This month has been my least productive in terms of adding species to my list. Of course, I did expect this. At the beginning of the year, it’s easy to check some species off my Big Year list. Then migration hit, so we had a lot of species moving through the state. Now that it’s summer and the birds are breeding, it’s harder to see new species. The amount of species on checklists on any given day has also decreased as the migrants have moved on to their breeding grounds. Over the next couple of months, I expect the number of species to continue to be on the lower side. Once we hit fall migration, those numbers will start to increase again.
I’ve added ten species to my list since May 31. However, only three of those species were actually seen during June. The remaining seven of those added species came from provisional species that were reported during May but had not been approved by the eBird reviewers.
This month I also tried my hand at chasing species. This is not something I’ve ever done in person. It’s a real crapshoot, and my success rate has been meager. I’ve done some of my research by looking on eBird for historical sightings of bird species that I still need to check off my list. Luckily, the fantasy birding site also has an excellent feature for helping me chase species. The site allows me to use recent sightings from eBird to chase species utilizing the click of a button. It’s straightforward to use, and it’s pretty exhilarating. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to be successful in checking any species off my list through this method.
I’m looking forward to using the site and viewing historical sightings to help check a few more species off my list before fall migration starts. Even though I didn’t add many species to my Big Year this month, it was still a successful and exciting month from an entertainment perspective. It’s hard to believe I’ve been doing things for six months already. I can’t wait to see how the rest of the year goes!
Featured photo: Black-crowned Night-Heron by Rosemary Gillan | APA
Species Highlight:
Bell’s Vireo
I was able to add Bell’s Vireo to my list on June 8 at the Renaissance Athletic Club near the Tiscornia Park hotspot in St. Joseph, Mich. Bell’s Vireo is a casual species in Michigan. This means that it has been recorded more than three times, but 30 or fewer times, in the last ten years and was recorded in fewer than nine of the last ten years. This makes it an extra exciting addition to my list!
Photo: Bell’s Vireo by Sherman Barr | APA
Biggest Day
My biggest day of the month was June 1 at Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge. I was able to see 103 species. Unfortunately, these were all species I’ve already checked off my list for the year. Among these species were the Black Tern, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Marsh Wren, Yellow-headed Blackbird, and Prothonotary Warbler.
You Can Help My Virtual Big Year!
I’m always up for suggestions on places to go on certain days, especially if people are going out birding. I don’t get to add any species if no one is reporting to eBird in the location I pick on that given day. You can email me your birding plans at lcain@michiganaudubon.org.
Hotspot Highlight
This month I’d like to highlight Presque Isle Park in Marquette, Mich. A total of 243 species have been recorded on some 2,059 checklists on eBird. Many sources list Presque Isle Park as one of the best birding spots in the greater Marquette area. The area covers 323 acres and provides a variety of recreational opportunities.
Lindsay Cain is Michigan Audubon’s education coordinator. If you are interested in learning more about our events, workshops, presentations, or event sponsorship opportunities, please contact Lindsay at 517.580.7364 or lcain@michiganaudubon.org.
You can follow Lindsay’s virtual big year journey through her monthly blog posts or start your Fantasy Birding adventure and look for her on the scoreboards. You can find her under the username “lcain” with a Turkey Vulture as her avatar.