Another day with hawks

The day started with so much promise. But clouds came in and there was intermittent rain. But that didn’t stop us from finding birds. Brown Creepers moved into the area with numbers last night. We had out first American Woodcocks and Winter Wrens this morning. I guess that it’s spring. Between periods of cloudiness, rainContinue reading “Another day with hawks”

Rain disrupts migration

The view of Sault Ste. Marie from Whitefish Point. There are rain storms and the wind is bringing it towards us. An early Golden Eagle. Just as migration started the rain arrived. For the next five hours it would rain for 15-20 minutes then clear. During each period without rain a few migrants appeared. ThenContinue reading “Rain disrupts migration”

Migration and an eclipse

This morning was our first day with clouds since arriving at Whitefish Point. While it made for a beautiful sunrise, the prospects of being able to detect the solar eclipse seemed dimmed. The day started unusually. The first two migrants were adult Golden Eagles. Was that a good omen? Perhaps. Migrants started sailing by. TheContinue reading “Migration and an eclipse”

A fine day at Whitefish Point

Another stunning sunrise at Whitefish Point. This is the view to the east from the Raptor Roost, where I watch migration at our cabin. It was completely still and 26F. While that sounds cold, it wasn’t. I sat outside listening to the point wake up. As the sun rose it started lighting trees to theContinue reading “A fine day at Whitefish Point”

Back to Paradise

Heading back to Whitefish Point today we crossed the Mackinac Bridge as we have done close to a thousand times. But this time was quite different. Both lanes on the north-bound side were closed and being resurfaced. Therefore we crossed north on the south-bound side. It’s rather strange crossing the bridge next to a truckContinue reading “Back to Paradise”

Mexican food in Farragut, Tennessee

On our final day heading back to Ann Arbor we stopped in Farragut, Tennessee since we needed gas and it was almost noon. We wanted to avoid any big city traffic so this was our choice. Well, we hit the jackpot. Pulling into town I saw a gas station with inexpensive gas and we hadContinue reading “Mexican food in Farragut, Tennessee”

Day-31: Carnivorous plant bog

Heading north from Dauphin Island Susan found a nice preserve for us to visit. I was all in especially after hearing it had a lot of different pitcher plants. As it turns out it has 10 species of carnivorous plants! We found ziz-zag bladderwort, Tracy’s and dwarf sundews and at least 4 different pitcher plants.Continue reading “Day-31: Carnivorous plant bog”

Day-32: A rental on Dauphin Island.

We rented a small house on Dauphin Island for the week. Lots of room for cars The view from the front door. Looking down the hallway towards the three bedrooms and the common bathroom. The kitchen. The living room and dining room table looking towards the kitchen. The screened in porch where we could sitContinue reading “Day-32: A rental on Dauphin Island.”

Day-31: Dauphin Island birds

Typically our days start at one of the many bird sanctuaries and preserves on the island. We’ve started at Audubon Sanctuary, Goart Tree Preserve and Shell Mound Preserve. Who knows where we’ll start next. Where ever it is there will be interesting things to see. Nothing like starting the day with a cotton mouth (waterContinue reading “Day-31: Dauphin Island birds”

Day-26: Audubon Sanctuary, Dauphin Island, Alabama

Yesterday we spent the morning at the Audubon Sanctuary Preserve on Dauphin Island. It was warm and still. It was so still that the reflections on the lake were perfect images of what they were reflecting. Periodically on the lake you could see a nose and the eyes of a turtle appear. The real treatContinue reading “Day-26: Audubon Sanctuary, Dauphin Island, Alabama”