Haehnle Sanctuary Birding Tour

Jackson Audubon kicked off the 2025 tour season with a raptor-filled tour of Haehnle Sanctuary.  Nine JAS members bundled up for a walk on the property.  I thought it might be a good morning when Gary Siegrist spotted a Northern Harrier while we were still getting grouped in the parking lot.

The view from the Harold Wing overlook was wonderful, even though there was not much bird activity at the start.  We walked down a seasonal trail we have cut between the eastern edge of the grassland and the forest area.  Some American Robins were active in there.  We did not get the sparrow activity I’d have liked walking west along the bottom border of the grassland.  We continued past the apple tree viewing area and toward the dike trail toward Eagle Lake viewing platform. 

Near the dike we spotted a Red Tail Hawk and a very distant Bald Eagle.  While at Eagle Lake a Rough-legged Hawk was spotted but quickly went out of view.  Another Bald Eagle was seen along the shore as well as a flock of Eastern Bluebirds.

We got a Pileated and some other woodpeckers in the forest.  Once out of the woods, the view and the sun opened a bit for us.  In rapid succession, Gary Siegrist spotted a Northern Shrike, while the Rough-legged Hawk returned, while a pair of bald Eagle came in from the other direction while the immature Golden Eagle was spotted directly above us, very high up.   Our raptor count was five. But if you count the shrike, a.k.a. Butcher bird, we got an even half-dozen hunters for the morning.

(Joanna Sblendorio)

After we returned to the overlook, we carpooled over the western edge of the sanctuary.  We drove to the Wooster Rd. parking lot by the Portage River Bridge.  On our half mile walk on the path we had lots of birds working both the river and wetland pool sides of the dike.  We saw just one Bald Eagle on this part of the walk but our only mature eagle. 

Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) (Don Henise)

eBird Checklists:

Main Sanctuary:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S208442551

Wooster Rd. Dike:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S208442878

Trip list:  https://ebird.org/tripreport/317860

56th Waterloo CBC Report
by Don Henise
Photos by Mike Bowen & Nolan Williams

The 56th annual Waterloo State Rec Area Christmas Bird Count was conducted on Saturday December 14th, 2024.  The best word to describe this year’s count is “average”.  Thirty dedicated field birders and 3 feeder watchers counted 8,748 individual birds from 61 total species on count day.  Both numbers were just slightly below our 10 year averages.

The highlight of the day was probably 2 Turkey Vultures each seen individually by two widely separated parties in the count circle.  This is only the 5th record for the count.  We posted record high counts for 2 species. Fourteen Bald Eagles were counted, breaking the record of 11 set in 2022. Four Yellow-belled Sapsuckers just slipped ahead of the record of 3 from 2008 & 2016.  Sapsuckers have only been reported on 22 of our 56 counts so 4 in one year is a good number.

Other noteworthy birds include: 2 Northern Shrikes (seen on 28 out of 56 counts), 1 Hermit Thrush (24/56), 1 Winter Wren (15/56), 5 Snow Buntings (25/56), 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet (12/56), and 1 Common Grackle (35/56).  A few regular species were counted in numbers higher than average. They are listed here with their 10 year averages and maximum high counts in parentheses: Mallard – 263 (192, 789), Eastern Screech-Owl – 13 (7, 19), Carolina Wren – 15 (9, 24), Dark-eyed Junco – 834 (352, 925), and White-throated Sparrow – 8 (3, 14).

The only regular species that was lower than average was Mourning Dove with only 262 counted compared to its 10 year average of 588.  The biggest miss this year was Belted Kingfisher which has been reported on 47 of the 56 counts.  Other misses were Red-headed Woodpecker (40/56) and Pine Siskin (34/56).  Although there have been a few reports of Pine Siskin in southern Michigan, this does not seem to be shaping up as a good winter for them.

Golden Eagles have become somewhat regular during the winter months in the Dalton Road area in recent years.  One has been reported a few times this fall, most recently on December 7th.  A great deal of effort was expended in search of that bird on count day, but it was not to be found.  A search was also made at both dawn and dusk for Short-eared Owls at the traditional Hawkins Road spot without avail.  However, a Short-eared Owl was seen there the day before, so it will be added to the list as a count week bird.

A big thank you to all of the team leaders and participants. Each of you helped to make this count a success. Mark your calendars for the 57th count which will take place on Saturday, December 20th, 2025.

Species List:

Canada Goose	1100
Mute Swan	44
Trumpeter Swan	3
Tundra Swan	5
Mallard	263
American Black Duck	2
Wild Turkey	140
Ring-necked Pheasant	1
Rock Pigeon	213
Mourning Dove	262
Sandhill Crane	2285
Ring-billed Gull	89
Great Blue Heron	2
Turkey Vulture	2
Sharp-shinned Hawk	4
Cooper's Hawk	10
accipiter species	1
Northern Harrier	7
Bald Eagle	14
Red-shouldered Hawk	1
Red-tailed Hawk	45
Rough-legged Hawk	1
Eastern Screech-Owl	13
Great Horned Owl	1
Barred Owl	2
Short-eared Owl	cw
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	4
Red-bellied Woodpecker	75
Downy Woodpecker	68
Hairy Woodpecker	19
Pileated Woodpecker	5
Northern Flicker	20
American Kestrel	8
Northern Shrike	2
Blue Jay	325
American Crow	142
Black-capped Chickadee	214
Tufted Titmouse	97
Horned Lark	8
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	1
Golden-crowned Kinglet	16
White-breasted Nuthatch	129
Red-breasted Nuthatch	3
Brown Creeper	3
Winter Wren	1
Carolina Wren	15
European Starling	809
Eastern Bluebird	136
Hermit Thrush	1
American Robin	131
Cedar Waxwing	109
House Sparrow	289
House Finch	87
Purple Finch	10
American Goldfinch	151
Snow Bunting	5
American Tree Sparrow	352
Dark-eyed Junco	834
White-throated Sparrow	8
Song Sparrow	3
Swamp Sparrow	1
Common Grackle	1
Northern Cardinal	156

Eastern Bluebird (Nolan Williams)

Turkey Vulture (Nolan Williams)

Purple Finch (female) (Nolan Williams)

Northern Shrike (Nolan Williams)

Black-capped Chickadee (Mike Bowen)

Northern Harrier (Mike Bowen)

Eastern Bluebird (Mike Bowen)

Red-tailed Hawk (Mike Bowen)

American Kestrel (Mike Bowen)

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Mike Bowen)

Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 12/02/2024

By Don Henise

Winter made its appearance this past week in southern Michigan. Mud Lake Marsh was almost completely frozen on this crisp, cold Monday night. We had a lot of cranes fly in at dusk, circle and not finding any suitable open water, head off to other locations. Only 75 cranes actually landed on the ice in Mud Lake to roost for the night. The number of other bird species detected was low, with only 16 total species counted. An adult female Northern Harrier entertained us for a bit as it worked close in the grassland below the observation hill.

Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) (Don Henise)

This will be our final Monday night crane report for the season.

Total Cranes Roosting: 75

Counters: Ross Green, Don Henise, and Steve Jerant

Compiled by: Don Henise

Complete eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S204346247

 [Editor’s note:  Thanks to all our weekend greeters this season and especially warm thanks to our crane counters:  Don & Robyn Henise, Ross Green, and Gary Siegrist.]

Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/25/2024

By Don Henise

We experienced our highest count of the season with 1,866 Sandhill Cranes roosting in Mud Lake Marsh. They came fast and furious for a while and with only 2 of us counting tonight, we struggled to keep up at times. Temps were in the 40s with an overcast sky and fortunately for us, the rain that was threatening held off until after sunset. With the threatening weather other bird activity was quite low, however we did have a quick sighting of a Northern Shrike perched on top of one of the big maple trees. We got busy with crane counting and soon lost track of it.

Total Cranes Roosting: 1,866

Counters: Don Henise & Steve Jerant

Compiled by: Don Henise

Complete eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S203629961

(Steve Jerant)

Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/18/2024

By Don Henise

The number of Sandhill Cranes using Haehnle Sanctuary’s Mud Lake Marsh bounced back this week. A total of 1,292 cranes were counted landing in the marsh Monday evening to spend the night. Numerous waterfowl continue to use the marsh. See the link to the eBird list below for the full list of waterfowl. At dusk, as Robyn was counting the last few cranes coming into the marsh, she spotted a lone Snow Goose flying in from the northwest. The Snow Goose circled around the marsh for nearly 10 minutes before it finally landed, affording all the observers on the hill a chance to view it in the failing light.

The weather for the afternoon and evening count was again unseasonably warm with temps in the 50s. The sky was overcast, the wind was light, and we did experience some light rain towards the end of the count. Fifty-two bird species were observed including several American Tree Sparrows in the prairie giving their tinkling calls all evening, and a large flock of Cedar Waxwings in the trees to the right of the lookout. Near dusk, a Merlin again made an appearance, chasing the tree sparrows in the prairie.

CarolinaWren(Thryothorus ludovicianus)(Don Henise)

Other than the Merlin, raptor sightings were not remarkable, with only 2 distant Bald Eagle sightings, 2 Northern Harriers working the marsh, and only one Red-tailed Hawk observed. However, Gary reported seeing a light morph Rough-legged Hawk Sunday evening, while greeting at the Sanctuary.

Total Cranes Roosting: 1,292

Counters: Ross Green, Robyn Henise, Gary Siegrist, Don Henise

Compiled by: Don Henise

Complete eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S202956484

Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/11/2024

By Don Henise

Our string of balmy Monday evening weather came to a halt this week. Although it was still warmer than normal, the wind was blowing strong from the west-southwest, sometimes gusting to more than 30 mph, making it feel quite cold. We were all trying to huddle in front of the observation hill kiosk to get some shelter from the wind. The number of Sandhill Cranes dropped off this week with only 541 staying to roost in the marsh with another 600+ flying by heading to other areas for the night.

Don Henise

With the high winds, very few songbirds were active, so we only managed to record a total of 25 bird species. A Golden Eagle spotted in the distance to the north was the highlight of the evening for the few of us able to see it. Bald Eagles were present throughout the afternoon and evening with 7 being visible at one time across the horizon.

See the link below for the complete eBird checklist for the count.

Total Cranes Roosting: 541

Counters: Ross Green, Robyn Henise, Steve Jerant, Gary Siegrist, Don Henise

Compiled by: Don Henise

Complete eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S202223412

(Steve Jerant)

Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 11/04/2024

By Don Henise

Temps were in the mid-sixties, unseasonable warm for November 4^th. The sky was overcast and rain was threatening, but the only precipitation we experienced was a little drizzle. The Sandhill Crane flight into Mud Lake Marsh was incredible this evening as cranes came in from multiple directions. A total of 1528 cranes remained to roost in the marsh for the night. Another 581 were counted as fly-bys, most of them appearing to go down into private property to the north of Haehnle Sanctuary.

View from the lower lookout (Steve Jerant)

A total of 35 bird species were tallied for the evening. Again, lots of Ducks continue to be seen between the marsh and Eagle Lake. For the past few weeks, we have been seeing a few Rusty Blackbirds each Monday evening. Tonight, several of the trees to the right of the overlook were full of blackbirds; the 35 Rusty Blackbirds we put on the eBird checklist was probably a low estimate.

This is beginning to sound like a broken record – we again had a Merlin appear in the middle of the crane flight. This week though it didn’t just blast through, but landed on a tree top for a few minutes before flying past the lookout hill.

Total Cranes Roosting: 1,528

Counters: Ross Green, Robyn Henise, Steve Jerant, Gary Siegrist, Don Henise

Compiled by: Don Henise

Complete eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S201437934

Haehnle Sanctuary & USFWS Crane Count 10/28/2024

By Don Henise

A Northern Shrike made its first appearance of the fall at in the afternoon. It worked the brush at the edge of the marsh for more than a half hour before it disappeared to the southeast. Dabbling duck numbers and species diversity continue to increase as the fall progresses. A pair of adult Bald Eagles perched in a dead snag out in the marsh were continually launching sorties and flushing the ducks into the air, allowing us to see large numbers of Gadwall, American Wigeon, American Black Ducks and other species in flight over the marsh. For the second week in a row a Merlin blasted over the lookout hill at dusk. See the checklist below for all species and numbers.

Total Cranes Roosting: 1,046

Counters: Robyn Henise, Don Henise

Compiled by: Don Henise

Complete eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S200657313

USFWS Annual Crane Count

By Steve Jerant

In addition to Don & Robyn counting at Haehnle, we had two other groups of counters in the area.  Ross Green and Mike Bowen west to the west and counted near the fields at the turn on Dalton Rd.  While they say lots of birds gathered in the field, none of them stayed the night.

Lathe Claflin and I went over to private property about 2 miles north.  I counted in a marsh area to the east.  I had nearly a hundred cranes down but then some of them left to move to the west.  My total was only 67.  There was a lot of cranes coming down to the south of me.   Lathe had better luck in his spot to the east.  Cranes came down in two separate areas and he tallied 261 and 762 in the two locations.

We had mild weather, great color, seventeen participants, and lots of mockingbirds on our trip to Watkins Lake on Tuesday.  I planned this trip a month earlier than our normal November waterfowl trip in the hopes of getting a good color tour of the park.  In addition, the upland grassland on the Washtenaw side of the property offers a great view of the surrounding area-you can even see Brooklyn!

Right out of the gate the park’s resident Mockingbird’s were out & about and 5 were seen.  We started walking the trail to the east toward the upland area.  After much encouragement from the group a few more Mockingbirds were coaxed to make the jump east over the county line so we could count them in Washtenaw.  We tallied 3.

(Brenda Wineman)

A short walk off our route to a view from the grassland to the lake’ was rewarded with the sight of hundreds of Canada Goose coming in for a landing on the lake.  We then started the woodland trek up the hill to the grand view.  It was a bit of a climb, but well worth it.  The view was great, and the fall colors were spot on. I think we got peak color on that day.  So, of course forgot to take a pic.

The loop trail down was though more grassland and was a more gradual descent.  We’ll go up that side next time.  The walk on this path allows a lakeside view to the west, but there was not too much activity there.

After a return to the parking lot for a quick refresh, we walked down Arnold Rd. for the waterfowl part of the tour.  I think we did pretty good in terms of wildfowl. We saw 19 waterfowl and other water birds in the lake. 

Toward the end of the viewing, we had a falcon identified as a Peregrine Falcon.  This Duck Hawk did not stop for a snack, but just gave as a quick flyby.

Bird lists for the trip are below. Be sure to check out photos in the checklists.

Parking lot & west end of trail:   https://ebird.org/checklist/S199888781

Washtenaw county:   https://ebird.org/checklist/S199895916

Jackson County lake sightings:   https://ebird.org/checklist/S199895983

Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/21/2024

(Steve Jerant)

By Don Henise

Sandhill Cranes are finally making their way into Haehnle Sanctuary marsh in good numbers. Over the weekend, volunteer greeters counted 300+ and 400+ cranes flying in just before sunset. On our official Monday evening count, with unseasonably warm temperatures near 80 degrees, 504 cranes were counted landing in Mud Lake Marsh to roost for the night. An additional 467 were observed flying past the sanctuary, most appearing to land in wetlands to the north of the sanctuary, giving a total of 971 cranes observed from the Harold Wing observation hill.

(Steve Jerant)

A total of 35 bird species were observed during the afternoon and evening count – see the eBird checklist link below. Ducks have begun arriving in the area over the past weeks and many were seen out in the marsh. Three rusty Blackbirds were viewed perched in the trees near the overlook in the early afternoon. Near sunset, a Merlin blasted over the overlook.

Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) (Don Henise)

This has been a good fall for Common Buckeye butterflies in Jackson County and many continue to be seen along the trails through the prairies at Haehnle. Autumn Meadowhawks are normally the last dragonfly species to be on the wing in the fall. There were probably hundreds of them still flying around the grasslands on this warm evening. In years when the weather stays mild, we see the Autumn Meadowhawks into November.

 
Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum) (Don Henise)

Buckeye (Junonia coenia)(Don Henise)

Total Cranes Roosting: 504

Counters: Gary Siegrist, Steve Jerant, Don Henise, Robyn Henise

Compiled by: Don Henise

Complete eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S199820859