Recently birders in southwest Michigan were in a frenzy over the presence of, not just one, but two birds that are megarare for the state. A Black-bellied Whistling-Duck found a haven for a time at the dairy at Andrews University. And, after some initial confusion, a Snowy Plover was identified at the harbor in New Buffalo. In general, I am not much of a chaser when these rarities show up. But these birds were withing fifty miles or so of where I live, and even if I didn't find them, Berrien in the spring is always a worthwhile birding destination. Results of my chase are in the photos below, even though the duck photo deserves some kind of award for Worst Identifiable Picture. Plus, I share with you the gorgeous Glaucous Gull that shared the beach with the Snowy Plover and his Sanderling buddy that day.
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| This first winter Glaucous Gull was hanging with the gull flock at New Buffalo. |
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Hmm. Somehow I managed to take a picture that showed only the field marks for this duck. I wish I could attribute it to quirky awesome photographic skills. I can't.
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| Sanderling, left, Snowy Plover, right. |
This little western plover stayed close to his Sanderling buddy throughout his stay. Actually, the Sanderling was unusually early, and elicited a details request on ebird. For some reason, most viewers only used him as a landmark for the Snowy Plover. "Look for the Sanderling." "He's still there with the Sanderling." "He's to the right of the Sanderling." Sort of like the rare bird stepchild. : )
All photos by Dixie Burkhart. Use with permission only. (Except for the duck - use that one anywhere, as long as I don't get credit!)
