A golden eagle seems to be on. (Scot Stewart picture)
“I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape. Something waits beneath it; the whole story doesn’t show.” — Andrew Wyeth
The yr has already reached its twelfth month. Now it involves the counting down the time to this month, days left within the yr, days till the winter solstice, when the times will begin getting longer once more, and maybe most significantly for a lot of birders, time till the Christmas Bird Counts begin.
In nearly two weeks to this yr’s 124th Christmas Bird Counts . They will begin within the Upper Peninsula round Dec. 15. As of Tuesday, Audubon, sponsors of the depend, had not posted the dates of individual dates of native counts however all might be held between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5.
Most years there are round a dozen counts held within the Upper Peninsula, with the one in Marquette held the primary Saturday after the depend begins. One in Alger County is historically held the next day. These are two of the oldest Christmas Bird Counts within the U.P. with Marquette’s depend relationship again to round 1946. The very first depend held nationally was in 1900 as an alternative choice to recreation looking competitions held across the nation to see which group of hunters might shoot probably the most birds and mammals in a day. Most of these had been held alongside the East Coast.
Today the chook counts are held throughout a 24-hour interval in designated circles having a fifteen-mile diameter. Birds might be seen or heard, and an try is made to depend as many individual birds as potential throughout that point. The quantity, ambition, and skill of the counters, accessibility to all areas inside a circle, climate each on the day of the depend and within the weeks earlier than the depend all issue within the success of the depend and the totals compiles.
Birders with a familiarity of the realm and good data (like feeder station areas, vagrant birds presently within the circle), and ones with good optical tools enhance the modifications of including higher range to the counts. Weather situations can have an effect on the motion of birds in areas the place snow, poor visibility, and freezing temperatures pressure some birds to maneuver south, particularly when lakes and harbors are frozen over forcing waterbirds to maneuver on or meals provides are compromised.
The Marquette Count is centered on the Old City Hall building on West Washington Street subsequent to the submit workplace. This website was chosen to create a circle containing the widest number of habitats from the waters of Lake Superior, the hardwood forests of the Harlow Lake and Sugarloaf areas, the residential areas in Marquette, riverine techniques of the Carp, Chocolay, and Dead Rivers, and the sand plains areas south of Co. Rd. 480. It is a formidable space.
A couple of birders in lots of circles begin properly earlier than daybreak listening for calling owls. In Marquette some barred and nice horned owls are incessantly the primary birds discovered within the morning. In good years snowy owls might be discovered throughout daylight or at nightfall, incessantly alongside the shore of Lake Superior or atop buildings within the metropolis.
When the harbors of Lake Superior are away from ice and the visibility is sweet — no snow squalls, the variety of species in Marquette reaches over 50. For the Alger County depend centered round AuTrain the variety of counters and species is often a bit decrease, with the species depend round 30 in some years. Several counts are held within the Copper Country, with others in Dickinson, Iron, Chippewa, Mackinac, and Delta Counties. In January there may be one in Gwinn too. Over the previous few years, a number of new counts have been added so it’s good to test the Audubon web site to search out areas, dates, and contacts for coordinators.
In Marquette, the circle is split into 4 quadrants, with members assembly at Mattson Park at 8 a.m. to type teams, matching people of assorted expertise, and obtain maps, checklists, instructions, and different contact data. The social elements of the counts are at all times a spotlight as people share tales, historical past of previous counts, and details about birds and good birding websites.
Another perk is sharing data on good chook sightings of the day. In recent years snowy owls, pink and white-winged crossbills, yellow-breasted chats, even ivory gulls have been seen. Other counters are notified so they could have an opportunity to see a few of these nice finds.
One of the great, recent Upper Peninsula sightings was an immature golden eagle seen flying over Shingleton on Nov. 16. Golden eagles look much like immature bald eagles. Some of the bodily traits that make them stand out are golden napes, seen from some angles when seen flying and white bases to the first (longest wing feathers extending to wing suggestions) feathers and white base to tail feathers in juvenile birds.
Golden eagles spend summers in northeastern and northwestern Canada, Alaska, and throughout many of the wilder elements of the western U.S. Wintering birds might be discovered within the western U.S. and the southeastern U.S. the place some juveniles overwinter. The greatest instances to see golden eagles within the U.P. are throughout migrations at Whitefish Point and alongside the upper elevations of the Keweenaw Peninsula.
Unlike bald eagles they don’t spend a lot time alongside waterways, like bald eagles. They and feed totally on mammals however will sometimes hunt birds and fish. They be long-lived with the oldest know wild chook to be 31 years old. Great birds and birding away because the countdown continues.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Scot Stewart is naturalist on the MooseWood Nature Center, a author and photographer.
