availability of lodging. What we did have was a
fifteen year old DeLorme atlas, a three year old official state map, Chartier &
Ziarno�s �A Birder�s Guide to Michigan,� and confidence we would overcome
whatever impediments were encountered.

Exactly six hours later we had paid our toll and had begun to cross the
Mackinaw Bridge. We had stopped in Cadillac for gas and an ATM machine. There
Maggie spotted an antique store, in which we spent a little time browsing. This
is why it took us six hours to get to the bridge from Muskegon. Along the route
we found a Northern Shrike at a Christmas tree farm two miles east of Lake
City, our first Michigan shrike. Across the bridge, in St. Ignace, we checked
into a motel overlooking the Straits of Mackinac. From the porch of our room I
set my camera on the tripod and took long-exposure photos of the bridge at
night. We then settled in the room to develop a plan for the morning. Our motel
furnished us with soap, shampoo and complementary toothbrushes.

Showered and dressed in yesterday�s long johns, we left St. Ignace at 7:30 am
to be on site at Rudyard by early light at 8:00 am; sunrise was at 8:17. By
eight o�clock we had four Rough-legged Hawks due to Maggie�s sharp eye. But in
looking for grouse and Snowy Owls we had grossly overshot the Rudyard turnoff.
There was nothing to do now but go up to M28, then return to Rudyard. Exiting
I-75 we turned right (east) on M28 to M129, then headed south on M129. We saw
nothing of note along M129 as we proceeded south to M48. Turning west on M48 we
traveled only a couple tenths of a mile when a Sharp-tailed Grouse flew over
our car and landed on a high deciduous tree twig on the south side of the road.
While obtaining very good looks at this bird we heard others vocalizing a
little further west. I got out to walk the road, hoping to get a glimpse of
them in a cluster of conifers. As I neared, at least thirty grouse
(conservatively) flushed and flew over my head to the north, landing too f

ar off for further pursuit. We continued toward Rudyard, but our progress was
impeded by frequent encounters with other grouse, in groups of 1, 2, and 12,
between M129 and Pealine Road. Further west on M48 we encountered another group
of 14 grouse. A little east of Pealine Road an adult (4th year) Bald Eagle had
flown right over us, very low. Optics were not necessary. A bit to the west of
Pealine, where a small river crosses the road we encountered a mixed foraging
flock of chickadees, goldfinches, nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers, and two Common
Redpolls. Many of the birds in this flock moved on before identified, at least
three Red-breasted Nuthatches were seen. It was ten o�clock by the time we
reached the intersection of M48 and Centerline Road (west of I-75). We had
already tallied a minimum of fifty-nine Sharp-tailed Grouse. We were right
where we needed to be to see Snowy Owl, two hours later than planned.

We drove up, down and all around the Rudyard area, building our count of
Rough-legged Hawks, but finding no owls. At 1:00 pm we were a couple miles
southeast of the intersection of M48 and Hantz Road. We still had not seen any
owls, snowy, great gray, or hawk-owl, but we had seen a good number of
rough-leggeds and three of them were dark morphs. At this point I was getting
wing shots of a dark morph when a car pulled up to us. It was the local
newspaper carrier, a rather gregarious fellow. He told us that he sees Snowy
Owls every day around 4:00 pm on Centerline Road between M48 and M48. Huh?

This eastern region of the UP is very frustrating. We had three maps now, none
of which agreed with any other, and none agreed with the signage on the ground.
Between M48 and M48? What does that mean? To follow this story it is important
to understand that four intersections referred to here, and that there are
multiple names for many roads. M48 is 22-Mile Road. The other M48 is the
Business M48, or 19-Mile Road. Road numbers decrease as one goes north, hence,
Business M48 (hereafer, B-M48) is north of M48. The two intersections of M48 &
Centerline Road and B-M48 & Centerline Road are different locations. A third
intersection, M129 & M48 (or 22-Mile Road), was near where we had seen the
first grouse. The fourth intersection is I-75 & M28. M28 is also known as
9-Mile Road. Thus, we had overshot Rudyard in the morning and had driven north
all the way to 9-Mile Road, from which we took M129 south to M48 (22-Mile Road)
and turned west.

Our lack of prior understanding of the road names in this area led to our happy
accident of finding fifty-nine grouse on M48, for otherwise the information we
had likely would never have taken us to this area. From what the newspaper
carrier had said I concluded the Snowy Owls would feed in the farm fields all
day, where they would be difficult to find, and return to the telephone poles
and rooftops in late afternoon, before they went to roost, perhaps even
roosting there. Maggie and I had been straining our eyes for five hours and
were in need of a refractory period. We determined to eat lunch, then return to
Centerline Road at four o�clock.

We headed up I-75 to M28, then turned west toward Brimley. As we entered the
intersection, from the exit ramp, a Sharp-tailed Grouse flew right over our
car, from the southwest to the northeast corners. This was our sixtieth and
last grouse of the day. It was getting close to 2:00 pm. Along M28 we continued
to count Rough-legged Hawks. Just east of the turnoff to the north for the town
of Brimley we had pulled to the side of the road to look at a rough-legged and
scan for owls. At this place a Northern Goshawk flew low, right over us!!!!

We went into Brimley, where the few snowmobilers were not a bother. We had a
very nice, and much needed, lunch at Willabee�s restaurant. Although a lounge,
and we are not lounge lizards, we liked the place very much. Returning to the
intersection of I-75 & M28, we followed the directions in Chartier and Ziarno�s
guide to explore this area. First we had to shift our nomenclatural thinking,
then followed 9-Mile Road (M28) to the east to Nicolet Road. We explored the
area as outlined in the guide, not finding much. But, on Shunk Road, one
hundred yards north of the intersection of it with 9-Mile, Maggie found a
Northern Shrike, our first UP shrike.

Having used up what little time we had to scout this area in hopes of lucking
into redpolls or Bohemian Waxwings we again turned south on M129, from which we
retraced our route along M48 just to see if we would encounter the grouse
again. We did not. At a farmhouse on M48, immediately east of the I-75
overpass, we saw over one hundred Snow Buntings land in pine trees! This is the
first time I�ve ever seen a flock of buntings perched in trees. A half dozen
Rock Pigeons were dominating the feeders at this house. The buntings would drop
to seed scattered on the ground whenever the pigeons were not present. These
same buntings were visiting a house feeder a half-mile to the southwest, on
Centerline Road, and could be seen flying between the two houses. A row of
conifers just north of the Centerline house is a favorite perch of one of the
dark morph rough-leggeds. Two were seen in this area.

It was 4:25 pm when we reached the intersection of M28 and Centerline. It was
snowing and light was low with the cloud cover. Turning north, we scanned the
telephone poles along the west side of Centerline. On about the fifth pole was
a heavily black-flecked immature Snowy Owl! Many thanks to the friendly paper
carrier! We drove right up to the pole, which was at the driveway to the first
house on the left. The bird did not flush so we were able to see it well. Since
we had been told two owls were between M48 and B-M48, we drove this stretch of
Centerline repeatedly searching for the second owl without finding it. A little
after 5:00 pm we decided we needed to return to Indiana, so we left Centerline
Road by turning west onto B-M48 to go to the Rudyard BP for gasoline. Three
hundred yards west of the intersection, Maggie found a second owl on a high
pole to the south of the road. This owl was barely visible to the naked eye,
but Maggie noticed that the shape of the top of this pole

appeared to be just a little different than nearby poles. Snowy Owls we have
seen previously, in New England, have always stuck out as large white objects
but this owl, a couple hundred hundred yards distant, was hardly discernible.
We scoped it and found that it, too, was an immature.

Inside the BP, we learned that a young woman working there lives in the house
at the southeast corner of M48 and Centerline Road. She said two Snowy Owls
hang out in her yards and she has many photos of them. The first owl we saw was
probably one of those birds. Thus, if you want to see a Snowy Owl, cruise
Centerline Road �between M48 and M48,� especially late in the day.

The first five of our six target birds had been so easy it hardly felt like
birding. The Snowy Owl, however, consumed more time than the others put
together. It also kept us from looking for Bohemian Waxwings, or from driving
to Marquette to see Louie�s Topper. Had we seen the owl early in the morning we
would have had enough time to have driven the three hours from Brimley to
Marquette for the Green-tailed Towhee. Then from Marquette down to Green Bay we
would have completed a birding cirumnavigation of Lake Michigan in two
weekends. As it now stands, we are missing a 178-mile segment of M28, from
Brimley to Champion to accomplish that feat.

On these two trips we�ve seen twenty of our primary and secondary target birds,
plus three accidentals; or half of our total target list. We are missing Hoary
Redpoll, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Bohemian Waxwing, Spruce Grouse,
Evening Grosbeak, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, Gyrfalcon, and, of course, winter
owls and gulls. I believe all but great Gray, Boreal, and Northern Hawk Owls
and Gyrfalcon have been reported by others. Good reasons for us to return.

Leaving Rudyard at 5:30 pm, we drove the 410 miles home through a snow storm,
on mostly unplowed roads. Wherever it was not snowing (below Grand Rapids) it
was foggy. The difficulty of the drive home was made fun as talked about the
birds we saw, listened to the Colts-Patriot football game on the radio, and
finished our last bag of Moose Munch. In all we covered 1,067 miles in 42
hours, getting all six of our target birds, plus a Northern Goshawk and two
shrikes. Of that time, only ten hours were spent birding, six of those looking
for the owl!

Only two miles from home, my cell phone beeped. It was a much delayed voice
message from Caleb. Only then, in the first minutes of Jan 22, did we learn of
the fate of the Black-throated Gray Warbler�the tiny bird that inspired this
trip. We were much saddened by the news, yet that outcome may have been
inevitable. If not this weekend, then later this week with the next cold snap.
Thanks, Caleb, for finding this bird and for the enthusiastic effort you made
to keep all of us informed. And thanks to the many other Michigan birders who
contributed information to us to make this trip a success! With all of you we
wish to share our trip.

Jan 21

Subject: R.I.P. Black-throated Gray Warbler 21 Jan
From: "Caleb Putnam"
Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2007 09:11:06 -0700

At 10:40AM Tim Baerwald found the carcass of the Black-throated Gray Warbler
under the firs in front of my office building. The specimen will be
preserved and sent to UMMZ at a later date. I will post photos of the
carcass to my blog later today.

Jan 21

Subject: Re: R.I.P. Black-throated Gray Warbler 21 Jan
From: w8liftr40 AT aol.com
Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2007 12:03:07 -0500

Greetings,

Well, that totally sucks!! Unfortunately, this seems to be what happens to
vagrants and rare birds. God only knows what happend to the Lesser Frigatebird
we had at the hawk watch two seasons ago. I am so glad that Scott, Robert and I
went up there yesterday when we did. She was a pretty bird and seemed very
active and looked healthy yesterday..feeding successfully.

Jan 15

Subject: UP Rare Bird Report for January 15, 2007
From: theowlranch AT aol.com
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2007 21:07:16 -0500

UP Rare Bird Report for January 15, 2007

Finally, some snow! The last few days have brought anywhere from a couple of
inches to a few feet in some places across the Upper Peninsula. Several finch
species are still being found in high numbers, most notably White-winged
Crossbills. Red Crossbills, American Goldfinches and Common Redpolls are also
widespread. Very few Pine & Evening Grosbeaks are being reported. Numbers of
Bohemian Waxwings also seem to be very low compared to the last few winters.

Highlights

BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE
WESTERN TANAGER
GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE
GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH
EURASIAN TREE SPARROW
Snowy Owl
Black-backed Woodpecker
Boreal Chickadee
Townsend’s Solitaire
Bohemian Waxwing
Hoary Redpoll

Ontonagon County
The EURASIAN TREE SPARROW in Topaz is coming in to the feeders of Kitt Wolf &
Bob Seasor on a daily basis, and will probably stay for the winter. If birders
are interested in observing the Sparrow, please call Kitt or Bob first at
906-575-3367.

Keweenaw County
The BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE in Lac La Belle was most recently seen on January 10th.
2 TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRES were seen in Copper Harbor most recently on the 13th.
Also in Copper Harbor were 2 BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS and a RED-BELLIED
WOODPECKER on the 13th. Providing a first county record were 2-3 HOARY REDPOLLS
on US-41 southwest of Copper Harbor on the 13th. Another notable sighting was a
SONG SPARROW on the 10th in Eagle Harbor. This is most likely a record late
date for the county.

Baraga County
The GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH in L’Anse was seen most recently as January 15th.
Both WHITE-WINGED & BLACK SCOTERS are lingering in the Keweenaw Bay.

Marquette County
The GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE has now been present for over 3 months at the home of
Louie Taccolini, and will probably spend the rest of the winter at this
location. Zach Gayk found a TOWNSEND’S SOLITAIRE on Little Presque Isle on
the 11th. 3 BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKERS, 10+ BOREAL CHICKADEES, GRAY JAY & 100-150
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS (including many singing territorial males) were seen
along the Peshekee Grade on the 14th. 2-3 BOREAL CHICKADEES were seen along
Kate’s Grade on the 9th.

Alger County
The WESTERN TANAGER in Munising was last seen on January 9th. Efforts to
relocate this bird have not been successful.

Chippewa County
Up to 4 SNOWY OWLS continue to be seen in Rudyard, mostly along
Centerline/Hantz Roads. As is typical for this time of year, there have been
scattered reports of SHARP-TAILED GROUSE in the Soo farm county. Steve Gasser
reported 35 BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS on Lakeshore Road 2 miles west of the Pendills
Fish Hatchery. Steve also reported 15 RED CROSSBILLS along the Dick Road south
of M-28.