This is more of my favorite photos of Michigan birds from the past year.
I went on a belted King Fisher hunt today. I spotted one overlooking the waters near Squaw Bay, and so got out and hiked through the marsh to get a better look. It was a female, with the rusty belt across her middle, and she ignored me as she kept her sights on the water below. I got some nice shots, then the mosquitoes and black flies (the bane of Michigan in the summer!) became unbearable, so left her to her hunting.
The egrets and blue herons are everywhere; probably because the babies are getting bigger and so everyone is out hunting on the water. I love the blue herons, who are somewhat shy and able to almost melt into the grays stumps and mud of the marshes. I do know where a pair roosts in the evening, and as long as I don’t get too close, they don’t seem to mind my taking a photo or two. I can often see one flying over the bay at a distance.
I saw a green heron in a tree on squaw bay, but it was too far away to get a clear photo of. I enjoyed watching him as he sat overlooking the bay waters from his perch. Later in the week, I saw another one sitting on an electric line near Misery Bay. I got some closer shots of this bird that looks amazing like a cartoon character with its distinctive markings when seen close-up.
During beach walks, I will occasionally see sandpipers, but they seem to be hiding more. That’s probably because of all the summer visitors who boat and walk up and down the beach. The sandpipers and killdeer seem to be a bit shy of people and will hopefully re-emerge when things get quieter by the lake.
