Nature lovers here in Southeast Michigan rejoiced at the long-awaited grand opening of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge (DRIWR) Humbug Marsh Unit in October 2020. The Visitor and Nature Center did not open simultaneously due to the pandemic, but has since opened. This venue’s website boasts “this habitat supports 300 species of birds, including 30 species of waterfowl, 23 species of raptors and 31 species of shorebirds.”
That is impressive to be sure, but I must be honest here – in my nine or ten treks taken at this venue, there have been times that my usually busy shutter finger isn’t even activated, especially in early Spring or late Fall when Humbug Marsh is downright humdrum, (not to mention muddy).
Since I have to pass the DRIWR as I travel to and from Lake Erie Metropark, I often pop in, although I have been known to just stay in the car and do a drive-by at the Delta region to see if there are any Egrets or Herons I could stalk, er … photograph. Sometimes I just stay on that roadway and head on out to my next stop at beautiful Elizabeth Park.
You may recall in my recap of new birds encountered last year, I mentioned visiting the DRIWR after reading their December 10th Facebook post about the appearance of a Long-tailed Duck. I hustled over there the next day and met two friendly photographers who touted this venue as a great place to shoot birds … using their long lenses of course.
Well, that lucky duck owned the Monguagon Delta, diving for fish in the big pond while we three happy humans were snapping pics of this sole inhabitant of the Delta while chatting it up. The pair, a guy and a gal, wowed me with their tales of sightings of Bufflehead, Merganser and Wood Ducks and raptors like Bald Eagles, Owls and Kestrels, plus a host of Warblers that I have only read about in the Detroit Audubon’s field trip post. For sure, I will be beating a path here more often in 2023 to see if I can add to my Birdie Bucket List (especially a long-coveted owl).
But, in the meantime, as I continue to meander through photos of treks taken in 2022, I would deem my July 31st visit to this nature venue a success. It was mid-day when I took this trek, the fourth stop on a whirlwind photo expedition that day. I still have posts about the first two stops for later this month. I had just left Lake Erie Metropark where I had been gawking at and photographing those lovely Water Lotuses.
Look Ma – no railings!
I must confess, if it’s too windy I back off … as you see, there are no railings and, even though I wouldn’t drown as I can see clear to the bottom, I’d rather not fall into the murky water.
Of note is that I would not return to this venue until mid-September and was surprised to see the water level so depleted I discovered areas of the Delta were bone dry. While I crossed the Monguagon Delta walkway, a few turtles graced me with their presence and I got pretty close to an Egret and a Killdeer. Just as the hot and humid weather had spurred early growth of the Water Lotuses at Lake Erie Metropark, there were Water Lilies dotting the Delta’s surface.
Keep your distance lady and we’ll pose for you.
Turtles are either very shy or very wary of humans. No matter where I am walking, as soon as I spot a row of turtles sunning on a log, one by one they plop into the water. Yes, it’s a little disheartening and I don’t take it personally, but this pair managed to sit tight without any angst long enough to get a photo.
Any port in a storm.
I almost saved the photos of this resourceful turtle perched on this tiny rock for a Wordless Wednesday post. There it was, balancing perfectly, but when this turtle finally slid into the water after noticing me, I saw just how small its perch was.
Killdeer and I share something in common …
… we both have long legs. I could cross that Delta walkway pretty quickly if one of those humungous Carp swam too close – they like doing belly flops and they will smack the water with such force, the walkway is covered with water (and me as well). The Carp grow large because of this sign posted in the Delta …
… and I’m guessing they are way too large for Egrets and Herons to catch and eat.
The Killdeer’s long legs and fondness for speed walking takes it from Point A to Point B in record time, so trying to get a shot of them has been nearly impossible for me. I usually get shots of their back only. This Killdeer, however, stopped to ponder life while wading in the water, so that was a lucky break for me.
An Egret was looking for lunch.
I saw the Egret wading in the Delta and was able to sneak up on it before it finally got tired of being stalked by the paparazzi and it flew off.
My luck finally ran out.
Since it appeared it was my lucky day, I took a quick stroll through the 300-year-old Old Growth Forest embedded in Humbug Marsh. I’ve never read that deer, coyotes, foxes or raccoons are here, but I am aware that Eastern Fox Snakes live at Humbug Marsh. A snake, several paces away would be nice, but not crossing my path. I saw no snakes, but perhaps this big rabbit saw a snake. I hate to think it bolted like this when it saw me!
I was back here several times after this walk and I hope to visit more in 2023. Next week we’ll celebrate the first day of Spring with my visit to Emily Frank Gardens.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
You certainly saw a lot!
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I did – it was a good day Anne. Now watch, I’ll start going there more and there will be nothing to see.
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Great post – seems it was your lucky day. You captured some beautiful scenes. Makes me wish for the green of summer to magically appear soon.
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Thanks Peggy! I was surprised to come home with that many photos. I am going to go back there more often since those two photographers raved about how many different birds they saw. It will be awhile for us until we get that green, although before this last bout of snow, I was amazed to see a few weeds poking up through the mulch. I always love that first burst of green when the leaves pop out suddenly and the flowering trees all pop out.
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So nice to see bright cheerful colors outside. Great photos.
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Thanks Ally – I wish it was more colorful around these parts now, though I have seen a few weeds already rearing their ugly heads!
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A tip on sneaking up on a bird………do not go directly towards it and do not look at it. Get your safety shot and do a slow zig zag pattern looking elsewhere. These birds are semi domesticated as they are use to seeing people in their habitat.
If you want a real challenge, try getting shots of a animal not familiar with humans!
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Thanks for the tip Wayne! When I finally see my photos on the computer screen, which is usually weeks, if not months, later, I marvel just how many safety shots I took, especially birds, as I figure they’ll fly away any second. I was surprised I got so many shots of that Lotus-eating deer. Usually when I see deer they get spooked pretty fast (except that cute fawn that its Mom left with me). If I get even half as many bird and/or critter photos this year I’ll be ecstatic!
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I love water critters. They are so much more graceful in water than I am.
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Those Egrets, when there is a reflection on the water from them as they wade around, look graceful, especially when their necks are extended.
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I would’ve enjoyed seeing the turtles plot and the carp slap, even if it meant both were telling me to “go away”. And 23 species of raptors! I’m guessing that keeps the rodent population well in check.
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Dave, at the Park where I walk daily, the turtles see the whites of my eyes and one by one slowly slide off their log into the water. They line up nose to tail, biggest turtles in front, babies bringing up the rear. I’d take pictures of them, but their favorite log is partially obscured by trees, so I never get clear shots. Those Carp are huge and leap into the air at this Delta, but at Council Point Park, I see the Carp chase one another out of the water sometimes. All of a sudden, I’ll hear a huge splash and see them belly flopping on the water. They have a pair of nesting Bald Eagles at Humbug Island, one of the Detroit River’s many small, uninhabited islands. It’s across from this Refuge. When the Marsh was dedicated, our Congresswoman, (since her late husband, Congressman John Dingell, had started the remediation process to turn it into a wetland park), was in the middle of her speech and an Eastern Fox Snake crossed her path. She let out a scream and it slithered away. I’d probably faint!
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Spell check, sigh… I’m guessing you knew I meant “turtles plop”. As for snakes, we were a little too far east of the Rockies to be concerned about them in Colorado. They’re much more common here in South Carolina, including the venomous species. Locals seem to take them in stride (just as they do alligators). Be aware of your surroundings and if you come across one, leave it alone.
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I know … I can proofread and still miss something. Funny story … Ruth is a fellow blogger from SE Michigan though we don’t live all that close to one another. I was commenting one time and it was late at night and I trailed off the last word by making a series of the same letter. I didn’t notice and pressed “Send” so Ruth worried I had had a medical emergency as she didn’t see me make any comments to anyone else after that. She sent me a message or two and asked if I was okay and then she had to wait until I was back the following evening to see if I responded.
I did know you meant “turtles plop” Dave. I didn’t know you had dangerous snakes and also alligators there – yikes! Be careful and stay wary of such creatures! I had a former co-worker who was born and raised in Charleston, SC and she told me about her fear of the flying palmetto bugs that she was terrified of.
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I wonder if the turtle on the tiny perch ever got stranded there, unable to wiggle off.
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That’s a good question Anne. When I saw that little rock it was clinging to, I was amazed it could hold on!
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Sounds like a wonderful place to visit and add to your bird list! I bet the first week in May will be a good time to see those warblers. A lot of birders call them “eye candy” since they are so bright and colorful, but I don’t care – I love to see warblers.
I was unfamiliar with the name “Long-Tailed Duck”, so I looked it up. They used to be called “Oldsquaws” (which I have seen), but of course, their name was recently changed. I see why!
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For sure I’m going to be beating a path there this year Laurie. Perhaps I need to vary the timing of my visits. I was later on this day, as it was the fourth of five stops that day, so maybe later is better. Hopefully visiting in May will be the answer to seeing some of those many warblers in the Old Growth Forest. The local Wild Birds Unlimited store owner, (my former HVAC tech), has been conducting some bird hikes there. A few years ago, there was a resolution to make the Kirtland’s Warbler our new state bird, instead of the Robin. The resolution didn’t pass because of the Robin being the “best-loved bird in the State of Michigan” – well, okay, but Robins can be surly too and I’ve met a few surly ones in my day. 🙂
I wish I could have seen an adult Long-Tailed Duck. This was a juvenile and its plumage was unique, but no long tail yet. Perhaps they changed the name due to the possible derogatory nature of the former name of “Oldsquaws” but Long-Tailed Duck sounds really generic doesn’t it?
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I would rather encounter a Kirtlaand’s warbler than a robin any day of the week! 🙂 I don’t believe I have ever seen one. They are very rare around here.
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Me too – Robins wreak havoc every Spring with my coach light, building a nest in the elbow, dripping mud on the mailbox and porch. That next is huge and I’m afraid they’ll bring down the light. They build it in advance of laying eggs, so I take it down and get surly looks and they’ll try again. I have to shove something in the elbow which looks tacky, but it works. The Kirtland’s Warbler was near extinction, here anyway, but now thriving, so that was part of the reason they wanted to make it our State bird, but a no-go for now.
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Humbug Marsh, what a cute name! I like railings, I need them! I don’t blame you for not getting close. I like egrets, I once got a shot of an egret and a heron standing close together in a marsh
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Susan, it reminds me of those Humbug candies every time I go there. My grandmother always had a little tin or package of them in her apron pocket. I like railings too and rustic or not, even on a windless day, I’m a little nervous walking all the way out there. Once a carp jumped out of the water – a massive thing and good thing he was not any closer – yikes! It’s a narrow walkway as you can see. I have seen herons and egrets fishing together at the marshes at Lake Erie Metropark, but I’ve never close enough to get a good shot.
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I used to love those candies and my grandmothers both kept them too! Yes carps are big. I like to watch them swimming when we are out in our canoe.
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Nice memories we had growing up … for me it was a special treat as my parents didn’t allow me to eat any candy, except Easter and maybe Halloween, so it was an extra special treat. We have invasive Asian Carp here too, but these guys come up on you quickly. They might as well be Bruce, from Jaws. 🙂
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What a gorgeous, sunny area, Linda! It sure looks like a nice place to walk! Beautiful egret shots!
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Thanks Terri – it is a beautiful refuge area, which is unbelievably surrounded by a busy highway and a power plant which I try not to include in my shots. That power plant was just decommissioned in December. People are curious if they will remove the two, tall, red-and-white striped smoke stacks which mar the view from every one of the Detroit River’s coastline parks. Glad you liked my egret shots … it tolerated me just so long, then flew the coop!
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Hey, you caught a great action shot with that rabbit! See, sometimes you are on the ball.😁
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Yes, something scared it the way it took off. I was a little wary to go down that path in case something slithered on by. About six weeks later, I was in another Park and I DID see a big snake, but that day I was not on the ball. I was looking straight ahead but saw the snake slithering by out of the corner of my eye. It was gone in a flash, as was I.
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The snakes are just as afraid and wary of you!
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Now my mother used to say that about spiders when I whined about them in the house, but it didn’t make it any easier to deal with them. 🙂
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What a nice post and everything so green! Great shot of the Egret flying off!
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Thanks Joni! I wish it was that green now and I’m sure you do too. Glad you liked the Egret – he was pretty close to me by then. I kept getting closer and he kept wading around the Delta and then he saw me and freaked out! It was a beautiful day and I actually made five stops that day. I think I said four in the post – I forgot about the Alpaca Farm on Grosse Ile, but they were mucking out the stalls, so I took a few pictures and got out of there. There are several places I routinely go that are either going to have significant road repair or be totally closed this year and one venue has a nearby site where they have transported some hazardous waste materials from the train derailment/spill in East Palestine, Ohio – I don’t plan on going to Belleville this year now.
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That sounds weird – why are they transporting the waste to Michigan?
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I guess there are only a handful of sites that accept toxic waste materials in the U.S. and we are one of them (it figures doesn’t it?) I think 71 barrels of this toxic waste was shipped there before it was known what it contained. I’m not going to go near there for the time being. Grosse Ile is having some major renovation done on the main road. So that will be two spots off my list for the short term anyway.
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PS. That was a great interview!!!!! Very well done. I didn’t know you had been gifted a Go-Pro – but I’m not sure what it is?
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Glad you liked the interview Joni! I thought it was very well done too and I like how Yvette wove the photos and posts I gave her into the interview. Yes, Wayne sent me his old GoPro last November when he got a new one. It is a video camera which records video with sound and also does still shots. It is square, small (about 2 X 3 inches). I watched videos on YouTube on how to use it over Thanksgiving and I was going to try it out the following weekend and that was the weekend of the downed wire/fire/power outage (before the generator worked properly), so I didn’t really feel like doing anything as I was still shook up. I want to practice with it, but will wait now ’til warmer weather. How to fit this in (not only learning how to use it, but how to transfer the video, then edit it) is likely going to be a real challenge. I was doing well with reading and staying ahead, but didn’t do well this week and I am still behind in Reader (need to start at March 9th tonight). I still have photos to sort from last September – December.
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Wow, that sounds exciting! I like the fact that it’s so small. It might not be as bad as you think. I’ve taken short videos with my cell phone and uploaded them to the computer, but have not posted anything on WP – that might be the hardest part to learn. I remember editing videos in an earlier version of Microsoft Windows way back in 2005? someone showed me how to do it and it was okay too, but I probably couldn’t remember how to do that, and I don’t think Microsoft has that program anymore. I will comment more on your interview in my reply to your gmail. I haven’t even taken out my new camera since November so will have to try and figure it out all over again as I didn’t use it enough for it to sink in automatically. Going to bed – 12:30, I’ve been bad since the time changed –
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Yes, I think it will be fun and it is small enough that you can carry it with you all the time and if you see something you want to take, it is handy. I bought a little pouch for it to put on my fanny pack like I do the digital compact. He also gave me a headgear attachment. First, I have to understand how to use everything, as in re-learn it all. That is the problem when you don’t use stuff like camera equipment every day. I will have to watch the videos over again as I don’t recall what to do. I had hoped to use it for the bird count weekend in mid-February, but did not try as it was cold. I really should have learned to do the video on the big camera because when I bought it, I had a nice sales girl at Best Buy and she told me to get a large SIM card as they were on sale and that way I could shoot photos and video and not be worrying how much space I had. So I guess I have enough room to practice? That’s another thing to learn here – I had to buy a photo card with a lot of space for the GoPro, but how much room do you really have? I took the battery and photo card out of the DSLR in October and have not used it since. I took some photos of a raccoon at the Park the other day – I hope they came out as it was cute.
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I’m not sure – I think my old digital card takes 300 photos, but as I’m always uploading and deleting them, the storage is not really a concern. I’m not sure about the new camera.
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I got two larger cards for the smaller camera – they were on sale and that way I could keep one in the camera and one to take photos of the card. For years I had the one card that came with it, then I thought if I had two I didn’t have to stop and download them. Yesterday I discovered I had no more pictures sorted for my March 27th post. So one of the rainy mornings we will be having this week, I have to go thru and get more photos. I took a bunch of photos at the Park today – 100 seagulls going crazy and it looked like a scene from “The Birds” – it was too bad I hadn’t taken a video of them as their screeching and dive bombing for shad fish was both deafening and amazing to see. I just took the small camera – it was still so cold out today, but sunny.
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Love that picture of the turtle balancing on the little rock. Congratulations on capturing a killdeer standing still, and surrounded by grasses which made a nice backdrop. Apparently killdeer are abundant in North Carolina, too. That’s a nice picture of the egret taking off with those long legs stretching out behind him. I liked the shot of the rabbit midair, too. Another day of wildlife adventures for you to remember. 🙂
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Glad you liked the pictures Barbara! I thought of you right away when I saw the Killdeer and usually they are on land, not wading in the water … for me anyway. This one was perfectly still … a first for me. That’s great you’ll see Killdeer in North Carolina too as I know you like them. I was lucky to get that close to the Egret. I think it didn’t see me there while it was wading around looking for lunch (poor thing looked skinnier than the normal skinny physique) but then it took off in a flourish. I like seeing how streamlined it looks with its long legs stretched out behind. I really liked Jocelyn’s picture of the heron that was gathering sticks and she got the photo of it flying, its legs behind it in flight. I had looked away from that path for just a second when the rabbit bolted out of nowhere. So that made me nervous it might have seen a snake, so I got outta Dodge pretty quickly! It was a great stop for me – I had gone to five places that day. I remembered this morning that I also stopped at the Alpaca Farm for a few minutes, but they were mucking out the alpacas’ stalls, so I didn’t stay very long on that hot and humid day!
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Hi linda
I love that rabbit leaping away like that! what a shot (and I doubt it was because of you – hahah)
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Thanks Yvette – well I feel better knowing that it wasn’t me, but that rabbit was moving at the speed of sound and I soon was too, determined that I didn’t want to see what spooked him/her.
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I also like the turtles and I know how they can scurry … so it was good that yu got the image
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I’m convinced turtles have eyes at the back of their head sometimes. 🙂
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👀
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by the way – you likely already know by now – but the interview post is LIVE –
no hurry to visit – but here is the link:
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I was looking forward to it Yvette and it didn’t disappoint. Thank you again for doing this interview.
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My pleasure – and thank you because it has been fun
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Yes it has!
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And whew – thanks for your time replying to folks –
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You’re welcome Yvette; I enjoyed interacting with them. I will keep checking if anyone else has commented or asked a question of me.
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🙂
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Yay for the hummin’ critters, you found! I LOVED seeing all the green, perfect timing for St. Patty’s day! The clever title made me smile too. I took the hook and checked out Yvette’s interview. Excellent job to both of you. Happy blogging to both of you!! 🤗🥰😁
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It was a good day Shelley! And I think I should go more often since those two photographers saw so much and also my former HVAC tech, who now owns a Wild Birds Unlimited store, is conducting bird tours and in his recap Facebook posts he mentions, or has photos of, Warblers and other birds I can’t identify. I did buy a “Michigan Birds” book last year, but never cracked it open. The year before I got a “Michigan Wildflowers” book. I need to find where I put it. I get lazy and do a Google Image search to find my answer. Must. Do. Better. I liked the interview – Yvette did a great job!
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Well, I think you’re not alone in having books that haven’t been opened. 🤣
Yes, it was a great interview! Congratulations!!
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Thanks – I have to go back and see if anyone else has commented today. It was fun to participate in that interview. There is actually a word for people who buy books but don’t read them. Now I would think that would be a person who wants library shelves to be filled with books “for show” but it is not. It is called “tsundoku” and it might be a fun blog topic one day. It is a Japanese term used to describe a person who owns a lot of unread literature.
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You’re welcome. I’m glad you had fun. Oh, my, that word fits me 🤣😁 Yes, do a post about it!
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Great capture of the rabbit!
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Thanks Linda! He was on the move – I wished I knew what he saw to bolt like that!
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What a beautiful day! I love the turtle pictures they are so cute! You did good getting a picture of the kildeer. They make it really difficult. I remember several years ago trying to get pics of the parents and babies. Once the babies were out of the nest (in like 24 hours) they were running all over the place and the parents were running after them trying to keep them safe. It was fun to watch but I didn’t get any good pictures.
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I ended up going to five places that day – I think I wrote four places, but I bopped over to the Alpaca Farm as well, but didn’t stay long there. We have turtles line up on logs at Council Point Park, but it’s difficult to take photos as the bushes along the shoreline are in the way. They line up by seniority which makes me smile with the biggest up front, the tiniest in the back of the line. 🙂 I lucked out with this Killdeer – yes, they are always on the run with those long legs. I’ve never seen the babies, but that would be cute with the parents running after them to round them up. I recognize their call and always look for them whenever I hear it.
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I find it interesting that the carp are protected. They don’t often get much respect.
I agree, turtles are fun to look at.
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I wonder about that too JP. Some of these local carp are huge. Then we have the Asian Carp that are invasive and the DNR tries to figure out how to keep them from wiping out the smaller fish. The turtles line up nose to tail by seniority, smallest ones at the end of the queue – makes me laugh when they all plop into the water at once. [You have made great progress catching up – I am nine days behind at present.]
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No way I would walk the wood dock either Linda! It would be my luck somebody would follow me and I would have to walk around them to get back and fall in! Lol Great pictures, the turtle is my favorite one.
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Ha ha – yes, someone would have to be impatient like that wouldn’t they Diane? Most times I am the only one, but one time a guy started at one end with a big dog – I thought “no way” so I walked to the end of the opposite side (hoping to make a point). I know it is scenic, but it has to be zero wind or I don’t go on it. That turtle hanging onto that tiny rock just made me laugh after I saw how small the rock was – anything to keep from having your feet wet for a while!
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The great post. Lovely & beautiful to see bright cheerful colour outside. I much like, Linda 🤠❤️!
I miss this post & late comment sending. Very very sorry to u.
God bless ❣️
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No problem at all Raj. A few more months yet until we “see green” – our landscape is still very dull and blah here as we wait for Spring to arrive. Then it arrives one day when everything seems to bloom and the trees leaf out.
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Thank you so much!
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