One wonders what mischievous adventures these two will be up to in the weeks to come.

Baby Raccoon's

Baby Raccoon's

A birding friend found this little gem in Tacoma Hills Park in Okemos Michigan. A Golden-winged warbler is a rare treat for us Mid-Michigan birders! The migrants are pouring in and "May madness" has taken the birding community by storm. Dust off the binoculars and get out to observe this wonderful treat that Mother Nature has provided.

Golden Winged Warbler

Golden-winged Warbler

Tree Swallows always look like they are dressed for some gala event. Got to love a bird in a tux!

Tree Swallow

Lucky, lucky me, today I saw my first Whooping Crane! Two of them made a stop in the Mid Michigan area on their migration back home, presumably to Wisconsin. They may have been blown off course by the nasty weather we had last weekend. This majestic bird is a sight to behold. It is our largest crane standing almost 5 feet tall with a wingspan of 7.5 feet.

The Whooping Crane is an endangered species. ​It is one of the rarest birds in North America. Before the Europeans settled on this continent there were 10,000+ Whooping Cranes. By 1941 there were only 21 wild and 2 captive Whooping Cranes alive as a result of unregulated hunting and loss of habitat. Conservation efforts have led to a limited recovery. As of 2011, there are an estimated 437 birds in the wild and more than 165 in captivity.

Learn more about the effort to save the Whooping Crane at Operation Migration.

Whooping Crane
Whooping Crane

A pair of Bluebird's enjoying the sunshine after many days of dreary weather.

Bluebird Pair

One of the things on my bucket list was to see all seven of Mid Michigan's Woodpeckers in one day in one county or better yet in one township. Yesterday morning I took a hike on the trails in Lake Lansing North and saw all seven of them in one Park! I saw a Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Red-headed Woodpecker in that order. And to top it off I also saw both of the area's nuthatches, a White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatch! Here are photos of most of the birds. Unfortunately I did not get photos of the Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers at Lake Lansing North but did get them at my backyard feeder.

Red-bellied and Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker  
Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-headed Woodpecker

Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch

On Sunday I found this Cooper's Hawk in Legg Park taking a lunch break. 

Cooper's Hawk

It's hard to pass up a photo opportunity with an Eastern Bluebird. Looks like this one may be helping out with some nest building.

Bluebird

I found this Fox Sparrow in Legg Park today. This bird gets his name from the red color of it's feathers and the fact that it prefers to stay out of sight hidden amongst the bushes and tall grass. When I see this bird it tells me that spring migration is just around the corner. Let the fun begin!

Fox Sparrow

​The Mandarin Duck is an introduced species and there is concern about competition with some of our native species. This photo was taken yesterday at Harris Nature Center in the flooded area immediately north of the nature center. I saw it there two times last summer, looks like it has returned with its mate for another season. Take a trip to Harris and see if you can get a look at this stunningly beautiful duck.

Mandarin Duck

This Barred Owl is enjoying an afternoon siesta in the sun. I don't know about you but it makes me yawn just to look at him. The photo was taken today at Harris Nature Center.

Barred Owl

Here is the last photo from my winter trip to the Upper Peninsula, Sualt St. Marie. This is a Hoary Redpoll,a small hardy bird from the  Arctic islands of northern Canada. It is a rare visitor to the northern United States during winter months. There has been a lot of discussion over the past few years of combining the Hoary Redpoll and Common Redpoll into one species. 

Hoary Redpoll

Here is another photo from the UP trip. This is a Sharp-tailed Grouse. There were six of them in this pine tree.

Sharp-tailed Grouse

Sharp-tailed Grouse