Format:
Names …: Common and scientific names
are given for each bird. The order
of presentation is based on the
birds’ common names – e.g., red-winged blackbird photographs appear as
Blackbird, red-winged. Information
given for each photograph includes
date and place where photograph was taken and name of photographer, who continues
to hold rights (copyright) to the given photograph.
Centered photos are by photographers other
than the compiler -- i.e., those flush left are mine.
Additional information, which
is given below several of the photographs
includes
one or more of the following: "See
also ///" includes links to addition photographs of the featured
bird
that are
in the tabulated group; that group is at the end of the album
part of this document -- i.e., before the check list of birds recorded
for the county. Addotopmal remarks and/or the direction of
attention to related photographs in one or more of
the
appendices are also given for some birds.
Choices made so far as
which photographs are displayed in
the main album versus those included in the
tabulated group are mine. An
EXPLANATION
that relates to my
involed considerations precedes the appendicies.
As noted, THIS WEB SITE IS CONTINUALLY UPDATED. Please contact me if you have photograph(s) that you think might be good additions to this album.
Click here to send photographs and/or comments to me via email.INTRODUCTION. Photographs taken of birds within any given area almost
always seem to be more real than the sketches or generic photographs used as
illustrations in most guidebooks – especially
for viewers who are in the early stages of gaining interest in
birds; this opinion led to my
decision to add this album of photographs to this document. In
addition, it seemed that such photographs might
serve as impetus for others to take photographs and have their
photographs considered for addition to the album.
-- And, this
has happened!: Several
observers, both
residents and visitors to the area, have taken interest in the album
and have
been sending their photographs for possible inclusions in the
album. In addition, some of these people and other viewers of the
album have also provided
additional information or comments that have led to worthwhile
revisions of this document.
EXPLANATION. The captions for the
photographs indicate when and where they were taken. Nearly all of the photographs were taken within
Mackinac County, Michigan. The exceptions, each
of which is so-noted in its caption, include those in the "Wish List"
that is between the
tabulated photographs and the sketch maps that show the location of
Mackinac County.
Five
appendices are
included: A. Remarkables:
photographs of birds with out-of-the ordinary
appearances for their species. B. Wish List:
photographs of four species, as
examples(!), for which no good photographs have been submitted
that show
them while they were recorded to have been
within the county.
C. Tabulated Additional Photographs -- Instructions for viewing
these photographs, etc. are given in the Introduction for this
appendix. [and] D. Location Maps --
location of the county within the state AND the
county with township names and borders plus a few community names.
CONSIDERATIONS. As mentioned above,
the addition of this album of photographs to the annotated list of
birds
recorded for Mackinac County was conceived as a way to stimulate and/or
increase interest in the birds of the county. In addition, it was
thought that a considered selection of photographs could help
bird-watchers in their observations. Consequently, while
viewing the photographs that were have been sent to me and those I have
taken,
several considerations were involved – usually in concert – while I was deciding
which photographs seemed to warrant inclusion and where they should
appear within this collection. The
purpose and hoped for result can be stated as follows: Preparation and inclusion of each
photograph should make it a noteworthy educational part of the report.
Most
of the photos were chosen to show one or more of the following:
1. Birds seldom seen within the county
-- e.g., the yellow-headed blackbird, mountain bluebird, and
greater black-backed gull
2. Birds whose male and female look
quite different – e.g., the cardinal, most ducks, the purple
finch and the diverse grosbeaks.
3. Birds whose young differ
markedly from adults – e.g., redhead (duck), Canada goose,
pied-billed grebe, killdeer and
turkey vulture.
4. Birds whose
plumage undergoes marked seasonal changes – e.g., snow buntings, goldfinch and
long-tailed duck
5. The “little brown
birds” – i.e., the sparrows, pipit and longspur,
all of which are frequently identified only as "sparrows" or "little
brown birds"
6a. Characteristics,
including activities and environments that may help identify the bird – e.g., eagles, hawks and vultures in-flight; cormorants’ spreading their
wings; and the sandhill crane in early spring,
dead swamp "grass."
b. Characteristics
that seemed to warrant description – e.g., those of the black duck and the
Swainson's hawk
7. Date of photograph – This is an important record for several of
the photographs. Dates for rare visitors and for common visitors
that have been present at atypical times are of special interest. Rare
visitors include the greater white-fronted goose, the mockingbird, the
black swan (apparently a vagrant or escapee). and the western kingbird. Photographs of birds
while within the county at atypical times of the year include the
bluebird (February) and the orange-crowned warbler
( ),
and the winter visiting towhee.
In any case, the choices
of photographs and where they are within the album -- i.e., in the main
group of photographs versus included in the tabulated group -- were
mine and, admittedly, some of those decisions were subjective -- e.g,, three
additional considerations were based on my attempts to include: 1. photographs by
most, if not all, of those who submitted one or more photographs for
possibile inclusion; 2. geographic distribution -- i.e.,
photographs from each
of the eleven townships and two municipalities of Mackinac
County; [and] 3. photographs that might
attract people to viewing this album.
Birds of Mackinac County,
Michigan:
This compilation is dedicated to the memory of Frances Smith Dietrich (1921-2007) Grace Lillie Dietrich (1895-1962) Rena Vincent Marsh (1893-1951) |
AS - alder swamp | CM - cattail marsh | LS
- lakes &
swamps |
SM - sedge marsh |
BF
- brush forests |
DB - dense brush | MF - mixed forests | UO - upland openings |
BL - Great & inland lakes | GL - Great lakes | MH - mixed hardwoods | UR - urban areas |
BO - brush openings | IH - all inland habitats | PF - pine, wet forests | WB - wide beaches |
CF - conifer forests | IL - inland lakes | R - rivers | WD - wet/dry openings |
CL - cliffs | LK - lakeshore | SC - swamp conifer | WL - wetlands |
A.O.U.
Listing
ANSERIFORMES
(order)
ANATIDAE (family)
|
Notes/References |
BR
|
Wi | Su
|
S/F |
Hbt |
LEGEND |
||||||
$Greater White-fronted Goose, Anser albifrons | On
older lists, and once considered common, it was not been recorded for
the county for nearly a century (see discussion by Barrrows, 1912,
p. 117). In fact, N.A. Wood (1951)
"excluded [this species] from
[his Michigan checklist] ... for lack of positive evidence" but put it
on his "Hypothetical List." Recently, the species has been identified within Mackinac County: Robert B. Brown, of St. Ignace and Hessel, saw 6-8 of these geese at Hessel on 02 March 2011 (p.c., 4 March '11.); Stan Lilley and Myles McNally recorded one near the Arnold line #3 dock in St. Ignace on 12 Feb 2012, and I observed the bird daily on or near the dock until 28 Feb.2012, a day when strong winds and blowing snow moved into the area. Four at Epoufette 15 March 2017 -- see Ross's Goose entry. See photos | Photo Album |. |
o | o |
GL | |||||||||
$Snow
Goose, Chen
caerulescens |
One at
St. Ignace
marina, mid November, 2002 (Wg). One in Straits area 21-25 Oct.
2011. One offshore from Huron St., St. Ignace 8 Oct. 2012
(K.Schacht, p.c.). See
photos | Photo
Album |. A small flock, including some dark morph individuals (formerly referred to as blue ...) in Lake Michigan, along Rte. 2, near sand dunes, west of Pte. Aux Chenes, late November, 1978. A single dark morph individual was with several Canada geese ~4 miles north-northeast of Engadine, 19 April 2014; seven (7) - six white and 1 dark, were in northeast quarter of Sec.4, T.41N.-R4W Brevort Twp. 25 March 2017. See photos | Photo Album |. |
o | o | o |
GL |
Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
|||||||
$Ross's Goose, Chen Anser rossii | One with six greater white-fronted geese at small parking area on lake side of Epoufette Bay Rd., at junction of southern end of road that formerly extended north to Rte.2, 15 & 16 March 2017 - See photo | Photo Album |. | o | |||||||||||
? [Brant, Branta bernicla] | A lone
individual tentatively
identified in Straits area off South State St.,
St. Ignace, 23 March 2013. [p.c. (telecom.) unidentified
caller] |
|
o? |
|
|
||||||||
$+ Barnacle Goose, Branta leucopsis | "An immature was
identified on 21 May [1965] near Naubinway, ... and determined to be
this species rather than an Am. Brant (EGB)." (Ke). Frances, my wife, several other bird-watchers (one from Great Britain, another from Connecticut, et al.) and I observed one [NOT on Michigan Checklist (MICkLst)] at the municipal dock south east of Whitefish Pt., Chippewa Co. -- late May, 1983. |
o? | |||||||||||
Cackling Goose, Branta hutchinsii | One
observed in
Brevort Lake,
October, 2008 (Steve Baker, p.c. 24 Jan. 2010) See photos | Photo Album |. |
o | |||||||||||
$Canada Goose, Branta canadensis | Common!! Four
family groups
--
i.e., two adults, apparently a
pair, plus downy hatchlings were swimming offshore from Boulevard Dr.
on 7 May 2012; the number of hatchlings per group ranged from
three (3) to ten (10). See photos | Photo Album |. -- one of the geese is banded. |
! | o | cR | c | BL | |||||||
$Mute Swan, Cygnus olor | An
example: 50 to 60 mute swans made a stop of about 24 hours in
Lake Michigan, just west of the "Big Mac" bridge 28-29 Nov.
2011; another group of 36 were in the same area 2 Dec. 2011 Some observers have mistaken immature mute swans as other species -- e.g., black swans . See photos | Photo Album |. |
! | u |
cR | c |
BL |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
||||||
$Trumpeter Swan, Cygnus buccinator | Threatened "Louie Dombroski had
4 TRUMPETER SWANS in a flooded
field on Dollarville Road on March 29th." (UP: April 2, 2007)
Also said to have bred on South Manistique Lake. Eight observed
on Lake Brevort 14 Apr. 2011. |
# | |
uR | c | IL |
|||||||
$Tundra Swan, Cygnus columbianus | Formerly
widely
known as "whistling swan." "[14] at LaBarbe on
13th [April, 2006]." (UP: April 25, 2006) At Pte.
LaBarbe 2
October 2009 (UP:
October
15, 2009). See
photos | Photo
Album |. Six in Epoufette Bay
11 Oct. 2103. Forty-five were in the southern part
of Brevort Lake 23-2 October 2015 (p.c., Karen Fowler). [ Ninety-five (95 counted, probably a few missed), -- along with several ducks (mostly mallards, a few pintails), a few Canda geese and 7 sandhill cranes -- were northeast of the intersection of Rte. 48 and Centerline Rd., Chippewa Co., ~2 miles north Mackinac Co. -- First seen by compiler 17 April 2015; last seen by compiler 1 May 2015. ] |
c | BL | ||||||||||
Black Swan, Cygnus
atratus |
The presence of one
or more of these swans within the county has been recorded by
photographs -- See
photos | Photo
Album |.
The general consensus is that the black swans recorded here and
elsewhere in North America are escapees; these swans,
especially in the past, were distributed rather widely in, for example,
ponds near
corporate office buildings. Two sets of reports (Shoberg, 2000; and Doud, 2001) relate to the visit(s) of this species within the county: On the basis of the recorded red beaks, the former reports of two of these swans in the LaCheneaux area during August of 2000 appear to be acceptable records. The bird(?s?), recorded as in the Mackinac Island-St. Ignace area in early January of 2001, is/are shown -- See photos | Photo Album |.. However, the length of time the swan(s) was/were within the areas is unknown; considering the distance between the two locatons where photographs were taken, the question remains as to whether these photographs are of only one or of two different individuals. ¶ It also seems noteworthy that during the January 2001 period, a photograph of a black swan "on Lake Huron recently between Mackinaw City and Cheboygan" was featured on the front page of the Cheboygan Daily Tribune. [NOT on Michigan Checklist (MICkLst)] |
GL | Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
||||||||||
$Wood Duck, Aix sponsa | Forty
to more than fifty were at a pond east of Simmons Rd., ~ 1 mile north
of junction with St. Ignace Rd. each night during
part of May, 2010 (p.c.,Vern Hunt). See
photos | Photo
Album |. Three immature wood ducks were
"cavorting" in a high-grass area off-shore from Boulevard Drive ~ 0.1
mi north of the bridge lookout area - 18 Sept. 2017; these appear
to be the first wood ducks recorded for this part of Lake Michigan. . |
! | uR | f | IL |
||||||||
$Gadwall, Anas Mareca strepera | Two were observed, along with some American wigeons, in a bay along Boulevard Dr., on 28 Apr.2011; three (two males and one female) in same general location, 31 May 2011; 20 plus were near the shore of Lake Huron east of Mackinac Co. Airport, St. Ignace, 21 Oct. 2013. See photos | Photo Album |. | ± | u | f | BL |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
|||||||
? [Eurasian Wigeon, Anas penelope] | "Jerry Ziarno found a male EURASIAN WIGEON in a flock of American Wigeos & Redheads off Point Larbarbe (sec) on April 26th [2007]. Efforts to refind this bird have been unsuccessful." (UP: April 30, 2007) | o? |
|||||||||||
$American Wigeon, Anas americana | A few have been seen each spring each year since 2010 along shore of LakeHuron, near Mackinac Co. Airport and along Blvd., Moran Twp. -- e.g., four males and one female were offshore from Boulevard Dr., daily from 14 to 19 April 2010. See photos | Photo Album |. | # | f | u | BL |
|
|||||||
$American Black Duck, Anas rubripes | One seen at Steeles Creek July 5, and eight more on August 1, 1919 (VT3). See photos | Photo Album | and its caption. | ! | o | u | u | BL |
|
||||||
$Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos | See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | cR | R | BL |
|||||||
$Blue-winged Teal, Anas Spatula discors | A pair offshore from the Boulevard, southwest of St. Ignace- 28 April, 2013; another pair was in reedy area near boat launch ramp in Cedarville 1 May 2013. A few were in water-surrounded bushes along Boulevard Dr., Moran Twp. for several days in early May 2015. . . . The occurrence of this species appears to be increasing, at least during the spring, as of 2016. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | uR | u | IL |
||||||||
? [Cinnamon Teal, Anas cyanoptera] | Accidental (MA). Observed "along Lake Michigan shoreline near St. Ignace, Mackinac County, on 2 May 1977 (DNR)" (P:11). -- BUT, this species is NOT on the "Field Checklist of Birds of Michigan's Upper Peninsula" dated 15 Jan. 2010 (Hi). | o? | |||||||||||
$Northern Shoveler, Anas Spatula clypeata | A complete skeleton (MMSU #2252), collected 1 October 1957 at an unidentified location within the county (FL). One male on "bar" that extends into water from Boulevard Dr. - 10 Apr.2011; pair -- male & female -- near-shore reed area south of junction of Densmore and Boulevard drives. - 17 Apr. 2012; two pair at wastewater lagoon, Cedarville - 22 ... Apr. 2012.At least two were in offshore water-surrounded bushes along Boulevard Dr., Moran Twp for several days in early May 2015 ...See photos | Photo Album |. | ± | f | u | CM |
Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
|||||||
$Northern Pintail, Anas acuta | Uncommon spring visitor to Straints and, for example, Lake Brevort. Six were in ponded water just onshore from still ice-covered Lake Michigan south-southwest of the mouth of the Pointe aux Chenes River - 14 April 2015; one with mallards near shore, east of Rte. 2 and northeastern end of St. Ignace airstrip - 9 January 2017. See photos | Photo Album |. | # | o | u | u | BL |
|
||||||
$Green-winged Teal, Anas crecca | Observations: One near Hessel, 11 August 1920 (VT3); on Mackinac Island, June 1937 (P:10). Four in off shore, near "bar" that extends into lake along Boulevard Dr., St. Ignace - 13 Apr.2011; flock of 10-12 in bay near north end of Boulevard Dr. 31 March 2012. At least two were in offshore water-surrounded bushes along Boulevard Dr., Moran Twp. for several days in early May 2015 See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | u | f | BL | Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
|||||||
$Canvasback, Aythya valisineria | Among
several fairly
recent reports: Two at Point LaBarbe
1 May 2007 (UP: May 7, 2007) Seven observed at
Pte. LaBarbe 7 Apr.2008 by Kirk Zulfelt (UP: May 2, 2008). Two males
and two females observed offshore from Boulevard Dr., daily
12-19 Apr.2010; a
pair was in the same area 18-25 Nov. 2011. A single male was in
same bay 2 Dec. 2011; five were there 26 March 2012; a pair was there
late April, 2013. See
photos | Photo
Album |. |
u | GL | ||||||||||
$Redhead, Aythya
americana |
Perhaps the most numerous of the migrant ducks of the Straits area; more than 5,000 have been in the area at one time -- e.g., early spring of 2013 . See photos | Photo Album |. | ± | o | f | c | GL |
|||||||
$Ring-necked Duck, Aythya collaris | A
pair, female and male, at Clark
Twp. Waste
Water Pond #3, near Cedarville 8
April 2012; male at
Brevprt Twp. wastewater pond, south of Dam Rd., 9 April 2012;
several were in Straits, in Aux Chenes River and in the Clark Twp.
Waste
Water Ponds, near Cedarville in late April and
early May 2013. ... See
photos | Photo
Album |. |
! | f | c | BL |
||||||||
$Greater Scaup, Aythya marila | Greater and Lesser Scaups, both frequently referred to as "bluebills" by hunters, are not distinguished in most records. See photos | Photo Album |. | f | GL | ||||||||||
$Lesser Scaup, Aythya affinis | See note on preceding species. This one is widely thought to be the more ommon species within the county. Frequently a pair or more are with large flocks of redheads -- e.g., 2 April 2017, off shore, northeast of State St., south of junction with Business Rte. 75, in St. Ignace. | ± | u | f | GL | ||||||||
Harlequin
duck, Arlequin plongeur ONE
|
One (presumably only one) recorded at
several near-shore sites between Johnson St.and the Coast Guard
Station on Huron Drive in St. Ignace - 23 October 2017. |
o | |||||||||||
Surf scoter, Melanitta perspicillata | One
reported by Kirk Zulfelt
at Pte. LaBarbe, 4 December [2009] (B:19Jan.'10). |
o | o | GL |
|
||||||||
$White-winged Scoter, Melanitta fusca | One was seen by Vince Yurkuas on 24 June 1985 at an unpublished location in Mackinac [County] (T:915). In addition, Michigan's DNR "has confirmed Type E Botulism in the white-winged scoter... (Mackinac County)." (SG) Five seen by compiler and son off Arnold Transit Company freight dock in St. Ignace, 15 March 2010; one seen at same location and another one off shore along Pte. LaBarbe Rd., 19 April 2013; small group seen in norther Lake Huron, offshore from St. Ignace Airport, 16 October, 2016; off-shore from Boulevard Dr. near launchhing site southeast of junction with Densmore Ave. - 17 October 2017. See photos | Photo Album |. | o | o | o |
GL |
Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
|||||||
Black Scoter, Melanitta nigra | "American Scoter, oidemia americana" among the Autumn birds of the Les Cheneaux Islands area. (VT3). | o | GL | ||||||||||
$Long-tailed Duck, Clangula hyemalis | ***
Formerly
named, and
still widely called, "oldsquaw" and in a few reports as only
"squaw."
"Oldsquaw - a
solitary male in summer plumage ... near Hessel August 11, 1920" (VT3). Michigan's
DNR "has confirmed Type E Botulism in
the long-tailed duck (as probable) ... (Mackinac County)." (SG) Several later
records, most off shore at St. Ignace; in addition, one "on
Milokia Lake [during first full week of November, 2005]" (UP:
November 9, 2005) See
photos | Photo
Album |. |
f | o | f | GL |
Breeding record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
|||||||
$Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola | "I
observed one
flock of eight July 3, 1890." (Wh)
Common migrant. See photos | Photo Album |. |
u | f | f | BL |
||||||||
$Common Goldeneye, Bucephala clangula | A few
of these ducks are often
here during the winter, after the bays are frozen -- usually
in water near the edge of the ice. SSee photos | Photo Album |. |
! |
f | f | f | GL |
|||||||
$Barrow's Goldeneye, Bucephala
islandica
|
Listed as observed at "St. Ignace, Mackinac County" with NO reference or date (P:14). One on southeastern Brevort Lake -- first recorded on the fternoon of 2 October; later observed -- e.g., 5, 6, and 9 October, 2016. See photos | Photo Album |. | o? | o | ||||||||||
$Hooded
Merganser, Lophodytes
cucullatus |
See photos | Photo Album |. |
! |
o | f | f | BL |
|||||||
$Common Merganser, Mergus merganser | See
photos | Photo
Album |. Note
about Common Goldeneye also obtains here. More than 300 adult males, in "breeding
plumage" were in southeastern Christensen Bay in ice-free Brevort Lake,
24 December 2015. |
! |
f | fR | c | BL |
|||||||
$Red-breasted Merganser, Mergus serrator | "Round Island ... A set of nine incubated eggs was taken ...July 4, 1891." (Wh) See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | u | fR | c | GL |
|||||||
$Ruddy Duck, Oxyura jamaicensis | One was killed on Mackinac Island 3 September 1890 (Wh). Female at Clark Twp. Waste Water Pond #3, near Cedarville 23 May 2016. See photo | Photo Album |. | o |
GALLIFORMES
NUMIDDAE
Notes/References | BR |
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt |
LEGEND | |||||||
$Helmeted Guineafowl, Numida meleagris | Not included in total given in Introduction; feral group (claimed by noone within area!) west of Moran, August 2010. See photos | Photo Album |. [NOT on Michigan Checklist (MICkLst)] | |
ODONTOPHORIDAE
Notes/References | BR |
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt |
LEGEND | |||||||
Northern Bobwhite, Colinus virginianus extirpated (?) |
Two on Mackinac Island, 24 July 1890. "Mr. Early [landowner on island] states that they were once common on his farm , but were exterminated by hunters." (Wh) Although, as noted to the left, the species has been considered for several years as "extirpated" so far as Mackinac Co., one was seen, heard, and photographed in St. Ignace in early April, 2012! -- Thus the (?); one was seen east of Huron Street, , St. Ignace -- 7 September 2017 See photo | Photo Album |. | o |
Notes/References | BR |
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt |
LEGEND | |||||||
$+Gray
Partridge, Perdix
perdix (introduced; now absent) |
Widely called Hungarian partridge. This species is NOT on the "Field Checklist of Birds of Michigan's Upper Peninsula" dated 15 Jan.2010 (Hi). Frances, my wife, and our "kids" and one of their spouses saw a couple of these on Drummond Island, Chippewa Co., Summer of 1997. [NOT on Michigan Checklist (MICkLst)] | ||||||||||||
$Ring-necked Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus | "Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) This species, native to Asia and introduced into the United States as a game bird, is rare within the county. Pheasants recently seen seem likely to represent those known to have been hatched from eggs obtained from, for example, the Rudyard Co-op -- e.g., in 2007, Cheryl Amacher, who lives on Charles Moran Rd. west of M123, hatched 10-12 eggs, later released the pheasants, and subsequently saw one of the hens regularly thereafter (she thinks that the others probably became food for predators such as coyotes and hawks). However, see dates on photos and note the fact that a male and female were together south the Brevort Lake Rd (H37) east of Black Point Rd.during the mating season, June, 2011. See photos | Photo Album |. ¶ A dark melanistic or mutant individual was foraging in a field east of Pleasant Ave. and north of Linck Rd., Garfield Twp. on 6 May 2014; this bird -- See photo in Appendix A. "Remarkables" group near end of the photo album. | # | u | u | u | BO | Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional Breeding record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
||||||
$Ruffed Grouse, Bonasa umbellus | Referred to as partridge in some reports. One with chicks viewed on southeast side of Rte H40, ~2.2 miles west of Chippewa County line, 28 June 2012. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | R | R | R | MH |
|||||||
Spruce Grouse, Falcipennis canadensis | Special
Concern See photo | Photo Album |. photograph are in "Wish List" group. |
! | R | R | R | SC |
|||||||
$Sharp-tailed Grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus | Special Concern Recent examples: "3 ... at Point (sic) LaBarbe on 20th [December, 2005] (UP: January 24, 2006); a flock of 20-plus birds was east of Simmons Rd., ca. 1 mile north of St. Ignace Rd., January, 2010; 8 were north of Lovegrove Rd. east of Rte.123, April, 2011. See photos | Photo Album |. | # | R | R | R | UO |
|
||||||
Greater Prairie-Chicken, Tympanuchus cupido (extirpated) | Last recorded in state in 1981 (G:81). | |
|||||||||||
$Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo | See photos | Photo Album |. | # | uR | uR | R | MH |
GAVIFORMESf
GAVIIDAE
Notes/References | BR | Wi |
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Red-throated Loon, Gavia stellata |
“Rare
transient and
winter visitant ... In most instances only a single individual ...,
usually along the Great Lakes shores." (Wd:17) "Observed on
Mackinac Island or in the surrounding waters of the Straits... during
the past 15 years." (MSHP) [ Among reports from adjacent counties, "Christofferson reported 1 at Blaney, Schoolcraft Count, on October 23 and 24, 1933." (Wd:17) ] One off shore along Boulevard Dr. 21 October 2017 |
o? |
o? |
GL |
Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent u - uncommon |
||||||||
Pacific Loon, Gavia
pacifica |
Off shore from Cloverland Electric ...
, St. Ignace 2 December 2013 (Be) |
o? | o - occasional | ||||||||||
$Common Loon, Gavia immer | Threatened
Michigan's DNR "has confirmed Type E
Botulism in the common ... (Mackinac County)." (SG) See
photos | Photo
Album |. Observed almost every summer -- i.e., mid-August to mid-September -- on the three inland lakes that have boat access -- e.g., a pair on Thompson Lake late July, 2015; also in Lake Huron off-shore from the family cottage, which is on the east side of the island. (Vj) Frequently heard, less often seen, near shores of Lake Huron (e.g., near Hessel) and Lake Michigan (e.g., at Gros Cap); seen in Brevort lake (e.g., 26 June 2010 and 14 October 2016). See photos | Photo Album |. |
! | uR | f | BL |
PODICIPEDIFORMES
PODICIPEDIDAE
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt |
LEGEND | |||||||
$Pied-billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps | *** The most common grebe of the area. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | f | BL |
||||||||
$Horned Grebe, Podiceps auritus | Two
offshore from
Boulevard Dr., St. Ignace - 20 Oct. 2009. One in Lake
Michigan, offshore from South State St., St. Ignace - 21 Oct. 2011
and two in Lake Brevort - 22 Oct. 2011. Two offshore down-town
dock
area, St. Ignace - 17 Oct. 2012 and five in Lake Brevort - 4 Nov. 2012.
Three offshore south State St., St. Ignace 5-7 May 2013; seven in Christensen Bay of Lake
Brevort
19-22 October 2014. ... See
photos | Photo
Album |.
|
o | u | f | GL |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
|||||||
$Red-necked Grebe, Podiceps
grisegena |
A single breeding record, in a marsh near Cedarville, dates to June 1976 (Ch). Michigan's DNR "has confirmed Type E Botulism in the red-necked grebe ... (Mackinac County)." (SG) And, "observed on Mackinac Island or in the surrounding waters of the Straits... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) "at Pt. (sic) LaBarbe on 23rd [April, 2006]." (UP: April 25, 2006) Three in Straits, off Dock #3, St. Ignace- 14 April 2012. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | o | f | |||||||||
Western
Grebe, Aechmophorus occidentalis |
"Word-of-mouth"
reports of
sightings of this bird within the Straits area have existed over
several years. An occurrence in mid January, 2013 has been
verified by a number of dependable observers. |
o |
SULIFORMES
FREGATIDAE
|
Notes/References | BR |
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt |
LEGEND | ||||||
Frigatebird, Magnificent, Fregata magnificens | Observed in Straits area from Boulevard, 23 September 2017; presumed to have been here, perhaps after being seen and photographed in Wisconsin on the the preceding day, as one of the consequences of one of the major hurricanes -- i.e., Harvey or Irma, or Maria (Jones, 2017). [ v in S/F column is for vagrant / visitor.] | v |
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt |
LEGEND | |||||||
$Double-crested
Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus |
In 2010, Green Island (Lake Michigan) is recorded as the "home to ... 600 Double-crested Cormorant pairs ...." (NA) Juvenile double-crested cormorant was observed diving, ... and swallowing a rather large fish in the "slip," where the public boat ramp is, east of Waterfont Park and Dock #3 Rd. -- 30 December 2016 (Kurt R. Dietrich & rvd). See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | o | cR | c | GL |
|||||||
?[Neotropic Cormorant, Phalacrocorax brasilianus] | Bird questioned as such on dock along north of Michigan Rte H57 (Brevort Lake Rd.) T.41N.-R.5W. of Brevort Township 7 September 2013. See photo AND note in its caption. | Photo Album |. | o |
PELECANIFORMES
PELECANIDAE
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt |
LEGEND | |||||||
$American
White Pelican, Pelecanus
erythrorhynchos |
One is recorded as flying over the I-75/M-123 interchange north of St. Ignace, 26 September 2005 (Au). "A flock of 15-20 ... on South Manistique Lake on June 8th [2008]" (UP: June 10, 2008). "26 ... reported [and photographed] ...in the outer Prentis Bay" 29 May 2012 (SM). Five in flight above Boulevard Dr, St. Ignace, and the adjacent offshore area 10 June 2012 -- See photos | Photo Album |. Later: Six in flight above shoreline of Lake Michigan at Gros Cap (15 May 2014); 12 on lake side of a motel northeast of St. Ignace business section (23 June 2015) (p.c., Bob Brown); "Small flock..., maybe 20 flyover on Highway 2, near Epoufette, heading south toward the lake." 23 June 2016. (p.c., Judi Mouser) | o | o |
ARDEIDAE
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$American
Bittern, Botaurus
lentiginosus |
Special Concern "Several were observed ... and one specimen taken by T.G. White [on Mackinac Island]." (Wh) More recent occurrences include those photographically recorded -- e.g., See photos | Photo Album | -- and one in swamp area beside Boulevard Drive, 26 July 2015; one (a different one) in same area 10 August 2015. | ! | uR | u | CM |
|
|||||||
Least Bittern, Ixobrychus exilis | Threatened Although noted as "an abundant bird in all suitable places in the state" (Ba:133), the nearest records that I have found, other than the indication of the probable breeding, is for Cheboygan county (Wd:38 & Pe:38). | # | o | CM |
|||||||||
$Great
Blue Heron, Ardea
herodias |
See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | o | fR | f | IL |
Key: | ||||||
$Great Egret , Ardea alba |
"Brian
Johnson reported 5 GREAT EGRETS at Pt. Aux Chenne on the 26th [August,
2006] (UP: August 26, 2006). Two
observed at Pte. LaBarbe 7 Apr.2008 by Kirk Zulfelt (UP:
May 2, 2008). One
in reeds offshore Boulevard Dr. 11 June 2012. Two
in swamp southwest of western junction of Densmore Dr. and
Boulevard Dr. 17 June 2014; one
to three
in same general area mid May through early June, 2015; one
in same general area--e.g., 6, 11 & 25 July 2015. The occurrence -- i.e., the
number -- of this species appears to be increasing, at least
during the spring, as of 2016 --
See
photos | Photo
Album |. ¶ "I
found a
pair nesting on Green Island a handful of years ago. ... at the
time it was the northernmost breeding record in the state. We
went back after the eggs hatched d got some good photos."
(F.Cuthbert, p.c., 2015) -- added BR. > Fall -- 18 October 2017 - at mouth of Pt. aux Chenes River (KRD). |
! |
f | u | R - resident c - common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
||||||||
? [Snowy Egret, Egretta
thula] |
Widespread
hearsay has this bird within the county a few summers ago. The presence
of one at two fairly nearby locations west of St. Ignace is given on
the Mich-listers web site for May 2004 (Ci). [A photograph that
was so
labeled and sent to the compiler was of a Great egret!!
] |
o? | |||||||||||
? [Tricolored Heron , Egretta tricolor] | Casual (MA). One was reported by Matt & Cyndi Johnstone at Pte. LaBarbe on 3 July 2006 (UP: July 12, 2006). | o? | |||||||||||
Cattle
Egret, Bubulcus
ibis |
One was reported to Rarebirds.com as along a shoreline, near St. Ignace, 21 Aug. 2006. Five were on lawns in the Graham Point area of Southeastern St. Ignace, 1 November2016 (p.c., Sally Herbon and Janie Perry). | Photo Album |. | o | o | ||||||||||
$Green Heron, Butorides virescens | "Observed
on Mackinac Island or in the
surrounding waters of the Straits... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) The species is listed on the
checklist
of
the Hiawatha
National Forest
(n.d.). A
friend, who is an experienced, objective
"bird-watcher" indicates that one or more of these herons has been in
the swampy area south of Poupard Bay, off Gros Cap Rd., Moran Twp. each
of the last several years.
See
photos | Photo
Album |. The # breeding entry given here for this bird, added in August 2014, is based on observations of adult herons within an area in the county in early July, the fact that eggs of this species hatch in 19-21 days, and the presence of a juvenile bird in the same area in early August. added BR. > |
# |
u | AS |
Breeding record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
||||||||
$Black-crowned Night-Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax | Special Concern In the past, the following information was said to obtain: St. Helena Island "supports a moderately large colony of nesting Black-crowned Night Herons." Bear Island is the "home to a moderately large colony." [and] Green Island (Lake Michigan) is the "home to a small number of nesting Black-crowned Night-Herons." (NA) "9 ..at Pt. (sic) LaBarbe on 23rd [April, 2006]." (UP: April 25, 2006) Four (or more) arrived several nights (each night?) at about sunset at the St. Ignace Marina during much of May and June in 2012 -- see especially the one photographed on 11 May 2012. At launching ramp south of Dock 3, St. Ignace -- several evenings, near sundown, late May and early June 2015 & 2016; three at St. Igance Marina breakwater early June, 2017. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | uR | f | IL |
ACCIPITRIFORMES
CATHARTIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
Black Vulture, Coragyps
altratus |
Single
one above
Boulevard, Moran Twp., 10
& 13 June 2012.
One
north of Engadine, after the passing of a major southern front with
high winds,
200? (Linda Boisclair,
p.c.). |
o |
|||||||||||
$Turkey
Vulture, Cathartes aura |
"Late"
winter/"early" spring pair at Allenville, 18 March 2012. See
photos | Photo
Album |. The photo by Cheeseman, which is in the photo album, indicates that an ! is more likely correct in the BR column. |
# <see |
o |
cR | c | IH | |
|
PANDIONIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Osprey, Pandion haliaetus | Special Concern fairly common in Les Cheneaux area of Lake Huron. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! |
fR | u | BL | |
|
ACCIPITRIDAE
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
? [Mississippi
Kite, Icinia mississippiensis] |
"4 May 1990 in Mackinac County"
(G) |
o? | o | ||||||||||
$Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus | [Special Concern <<removed from list 2007?!] Habitat: widespread near Lakes Huron & Micigan. Currently (in 2000s and into early 2010s) is becoming more abundant both as a resident and as a migrant (e.g., a group of 12 was at Gros Cap in mid-November, 2011); thrityfive (35) were in the trees bordering the abandoned sandpit east -- i.e., across Rte.2 -- of the Harold "Jim" Nyquist Roadside Park on Rte. 2, near Gros Cap during in the early evening of 2 November 2014; more than fifty (50) were there the next morning. See also the note re the 2015 spring migration in Golden Eagle entry.See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | R | cR | R | BL |
Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
||||||
$Northern Harrier, Circus cyaneus | Special Concern Formerly widely referred to as "marsh hawk." "Two very late for the UP ... December 8th" reported by Gerald Vork and Steve Baker (B:19 Jan.'10). See photos | Photo Album |. | # | o | fR | f | WD |
|||||||
$Sharp-shinned
Hawk,
Accipiter striatus |
An adult male was atop a suet-holding crook at Gros Cap 5 April 2014; an immature individual was on the ground at the same locality 6 May 2014. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | o | uR | u |
SC |
|
||||||
$Cooper's Hawk, Accipiter cooperii | Formerly widely referred to as "chicken hawk." However, this former desig nation was also sometimes given sharp-shinned and even red-tailed hawks. See photo | Photo Album |. | ! | u | uR | u | MH |
Breeding record: | ||||||
$Northern
Goshawk,
Accipiter gentilis |
Special
Concern "In 1889
two pairs ... could be seen on any clear day [from Mackinac
Island]."
(Wh)
One at Evergreen Shores,
Spring, 2015. |
! | u | o | o | MH |
! -
definite # - probable |
||||||
$Red-shouldered
Hawk, Buteo lineatus |
Threatened "A pair lived on the [Mackinac] island in 1890." (Wh) Two recent observations were near Moran -- 9 September 2010 & 6 September 2012. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | u | u | MH |
± - possible | |||||||
$Broad-winged Hawk, Buteo platypterus | See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | o | fR | f |
MH |
|
||||||
$Swainson's Hawk, Buteo swainsoni | One (UMMZ) collected [near Hessel] 13 October 1908 by Clarence Law (Z&VT:13). See photos | Photo Album |. | o | o | ||||||||||
$Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis | A
hawk that my experience and current additional checking in/of several
articles and photographs would be identified as a Harlan' Hawk (i.e.,
the subspecies
B. j. harlani) was
at Gros Cap on 7 December 2016. See photos | Photo Album |. |
! | uR | fR | R | WD |
|||||||
$Ferruginous Hawk, Buteo regalis | A hawk, which on the basis ofmy experience and checking in/of several articles and photographs (see note with the photos) was identified as a Ferruginous Hawk (dark or intermediate morph), was south of Brevort Lake Road, just west of the Apple Lane Junction - 21 & 22 February 2017. See photos | Photo Album |. | o | |||||||||||
$Rough-legged
Hawk, Buteo
lagopus |
Recorded on Mackinac Island (Wh). Fairly common in sporadic "meadow areas" -- perhaps as residents. See photos | Photo Album |. | ± |
f |
|
f |
||||||||
$Golden Eagle, Aquila chrysaetos |
A tracked golden eagle of northern Quebec "migrated along Hudson Bay, then moved through Ontario to cross the Great Lakes by the Strait of Mackinac..." (Br) "Brian Zwiebel reported an immature GOLDEN EAGLE on a deer kill along I-75 north of St. Ignace on February 5th [2007]." (UP: February 13, 2007) One was seen east of Engadine by two experienced observers, 9 July 2011. Two reports indicate that at least 224 of these eagles, 113 bald eagles and eight species of hawks passed through Macinac City (south of the Straits in Michigan's lower peninsula) during the Spring of 2015 (The St. Ignace News, March 26 and April 2 editions). See photos | Photo Album |. | o |
o | o |
RALLIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
? [Yellow Rail, Coturnicops noveboracensis] | Threatened Although I have been told this species has been heard in the swamp area east of Hessel, I have found no record of its being observed within the county. The species is recorded for adjacent Chippewa and Schoolcraft counties. | o? | CM |
Key: R - resident |
|||||||||
Virginia
Rail, Rallus limicola |
*** One with downy young on marshy shore of mill-pond of Hessel 3 August 1919 (VT3). Also, it is reported "as breeding at Nimmons Bay [-- no so-named bay within area -- perhaps Mismer Bay? --], near Hessel (2 nests with eggs found June 22, 1934, by F.C. Gillett)." (Wd:150) So, a ! seems to be correct BR > See photos | Photo Album |. | ± <see |
u | u | CM |
c -
common f - frequent u- uncommon o - occasional |
|||||||
Sora, Porzana
carolina |
"Common summer
resident in marshes [on Mackinac Island]" (Wh) Near
Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 (St/Sj).
In marshy area east side of
St. Martin Bay 9 June 2016 (KD, p.c.). |
# | fR | f | CM |
||||||||
$American Coot, Fulica americana | Sporadic
in n marshy areas along
north shore
of Lakes Huron and Michigan.
See photo | Photo Album |. |
± | uR | f | BL |
GRUIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Sandhill Crane, Grus canadensis | See
photos | Photo
Album |. -- see especially the Sequence in the Main
tabulated group.
"Avian history
reveals that cranes are ancient birds. The Sandhill Crane we see today
was present some 9 million years ago, and its ancestors date back 40 to
60 million years." (G:96)
|
! | fR | c | UO |
CHARADRIIFORMES
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su |
S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
? [Black-necked Stilt, Himantopus
mexicanus] |
Casual (MA). Pair said to have been killed and mounted [in late 1800s] from "the shore near St. Ignace." oral report to Barrows (1912, p. 170). However, N.A.Wood (1951) "excluded [this species] from [his Michigan checklist] ... for lack of positive evidence" BUT included it on his "Hypothetical List." So?? In any case, it is NOT on the "Field Checklist of Birds of Michigan's Upper Peninsula" that is dated 15 January 2010 (Hi). | o? |
Key: R-resident c - common f - frequent u- uncommon o - occasional |
||||||||||
American
Avocet, Recurvirostra americana |
In "bridge view" area west of the U.P. end of the Mackinac Bridge, 31 May 2003 (Bo). Note that pre 1951 observations of this bird within Michigan were "excluded from [his Michigan checklist] ... for lack of positive evidence." BUT it is included on his "Hypothetical List" (Wd) and it is on the Audoubon Checklist for Michigan (NA). In addition to these inconsistent "observations" and conclusions (albeit some are tentative), a specimen, number 214980, from "Mackinac Island, on 20 September 1968" is recorded (P:21). | o? | Breeding record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Black-bellied Plover, Pluvialis squatarola | Noted as in eastern Mackinac County from August 18 through October in 1929 (Wd:168) [to me, this report is a bit garbled!]. Near Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 (St/Sj). Three west of Hessel, late May, 2011 --See photos | Photo Album |. | o | WB |
||||||||||
$American
Golden-Plover, Pluvialis dominica |
Recorded as one of the Autumn birds of the Les Cheneaux Islands (W5). Five American golden plovers were on shore, Boulevard Dr., Moran Twp. 25 September 2013 See photos | Photo Album |. | u | WB |
Key: R - resident c - common |
|||||||||
$Semipalmated Plover, Charadrius semipalmatus | Near Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 (St/Sj). One with Dunlin along Boulevard, Moran Twp. 18 May 2015; single bird(s) along Boulevard Dr. 10 & 25 August 2015; two along Boulevard Dr. 3 June 2017; additional dates are on photos. See photos | Photo Album |. | u |
o |
WB |
f - frequent | ||||||||
Piping Plover, Charadrius melodus | Endangered "Between 2002 and 2006, [the Pointe Aux Chenes beachfront] supported between 3 and 8 pairs [of these plovers]." (NA) also during Summer of 2009 (St/Sj). See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | uR | WB |
u -
uncommon o - occasional |
||||||||
$Killdeer, Charadrius
vociferus |
See photos | Photo Album |. | ! |
cR | c | UO |
SCOLOPACIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su |
S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Spotted
Sandpiper, Actitis
macularius |
"Very common summer resident [on Mackinac Island, where it] feeds on stone spiders." (Wh) At Clark Twp. Waste Water Ponds, near Cedarville -- e.g., May 2012 - 2015; in Lake Michigan wash along Boulevard Dr., Moran Twp., summer, 2015. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! |
cR |
f | LK | ||||||||
$Solitary Sandpiper, Tringa solitaria | On Mackinac Island (Wh); "observed on ... [the] Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP). Three at Clark Twp. Waste Water Pondsf, near Cedarville 9 May 2012; one or more there May/June 2013-15; one in Lake Michigan wash along Boulevard Dr., Moran Twp., 4-7 July 2015; five, 12 July 2015. A virtually black (melanistic??) one at Clark Twp. Waste Water Pond, near Cedarville -- 15 May 2016. See photos | Photo Album |. | u | f | ||||||||||
$Greater
Yellowlegs, Tringa
melanoleuca
|
"Several flocks" observed in Les Cheneaux Islands area, August 1918 (VT4). Near Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 (St/Sj). Small flocks in ponded water on fields in Allenville area, late April and early May, 2010, 2013 & 2014; five in Lake Michigan wash, along Boulevard, 12 July 2015. See photos | Photo Album |. | o | f | |
|||||||||
Willet, Tringa semipalmata | On Mackinac Island (Wh). | o | Key: | ||||||||||
$Lesser
Yellowlegs, Tringa
flavipes
|
Flocks seen during August 1918 and 1920 in Les Cheneaux Islands area (VT4). Near Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 (St/Sj). Same area, with greater yellowlegs during fall migration, 2012; with greater yellowlegs east of Allenville, 2 May 201; one along Boulevard, Moran Twp., 31 July 2014; six in Lake Michigan wash, along Boulevard, 4 July 2015; two, same locality, 10 July 2015; three,12 July 2015. See photos | Photo Album |. | u | f | R - resident c - common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
|||||||||
Upland
Sandpiper,
Bartramia longicauda |
Formerly
widely
called "upland plover."
|
# | uR | o | UO |
||||||||
$Whimbrel, Numenius
phaeopus |
Near Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 (St/Sj); along shore in St. Ignace, 20 April 2012 -- seen by Matt Hunt (p.c., Vern Hunt, 24 Apr. 2012); in Sand Bay beside Boulevard Dr. 3 - 5 Oct. 2012. A flock of 70-plus (count verified by photographs) along the shoreline off Graham St., St. Ignace City, 23 May 2013. See photos | Photo Album |. | u | o | WB | Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
||||||||
Marbled
Godwit, Limosa fedoa |
Near Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 (St/Sj). | u | WB | |
|||||||||
Ruddy
Turnstone, Arenaria
interpres |
Near Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 (St/Sj). A single turnstone was with the 70-plus whimbrels (see above) offshore from Graham St., St.. Ignace City, 23 May 2013. See photos | Photo Album |. | o | WB |
|
|||||||||
$Red Knot, Calidris canutus | "I
saw two pinkish-breasted
individuals on the shore of the small pond at Green Island [25 June
1954]." (Pe). Six tentatively identified on shore near Boulevard
Dr., Moran Twp. 19 September 2012. |
o | WB | ||||||||||
$Stilt Sandpiper, Calidris himantopus | Specimens have been collected near Cheboygan (Wd:196-197&Pe:56-57). A pair were photographed in pond west of Apple Lane, Brevort Twp. 29 April 2016. | o | |||||||||||
Sanderling, Calidris alba | Near Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 (St/Sj). | o |
o? | |
|||||||||
$Dunlin, Calidris alpina | "I watched one individual, with grayish back and small, dark splotches on the underparts ... at Green Island [25 June 1954]." (Pe) Also, near Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 (St/Sj). One was seen on Mackinac Island on December 16, 2011 (PJ) -- However, the photographer of the photo shown in that article told me that the bird was actually near shore in St. Ignace City (p.c., Steve Baker). Three at Clark Twp. water disposal ponds 1 June 2017 (K.R. Dietrich and compiler) See photos | Photo Album |. | u | WB |
Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
|||||||||
$Baird's Sandpiper, Calidris bairdii | "The
highest
number claimed is 60 on 29 May 1958..." (G:110) |
u | |||||||||||
$Least Sandpiper, Calidris
minutilla |
*** "Rather rare migrant on Round Island" (Wh). Recorded near Hessel in September 1918 (VT4). Near Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 (St/Sj). Seven in Lake Michigan "wash" by Boulevard Dr. Moran Twp. 7 July 2015; others, usually only 1-3 at any time, in same area mid-late July 2015. See photos | Photo Album |. | o | o | ||||||||||
$White-rumped
Sandpiper, Calidris
fuscicollis |
Two
- in muddy flat along Boulevard
Dr., Moran Twp. mid July 2015; four, same location, 4 August 2015. . |
u | |||||||||||
? [Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Calidris subruficollis] | Per county list on eBird (www.ebird.org): "Buff-breasted Sandpiper [in county] see http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S9139721. However, requests for details (p.c. to, Marshall Iliff, eBird Project Leader, 12 April 2012) received no response. |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
|||||||||||
$Pectoral Sandpiper, Calidris melanotos | Seen rather frequently during August of 1919 and 1920 in Les Cheneaux Islands area (VT3). One with five American golden plovers on shore, Boulevard Dr., Moran Twp. 25 September 2013; one with two yellowlegs at same locality 11 July 2015, See photos | Photo Album |. | f | f | ||||||||||
&Semipalmated Sandpiper, Calidris pusilla | Specimen collected on Mackinac Island 4 September 1889 (Wh). Near Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 (St/Sj). Small (~6) flock in Lake Michigan "wash" along Boulevard, Moran Twp. mid-July 2015. One at Clark Twp. water disposal ponds 1 June 2017 (K.R. Dietrich and compiler) See photos | Photo Album |. | o | |
||||||||||
$Western
Sandpiper, Calidris mauri |
One near lake shore along Boulevard Dr., Moran Twp. 30 July through 1 August 2014; four in Lake Michigan wash along Boulevard Dr. 4 July 2015; two, 22 July 2015, etc. See photos | Photo Album |. | u | |||||||||||
$Short-billed Dowitcher, Limnodromus griseus | Near Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 -- but, the Short-billed designation is questioned. (St/Sj). Three at Clarke Twp. waterwaste disposal ponds 10 May 2012; 16 at same location 15 May 2016. See photos | Photo Album |. | o |
o | ||||||||||
? [Long-billed Dowitcher, Limnodromus scolopaceus] | See
above entry, second comment and
the photographs. -- Possibly one, in particular, or even
more of those shown is/are long-billed .... |
o | |||||||||||
$Wilson's
Snipe, Gallinago
delicata |
"Rare migrant. I flushed one in a meadow [on Mackinac Island] September 17, 1889." (Wh) Also, Near Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 (St/Sj); east of Allenville late April 2013; lakeside of Boulevard Dr. late July & early August 2014; mid-July 2015. See photos | Photo Album |. | # | uR | f | LS |
Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent |
|||||||
$American Woodcock, Scolopax minor | "Often flushed from the middle of shaded roads towards evening [on Mackinac Island]." (Wh) See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR |
f |
UO |
u -
uncommon o - occasional |
|||||||
$Wilson's
Phalarope, Phalaropus tricolor |
Four (one "spinning") in pond north of Rte.2, east of Brevort Lake Rd. 2 October 2013. See photos | Photo Album |. | o |
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
Parasitic Jaeger, Stercorarius parasiticus | "Adult observed perched on rock off LaFayette Point [Bois Blanc Island], June 20, 1942 by O.M. Root and T. Nelson." (Z&VT:23) | o |
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
? [Black-legged Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla] | "'Rare
accidental
Visitor' (Gibbs' Birds of Michigan); 'rare at Mackinac Island' (S.E.
White)" (Co:219-220).
"Frequent in winter on Lake Huron, common around
Straits of
Mackinac" (A2).
However, N.A.
Wood
(1951) "excluded [this species] from [his Michigan
checklist] ... for lack of positive evidence," BUT he includes
it on
his
"Hypothetical List." |
o? | o? | ||||||||||
$Bonaparte's
Gull, Chroicocephalus philadelphia |
"Dr. M.Gibbs is reported to have seen a flock on Mackinac Island." (Co:221) Christofferson saw one, June 3, 1936 at Gould City (Wd:212). "Observed on Mackinac Island or in the surrounding waters of the Straits... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) Five offshore from the Old State Ferry dock, St. Ignace, 30 April 2013; two in Mismer Bay west of Hessel, 1 May 2013. ~ 25 in Straits area, east of the southern end of State St., St. Ignace City, 9 May 2016. See photos | Photo Album |. | o | u | Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
|||||||||
Little
Gull, Hydrocoloeus minutus |
A "small black-headed gull in St. Ignace [believed to be] an adult Little Gull ... on the water ... with two Bonaparts (sic) Gulls which were at least 25% larger . The smaller gull lacked the white eye liner of the Bonies, had obvious white wing tips at rest, appeared to have a shorter and thicker neck, and showed a slightly more extensive black hood. [It was] observed from the Cloverland Electric facility [St. Ignace.] ... fuzzy photos[*] ... show the size difference at least." (p.c. Steve Baker, 21 April 2016) See photos | Photo Album |. | o | |||||||||||
? [Franklin's Gull, Leucophaeus pipixcan] | Per county list on eBird (www.ebird.org): "Franklin's
Gull takes me here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S6574292.
When I check the review status, I see it has not been reviewed, so I
have asked the observer for more details." (p.c.,
Marshall Iliff, eBird Project Leader, 12 April
2012) My request for details received no
response. |
o? | |||||||||||
$Ring-billed Gull, Larus delawarensis | Green Island (Lake Michigan) is recorded as the "home to ... many nesting ... Ring-billed Gulls." [and] Little Hog Island "supports Michigan's 5th largest Ring-billed Gull breeding colony." (NA) See the third paragraph in the following entry. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! |
oR | cR | c | BL |
|||||||
$Herring
Gull, Larus
argentatus |
Michigan's
DNR "has confirmed Type E Botulism in the herring gull ...
(Mackinac County)." (SG)
See also the remarks about hybridization with Greater Black-backed Gull
in the notes for that species. (NA) Green Island (Lake Michigan) is recorded as the "home to ... many nesting Herring ... Gulls." -- It seems likely that the "home to..." statement was based on information then known but only subsequently published by Cuthbert and Wires (C&W). Information from that report is given in the second paragraph of text between the photographs of the Herring and Ring-billed gulls in the Photo Album. See photos | Photo Album |. |
! |
uR | fR | c | GL |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
||||||
$Iceland
Gull, Larus
glaucoides |
"Observed
in winter in Straits of Mackinac (Pettingill, 1974 [not seen])."
(P:28) --
Apparently the date was 8 Feb.[1974?] and the observer
was Michael Kielb. |
o | |||||||||||
$Glaucous Gull, Larus
hyperboreus |
Three seen 4 March 1945 near St. Ignace by G.A. Ammann (Z&VT:24). One on shore side of State St., near junction with East Elliott Ave. 31 Dec. 2011. One off-shore at Gros Cap 19 Dec. 2016. See photos | Photo Album |. | o | GL | ||||||||||
$Great Black-backed
Gull, Larus marinus |
"Observed on Mackinac Island or in the surrounding waters of the Straits... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) BR indication for this bird is based on Granlund et al. (1995, p.126). One is recorded as "in the [Herring] gull colony at Pt. Labarbe. [and] This is a known area for Great Black-backs for nesting, including hybridizing with Herring Gulls." (UP: March 27, 2009) Small flock off shore (ice!) 7 March 2013. See photo | Photo Album |. | # | o | o | |||||||||
$Caspian
Tern, Hydroprogne caspia |
Threatened "I repeatedly took this tern, and should call it common [at Mackinac Island]." (Wh) On inland lakes, commonly with smaller terns, during recent summers. (Vj) See photos | Photo Album |. | # | uR | GL | |||||||||
$Black Tern, Chlidonias niger | Special Concern Rather common during summers along causeway from mainland to Hill Island 2010-2014 but not after the environmental change in 2015. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | uR | u |
GL |
Key: |
|||||||
$Common Tern, Sterna hirundo | Threatened Epoufette Island shoal is recorded as the "Home to a moderately large colony of nesting Common terns." The Sand Products "man-made breakwall extending into Lake Michigan at Brevoort (sic) [is recorded as the] Home to a large ...nesting colony." [and] The "rock- covered dock [at the St. Ignace Coast Guard Station has a] nesting colony.". (NA) See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | GL |
R - resident c - common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
||||||||
$Forster's Tern, Sterna forsteri | In my experience, the "f" (=frequent) seems to be an overstatement! See photo | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | GL |
|||||||||
? [Royal Tern, Thalasseus maxima] |
"I
examined several
specimens. Rather more rare than S. tshegrava [=Caspian Tern]." (Wh) However, N.A. Wood
(1951) "excluded [this species] from [his Michigan
checklist]
... for lack of positive evidence." And, it is not on the
Audoubon Checklist for Michigan birds (NA). |
COLUMBIFORMES
COLUMBIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Rock Pigeon, Columba livia | Three "flocks" that seem noteworthy in 2009-2010: 1. one in St. Ignace; 2.one, most pigeons of which are white, just west of Garnet, Hundson Twp.; [and] 3.a small flock with diverse patterns on their backs and wings, along Duke's Road west of Moran. -- See photos | Photo Album |. | ± | cR | cR | cR | Sev- eral |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
||||||
Passenger
Pigeon, Ectopistes
migratorius (extinct, no records this century) |
Mackinac Island observations: "A large flock was seen ...August 30, 1889 ... About a hundred were observed Sept. 10 and on Sept. 12 ... None were observed in 1890 or 1891." (Wh) [The last confirmed record of this bird in Michigan was 1896 (G:149) / 1898 (NA).] | ||||||||||||
? [White-winged Dove, Zenaida asiaica] | Casual (MA). One reported to have been at the feeders of Barb & Jeff Brockway at Milakokia Lake, 7 September 2008 (UP: September 11, 2008). |
|
|||||||||||
$Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura | See photos | Photo Album |. | # | uR | fR | fR |
UO |
|
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus | Observed on Mackinac Island 6 July 1889 (Wh). See photo | Photo Album |. | # | uR | u | AS | ||||||||
$Black-billed
Cuckoo, Coccyzus
erythropthalmus |
"One specimen taken July 13, 1889. Not uncommon summer resident in 1890 and 1891 [on Mackinac Island]." (Wh) A nest with 2 young near Hessel,...on June 23, 1919 (VT3). Along Wartella Rd., Brevort Twp. June 2010. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | u | MH |
STRIGIFORMES
STRIGIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus | Specimen
(UMMZ) from St. Ignace, dated 1 March 1919 (Wd:233).
"Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15
years."
(MSHP) Photos verify three occurrences: 23 February 2007,
Pte.LaBarbe, Moran Twp. -- See
photos | Photo
Album |. 24 January
2014, Old Portage Rd., near St. Ignace. |
! |
uR | uR | uR | MF |
Key:
R - resident c - common f - frequent u - uncommon |
||||||
$Snowy Owl, Bubo scandiacus | One was recorded in the county on July 4, 1987 (G:145). One was on the "Big Mac" bridge (Mackinac County side) on 20 November 2012. The winter of 2014-2015 featured a much larger than usual number of Snowy Owls in Mackinac and adjoining Chippewa counties: See photos | Photo Album |. | o | o | o | IH |
o
- occasional |
|||||||
$+Northern Hawk Owl, Surnia ulula | The record for the presence of this owl within Mackinac Co. is less than clear, but it seems likely that the bird has at least now and then occurred. I have seen it a few miles north of the county line in Chippewa Co. AND south of the Straits, in Cheboygan Co. but not within Mackinac Co. See photos | Photo Album |. in the "Wish List" group. | CF | Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
||||||||||
$Barred
Owl, Strix varia |
"Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) For three more recently recorded observations, See photos [Photo Album]. | ! | uR | uR |
|
MF |
|||||||
$Great Gray Owl, Strix nebulosa | "A
specimen
in the Agricultural College [now MSU] collection, taken at St. Ignace
... in January, 1894" (Ba:310).
Four
others were collected: 1.Milakokia Lake - 27 October 1946
[preserved by H. Moilanen];
2. a female at
county line
near Rudyard - 18 November 1950; 3.one near Gould City - 25 Feb.1951 (Z&VT:29); 4."GRPM
29211 from [an undesignated locality,] Mackinac County on 9 May 1967"
(P:33). Two
later recorded occurrences are: "1 on 16 June [1982] near Trout Lake,
Mackinac Co." (P0:156) [and]
one "present all summer on Bois Blanc Island ...."
(P2:108) Others are recorded
in newspapers etc One that four of us observed for several
minutes was on
the north side of Rte.134 about two miles east of Thruway 75,
7 Apr.1992 (unfortunately none of us had a camera!). See
photos | Photo
Album |. in
the "Wish List" group. |
# |
o | o | CF |
||||||||
Long-eared Owl, Asio otus | Threatened "An
individual was captured on a freighter on northern Lake Huron on July 30, 1921 (banded by Christofferson the following day)." (Wd:237) "Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) |
o |
|
MF |
|||||||||
Short-eared Owl, Asio flammeus | Endangered "near Lovegrove Road and M-234 on the 8th [November 2005]." (UP: November 9, 2005) "along M-123 east of Moran on April 17th [2008]" (UP: April 24, 2008) See photos | Photo Album |. | ± | o | u | u |
MH |
Key: |
||||||
Boreal Owl, Aegolius
funereus |
A "Boreal Owl (Richardson's Owl). Aegolius funereus richardsoni ...", now a UMMZ specimen, was collected by Mrs. H. Van Farowe at Carp Lake, 4 Feb.1958 (Z&VT:30). Another one is also said to have been on Mackinac Island during the winter of 2004-2005. One was along Boulevard Dr., 20 Feb.2012. See photos | Photo Album |. | o | R - resident
c - common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
||||||||||
Northern Saw-whet Owl, Aegolius acadicus | Observed on Mackinac Island (Wh). "Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) Five were "tagged" (banded?) by E. Pike at St.Ignace on 8 October 2010. (Booker) See photos | Photo Album |. | o | f | SC |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
||||||||
?? !!
Note:
on 24 August 2017, a screech owl and two barn owls were reported
as seen near St. Ignace. Attempts will be made to verify these
observations before recording them herein. |
CAPRIMULGIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Common Nighthawk, Chordeiles minor | "Rare summer resident but common migrant at Mackinac Island, where it becomes common in August." (Wh) See photo | Photo Album |. -- It seems likely that this photograph was taken in Chippewa Co. -- i.e., not within Mackinac Co. | # | uR | u | IH |
||||||||
Eastern Whip-poor-will, Antrostomus vociferus | "Reported...from
Mackinac Island" (Co:279). Said to
be "singing" almost every night during recent summers, BUT not in
2012(!), within the area north of the intersecion of Worth
and School House roads, north of Brevort village (Mary Ann First, p.c.,
2012).
Frequently
heard on Bois Blanc Island
during the 1930s (per Jim Vosper, the elder, who then lived on
the island); more recently, rare -- possibly because of racoon
predation; one heard and seen on Vosper property on east side of
the island August 1987-89. (Vj) |
# | u | MF |
APODIFORMES
APODIDAE
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
Chimney Swift, Chaetura pelagica | "Common
summer
resident. Last seen aug. 29-Sept.2. [~1890?]." (Wh) |
# | u | UR |
TROCHILIDAE
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Archilochus colubris | Latest in fall one seen at Gros Cap -- 8 November 2014. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | cR |
c |
IH | ||||||||
? [Rufous
Hummingbird, Selasphorus rufus] |
"Spotted
on Mackinac Island ...
earlier this summer [2010]" BUT, no name of
spotter, date of the sighting or photograph is given. (Nn) |
o |
ALCEDINIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Belted
Kingfisher, Megaceryle
alcyon |
Habitat: also along streams and near-shore areas of Great Lakes -- e.g., along Brevort River north of the Dam Rd. and near the shore of Lake Michigan along Gros Cap Rd. and the docks on Lake Huron near Hessel. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | o | cR | f | WL |
|
PICIFORMES
PICIDAE
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Red-headed Woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus | "I shot two immature birds Sept. 11 and 14 [on Mackinac Island]" (Wh). J. Van Tyne (1923: 23) saw several full-grown young (near Hessel) on August 6, 1920, and Christofferson saw 8 adults (near Gould City) on June 3, 1936 (Wd:257). "in Gould City on the 9th [October, 2005]. (UP: October 12, 2005) One observed by John Watts along US-2, west of St. Ignace 6 July 2006 (UP: July 12, 2006). One adult near intersection of Wartella and Brevort Lake roads - 14 May 2012 and two inmmatures in same area late August 2017; adult along Boulevard Dr., Moran Twp. 13 May 2016. See photos | Photo Album |. | # | o | o | MH |
Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent u -uncommon o -occasional |
|||||||
$Red-bellied
Woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus |
One
at feeder on north side of Worth Rd., ~ .2 mi east of School House Rd.,
Brevort - 4 January 2012.. One at Gros Cap, 9 May and again
November & December, 2016. See
photos | Photo
Album |. |
± |
o | u | u | |
|||||||
$Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus varius | "St. Ignace, June 20
[1932]" (Wi:179);
photos in Archive record a few other more recent dates. See
photos [Photo
Album]. |
! | oR | uR | oR | MH |
|
||||||
$Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens | During the winter and early spring of 2014-2015, a pair of much smaller than typical downys frequently visited feeders at Gros Cap. Their small size was the subject of conversation by four long-time observers of the species. These birds were shorter (bill to end of tail) than the black-capped chickadees that often shared the peanut butter feeder with them. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | cR | cR | cR | MF |
|||||||
$Hairy Woodpecker, Picoides villosus | See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | cR | cR | cR | MF |
|||||||
$+Black-backed
Woodpecker, Picoides
arcticus |
Special Concern Recorded as "Arctic three toed woodpecker" and noted as "most abundant of the woodpeckers" among the Autumn birds of the Les Cheneaux Islands (W5). "Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) "Kevin Walsh reported a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER along US-2 in between M-117 and Gould City on the 26th [November, 2006]." (UP: December 3, 2006) On Mackinac Island 9 February 2015 See photos | Photo Album |. | o | o | SC |
Breeding record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
||||||||
$Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus | See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | o | fR | c | UO |
|||||||
$Pileated
Woodpecker, Dryocopus
pileatus |
Formely
called "log-cock." See
photos | Photo
Album |. |
! | uR | uR | uR | MH |
FALCONIFORMES
FALCONIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$American Kestrel, Falco sparverius | Formerly widely referred to as "sparrow hawk." See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | o | cR | f | UO |
Key: | ||||||
$Merlin, Falco columbarius | Threatened "Mackinac County (8.5 miles S of Gould City)." (P:17); "observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP); near Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 (St/Sj). O or more has been observed near St. Ignace -- e.g., along Boulevard Drive, Moran Twp. -- in 2010 -2014. See photos | Photo Album |. | ± | u |
fR | u | SC |
R-resident
c - common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
||||||
$Gyrfalcon,
Falco
rusticolus |
At an unidentified location "in Mackinac County." (P:18). "Visible on Green Island from Pt. (sic) LaBarbe Road [20 Jan. 2005]. (Wh). See photos | Photo Album |. | o | o | ||||||||||
$Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus | Endangered
"On Mackinac Island, in 1939, ...a nest, with the
adults and 1 or more juveniles near by, on July 19" (Wd:127); "an adult ... at
Pt. (sic) LaBarbe on the 30th [November
2005]. (UP: December 6, 2005). It also seems
noteworthy that a nest with eggs is
currently (May, 2010) on the southern pier, albeit not in Mackinac Co.,
of the "Big Mac" bridge (p.c., Joe Visnaw). One immature in near-shore ponded area
along Boulevard Dr., Moran Twp. 25 August 2016; one across
the Blvd. from the same location 24 April 2017. See
photos | Photo
Album |. |
! | u | u | CL |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
PASSERIFORMES
TYRANNIDAE
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Olive-sided Flycatcher, Contopus cooperi | Specimen
taken -- Mackinac Island, August 15, 1890 (Wh). "Observed on Mackinac Island
... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) One on
Boulevard Dr. 23 May 2013;
two near same locality 19 May 2015. See
photos | Photo Album |. |
± | uR | f | SC |
: |
|||||||
$Eastern Wood-pewee, Contopus virens | "St.
Ignace, June 20
[1932]" (Wi:183) "Observed on Mackinac
Island ... during the past
15 years." (MSHP) |
! | fR | f | MH |
||||||||
$Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Empidonax flaviventris | "Rare
migrant;
[specimens] taken Aug. 14 and 30, 1890 [on Mackinac island]." (Wh) "Observed on Mackinac
Island ... during the past 15 years."
(MSHP) One near
launching site near mouth of Carp River into Lake Huron - 11 August
2015. |
# | uR | f | WL |
||||||||
Acadian Flycatcher, Empidonax
virescens
|
Although N.A.Wood (1951, p.272) notes that "There is no verified specimen from north of Saginaw County, though various workers have listed sight records from the north.", among the sight records he mentions is one by himself in Cheboygan County and one by S.E. White on Mackinac Island in 1893. In addition, he notes (ibid.) that "White reported that he collected 'many specimens' on Mackinac Island, but these were not examined by a qualified ornithologist." Also, "Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) | AS |
Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent u -uncommon o - occasional |
||||||||||
$Alder Flycatcher, Empidonax alnorum | ***
This species
is listed as "Accidental" on the "Field Checklist of Birds of
Michigan's Upper Peninsula" dated 15 Jan. 2010 (Hi).
"Observed
on Mackinac Island ...
during the past 15 years." (MSHP) See photos | Photo Album |. |
! | fR | WL |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
||||||||
$Willow Flycatcher, Empidonax traillii |
"At Engadine in Mackinac County (UMMZ)" (P:36). "Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) | o | AS |
||||||||||
Least Flycatcher, Empidonax minimus |
|
! | uR | MF |
|||||||||
$Eastern Phoebe, Sayornis phoebe | See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | cR | c | MH |
|
|||||||
? [Vermillion
Flycatcher, Pyrocephalus
rubinus] |
Accidental
(MA).
Indicated
as a hypothetical sighting; recorded as follows: "One
sight record: Mackinac Island, October 8, 1944, adult observed and
described in detail by Walter P. Hill (letter, October 10, 1944, in
UMMZ)." (Z&VT:35). |
o? |
|||||||||||
Ash-throated Flycatcher, Myiarchus cinerascens | Accidental (MA). Near Naubinway on 22 October 2005 "Seen in migration along US-2. It was photographed, but not [later] relocated." (Mrb:27 October 2005) | ||||||||||||
$Great Crested Flycatcher, Myiarchus crinitus | One at junction of Simmonds and St. Ignace roads, St. Ignace Twp., 13 June 2015; one west of Pt. Brulee Rd, ~1½ south of Rte.134,Clark Twp., 9 June 2016. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | f | MH |
||||||||
$Western
Kingbird, Tyrannus
verticalis |
Beside Boulevard Drive, Moran Twp. 31 May 2015. See photos | Photo Album |. | o | |||||||||||
$Eastern Kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus | See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | cR | f | UO |
LANIIDAE
Notes/References
|
BR | Wi | Su | S/F | Hbt |
LEGEND |
|||||||
Loggerhead Shrike, Lanius
ludovicianus (extirpated !? ) |
Endangered Casual (MA). White (1905) recorded "migrant shrike, Lanius ludovicianus migrans [and noted] several observed" among the Autumn birds of the Les Cheneaux Islands area. One also was recorded at "St. Ignace, June 20.[year?]." (Wi:189) | ||||||||||||
$Northern
Shrike, Lanius borealis
excubitor |
One: at Gros Cap early November, 2009; along Boulevard Dr.- 18 Oct. 2011; in Allenville area, winter of 2012-2013; northwest of Rte. 123-Brevort Lake Rd. intersection, 1 April 2016; in vicinity of Brevort Cemetery, Brevort Lake Rd., 19-22 Feb. 2017. ... See photos | Photo Album |. | u | o | IH |
VIREONIDAE
Notes/References |
BR |
Wi |
Su |
S/F |
Hbt |
LEGEND | |||||||
GENERAL NOTE: > > >> | Each of the vireos is recorded as having been "Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) | Key: |
|||||||||||
Yellow-throated Vireo, Vireo flavifrons | One specimen taken on Mackinac Island, 1891 (Wh). | ± | uR | UO |
R - resident | ||||||||
Blue-headed Vireo, Vireo solitarius | *** Formerly "solitary vireo," a designation still frequently applied. A specimen taken by T.G. White, August 1891 (Wh). | # | uR | f | MH |
c -
common f - frequent |
|||||||
Warbling Vireo, Vireo gilvus | Often
heard but
seldom seen. |
! | uR | MH |
u - uncommon | ||||||||
Philadelphia Vireo, Vireo philadelphicus | Three
specimens
taken on Mackinac Island (Wh).
|
f | MH |
o - occasional | |||||||||
$Red-eyed
Vireo, Vireo
olivaceus |
*** "Abundant summer resident in maple woods and bushes [on Mackinac Island]" (Wh). Near Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 (St/Sj). Several just east of Hessel in 2009. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | f | MH |
|
CORVIDAE
Notes/References
|
BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND |
|||||||
$Gray Jay, Perisoreus canadensis |
Formerly "Canadian (or Canada) jay," name(s) still frequently used. Noted as -"a rather common and conspicuous species found mainly along the Indian trails and deer runs" in Les Cheneaux Islands area (W5). "In Somersby Swamp [8 November 2005]." (UP: November 9, 2005) "GRAY JAYS were reported along M-123 north of Moran on the 4th [November, 2006]. (UP: November 9, 2006) | # | u | u | SC |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
|||||||
$Blue
Jay, Cyanocitta
cristata |
See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | oR | cR | f | IH | |||||||
$American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos | See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | cR | cR | cR | IH |
|
||||||
$Common Raven, Corvus corax | See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | cR | cR | cR | IH |
ALAUDIDAE
Notes/References
|
BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Horned
Lark, Eremophila alpestris |
"The
Indians shoot
numbers of them for food under the
name of 'Yellowthroat.'" (Wh)
Most of the
horned larks
that are present in the late Fall and early Winter are likely migrants
from the north. See photos | Photo Album |. |
|
o |
cR | c | UO |
HIRUNDINIDAE
Notes/References
|
BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
Purple Martin, Progne subis | Information
supporting the indicated breeding and
presence (see >) not found. |
! | uR | u | UR |
Key: | |||||||
$Tree
Swallow, Tachycineta
bicolor |
"A single, early-bird tree swallow was near east shore of Brevort Lake -- i.e., along H57 -- 13 April '12 (the "uncommon year")..." See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | cR | f | UO |
R - resident c - common f - frequent |
|||||||
$Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Stelgidopteryx serripennis | See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | f | R |
u -
uncommon o - occasional |
|||||||
Bank Swallow, Riparia riparia | "St. Ignace, June 20 [1932]" (Wi:183) | ! | ?R | u | gvl pits |
||||||||
$Cliff Swallow, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota | Migrating flock of ~ 20 in area beside City Garage, east of Dock #3 Rd., St. Ignace 29 May 2016. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | uR | u | bldgs |
|
|||||||
$Barn
Swallow, Hirundo
rustica |
See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | cR | f | UO |
PARIDAE
Notes/References
|
BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Black-capped Chickadee, Poecile atricapillus | [My choice if "state bird" is changed] See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | cR | cR | cR | IH |
|||||||
$+Boreal Chickadee, Poecile hudsonica | Formerly
called "Hudson's Bay ... " or "Hudsonian chickadee" and currnetly
widely referred to as
"brown-capped
chickadee" -- Described
as "Found abundantly in the Upper Peninsula and around Mackinac" (A1),
and as the "most abundant winter
bird and
very tame, in fact more so than atripcapillus"
for a location in Les
Cheneaux Islands after
a heavy snowfall in late November of 1906 (W7).
--
On the basis of more recent observations, it seems that this bird's distribution
has undergone a
marked change within the
last
century or so. This seems to be true, despite the fact that it
has
been “recorded in summer in Mackinac [among other U.P. counties]." (Z&VT:37) |
u | SC |
Breeding record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
|||||||||
Tufted Titmouse, Baeolophus bicolor | "Observed
on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years."
(MSHP) Recorded along Pte. LaBarbe, Moran
Twp. 6 May 2004. (apparently recorded by
L.Dombroski, ...) <<-- to be
completed; reference not yet seen. [A nearby record:
One was
photographed by Laura Carey
near Levering, Emmet County, 22 February 2014.] |
SITTIDAE
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Red-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta canadensis | A really "bedraggled" one 5-7 July 2015, at feeders, Gros Cap, Moran Twp. A similarly appearing bird 13 July 2017, same location. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! |
cR | uR | uR | PF |
|||||||
$White-breasted
Nuthatch, Sitta
carolinensis |
See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | R | R | R | MH |
CERTHIIDAE
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Brown Creeper, Certhia americana | *** See photos | Photo Album |. | # | uR | uR | uR | MF |
TROGLODYTIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$House Wren, Troglodytes
aedon |
See photo [Photo Album]. | ! | fR | f | MH |
|
|||||||
Winter
Wren, Troglodytes hiemalis |
*** "Very common summer resident [Mackinac Island]" (Wh). See photo | Photo Album |. | # | fR | u | SC |
|
|||||||
$Sedge Wren, Cistothorus platensis |
|
± | uR | SM |
|||||||||
Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris | Special Concern A specimen (UMMZ) was taken near Hessel, Mackinac County, by A. D. Tinker on September 4, 1930 (Wd:324). | ! | uR | u | CM |
|
POLIOPTILIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$+Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Polioptila caerulea | "Shot one and saw another in mixed woods [on Mackinac Island] Sept. 22, 1889." (Wh) "Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) See photo | Photo Album |. | ± | u | u | MH |
|
REGULIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$+Golden-crowned
Kinglet, Regulus
satrapa
|
***
"Common
summer resident [on Mackinac Island]" (Wh). See
photos [Photo
Album]. |
# | u | fR | f | MF |
|||||||
$Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula | ***
"I found a nest [on
Mackinac Island] with four nearly fledged young July 20, 1889." (Wh) "Observed
on Mackinac Island ...
during the past 15 years." (MSHP) 1889 record
indicates , ! to be the
correct BR
entry, > |
# < |
uR | u | MF |
|
MUSCICAPIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
Northern Wheatear, Oenanthe oenanthe | Accidental [vagrant] (MA) One at St. Ignace 19 September 1980(We). | o |
TURDIDAE
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis | Two or three of them were present in St. Ignace in early February, 2012. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | o | fR | f | UO |
|||||||
$Mountain
Bluebird, Sialia
currucoides |
Female recorded -- found and photographed by Steve Baker -- near Pickford 17 November 2010 by Baker (Haas -- the County name misspelled as Mackinaw, and the bird may have been in Chippewa County.) See photos | Photo Album |. Male was observed at Gros Cap 8 August 2014. | o |
o |
||||||||||
Townsend's Solitaire, Myadestes townsendi | Not recorded, or included
in total given in the Introduction; it is noted here
because it seems likely to have been in the county because the species
has been
spotted, albeit not often, in the general area.. |
||||||||||||
Veery, Catharus fuscescens | "Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | o | MF |
Key: |
|||||||
$Gray-cheeked Thrush, Catharus minimus | ***
"One specimen August
23, 1891 [from Mackinac Island]" (Wh).
"One between
Cedarville
and Hessel ... on 14 June 1977" (P:43). |
u | u | CF |
R - resident c - common |
||||||||
$Swainson's Thrush, Catharus ustulatus | ***
Formerly
"olive-backed thrush," a
designation that is still used rather widely. White(1893)
records
some interesting observations about its
song. "Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years."
(MSHP) One dead because of its collision with a window of
the St. Ignace
Methodist Church - 29 May 2011. |
# | u | u | SC |
f -
frequent u - uncommon o -occasional |
|||||||
$Hermit Thrush, Catharus guttatus | *** "Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | o | fR | f | SC |
|||||||
Wood Thrush, Hylocichla mustelina | *** "Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) | # | fR | u | MH |
||||||||
$American Robin, Turdus migratorius | Early
northward migrants arrive in
mid-March; late southward migrants, late October (e.g.,
2013). A few are seen each winter -- e.g., a single one at
Hessel during the last REALLY severe winter, 25 Feb. 2014; two near southern junction of Gros Cap
Rd. and Rte. 2, 29 Jan.2915 (Krista Brown, p.c.). 2017 appears to be the year of "Early-Arriving Robins": A flock of 35-50 were along Boulevard Dr..20 January 2017; subsequently, single individuals and small groups (ranging from pairs to a dozen) observed in several places in the area from Evergreen Shores, through St. Ignace, to Gros Cap. See photos | Photo Album |. |
! | o | cR | c | IH |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # -probable ± - possible |
||||||
Varied Thrush, Ixoreus naevius | Not recorded, or included in total given in Introduction; it is included here because it seems to be a likely vagrant because it has been spotted, albeit not often, within the general area.. |
MIMIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Gray
Catbird, Dumetella
carolinensis |
Gros Cap --e.g., early July 2013 (K.R. Dietrich, p.c.); at Barb Brockway's feeders on Milakokia Lake [19-30 December 2014 (email to UPBirders via birdnet)] - See photo | Photo Album |. Recorded by Steve Baker as in St. Ignace during the 2014 end- of-the-year bird count. | ! | o | fR | f | UO |
|||||||
$Brown Thrasher, Toxostoma rufum | "A few ... near the town and in the hedge-rows [on a farm on Mackinac Island" (Wh). Several records of individual birds in 2010 - 2013 in St. Ignace and southern Moran Twp. See photos | Photo Album |. | # | fR | f | UO | ||||||||
$Northern
Mockingbird, Mimus
polyglottos |
"Walter P. Hill observed 1 on Mackinac Island between May 6 and 8, 1925." (Wd:325) Pettingill and an ornithology class observed one in Brevort on on July 11, 1957. (Pe) More recent sightings include the following that have been "published": In "bridge view" area west of the U.P. end of the Mackinac Bridge, 31 May 2003. (Bo); "singing ... in Nabinway (sic) on June 2nd [2006]. (UP: June 6, 2006); "Late May just west of Cut River." (UP: June 10, 2008). NOT published signtings by compiler: 1. 6 May 2013 -- See photo | Photo Album |. and caption; 2. 24 May 2013 -- south of Rte.134, near eastern edge of Cedarville; 3. 21 May 2014 -- southern part of Evergreen Shores. | # | o | Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
STURNIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$European
Starling, Sturnus
vulgaris |
See photos [Photo Album]. | ! | uR | cR | cR | IH |
MOTACILLIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$American Pipit, Anthus rubescens | *** Flocks of 15 to more than 50 individuals are relatively common during spring and fall migration periods -- e.g., during the last few days of September, 2012, several hundred pipits were seen in such flocks in diverse environments within the county. Examples include the following: The beach area on Lake Michigan east of Brevort; the forest along Hog Island Rd., north of Rte. 2; in meadows and pastures along Krause Rd., Garfield Twp.; on lawns in suburban areas along Pte. LaBarbe and Gros Cap roads, northeast of St. Ignace; [and] in parking areas within St. Ignace. See photos | Photo Album |. | c | Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent u -uncommon o - occasional |
BOMBYCILLIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Bohemian
Waxwing, Bombycilla garrulus
|
Among several records: Rather common during winters of 2008-2009 & 2009-2010. A flock of more than 100 was in trees and on ground on Gros Cap Rd. 3 November 2012; a flock of more than 200 was in trees and on ground along Boulevard Dr. 6 November 2012. Small flock south of Duke's Rd.,0.3 mi. east of Black Pointe Rd. 6 March 2016. Flock of more than 200 at Evergreen shores, 24 January 2017. See photos | Photo Album |. | u | u | IH | |||||||||
$Cedar Waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum | Small, typically <20, flocks appear to be wandering here and there in the county throughout the year. Pairs, apparently mating, occur sporadically -- e.g., along the Boulevard. See photos | Photo Album |. A large flock -- by count more than 75 -- in the Gros Cap area 29 May 2014. | ! | R | R | R | IH |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # -probable ± - possible |
CALCARIIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Lapland Longspur, Calcarius lapponicus | *** Reported from Mackinac Island (Co:298). Several with horned larks in a mixed flock on the shoreward side of Boulevard Drive 1 October 2012. Seven in launching area east of Meridian Rd., Cedarville 19 October 2013. See photos | Photo Album |. | u | u | u |
UO | ||||||||
$Snow
Bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis |
*** White(1905), using the name "snowflake," notes that "always in large flocks" they occur among the Autumn birds of the Les Cheneaux Island. A pair in breeding plumage were west of Rte.H57 south of St. Andrew Ln. 2 & 3 April 2013. Two small "early" flocks along H40 in Hendricks Twp. 22 October 2014. See photos | Photo Album |. | f | f | UO |
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
GENERAL NOTE: > > >> |
The warblers names that are followed by three asterisks (***) in this column are among the birds that wererecorded by Barrows (1912) as killed at Spectacle Reef Lighthouse, which is in Lake Huron, east of Bois Blanc Island and south of Clark Township in eastern Mackinac County -- see Introduction. All but the Blue-winged Warbler is reported to have been "Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) During the spring -- especially May -- of 2014 nearly all warblers were apparently more common and present in larger numbers than bird-watchers had seen in the past. |
Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent u -uncommon o - occasional |
|||||||||||
Ovenbird, Seiurus aurocapilla | *** "Common in the maple woods [on Mackinac Island]" (Wh). Near Pte. Aux Chenes, Summer 2009 (St/Sj). See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | f | MH | ||||||||
Northern Waterthrush, Parkesia noveboracensis | *** A nest with young ready to leave was found near Hessel, on June 23, 1920 (VT3). Note discrepancy: This record ( a ! ) vs. BR entry, > | # < |
uR |
u |
WL |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # -probable |
|||||||
Golden-winged Warbler, Vermivora chrysoptera | O.S. Pettingill, Jr., collected a specimen near Garnet, on August 30, 1943 (Wd:373). See also the last sentence in the following Note. *** Brewster's warbler hybrid also ID'd within Co. -- e.g., October 2015 | # | uR | u | ± - possible | ||||||||
$Blue-winged Warbler, Vermivora cyanoptera | One
recorded on
Mackinac Island,
July 1,
1889 (Wh). One north side of Epoufette Rd. 11
September 2015. (A "Brewster's Warbler" (hybrid!) was
in the same small flock.) *** Brewster's warbler hybrid also ID'd within Co. -- e.g., October 2015 |
o | o | ||||||||||
$Black-and-white Warbler, Mniotilta varia | *** "Not a common summer resident but an abundant migrant [on Mackinac Island]"(Wh). "at Pt. (sic) LaBarbe on the 23rd [April, 2006]." (UP: April 25, 2006) at Gros Cap, seen intermittently during summer of 2012. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | uR | f | IH | ||||||||
$Tennessee Warbler, Oreothlypis peregrina | *** "Common migrant [on Mackinac Island]" (Wh). See photos | Photo Album |. | ± | uR | f | MF |
||||||||
$Orange-crowned Warbler, Oreothlypis
celata |
included on "Check list of the Birds of Mackinac Island. See photos | Photo Album |. | ||||||||||||
$Nashville
Warbler, Oreothlypis ruficapilla
|
***
"Rare
summer resident and common migrant [on
Mackinac Island]" (Wh);
also on mainland,
especially abundant in spring of 2014 --
e.g., early to mid May. See
photos | Photo
Album |.
|
! | uR |
f | MF |
|
|||||||
$Connecticut Warbler, Oporornis agilis | *** "I took two specimens [on Mackinac Island], ... one Aug. 30, 1889, the other Aug 30, 1890." (Wh) Female with food in her bill was observed near Hessel, 19 July 1919, but neither nest nor young were found (VT3). | # | uR | u | SC | ||||||||
$Mourning Warbler, Geothlypis philadelphia | ***
"T.G.
White shot several of this species in the latter part of August, 1890."
(Wh). One
(plus?)
along
Boulevard Dr. 23 May 2013. |
! | uR | u | MF | Key: |
|||||||
$Common
Yellowthroat, Geothlypis
trichas |
*** "Not a common summer resident [on Mackinac Island]" (Wh). | ! | fR | f | WL | R - resident | |||||||
$American Redstart, Setophaga ruticilla | *** "The most characteristic bird of the island [Mackinac]. It occurs in such amazing abundance that it seems as if every tree contained one of these birds." (Wh) Abundant in Gros Cap area, summer of 2013. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | f | MH |
c -
common f - frequent u - uncommon |
|||||||
? [Kirtland's Warbler, Setophaga kirtlandii] | *** See pertinent statements in Introduction. | o - occasional | |||||||||||
$Cape May Warbler, Setophaga tigrina | *** "Not uncommon migrant [on Mackinac Island]" (Wh). Observed singing "along the Hiawatha Trail a mile east of the intersection with US-2" 6 July 2006. (UP: July 12, 2006) See photos | Photo Album |. | ± | uR | o | SC | ||||||||
Northern Parula, Setophaga americana | *** "Abundant migrant [on Mackinac Island]" (Wh). See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | uR | u | MF |
|
|||||||
$Magnolia Warbler, Setophaga magnolia | ***
"Found
abundantly ... I detected seven distinct songs [each of which he
describes] of
this species, no one of which is even a variation of the other." (Wh) |
! | fR | u | SC |
||||||||
Bay-breasted Warbler, Setophaga castanea | *** "Rare summer resident and abundant migrant [at Mackinac Island]." (Wh). "S.E. White writes me that he shot immature specimens at Mackinac island as late as July." (Co:321) | ± | uR | u | SC | |
|||||||
$+Blackburnian Warbler, Setophaga fusca | *** "In 1890 and 1891 it was a rather common summer resident among the evergreens [on Mackinac Island]." (Wh) See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | c | MF | ||||||||
$Yellow Warbler, Setophaga petechia | *** "Our most common resident warbler" (Co:318). My observations indicate that it may well be most common summer resident, but I suspect that at least during some periods more yellowrump warblers than yellow warblers are within the county. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | cR | f | MF |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
|||||||
$Chestnut-sided Warbler, Setophaga pensylvanica | *** "Rare summer resident and common migrant [on Mackinac Island]" (Wh). See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | uR | f | MF | ||||||||
$Blackpoll Warbler, Setophaga striata | "Rare summer resident and abundant migrant [on Mackinac Island]"(Wh). | oR | u | ||||||||||
$Black-throated Blue Warbler, Setophaga caerulescens | *** "In summer it inhabits the maple woods, but in migration it frequents the evergreens [on Mackinac Island]." (Wh) One at Gros Cap 23 September 2012. See photos | Photo Album |. | # | uR | u | |||||||||
$Palm Warbler, Setophaga palmarum | "Common
migrant; arrives late
[at Mackinac Island]." (Wh) My
observations (2010-2013) indicate that the "Yellow" (i.e., Eastern)
variety is common, at least in and in the vicinity of St. Ignace. See photos | Photo Album |. |
f | |||||||||||
$Pine Warbler, Setophaga pinus | Apparently irregular summer resident and migrant in 1889 and 1890 on Mackinac Island (Wh). At Gros Cap 23 April 2014. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | uR | u | PF | ||||||||
$Yellow-rumped Warbler, Setophaga coronata | *** Recorded as "Myrtle warbler" in many reports. "In 1889, one female was shot July 13 [on Mackinac Island]." (Wh). See note for yellow warbler. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | cR | c | MF |
||||||||
Prairie Warbler, Setophaga discolor | Endangered *** "Common migrant ... I took many specimens [on Mackinac Island]." (Wh) | o | |||||||||||
$Black-throated green Warbler, Setophaga virens | *** "'breeds ...abundantly at Mackinac Island' (S.E. White)" -- apparently a personal communication (Co:322) See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | f | MF |
Key: R - resident |
|||||||
Canada
Warbler, Cardellina
canadensis |
"In
1890 and 1891 a very common summer resident and common migrant [on
Mackinac Island] ... The
young birds left the nests July 2-8." (Wh) Note the apparent discrepancy indicated by this record (a !) vs. BR entry (i.e., #), which is based on Brewer et al. (1991). |
# < |
uR | o | SC |
c -
common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
|||||||
$Wilson's Warbler, Cardellina pusilla | ***
"very
abundant migrant" (Wh).
|
± | uR | u | MF |
EMBERIZIDAE
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Eastern Towhee, Pipilo erythrophthalmus | "One pair was observed [on Mackinac Island] during the summer of 1890, but none were seen the other years." (Wh) More recently, "observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) One on ground beneath shrubs at N1007 Gros Cap Rd., Moran Twp. 4 Jan. 2012. Two along Dam Rd., Brevord Twp. 19 Oct. 2015; one along Cheeseman Rd, just east of Rte.2, Moran Twp. 20 Oct 2015. See photos | Photo Album |. | # | o | u | u | BF |
Key:
R - resident c - common f - frequent |
||||||
$Chipping
Sparrow, Spizella passerina |
Late spring "straggling" tree sparrows seem rather frequently to have been misidentified as chipping sparrows. See photos | Photo Album |.. | ! | cR | f | MF |
u - uncommon o - occasional |
|||||||
$Clay-colored Sparrow, Spizella pallida | Two at the tip of Pte. LaBarbe 12 May 2006 (Mrb2:May 18, 2006); two at Gros Cap 6 Sep. 2012. See photos | Photo Album |. | ± | uR | u | BO |
||||||||
$Field
Sparrow, Spizella
pusilla |
*** One photographed at Gros Cap, 4 May 2013. See photo [Photo Album]. | ! | fR | f | UO |
||||||||
Vesper Sparrow, Pooecetes gramineus | One
recorded at "St.
Ignace, June 20 [1932]" (Wi:196). "Observed
on Mackinac Island ...
during the past 15 years." (MSHP) |
# | fR | f | UO |
||||||||
? [Lark
Sparrow, Chondestes grammacus] |
per county list on eBird (www.ebird.org): " Sparrow -- http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S5714335 -- This one has a note from Adam Byrne "accepted by BRC", so I recommend you follow up with the Records Committee for documentation. If it does not meet your standards, please let me know." (p.c., Marshall Iliff, eBird Project Leader, 12 April 2012). -- My response, a request for more data, received no reply. |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
|||||||||||
$Savannah
Sparrow, Passerculus
sandwichensis |
*** See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | f | UO |
|
|||||||
Grasshopper Sparrow, Ammodramus savannarumo | per county list on eBird (www.ebird.org): "Grasshopper
Sparrow -- http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S9139685 -- I asked for details."
(p.c., Marshall Iliff, eBird Project Leader, 12 April 2012). --
Requests for elaboration have received no response.
|
||||||||||||
$LeConte's Sparrow, Ammodramus leconteii | "Pullup
Lake, Mackinac County," [no date]
(P:55). Two were observed by Gerald Vork at Pte.
LaBarbe, 2 October 2009 (UP:October
15, 2009). Two were south of County Line Rd, ~ two
miles west of Pickford, September, 2012. |
± | uR | u | UO |
||||||||
$Fox Sparrow,
Passerella
iliaca |
*** "Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) "[2-3] Observed "along the Hiawatha Trail a mile east of the intersection with US-2" 6 July 2006. (UP: July 12, 2006) One at Gros Cap: 13 -17 April 2013; See photo | Photo Album |. | uR | u |
BO | Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
||||||||
$Song
Sparrow, Melospiza
melodia |
*** See photos [Photo Album]. | ! | o | cR | c | IH |
|||||||
$Lincoln's Sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii | ***
One
at Gros Cap 2 May 2013; eight
north of Lake Brevort Rd., southwest of Moran 13 September 2014;
two at Gros cap, 23 August 2015. See
photos | Photo
Album |.
|
# | uR | u | WD |
||||||||
$Swamp Sparrow, Melospiza georgiana | ***
One
recorded at "St. Ignace, June 20 [1932]" (Wi:196). One on
Boulevard Dr. 2 July 2012. |
! | uR | u | WL |
||||||||
$White-throated Sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis | *** See photos | Photo Album |.. | ! | u | fR | f | DB |
|||||||
$White-crowned
Sparrow, Zonotrichia
leucophrys |
*** Fairly common migrant with a few historal records as follows: "Rare migrant [on Mackinac Island]" (Wh). "Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) "2 ... Naubinway [November 30, 2005?]. (UP: December 6, 2005) The southward migration during the fall of 2014 was noteworthy because of the much larger than usual number of these birds. See photos | Photo Album |. | o | f | BO | Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
||||||||
$American
Tree Sparrow, Spizelloides arborea |
"Rare
in eastern portion of Upper
Peninsula" (Z&VT:60).
"Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years."
(MSHP) See
photos | Photo
Album |. This
change of position, which may not end up being AOU placement, is
guess
based on Slager & Klicka
(2014). |
f | u | f | IH | ||||||||
$Dark-eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis | Single bird, first of fall, at N1007 Gros Cap Rd., 8 Oct. 2012; typically goes through in small flocks. During late April, 2013 & 2014, a well above normal number of flocks of juncos were in the area; at least some of those flocks included a few juncos sometimes referred to as pink-sided and/or Oregon juncos -- see photo in For the Record tabulated group.. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | f | o | c | MF |
CARDINALIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra | One, a juvenile(?), was at a feeder near the end of East Martin Lake Rd., Moran Twp., in late May/early June, 2011 (H. Krieshe, p.c., 2012). [See also the Western Tanager record date.] See photos | Photo Album |. | o | o | ||||||||||
$Scarlet Tanager, Piranga olivacea | "A female was shot ...Aug. 3, 1889 [on Mackinac Island]. ... A male was observed July 17, 1891." (Wh) The year of the Scarlet tanager? -- several "more than usual!" during third full week of May, 2011; several were also present in May of 2014! Orange variant at Gros Cap 26 May 2015. See photos | Photo Album |. | # | uR | o | MH |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
|||||||
$Western Tanager, Piranga ludoviciana | A female was at feeder at N1007 Gros Cap Rd., 23 May 2011. -- An interesting coincidence, but unlikely(?) connection: The disastrous Joplin (MO) tornado was on 22 May 2011. | o | |||||||||||
$Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis | See photos | Photo Album |. | # | R | R | R | BO | |||||||
$Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus | "A young male was shot July 24, 1890 [on Mackinac Island]." (Wh) "Observed on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years." (MSHP) See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | f | MH |
||||||||
Blue
Grosbeak, Passerina caerulea |
Twelve
on feeder on straits side
of Huron St., St. Ignace -- 19 May 1996 (Kathleen Schacht, p.c.,
2011). |
o | Key: R - resident |
||||||||||
$Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea | "In
1889 and 1891 a
common summer resident. ... In 1890 only a few were observed
[on Mackinac Island]." (Wh)
"Observed
on Mackinac Island ... during the past 15 years."
(MSHP) See
photos | Photo
Album |.
|
! | fR | f | MF |
c -
common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
|||||||
Dickcissel, Spiza americana | One
seen 30 May
1956 at Engadine (by Mr. & Mrs. E.G. Boyes) and one seen in western
part of county 17 June
1958 by K. Christofferson (Z&VT:55).
Female observed feeding young along the
Hiawatha Trail a mile east of the intersection with Rte.2 - 6 July 2006
(UP: July 12,
2006). Note the apparent discrepancy: This record ( a ! ) vs. BR entry, > |
# <see |
o | |
ICTERIDAE
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$Bobolink, Dolichonyx oryzivorus | See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | f | UO |
|
|||||||
$Red-winged
Blackbird, Agelaius
phoeniceus |
See photos [Photo Album].See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | cR | f | WL |
Key: | |||||||
$Eastern
Meadowlark, Sturnella
magna |
The eastern and western meadowlarks can be distinguished relatively easily by listening to their "songs." See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | f | UO |
R - resident c - common |
|||||||
$Western Meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta | Special Concern One observed in Bevort on July 11, 1957 by Pettingill and an ornithology class. (Pe) See photos | Photo Album |. | o | UO | f -
frequent u - uncommon |
|||||||||
Yellow-headed
Blackbird, Xanthocephalus
xanthocephalus |
One on lawn southeast of the junction of Kovar Rd. with Pleasant Ave., ~4.5 miles northnortheast of Engadine, May-June of 2009 or 2010 (recorded photographically by Linda Booisclair --See photo in "for the record" tabulated group | Photo Album |. | o | o - occasional | ||||||||||
$Rusty
Blackbird, Euphagus
carolinus |
Three along Boulevard Dr. 8 Oct. 2012, ... See photos | Photo Album |. | ± | u | f | AS |
||||||||
$Brewer's Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus | Female -- along Pte. LaBarbe
Rd., ~ half way from junctions with Rte. 2, 4 July 2013.
|
! | uR | u | UO |
|
|||||||
$Common Grackle, Quiscalus quiscula | See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | cR | c | IH |
Breeding record: | |||||||
$Brown-headed
cowbird, Molothrus
ater |
See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | f | IH |
! - definite | |||||||
Orchard
Oriole, Icterus spurius |
"at ... feeders at
Milakokia Lake in Gould City." (UP: May 18, 2008) See photo | Photo Album |. |
± | o | o | MH |
#
- probable ± - possible |
|||||||
$Baltimore Oriole, Icterus galbula | Especially common during spring migration. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | fR | f | MH |
FRINGILLIDAE
Notes/References | BR | Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$+Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Leucosticte tephrocotis | Accidental (MA). Not recorded, or included in total given in Introduction; mentioned here because Frances, my wife, and I saw a small flock 7 March 1988, along Rte.123 a few fmiles north of the county line in adjacent Chippewa County,. Also, this species is listed as "Accidental" on the "Field Checklist of Birds of Michigan's Upper Peninsula" dated 15 Jan. 2010 (Hi). Therefore, it seems that this bird should be kept in mind while "bird-watching" within the county. | ||||||||||||
$Pine Grosbeak, Pinicola enucleator | Among numerous records are the following: Two flocks were observed in January 2010: About 25 birds were in a maple tree beside Rte H57, near the southeastern part of Lake Brevort on Jan. 4th, and about 10 were on Chas. Moran Rd., about 1.5 miles west of Moran on the 11th. Also, several flocks were near the northern side of Lake Brevort and along Gros Cap Rd. 6-10 Dec. 2010. Small flocks were rather common and widespread in late December 2011 and early January 2012 -- e.g., along Cheeseman Rd., ~one mile north of Rte. 2; north of Worth Rd., ca. 0.1 mi east of School House Rd.; [and] along Prospect St., Saint Ignace. See photos | Photo Album |. | u | |
o | IH | ||||||||
$House Finch, Haemorhous mexicanus | "The
house finch
population was introduced to the eastern portion of the U.S. when a
flock of caged house finches from California (known as "Hollywood
Finches") were sold to people on Long Island, New York, in the 1940's.
When laws changed and it became illegal to sell and own American
songbirds, these captive finches were released. Their descendants now
occupy most of the eastern U.S." (My)
"The
first house finch reported nesting in Michigan [was] in 1981." (Brewer
et al, 1991) Probable
breeding indication is based on presence of a juvenile at Gros Cap 9
August 2014. |
# | o | u | UR | Key: R - resident c - common f - frequent u - uncommon o - occasional |
|||||||
$Purple Finch, Haemorhous purpureus | Although usually uncommon in the summer, several were present in, for example, the Ozark area and a few were at Gros Cap in mid July, 2014. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | f | u | f | MF | |||||||
$Red Crossbill, Loxia curvirostra | "Common summer resident. Probably breeds early, as old and young were gathered into large flocks when we reached the island during the last week in June." (Wh) "Many small flocks observed" in the Les Cheneaux Islands (W5). Observed "along the Hiawatha Trail a mile east of the intersection with US-2" 6 July 2006. (UP: July 12, 2006). | <see | o | o | o | MF |
|||||||
$White-winged
Crossbill, Loxia
leucoptera |
Specimen taken on Mackinac Island 9 July 1890 (Wh). An especially large irruption occurred during the Winter of 2008-2009. A small flock was in road and in pines beside Worth Rd., ~1.5 miles west of Rte.129 14 Jan. 2012. See photos | Photo Album |. | o | o | MF |
|||||||||
$Common Redpoll, Acanthis
flammea |
***
A single bird was
at feeders on Gros Cap Rd. 4 Nov. 2012; this "scout" was followed
the following day by a flock of ~ 20 birds, several of which,
resembled those illustrated as "Greenland(?) ..." (See (Sib),
p.532-533). --
Notice, for example, their yellowish brown areas and relatively large
black throat
areas. See
photos | Photo
Album |. Two of the possibly "Greater"/"Greenland" subspecies [see Pittaway,2014.& (Sib)] that were photographed at Gros Cap 5 Nov 2012 are shown in the second pair of photos. ¶ Several observations appear to support the possibililty that the late winter and spring of 2015 witnessed a well above normal number of common redpolls. Later: Apparently Common, Hoary, and Lesser REDPOLLS are all of the same genus. So: 1. Even though several that have been IDd as Hoary in the past, and the few IDd as "Lesser!?" (e.g., particularly those one or two seen in flocks of predominantlhy pine siskins at Gros Cap) in January 2016) are only worthy of note, if even that. This, of course, means that the next entry is superfluous, except "for whatever it may be worth from an historical standpoint." It has not yetNOT YET been deleted from the total of species reported, etc. in the county. |
c | f | ||||||||||
$Hoary Redpoll,Acanthis homemanni | Several with larger number of common redpolls during winters of 2008-2009 and 2011-2012. See photos | Photo Album |. | o |
|||||||||||
$Pine
Siskin, Spinus
pinus > Note underlined text. |
A flock of 50-plus was at the feeders, on the railing of a stoop, and in the yard of a resident on Boulevard Dr., St.Ignace 2 Jan. 2012 and flocks of 25 or more were common in area around St. Ignace in January, February and March of 2012. A bird with features that suggest that it is an American goldfinch-pine siskin hybrid was with a small flock of (~40) pine siskins at feeders on Gros Cap Rd.--16 October 2012. I have wondered if this bird was an Eurasian Siskin (Spinus spinus)!!! A single siskin was at Gros Cap during summer of 2016 -- e.g., July 8. See photos | Photo Album |. | ! | c | u | u | MF |
Breeding
record: ! - definite # - probable ± - possible |
||||||
$American
Goldfinch, Spinus
tristis |
See
photos | Photo
Album |. A bird with features that suggest it is
an American goldfinch-pine siskin hybrid was with a small flock (~40)
of pine siskins at feeders on Gros Cap Rd.--16
October 2012. (perhaps a |
! | c | cR | c | MF |
|||||||
$Evening
Grosbeak, Coccothraustes
vespertinus |
Occurrence within Mackinac County is
best described as intermittent AND sporadic. Examples seen by
compiler: Small flock north of Worth Rd.
east of School House Rd.junction -- last few days of
December 2011 and early January 2012;
single
adult male at Gros Cap feeders -- 5 Nov. 2012; flock of ~25 east
of 27 Mile Rd., ~0.2 mi south of Chippewa Co. line -- 21 Jan.
2017. See
photos | Photo
Album |. |
! | u | o | u |
Notes/References | BR
|
Wi
|
Su | S/F | Hbt | LEGEND | |||||||
$House Sparrow, Passer domesticus | Widely
referred to
as "English sparrow." According to a "Mr. Conklin, of the Central Park [New York City] Museum ... In 1864, ... the Commissioners of Central Park set free 50 pairs of English sparrows and they had multiplied amazingly." (AAS) So far as Mackinac County, S.E. White (1893) reports that "Not one was to be found on the island [Mackinac] in 1889 when I first arrived, but within a few weeks about twenty came over with the boat from Mackinaw City. These have increased and now they are quite common." Since the compiler has been spending much of his time within the county -- i.e., since October 2009 -- these sparrows appear to uncommon within the county. One noteworthy exception: Son Kurt, a fine bird-identifier, and I saw a small flock south of Town(County)line Rd., ~1 mi west of 5-Mile Rd., Marquette Twp. 7 August 2015 and a single male south of Taylor Rd.~½ mi. west of Rte. 129 (Marquette Twp.) 9 June 2016. . |
! | uR | uR | uR | UR |
| Photo Album |
Home
|
------------
(P2:108) Powell, D.J.
1984. Michigan Bird Survey, Summer 1984. Jack Pine Warbler 62:106-110.
(Z)
Ziarno,
Jerry, n.d. Northern
Lake Huron Shoreline in Chartier, A.T. and Jerry
Ziarno
(editors) . 2010. A birder’s guide to
Michigan (ABA Birdfinding guide series)
“Distributed by: Common Ground …”:Asheville(NC), 660p. Available
on
internet, URL
<http://www.northhuronbirding.com/uploads/7/2/5/1/7251350/_abamichiganguide.pdf>
accessed 31 May 2016. .
This index includes
only the common names of
the birds given on the A.O.U. list. The names preceded by an
asterisk (*) are illustrated by
photographs in the Photo Album of this web site [ Photo
Album ]. The four
"NOT counted" birds noted on the A..O.U. list -- i.e., the helmeted
guineahen, gray-crowned rosy-finch, Townsend's solitaire and varied
thrush -- are not included on the following list.
.