Family Get-Together Trip Nets 4 Additions to my District of Columbia List, April 9-12, 2026

As an April 2026 family get-together in Maryland neared, of course I checked my eBird Needs Alerts in the area to see if there might be some state birding potential.  Lo and behold, my Virginia Alert revealed something even better: a Red-flanked Bluetail, first found on New Year’s Day, was still being seen.  A life bird is better than a state bird any day!  So I set up my flights and hotel to add an extra couple days to the trip to look for the Bluetail. 

Unfortunately, my key target was last seen a couple weeks before the trip.  (Why didn’t I go after it sooner?)  So, now my focus was back to possible state birds.  I grew up in the mid-Atlantic region so my Needs Alerts for states like MD, VA, DE, and PA had few likely targets.  But then I checked the Washington DC Alert and found several possibilities –

Wild Turkey – seen at several locations, especially Theodore Roosevelt Island

Golden-Plover – rarity found at the mouth of Four Mile Run

Blue-headed Vireo – a first few sightings of this early spring migrant

Common Raven – nests found in a couple locations, flybys seemingly everywhere

Cliff Swallow –just returning to their historical nesting sites

Vesper Sparrow – found at Kenilworth Park, though the records were getting old

Eastern Meadowlark – found at Kenilworth Park

With this many target species, it was obvious where I should focus my attention.  I was off to DC!

April 9 – Kenilworth Park

This park consists of about 55 acres of old soccer or football fields that basically look like a large pasture.  As a result, it is THE spot, in fact the only spot, to look for Meadowlarks in DC.  Though I’ve looked for them at Kenilworth numerous times over the decades without any luck. 

There were also a number of week-old sightings of Vesper Sparrow at the park.  With 2 key targets, I made this my first stop.  Within an hour of landing at BWI I was walking the Kenilworth fields hoping to flush a Vesper or a Meadowlark but to no avail.  Though I did find a couple flocks of Savannah Sparrows that kept me on my toes.

April 10 – Mouth of Four Mile Run

With excellent directions from a local birder, I was able to access the mouth of Four Mile Run to look for a rare American Golden-Plover reported there for several days.  Unfortunately, the only shorebird I found during my stop there at low tide was a Killdeer.  The Plover was last reported 2 days before my visit.

East Potomac Park – Hains Point

Targets reported recently at this park included Raven and Vesper Sparrow, and several older waterfowl sightings.  But once again I struck out.  The birding highlight was a flock of breeding plumage Bonaparte’s Gulls feeding near shore on the Potomac River.  And as a bonus, I was treated to some nice views of the blooming cherry trees.

Theodore Roosevelt Island

Wild Turkeys have recently colonized the greater DC area, and are perhaps most reliable on this island.  Plus Cliff Swallows were reported for the first time this spring the day before my visit – most likely the nesters returning to the footbridge to the island.  I spent quite a bit of time standing on the bridge hoping for a fly-by Swallow to no avail.  And I walked virtually all the trails on the island without finding a Turkey.  Though it was mid-day and there were lots of tourists there likely keeping the Turkeys well hidden.

C&O Canal – Chain Bridge

The attraction at this stop was a pair of Common Ravens likely nesting under the bridge.  This one sounded like a sure thing based on recent eBird reports – I was due (overdue?) for my luck to change!  It took a while to find where to park and how to access the area under the bridge, but I eventually made my way to the river below.  And once I got to the right area I quickly picked out a large corvid sitting under the bridge – it was indeed a Common Raven. 

Later a second adult flew in, and I also spotted this juvenile down below.

Luckily the Ravens chose to nest near the eastern end of the bridge, because the western end is actually in Virginia.  They were barely in DC – just 500 feet from the VA state line.  And about 2,000 feet from the MD state line.

My statebird map for Common Raven is inserted below.  The light blue states are those where I've seen this species in its regular range.  The one cross-hatched state (NJ) is the last one in its regular range where I've yet to see it.  And the 2 dark blue states are those where I've seen Common Raven as a rarity.

LBJ Memorial Grove – Columbia Island Marina

As I was heading back into DC on the George Washington Memorial Parkway I noticed a sign for the Columbia Island Marina.  I remembered that this was one of the spots where Cliff Swallows nested last year.  So on a lark I drove in and found the bridge where they likely nested. 

I stood at the edge of the bridge for a few minutes and as if on cue a Cliff Swallow flew by and disappeared under the bridge.  Now I had to figure out if I was still in DC or whether the Swallow was in VA airspace.  With a quick look on Google Maps I realized that the bird was indeed in DC, but just 50 ft from the VA state line. 

My statebird map for Cliff Swallow is now all filled in - except for Hawaii where Cliff Swallows are not expected.  

April 11 – Kenilworth Park

Now that my luck had improved I decided to go back to Kenilworth Park to make an early morning try for the Meadowlark.  I made a quick loop through the ballfields but came up empty.  Then I wondered about whether the adjacent running track and football field might be worth a try.  When I was there two days earlier there were many people walking and running around the track.  But now just after sunrise the track was empty.  Sure enough, as I neared the track I heard the characteristic song of an Eastern Meadowlark. 

I then followed the Meadowlark as it flew over to the soccer fields to get a better look.  And as I did I flushed a flock of sparrows feeding in the grasses.  All but 1 flew a short distance and dropped back in typical of Savannahs.  But the last bird departed from the flock and headed toward the neighboring brush.  As it did I noticed it had white outer tail feathers – I had a Vesper Sparrow!  And typical of Vespers, it landed on an elevated perch at the edge of the field instead of dropping back to the grasses.  Two new DC birds in the same field!

Later I took the trail to Kenilworth Gardens hoping to re-find a Blue-headed Vireo reported there the previous day.  The trail was quite birdy, including a singing Orange-crowned Warbler, but the Vireo was a no show.

April 12 – Theodore Roosevelt Island

Since my first trip to the island was midday with lots of noisy tourists, I decided to go back near sunrise to improve my chances of finding Turkeys.  Unfortunately, it didn’t make a difference as I struck out again.  Though another birder reported seeing a Turkey just an hour after I left.  A reason to go back I guess…

I added 4 birds to my Washington DC list, bringing my total to 188.  Not as good as getting a lifer, but still good results.

Trumpeter Swan (I Guess), February 11, 2026, Spartanburg County, South Carolina

On February 8 there was a post on the Greenville County Bird Club listserve that a Tundra Swan was spotted on a small lake along Berry Road in Boiling Springs, Spartanburg County in South Carolina.  I quickly went to my SC state list and confirmed that I didn’t need Tundra Swan for my list, so there was no need to chase after it. 

I didn’t think much more about the Swan, even though it continued to be reported.  But then I noticed one birder raised the question about whether it could be a Trumpeter Swan instead, especially based on the lack of yellow lores.  I checked out several of the photos posted on-line showing the birds’ cheek, and it looked like a Tundra to me based on a curved edge to the black bill on the cheek, and the black eye being isolated from the black bill.  In fact, those features make it a stereotypical Tundra Swan. 

These features are evident in this photo I took of a Tundra (on the left) and a Trumpeter (on the right) in southwestern Michigan in November 2025.  The Tundra has the curved edge to the side of the bill against the white cheek, with the isolated eye.  Whereas the Trumpeter has the straight edge of the bill which includes the eye.  It also helps that the larger size of the Trumpeter is obvious in this photo.

Not to mention, not all Tundras have yellow lores.  Still no need to chase.

That is until another photo was posted that showed the white feathering forming a sharp V at the top of the black bill, which is very much Trumpeter-like.  Plus, it was a young bird retaining some darker plumage, which is also like a Trumpeter which molts later than Tundras.  Given these somewhat contradictory field marks, some birders even suggested it might be a hybrid.  But rather than waiting for the ID to be confirmed, taking the risk that the bird might leave first, I decided it was now time to chase it, and let the ID be confirmed later.

I headed out early in the morning on the 11th hoping I hadn’t waited too long.  I arrived at sunrise at the small pond, driving slowly down Berry Road but didn’t see the Swan on the pond.  I was getting worried.  I turned around for another pass and thankfully there it was near the far east end of the lake.  The white dot in the distance in the middle of this picture is the Swan beyond Berry Road. 

My friend Keith Viglietta submitted photos of the Swan to the Report a Swan Citizen Science Project at the Trumpeter Swan Society for ID confirmation.  The response from the Trumpeter Swan Society’s expert, Dr. Ken Abraham, was as follows:

“I think it’s a Trumpeter.  Straight, heavy bill.  The narrowness of the culmen process leading to the eye is more Tundra-like, but not out of scope for Trumpeter.  Agree that it’s not an adult.  Coloring of the bill is black on most photos, but one or two look like there might be some residual paleness of the juvenile bill.”

So Trumpeter Swan it is (I guess).  An apparent third SC state record.  And statebird number 313 for my SC list. 

My statebird map for Trumpeter Swan is copied in below.  The light blue states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range, which now includes a major re-introduction program.  The cross-hatched states are those where I’ve yet to see it within its range.  And the 10 dark blue states are those where I’ve seen Trumpeter Swan as a rarity, now including SC.

South Florida Tour, January 5-11, 2026

In early January 2026 I led a birding trip to south Florida for Ventures Birding Tours.  Along with 3 customers, we made multiple stops from Lake Okeechobee to the Keys.  The trip focused on south FL year-round specialties typically seen in few (if any) other places in the US, many of which are introduced but still “countable” per eBird rules.  We also pursued several rarities seldom seen in the area. 

Several of these targets were also potential lifers or state birds for me.  I had five potential life birds (all countable by eBird’s rules): Red Junglefowl, Chestnut-fronted Macaw, White-eyed and Blue-headed Parakeets, and Yellow-headed Caracara.  I hoped for 4, betting that my third try for the Caracara would be unsuccessful yet again.  My additional potential FL state birds included: Black-headed Gull, Groove-billed Ani, Bell’s Vireo, and Scaly-breasted Munia.  I hoped for maybe 2 of these.

We ended up with 128 countable species on the trip.  A summary of the highlights for each of our stops is provided below, along with more details on my new life and state birds.  The eBird Trip Report for the tour can be found here -  ebird.org/tripreport/461125  

January 5

Oleta River State Park -

The key target here was the long-staying, but-very-difficult-to-find, Yellow-headed Caracara.  This bird was first spotted in the area in October 2022, and has been seen very sporadically ever since.  The apparent most likely routine for the Caracara is that it spends its days on the campus of Florida International University, flies east to Oleta River State Park in the evening to roost for the night, then flies at dawn east to Haulover Park, eventually making it back to FIU during the day.  The bird likes to feed from dumpsters, eats scraps left by picnickers, and has been seen fighting with Vultures over dead fish.  A real scavenger in a suburban setting.  

I’ve talked to birders who have tried for the bird more than a dozen times with no success.  In January 2025 I tried for it one evening at Oleta, and the next morning at Haulover without finding it.  So despite understanding its apparent routine, the Caracara is still very difficult to locate.

And then a week after my 2025 trip a new strategy came to light - a birder successfully attracted the Caracara using a rotisserie chicken placed in a BBQ grill at Oleta.  That same strategy was mentioned again just before the 2026 trip, though I’m not sure it was successful.  So rather than just hoping to run into the bird, I decided to give the rotisserie chicken ploy a try.  Our first stop of the afternoon was at a grocery store to purchase a rotisserie chicken.  Though I tried to stay optimistic, I put our chances of finding the bird at 10% at best.

We arrived at Oleta River SP around 4 PM and headed to the Panther Pavilion where the Caracara is most often seen.  By 4:30 we had the chicken out of its packaging and laid on the nearby grill.  We sat down at a nearby table and began our wait for the bait to work.  Within minutes we had Fish Crows and Turkey Vultures eating at the carcass.  That was a promising start. 

Then around 5 we got a brief glimpse of a raptor fly in low from the west and land in a tree above the grill.  I quickly put it in my binoculars and said – “Oh my God, that’s the bird!”  The Caracara dropped to the ground providing great views.

Then it flew to another tree revealing its striking wing pattern with white windows at the base of the primaries.  Eventually it made its way to the grill, pulled a big chunk of chicken off, and took it up into a tree, where it defended the meat from a Vulture.

What an experience!  The best bird of the trip was one of the first!  Yellow-headed Caracara was US Life Bird #784 and FL state bird #345.

January 6

Hotel Parking lot – While packing up the car we had flyover Peregrine and Merlin, and several flocks of Parakeet, sp.  A good start…

Vista Park Beach – An unsuccessful try for Blue-headed Parakeets - looks like we were too late for birds in an overnight roost.

Gulfstream Park –

White-eyed Parakeets have been reported regularly at this park, typically in a flock flying in at 8:30 or later, and often found feeding on sea grapes.  So the strategy was to look for our target in the sea grape trees.  Unfortunately, when we arrived we quickly realized that sea grapes were the principal vegetation type throughout the park.  And the park was full of people – this wasn’t going to be easy.  We walked around a bit watching and listening for Parakeets but to no avail.  Finally, I noticed some movement in one of the trees and spotted a silhouette of a Parakeet.  We couldn’t see any field marks on this back-lit bird, so we changed our angle and eventually got to see the bird’s all green head with broad white eye-ring.  The bird flew over to another tree in much better lighting, joining 3 others, and we could definitively ID the birds as 4 White-eyed Parakeets (US Life Bird #785 and FL state bird #346).  And they were indeed eating sea grapes.  Here’s a picture of the sea grapes and the challenge seeing all-green birds in an all-green tree.

Only 2 of the birds had red at the bend of the folded wing – were these the adults, and the others were immatures? 

There were also a lot of iguanas in the park.

Ft. Lauderdale Neighborhood – Unsuccessful at another stakeout for Blue-headed Parakeets – despite 2 tries.  Unfortunately, that was our last chance for this possible lifer.  Though we did find a most cooperative Spot-breasted Oriole.

Highland Oaks Park – We heard a couple more Spot-breasted Orioles, and saw a large crocodile.

January 7

Miller Drive Roost –

This spot is notorious for Psittacids, especially near dawn.  And it did not disappoint.  Just after we arrived we spotted 5 Orange-winged Amazons with 1 (uncountable) Lilac-crowned Amazon perched overhead. 

We also had 18 Yellow-chevroned Parakeets in 2 small flyover flocks and 25 flyover Red-masked Parakeets.  And the highlight was a brief view of 3 flyover Chestnut-fronted Macaws (US Life Bird #786 and FL state bird #347).  Luckily, we would get better views of this species later in the trip.

Ride to/from Lake Okeechobee – While driving to and from Lake Okeechobee we kept our eyes open for raptors and found 1 Crested Caracara perched on a wooden power pole, and 2 Snail Kites foraging low over the adjacent wetlands.

Paul Rardin Park – This small park is well-known for wintering flycatchers, and we were able to find the continuing male Vermillion Flycatcher and Tropical Kingbird, and found a likely Least Flycatcher.  Though we missed stakeout Cassin’s and Western Kingbirds.  We also had nesting Great-horned Owls.

Belle Glade Marina –

The initial target for this site was Purple Swamphens.  But then a week before the trip a super rare Black-headed Gull was reported from this site.  Multiple birders tried unsuccessfully to re-find the Gull, so I took it off our target list.  That is until the day before we arrived in the area when it was reported there once again.  We arrived at the marina and ran into a local birder also looking for the Gull.  There were just a couple Ring-bills there, though he did put us on these Purple Swamphens.

We were just about to give up on the Gull when the birder was notified that it was presently being seen at Slim’s Fish Camp.  A quick search on the map app showed that Slim’s was just around the corner.  A couple minutes later we were at the boat dock at the fish camp and there was the winter-plumaged Black-headed Gull right in front of us (FL state bird #348).  We wouldn’t have found it without the assistance of that local birder.

My statebird map for Black-headed Gull is inserted below.  The light blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range.  The dark blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen it as a rarity.

January 8

Coral Reef Park –

We dubbed this site “Muscovy Park” because of their high numbers at the park.  Other targets we found here were Egyptian Goose, Indian Peafowl, and Limpkin. 

But the key highlights were the Psittacids including flyover flocks of 35 Mitred Parakeets, and at least 20 White-eyed Parakeets including this photogenic pair. 

Plus we were treated by 2 cooperative Chestnut-fronted Macaws.

South Miami Roads – We found the first of many Common Mynas, which is actually quite a common bird along the roads south of Miami.

Pine Woods Park –

This small “linear” park is actually no more than the vegetation under a stretch of high tension power lines.  The park includes large patches of 8-foot-tall grasses that attract flocks of Scaly-breasted Munias.  However, I tried for the Munias twice during the 2025 trip with no luck.  Hopefully we’ll have better luck this year.

The first thing we noticed when we arrived was that much of the vegetation had been cut.  There were only a few small patches of the tall grasses.  But maybe that acted to concentrate the Munias, because we found 2 different flocks of these diminutive birds (FL statebird #349).  Here is a distant shot of a couple of Munias and their preferred grasses.

I also got this passable digi-bin photo of an adult.

Later we also had a calling Red-whiskered Bulbul, which eventually perched in the open most cooperatively.

Finally, we had 8 Monk Parakeet visiting their large communal nest.

Biltmore Hotel – This spot is well-known for its flock of Red-masked Parakeets nesting under the eaves of the hotel.  We estimated the flock included 35 birds.

Publix in Dadeland – It may be a surprise to call the urban parking lot of a Publix grocery store a hotspot, but it’s notorious for its flock of Mitred Parakeets.  We had 40 of them, including some most cooperative birds.

Miami Executive Airport – Despite lots of searching we missed Burrowing Owls which are regular at this spot, though found 3 Loggerhead Shrikes

Homestead – A flock of 15 roadside Junglefowl which are uncountable north of the Keys (per eBird), though they looked like true Junglefowl.

January 9

Larry Manfredi’s Place – It took us 2 tries to find Shiny Cowbird at the feeding station, but finally had 17 of them in view at once.  That set a new eBird high count for Shiny Cowbirds, not only in Miami-Dade County, but also in FL, and in fact anywhere in the US.

We also had 6 beautiful Painted Buntings at the feeders, plus a flyover Short-tailed Hawk and a Western Kingbird.

Islamorada – Bayside Marina –

The target here was Red Junglefowl which are countable since we were on the Keys.  As soon as we got out of the car we heard a crowing rooster, aka Junglefowl.  And eventually tracked down two groups (US Life Bird #787 and FL state bird #350). 

Later we had 5 (looking much more like wild Junglefowl) including young chicks farther down the Keys.

Grassy Key – We found 5 shorebird species including 15 Short-billed Dowitchers and 2 Black-necked Stilts.

Florida Keys Country Club – A stakeout large shorebird flock included 200 Black-bellied Plovers, 50 Dowitchers, 100 Killdeer, and 3 Least and 10 Western Sandpipers, along with 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

January 10

L31W Canal –

We started our birding at dawn as we headed out on a mile and a half walk to a marsh where a Groove-billed Ani and 3 Smooth-billed Anis have been seen quite reliably throughout the winter.  Along the way we heard a rare Brown-crested Flycatcher giving its “whip” calls, and a Great Crested Flycatcher giving its “wheep” calls.  Plus, we spotted a nicely perched Tropical Kingbird. 

We eventually arrived at the Ani location and almost instantly spotted an Ani perched on the cattails in the distance.  But at that distant it was impossible to tell which species it was.  Most of the reports mentioned that the 3 Smooth-billed Anis stuck close together, and the Groove-billed would stay nearby but keep its distance.  So this one bird would likely be the Groove-billed.  Then a couple minutes later 3 other Anis came out of the reeds a short distance away and perched momentarily.  So these were likely the Smooth-billed.  The 3 birds flew closer and briefly perched nearby, appearing to have larger bills, confirming the Smooth-billed ID.  These 3 birds headed off to the south out of view.  And right on cue, the single bird followed behind them, perching quite close and allowing us to see its smaller bill assuring the Groove-billed ID.  Couldn’t quite see the grooves though.

I’ve only seen Smooth-billed Ani one other time – in the Everglades National Park in January 1982.  Back then they were rare but regular in south FL, but have gotten much rarer today.  So it was great to see them again, after a 44-year gap.  And Groove-billed Ani was #351 for my FL state bird list.

It was a long 3-mile round-trip walk but certainly worth it.

Everglades National Park - Mahogany Hammock – This was a slow stop with just 1 Black-throated Green Warbler and 1 Catbird in the Hammock, with a dark-phase Short-tailed Hawk nearby.  At least the Hammock had nice lush vegetation.

Everglades National Park – Flamingo – We were unsuccessful in our search for Flamingos in the distance.  But did have numerous water birds - Reddish Egret, Skimmers, Royal and Caspian Terns, Great White Herons, 1 “Wurdemann’s” Heron, and 2 Bald Eagles at their nest.

C111 Canal – We quickly found the stakeout female Vermillion Flycatcher, and a White-tailed Kite, but had no luck with a stakeout Bell’s Vireo.  And at dusk -had foraging Great Horned and Barn Owls flying low over the vegetation, plus at least 10 Lesser Nighthawks.

January 11

Miller Drive Roost – Went back for a second visit especially for Blue-and-yellow Macaws with no luck.  But we did have 25 Monk, 35 Red-masked, and 2 Yellow-chevroned Parakeets. 

Coral Reef Park – Soon after we arrived we had 2 Chestnut-fronted Macaws, 2 Red-masked and 40 White-eyed Parakeets.  Later we finally found our target Blue-and-yellow Macaws - the 9th Psittacid species for the trip.

Mid-Atlantic Christmas Vacation Yields 2 Statebirds, December 22, 29, 2025

A trip to the Mid-Atlantic states for the Christmas holidays presented the opportunity to chase after a few new statebirds nearby.  Since I grew up in the area, I have good state lists in all the states in the region.  But there are almost always at least a few possible new statebirds not too far away. 

Now it was time for some research.  We were based in Baltimore, so that meant no less than 5 states plus the District of Columbia would be no more than an hour away.  I pulled up my Needs Alerts for MD, PA, DE, VA, WV, and DC and came up with several reasonable possibilities –

PA – A Rufous Hummingbird was reliably visiting a feeder in Landenberg just across the state line

DC- Several waterfowl including Ross’s and Snow Geese, Goldeneye, and Long-tailed Duck had been seen recently, along with Harrier and Iceland Gull.  Though none were necessarily very reliable.  Plus, there was a Snowy Owl report.  

VA – Trumpeter Swans are reliable in Fauquier County right along our route back to NC.  That one could wait till our trip home.

My first opportunity to break away was the afternoon of the 22nd which was just enough time for what would hopefully be a short visit to Landenberg, PA in Chester County to look for the Rufous Hummingbird.  Luckily multiple eBird reports included all the necessary details – the feeder was in the back yard at the end of the driveway, the bird visited the feeder frequently (every 10-15 minutes), and it was not necessary to get prior permission from the homeowner. 

I arrived just after 2 PM, and walked to the end of the driveway.  The hummingbird feeder was right in front of me, along with a couple seed feeders.  The yard was quite birdy with a number of sparrows and chickadees on and below the seed feeders.  But of course, I concentrated on the hummer feeder as I waited for my target bird.  After an increasingly tense 15-minute wait the Rufous finally flew into the top of a small tree near the feeder.  And a few seconds later it landed on the feeder for a long drink providing great views.  It was #244 for my PA list. 

My statebird map for Rufous Hummingbird is inserted below.  The light blue shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range.  The cross-hatched states are the states where I’ve yet to see it in its regular range.  And the 8 dark blue shaded states are those where I’ve seen Rufous Hummingbird as a rarity, now including PA. 

The summary of my DC trip on the 23rd is a short one since I didn’t find any of my targets.  That was despite sorting through at least 1,500 Canada Geese on the Langston Golf Course unsuccessfully looking for white geese.  And checking all the waters around Hain’s Point for unusual waterfowl, Harriers, and gulls.  That might be the first time I've had an extended birding trip and not found any of my multiple targets. 

I also kept my eyes open for Snowy Owls as I birded in the area.  Numerous birders reported a Snowy Owl the next day on the grounds of Washington National Airport.  Interestingly, the location listed on many of the reports was Hain’s Point in DC where the birders were standing, even though all the airport property is in VA.  My rule is that the location needs to be where the bird is, not where the birder is.  (I didn’t need Snowy Owl on my VA list since I’ve seen one in VA – in fact at Washington National - a few years ago.)

I may have missed my target birds in DC, but still had some nice scenery.

My last targets were Trumpeter Swans in Fauquier County in northern VA.  This species is always on my VA needs alerts, especially in this county.  So this area must be a regular hotspot for them.  I chose Sky Meadows State Park as our spot to try for them since they seemed to be quite reliable there recently, and it was only a few minutes off our route home on the 29th.  (Afterall, it’s always important to find my target birds quickly when I was with my NBS - non-birding spouse.)  As we pulled into the State Park entrance we looked to the right at small Turner Pond and instantly spotted a pair of Trumpeter Swans feeding in the middle.  That was easy!  Here’s a picture of Turner Pond with the Swans toward the back left. 

Trumpeter Swan was #277 for my VA list.  And VA was the 22nd state where I’ve seen this species, which is being re-introduced into much of its former breeding range.

Midwest State Bird and Life Bird Chase, November 12-17, 2025, Part 2 - Michigan

You may be asking – “Why the Midwest in November?”  It all goes back to the roots of my state birding hobby.  Long before eBird existed, the American Birding Association (ABA) would publish your state and province totals but only if your total exceeded half of the total species ever observed in that state/province.  For instance, if 500 species had ever been reported in a given state, then your state total would only be published if it exceeded 250.  Decades ago, I set a goal to exceed the ABA reporting threshold in each of the Lower 48 states.  I met that goal back in 2023 with a birding trip to eastern Oregon.

But it gets more complicated.  The state total lists will inch up over time as new species are found in the state.  The last time the ABA published their reporting thresholds was in 2011, so state lists may have gone up dramatically since then.  I researched each state’s present list, and calculated new thresholds.  I found that several of my state lists were close to the new thresholds, most notably WI.  The WI threshold increased from 216 in 2011 to 228.5 today.  My state list was 229, perhaps safely over the threshold in 2011, but just a half above the threshold today. 

The story is similar for MI.  Years ago, my state list of 240 was 24 above that state’s threshold which happened to be 216 as well.  But the newly calculated threshold has jumped to 233, leaving me only 7 above that level.  So since MI is “only” a 2-hour drive from WI at the closest points, I could easily bird both states in one trip – in southeastern WI and southwestern MI.  And given that I was well above the present thresholds in both Illinois and Indiana, I could drive right through those 2 states and just focus on WI and MI.

Now that I had selected the states in which to bird, it was time to determine the best time of year to give me the greatest state bird potential.  I went onto eBird and clicked on the Target Species function first for WI, then for MI.  The output lists the species I need for my WI and MI lists in order of frequency of checklists submitted.  Although the report showed that I needed birds that can be seen in those states throughout all the seasons, the greatest number were seen in the late fall migration time when geese and other waterfowl, along with late passerines like Fox Sparrows and Rusty Blackbirds, are coming through.  It was all starting to come together.

And then while looking at the WI target list more closely, I noticed European Goldfinch well down on the list.  Thanks to some quick eBird research, I found that the Goldfinch was a “Naturalized” exotic (and countable) per eBird rules in the southeastern corner of the state.  And then farther down the WI target list I noticed Great Tit.  There is apparently a small breeding population of this species in southeastern WI as well, listed in eBird as a “Provisional” exotic species (and also countable). 

Suddenly the prime objective of my trip morphed from filling gaps in my state lists to pursuit of 2 countable lifers.  My plan was to bird as long as was needed to (hopefully) find the Goldfinch and Tit.  And then whatever time remained would be used for chasing after the remaining state bird targets.

I checked my schedule and determined that I could squeeze in a 7-day Midwest trip in mid-November.  Hopefully before it got too cold or snowy.  It was all falling into place. 

Now it was time for the hard work – all that research to find the best locations for my targets.  And a complication was that I didn’t know how much time I’d have for to try for the state ticks.  I optimistically assumed I would find the Goldfinch and Tit quickly, giving me 5 full days for the state bird targets.  But I’d have to be flexible if those initial searches were unsuccessful.  After lots of research on eBird and with the input from a few local birders, I found I had about 14 realistic targets in WI and hoped to find 6 of them, including the 2 lifers of course.  My target list in MI was a bit smaller at 11, and hoped for 4.  Adding 10 total state ticks and the Goldfinch and Tit as lifers would be a most successful trip.

This blog post summarizes the MI portion of my trip.  The previous post summarized the WI portion.

November 15 – Afternoon in Southwest MI

I left my last stop in WI around lunch time which gave me plenty of time to bird at least a couple spots in MI that day.  My first planned stop was at New Buffalo Beach just across the IN stateline.  Although this can be a great spot to do a lake watch, my key focus today was on a Snowy Owl that was seen there all day long the previous day.  Unfortunately, no one reported it the morning of my visit, so it was likely gone.  But I still gave it a try, checking all its favorite perches from the previous day with no luck.  I did a bit of a lake watch looking for my one realistic target, Black Scoter, but didn’t see much flying by, so decided to call it quits.  At least the weather was nice – maybe too nice for those sea birds.

Next I was on to the Three Oaks Sewage Ponds where the previous day there was a report of 2 Tundra Swans.  Both Tundras and Trumpeters were reported at most MI waterfowl sites recently (I only needed Tundra for my list), so IDs would be important.  Soon after I pulled up I spotted two Swans swimming in one of the impoundments, which eventually gave me good views of their bill shape and I could ID them as Tundras (MI State Bird #241). 

With that one out of the way, I turned my focus to this flock of sleeping Canadas hoping to pick out a smaller Cackling. 

While unsuccessfully looking for the smaller Goose, 3 Swans stood up in the flock of Canadas.  Soon they joined the 2 swimming Tundras, providing great comparisons, and I was able to ID 4 Tundras and 1 Trumpeter.  I was lucky enough to get this phonescoped photo of the Trumpeter trailing one of the Tundras, showing the difference in size and bill shape.

My state bird map for Tundra Swan is inserted below.  The light blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range (per Sibley’s range maps). The cross-hatched states are those where I’ve yet to see them in their normal range.  And the dark blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen Tundra Swan as a rarity.

My last stop of the day was the nearby lake across the road from the enormous Forest Lawn Landfill where a number of waterfowl had been reported recently, including more Tundra Swans.  Luckily, I no longer needed this one because there were on waterfowl at all.

November 16 – A Cold, Windy Day of State Birding

My first two stops of the day were at Warren Dunes SP.  And my first target was a Winter Wren that had been reported several times at the Floral Lane hotspot.  With several trails at this location, I was happy to see one eBirder mention they had the bird along the Yellow Bird Loop.  It was 36 degrees and very windy when I arrived there at sunrise, but I hoped the Winter Wren was hearty enough to withstand those wind chills.  Most of the trail wandered through wet, swampy habitat that looked great for a Winter Wren, so I was hopeful.

But it wasn’t to be.  I played some tape for what is normally a very tape-responsive species, but couldn’t get any replies.  I even re-hiked the beginning of the trail thinking that I had started too early for the Wren to be up and about.

Next, I made the short drive to the Mt. Randall part of the park to do a Hawk Watch – Sharp-shinned was my key target, but fly-by winter finches would be nice too.  The northwest winds should be good for a hawk watch, but I never found Mt. Randall, which is apparently just the top of a sand dune.  I stopped at a nearby spot with good views of the sky hoping to get a fly-by but could only come up with some Crows overhead and Juncos in the dune grasses.  I was off to a slow start.

But my luck quickly changed.  I no sooner got back on the highway to head north when I spotted a small raptor flying over the median.  It was a small Accipter – my target Sharp-shinned Hawk (MI State Bird #242).  I just need this wide-ranging species in 4 more states.

My next stop was a very windy Tiscornia Park to try to do another lake watch.  I had fair numbers of Red-breasted Mergansers and a second year Lesser Black-backed Gull, but the wind was way too strong to effectively scan the lake.  Although my plan was to spend at least the rest of the morning to do lake watches, I decided it was just too windy.  So I decided to head east toward Kalamazoo and do some inland birding, and return to the coast the next day.

My first stop near Kalamazoo was a hotspot called Justin’s Marsh.  Recent reports had included 3 of my targets – White-fronted and Cackling Geese (both as recently as the day before), and Snipe.  When I arrived, I was surprised to see only 75 or so Canadas, far fewer than recent reports.  And none of my targets were anywhere to be seen.  Though it was nice to see so many Mute Swans and a family of 5 Trumpeter Swans.  Perhaps more Geese would come in later in the afternoon to roost for the night, so I decided to head to a couple other nearby spots and come back to Justin’s Pond later.

I packed up and headed to nearby West W Ave. Marsh where Wilson’s Snipe had been reported several times recently.  As I pulled up, I was surprised to see a large flock of at least 200 Sandhill Cranes on both sides of the road.  And there were muddy edges throughout the marsh making for great Snipe habitat.

I scanned the edges with binoculars several times but I couldn’t find my target.  Then in the southeast corner I spotted what appeared to be an unusual brown “bump” at the edge of the reeds.  With a scope view I confirmed I had a Wilson’s Snipe (MI State Bird #243).  I just need this species in 1 more state (South Dakota) to completely fill in my state bird map.

The next stop was at nearby Upjohn Pond where a pair of white phase Snow Geese had been reported the previous day.  As best as I could tell, the southeast corner of the pond was the only vantage point to view this pond.  But unfortunately, when I arrived nearly all the waterfowl were near the northern end almost a half mile away.  There were many Geese there but I couldn’t pick out any white ones especially at that distance.  But notably there was a huge tightly packed flock of Aythya ducks (Ring-necks and Scaup); perhaps 1,000 or more.

After numerous frustrating scans I headed back to Justin’s Pond hoping to see big Goose flocks dropping in.  But there was nothing new.  I was a day late for no less than 4 possible MI state birds – White-fronted, Cackling and Snow Geese and the Snowy Owl.  I guess I’d just have to find my own good birds.

Short-eared Owl was one of my targets, but there had been no reports of any apparently reliable birds near the southwest corner of the state yet this season.  So I started to check eBird reports from the winter of 2024-2025 and found quite a number of sightings at the hotspot called the Oswalt Family Farm.  With a bit of research, I found out that there were no reports from this hotspot yet this winter.  And with the first 2024 sighting being in early November, perhaps they had already returned this year but just no one had looked for them yet. 

One other potentially exciting twist was that most of last winter’s reports from that hotspot included sightings of a Rough-legged Hawk.  That was another of my targets, but there were only a couple random reports of this species in the region so far this winter.  Maybe that one too had returned to the Oswalt farm area this year but had not yet been detected.

I arrived at the Oswalt Family Farm hotspot at 4 PM, with sunset at 5:19.  With just a bit of scouting I found the key location where birders were reporting the Owls feeding last year: fields to the north of the farm buildings.  And I found the ditches where a couple birders mentioned they were roosting. 

Now with some time to kill before dusk I drove around some of the roads looking for raptors but came up empty.  I came back to the hotspot to wait for dusk and soon spotted a large raptor flying by in the distance.  And with a quick binocular view I confirmed I had a Rough-legged Hawk (MI State Bird #244). 

I went back to scanning the key locations for the Owls, and at 5:43 I spotted a Short-ear flying low over the fields (MI State Bird #245).  A very successful evening, finding 2 targets that hadn’t been reported yet this winter.

November 17 – One Cold Day in MI

The car thermometer said it was 26 degrees when I left the hotel at dawn.  At least there wasn’t any wind.  My first stop was back at Justin’s Pond hoping that more Geese would have roosted there overnight.  But there were actually less Geese than the day before.  The only thing new was a thin layer of ice over half the pond.

Then I went back to Upjohn Pond for one more try for those Snow Geese.  Once again most of the waterfowl were at the far end of the lake.  While scanning the distant flocks I spotted a Blue Phase Snow Goose – not previously reported in the area (MI State Bird #246).  I just need this species in 4 more states and D.C.

I continued to scan the Geese and picked out at least 1 Cackling Goose, often disappearing behind its larger cousins (MI State Bird #247).  I still need this rather recently defined species in quite a number of states.

That was another species not previously reported here.  That was a very successful return trip to Upjohn Pond.

The plan for the rest of the day was to do lake watches at 3 spots on the way back to Chicago.  I had just one realistic target, Black Sctoer, but I was always on the lookout for a rarity as well.

My first stop was at North Beach in South Haven.  The weather was cold and pretty breezy, causing some pretty big whitecaps on the lake, and making viewing pretty tough.  I had one very distant flock of Scoters flyby, but they were way too far out for IDs.  And a flyby Red-throated Loon was nice.  But otherwise, there was little activity over the lake in my 90 minutes of viewing time.  A flock of 50 Snow Buntings flying down the dunes was a nice find – nice to reacquaint myself with that species.

Next it was onto Tiscornia Park, where there was once again few flybys.  Best birds were a Horned Grebe and Red-throated Loon in the river mouth, a Lesser Black-backed Gull on the jetty, and yet another Red-throated Loon flyby.  I needed the Loon in WI but not MI – go figure.

My last stop of the trip was at New Buffalo Beach.  The wind had died down and the water was quite a bit smoother, so viewing conditions were greatly improved.  As I pulled into the parking lot I noticed 3 birds in the river right in front of me that turned out to be a Surf Scoter and 2 Horned Grebes.  I was cautiously optimistic.  Over the next 90 minutes I tallied 9 White-winged Scoters either flying alone or with Red-breasted Mergansers.  And I had at least 12 more Scoters that were too far out for ID’s.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t come up with a Black Scoter.  But it was still a fun last stop.

I had a most successful time birding in MI, adding 7 new birds to my MI state list compared to an expected 4 new birds.  Notably, 4 of my new species were birds that I found myself and not previously reported.  And now that my MI list is at 247, that puts me 14 over my self-imposed threshold of half the total state list.  Or put another way, there will have to be 28 new birds added to the MI state list before I’ll have to come back to fill a few more gaps in my MI list. 

The WI portion of the trip was even more successful, finding European Goldfinch and Great Tit as lifers, and 8 additional new state birds.

The eBird trip report can be found here:  ebird.org/tripreport/437815.