Spent a great day birding with our friend Barb. Barb is doing a “better than last year” year. We started on the Pere Marquette Park jetty in Muskegon. A lovely day to be at the beach, on a jetty extending out into Lake Michigan. Nineteen degrees, windy, and snow.
The only people as dedicated as we were, were the fishermen. I would say they were nuts but one of them asked if the purple sandpipers were still around. Anyone that asks that can’t be too crazy.
Thanks to Barb’s sharp eyes we added purple sandpipers and a horned grebe to our list. Also added red-breasted mergansers, some very handsome long-tailed ducks, white-winged scoters, and ring-billed gull. I’m sure our faces will thaw out eventually.
Then it was off to the ever-popular wastewater treatment plant. Still 19 degrees, and some snow. Occasionally, the sun actually dared to try and peek out.
Well worth it though. Another great look at a snowy owl. Highlight for new birds was a mature golden eagle and six bald eagles. Also saw shoveler, black duck, green-wing teal, gadwall, and some just too cute ruddy ducks.
You just didn’t want to slip backwards into a pool of who knows what. This place was huge. Very large pools and a lot of fields. It is a great birding area and but the amusing irony is that there are no bathrooms available.
After a great day of birding it was dinner at DeLucas on the west side of Lansing. Not too many places where you can get three dinners, an appetizer, and a bottle of wine for $53. With plenty of leftovers in doggy bags.
Our list is now up to 58 species. This puts us up to February 27 using the bird-a-day metric.
From Lise:
While working out at the gym on Friday, our friend, Shawn, asked what our weekend plans were. I said that Ed was taking me on a date to the Muskegon wastewater treatment plant. “What kind of wine goes with that?” he asked.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 