Author Archives: makielb

We got an email from our young friend Harold saying that he was going to be in Nichols Arboretum Wednesday morning. While he may not yet be 30, he’s been bird-watching with us for some 20 years. Also in the photo are Don, Susan, Roger, Mike Harold and Jacco (left to right). When I seeContinue reading “Current and past memories”

Over the years we have learned that midges fuel bird migration. When warblers, thrushes and flycatchers are migrating there are typically large swarms of midges emerging around the Great Lakes. The other day we were at Point Labarbe on the northern edge of Lake Michigan and we encountered large swarms of midges. This is aContinue reading “Fueling bird migration”

Lincoln’s Sparrow is always a good feeder bird. I’ve seen more Cooper’s Hawks this year at Whitefish Point than perhaps any other. But the real surprises were the more southerly species. Somehow, having a Northern Mockingbird in the driveway with a Black Vulture overhead seems unreal. The Black Vulture was a new “yard bird” forContinue reading “An interesting day at Whitefish Point”

Smart anteaters don’t mess with army ants. For every piece of wood – turn, turn, turn. There was a Twilight Zone episode very similar to this. The anatomy professor uncovered the specimen for class and screamed, as it was his girlfriend. Moths night out. Those “dangerous” woodpeckers. There goes the Ark. Yeah, it’s all aContinue reading “May Monday Funnies”

Sunrise on Mother’s Day. Now now some insects for my favorite mother. An orbweaver (spider) and two wasps. Gray spring moth and Lucerne moth. Mottled gray moth Olethrutine leafroller. Fish’s dart The Joker Columbian pug Northern spring azure. Happy Mother’s Day to all of my friends who are mothers. More later…

Trying to get photos of the large numbers of Evening Grosbeaks passing by is really challenging. I had close to 300 fly by the cabin in the morning. Large numbers of Broad-winged Hawks are still around, but the numbers are much lower than in the past few days. The Sharp-shinned Hawks are taking advantage ofContinue reading “South winds brought some great migrants”

Well, it was bound to happen, but Blue Jays arrived en masse today. While one or two can be rather attractive, when they arrive by the 100s or 1000s they can be serious pests. Here are a few of the 100s at or below our feeders. At the same time the jays arrived there wasContinue reading “Migration continues at Whitefish Point”

To say that chickadees are moving through is an understatement. These are the feeders at the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory. Between here and the waterfowl counter I tallied some 450 (or more) chickadees, with a few warblers mixed in. Another bird that made an appearance in good numbers is White-crowned Sparrow. Warblers also arrived inContinue reading “Broad-wings!”

It’s always fun getting good looks at individual Broad-winged Hawks. Because as the morning passes they start getting higher and higher. Before you know it they are passing high overhead. Or sometimes they are in swirling kettles where it is all but impossible to count them. At the same time there are eagles passing. ThisContinue reading “Hawk migration at Whitefish Point”

Geese, cranes it’s all the same – stay in formation. Ahh, the shy dessert animals. Yes spelling is important. John James Audubon, the father of modern ornithology, and a great artist as well. Yep, that’s why we have two French presses. I’ll admit it, I killed two of the coffee makers. A different take onContinue reading “A little humor to start the week”