Fall Waterbird Count Week Three

As the season progresses, we have seen a change in the species coming through the Mackinac Straits. This week we saw a few new arrivals and some high numbers for the count so far. These new arrivals include American wigeon (1), blue-winged teal (2), lesser scaup (2) and least sandpiper (1). Bringing our count total to 29 species of waterbirds. We also recorded high counts for a few other species including common merganser (22), redhead (19), and great egret (5). But no migrant was more numerous this week than the Canada goose, a whopping 1,352 geese were seen flying over the straits this week. Common loons (119), red-necked grebes (34), and horned grebes (8) have also been continuing their course south. We have noticed fewer common terns (9) this week, a bird that tends to migrate earlier than most.
Local birds that are still hanging around before heading south continue to bless us with their presence. Belted kingfishers, double-crested cormorants, and herring gulls are still seen each day. Ring-billed gulls have shown increasing numbers as the weeks go on, indicating that Northern birds are starting to move through, adding to our local breeding population.
A non-waterbird highlight were American pipits, seen September 8th and 9th foraging along the rocky coast. These passerines, like our migrant waterbirds, breed in the tundra but overwinter in the Southern half of the United States and throughout Mexico.