Duck Watching Along Mighty Lake Michigan

It was time to do a bit of bird watching; winter cold, or no winter cold.  Fellow birder Robert Massey had a free Saturday morning too (Barbara was working) so the two of us jumped in the "IBIRD" SPT (silver pick-up truck) at around 8:00 AM and headed to Milwaukee's east side.  At Robert's home along the Menominee River Parkway; a woman has fed the Mallards for years.  Because of timing, I was able to witness their early morning waddle-march from the north to the south across the road.

They would bunch-up at the edge and then flow across in a straight line to her driveway; heading for the backyard to where the feed was supposedly located.  How many days, weeks, years these ducks and their offspring had been doing this is unknown to me.  Whether there was even any food for them when they got there was also a mystery; but some "pull" was making them attempt that practiced journey day after day, week after week, year after year.

The weather was cooperating with a mild 23 degrees and virtually no wind as we stepped out of the truck at the Linwood water treatment plant for our first of six looks. Canada geese were already present on the grass along the banks of the Lake Michigan shoreline.  The snow was mostly gone due to the recent mild weather that had included actual rain.  This meant that they could easily crop at the grass to fill their bellies with what they needed to sustain themselves.

Dozens of their cousins, sisters, brothers, etc. also swam in the frigid water of the great lake just off

shore.  Along with these common residents and visitors to Lake Michigan were some species that only seen to over-winter here; Buffleheads, Common goldeneye, Lesser and Greater scaups and Red-breasted and Common merganser.  As we would discover in the several stops we would make; the Buffleheads seemed to prefer the northernmost shoreline and could not be seen as we ventured southward.

From Audubon.org, "A diminutive diver, one of our smallest ducks, often very energetic in its feeding. Related to the goldeneyes and, like them, nests in cavities; but unlike other hole-nesting ducks, the Bufflehead is small enough to use unmodified old nest holes of Northern Flickers, giving it a ready source of good nest sites. Less sociable than most ducks, seen in pairs or small groups, almost never in large flocks. Takes wing easily from the water, flies with rapid wing beats. The name "Bufflehead" is derived from "buffalo-head," for the male's odd puffy head shape."

One of our most memorable (audible) moments was when we walked across the frozen goose-poop

littered grass from the parking lot at McKinley marina to the water's edge.  As we neared the sidewalk that runs along the lakeshore boundary, we unwittingly scared dozens of goldeneye that were (previously unseen) huddled against the rocks and the 12 foot drop from above to below.  They all suddenly skedaddled eastward just above the water's surface making a gloriously loud whining noise with their rapid wing beats to escape the interlopers to their quiet morning paddling.

Joggers and people with their dogs were out in force as we stood at each place with our scope and binoculars.  One of the most interesting discoveries to me was to see the many ice-fishing enthusiasts that were enjoying their Saturday on the frozen water of the Lakeshore State Park lagoon.  This proximity between angler and the buildings of downtown Milwaukee was both surreal and fascinating to me. Who would have thought that these two vastly different scenarios could co-exist; bustling urban life and serene outdoor sportfishing?

In all we stopped along Linwood,  Lakeshore drive at Bradford Beach, McKinley Marina, Lakeshore State Park, the area under the Hoan bridge carved out for the Milwaukee smelting community and the old Coast Guard impound lot and the famous, ever-present but badly deteriorated blue trailer.  Our final stop for the morning was to view the hundreds of the same species we had been seeing that had congregated at the breakwall just south of the Lake Express Ferry.  All in all we saw hundreds and hundreds of birds in just a few hours time that seemingly thrive in the ice-cold waters of our great lake.  C'mon out and play on a winter's morning...plenty of others are and having a great time!

Robert Massey with the spotting scope

Bufflehead

Lone Black duck on the ice

Goldeneye walking on water?

Our Species List:

1. Red-breasted merganser
2. Common merganser
3. Mallard
4. Greater Scaup
5. Lesser Scaup
6. American Crow
7. Herring gull
8. Black-backed gull
9. Ring-billed gull
10. Black duck
11. Bufflehead
12. Common goldeneye

Lake Michigan Duck Watch - 2015

View from the WPT

On a sub-zero day in January 2015, I drove the WPT east to the shores of bone-chilling Lake Michigan to see just what ducks were there.  It was overcast, gray and windy as I pulled up in the parking lot of the water station and strapped on my gear.  I was dressed in layers to help fight the cold, but my hands were having a tough time with the gloves I had chosen.  Mittens would have been smarter; but using a camera with no finger dexterity is difficult.  I waded through a freshly falled amount of powder and approached the lake.  Ice had formed to within 10 yards of the shore in chaotically layered islands.  A slow but determined wave motion sloshed up into small "bays" and cuts in the ice pack.  I needed to be extremely careful not to slip; but even more wary not to blunder into a disguised mini-gorge and into the ice water. There was virtually no one who would ever hear any pleas for help.  The only other person I saw was one of those psycho-runners tip-toeing on the icy public sidewalk near Lakeshore Drive...and I thought I was nuts.

Ooh boy it's cold!

The predominant avian form seen this day was the Common goldeneye.  1. "Among Common Goldeneyes pair formation begins in midwinter, and until then the two sexes often form separate flocks. Indeed, males winter farther north than do the females. During its courtship display, the male stretches his head forward along the water and then snaps it rapidly upward over his back, bill pointed skyward, while uttering a shrill, two-noted call. Then he swings his orange feet forward, sending up a small shower in front of him. The wings of this species produce a loud whistling sound in flight, easily identified even when the birds cannot be seen; hunters call this species the "Whistler." Goldeneyes can dive to depths of 20 feet (6 meters) or more, but generally limit themselves to about 10 feet (3 meters). In winter, goldeneyes feed mainly on mollusks; in summer, their diet shifts to aquatic plants and insects.

Common Goldeneye

This species is particularly hardy and often the last waterfowl species to leave the breeding grounds and the first to return. Migration peaks occur in November and March/April. The species migrates in small, loose flocks, concentrating at suitable stopover points, especially in spring when these are limited. River valleys tend to funnel inland migrants to some extent. All populations are migratory, even where the species occurs year-round. Individuals may migrate only as far as necessary to find open water. The winter range is contiguous with the breeding range except in south-coastal Alaska and extends from the Alaska Peninsula along the Pacific coast to southern British Columbia, then across southern Canada and the lower 48 (except inland southern areas and south Florida) into coastal and lowland northern Mexico. Adult males tend to remain farther north than adult females, which in turn remain north of juveniles. The species also breeds across northern Eurasia and winters south to the Mediterranean, Caspian Sea, and Japan."

Lake Michigan shoreline in January

1. Source: Boreal Birds.com about the Common Goldeneye