I am all over the map reporting my walks of late. The truth is, I’m trying to mix up my meanders a bit so it doesn’t seem like it’s the same woodsy walk for every Monday post. So, I’ve been cherry picking walks from different seasons and venues, like this quick trip to Humbug Marsh wayyyyyyy back on Mother’s Day, May 14th which left me filling up the photo card with still more gosling shots. I just couldn’t help myself because who can resist seeing goslings’ cute, fuzzy yellow bums whether they are waddling, wiggling or even mooning me?
Even though I didn’t stay long, a few more feathered friends gave me some fun pics to share in this post with a topic of “in sync” – so please read on.
On a quest for a Kestrel.
Do you remember the two photographers I met here at Humbug Marsh last December? We showed up to photograph a Long-tailed Duck with its unique black-and-white plumage after reading about its arrival in a post at this venue’s Facebook site. Those two birder/photographers regaled me with their stories of the resident American Kestrel, a petite and colorful Falcon that usually hangs out in a tree near the exit road, plus a mated pair of Wood Ducks that often show up in the Monguagon Wetlands. There were sightings of Trumpeter Swans too. I told them I felt lucky to see Egrets and Great Blue Herons around the Delta and marshy areas, or the large flock of Cormorants (a/k/a a “gulp”) that roost in several trees across from the fishing pier.
So, armed with these newfound birdie tips, I aimed to find and photograph any or all of these birds in 2023.
I often do a fly-by at Humbug Marsh.
The Humbug Marsh Unit of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is located between Lake Erie Metropark and Elizabeth Park, two of my favorite large park venues. Multiple times this year, I simply turned off Jefferson Avenue and stopped at Humbug Marsh. It’s likely mid-day when I arrive there and after walking around those bigger venues, at Humbug Marsh I often cheat and do a “fly-by” while driving the road around the Delta and Refuge, scoping out Egrets, Herons or something else to wow me.
This guy or gal would make me stop.
No luck yet on the Kestrel or the Wood Duck pair, but that’s fine too … I won’t be greedy after all of 2022’s finds and I’ll keep trying.
On this day, however, it was coolish and I was not ready to go home yet, even after a long marsh meander at Lake Erie Metropark, so I stopped to hang out here. While no Wood Ducks or Kestrels crossed my path that day, I got a few interesting shots to show you, plus I had a little theme going with my feathered friends, i.e. “In Sync” hopefully which will give you a smile..
So what was happening on this walk?
I felt a little like the Killdeer in the picture up top … always looking ahead and forging forward while using my long legs to propel me around this venue. I’m always mindful not to step on an Eastern Fox Snake, the likes of which live in this 300-year-old Old Growth Forest, so I like the non-rustic trails that involve walking on the raised platform best …
… and in walking on that raised platform is how I saw the Vernal Pond (or what used to be a pond). It was dry as a bone!
For sure I would not be seeing those cute singing frogs known as “Spring Peepers” today. Sadly, there was nothing to see here – there really once was a pond and this was even before the drought-like conditions in June when we endured three weeks with no rain. Yikes!
After stepping off the platform and scanning the ground for slithering snakes, I looked up and got a few tree shots before training my eyes on the ground once again.
I like the Shag Bark Hickory …
…and this tree photo I took because the tree was a little odd looking.
This bench looks peaceful and at least I would not have to study the trail for snakes, but I moved on.
Feathered friends in sync.
Well, the walk soon became a bit boring as I scuffed through last year’s brittle leaves on the rustic trails, saw a few wildflowers named “Spring Beauties” …
… I began to head back to the car … then things got interesting.
A family of geese was waddling in the weeds. Mama gathered her little darlings, counted beaks …
… then set them free to grab breakfast. Now, if it were squirrels, they would look for a human toting peanuts, but the goslings headed for the grass to graze. They found a patch of grass which was not particularly green yet as we were having a chilly May.
They did everything in sync … eating …
… mooning me …
… waddling down to the water. Look at those wiggle butts go! 🙂
A quick swim might lead to some tasty seaweed or other aquatic plants – who knows? Behold: a little synchronized swimming one year before the Olympic event.
Three grown-up geese took to the skies – how’s this for in sync flying?
A trio of seagulls perched on an info sign after they landed there simultaneously … still practicing social distancing I see.
These two seagulls dove down to this post to perch at the exact same time. Well great minds think alike, right? Except, who was going to have “perching rights” to sit here like the King of the Hill? Are perching rights based on seniority, or some birdie-type of pecking order perhaps? Maybe a level of coolness? Or is it first-come, first-served? Clearly both seagulls were keeping their eyes on the prize, but they couldn’t both land or stay there. One flew away after a little game of seagull-style “na-na-na-na-na” ensued. I don’t speak seagull, but suffice it to say a whole lot of screeching was going on. Here, have a look.
Great – you win buddy, but they say it is lonely at the top.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Extraordinary photography. Very nice & interested post.
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Glad you like it Raj.
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Most welcome,Linda!,🥀
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Your first photograph is wonderful!
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Thank you Anne. I really like those Killdeer. Do you have them in your country. They walk very fast and make an unusual call. They nest on the ground and if someone nears the nest, the female feigns a broken wing to discourage people getting closer.
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Our lapwings and plovers behave in a similar fashion.
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Interesting – they are amusing to watch.
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Lovely and I always love the babies!
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Thank you! Same here Kate … I do believe I have finally reached the end of my many goslings pics from 2023. 🙂
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I like your walks so much. It’s nice to see this different part of the world. 🙂 We did manage to get down to our local quay where there’s a walking path. We were lucky enough to see a few tiny Goldcrests, a young moorhen, and a grey heron flying overhead! It was definitely a “win” on the bird front 🙂
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I similarly like seeing the birding photos from other parts of the world. I follow a UK blogger and a South African blogger – so many different birds I will never see. You did have a good birding day Ari. I saw my first moorhen recently, but didn’t realize it until I was looking at the photos on the computer screen. 🙂
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I like the look of the up-top killdeer, which I learned gets its name from the its “shrill, two-syllable call”. I would’ve sooner expected a name with the word “zebra” in it 🙂 What I don’t like is the look of an eastern fox snake (or any other snake for that matter). Do you come across snakes regularly in Humbug Marsh? I suppose if you know they’re not poisonous it’s not a big deal, but the way they look and move still give me the shivers.
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I like the killdeer too Dave – an interesting bird. It has an unusual call and is one of the birds I recognize from its call. It walks very quickly, then stops, looks around, then resumes walking quickly again. If you spook it, it flies away. I don’t like the idea of snakes in Humbug Marsh either. The trails/forest are close to a marsh on one side, the Detroit River on another and the day Humbug Marsh had its ribbon cutting, our Congresswoman Debbie Dingell was there for the honor. Her late husband Congressman John Dingell had been instrumental in the remediation of this toxic land being turned into this wildlife refuge. So, while giving her speech, she heard a rustling noise and an Eastern Fox Snake was near her feet where she stood at the podium. She jumped back, clearly shaken … I would be too and would have taken off. I have never seen any snake here and I don’t always go into the forest or trails each visit for that reason. Just places I can see ahead of me. I saw a large snake slither in front of me at Lake Erie Metropark the last time I was on Trapper’s Run Trail and that will be the last time I go on that trail. It may be harmless, but I don’t want to see it.
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The look of the eastern fox snake would have me jumping back as well. We were fortunate to buy a property in our neighborhood here in South Carolina a good distance from the surrounding marshes and bodies of water. Some of our neighbors have to deal with snakes (the not-so-nice kind), while we’ve never seen one in the year we’ve lived here. South Carolina is known for hosting every poisonous species of snake in North America.
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I didn’t know that fact about South Carolina – wow. That would worry me a lot. I don’t deal with spiders and centipedes well and right now I am dealing with a groundhog in my backyard that has dug a huge hole and burrow near the foundation. I was horrified to find it last week and hired a wildlife removal service to set a trap for it. He did that yesterday and baited it and this morning I went out to find an opossum in the trap. So hopefully he will catch it soon before it burrows down for the cold weather.
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I bet some of the birds are becoming familiar with you Linda! Once they know they can trust you they react differently.
Great shots as usual!
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Thanks Wayne – I really like the Killdeer photo which was probably my best shot of a Killdeer to date. They spook easily and fly off, or they walk very fast til they disappear into the brush. This one was gazing into space, so I could creep up close to it. 🙂 How unusual to see all the in sync stuff going on around the same time. Those little goslings were so sweet – I think I’ve finally reached the end of the 2023 gosling photos.
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like those little goslings learning about the world and growing up, you yourself have made leaps and bounds with your camera!
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You are right about that Wayne – plus I learned a lot about the places where I walk and who lives there as well, a real win-win for me.
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every good journey starts with a step into Nature.
There are millions of routes one can take, no matter which one……. just as long as you take one!
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It is a path that I know you and I will never stray far from Wayne.
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Great post Linda I love the Killdeer picture.
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Thank you Andy. I was happy with the Killdeer photo – probably my best shot of one as they usually walk very fast or take to the air when you get too close to them. Luckily I recognize their call so I know to look up or around to find it!
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This was quite a walk! I enjoyed it and your humor.
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Thank you Anne – it was good when all the “in sync” stuff started happening or it might not have made to an actual post. I’m glad to have given you a laugh as well. 🙂
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I hope you eventually see the kestrel and wood ducks. The kestrel might stick around all year, so you could see him well into the fall. I see them even in the winter sometimes around here. As long as they can catch mice, they do not need to migrate. I often see them perched on an electric wire, looking out over the farmers’ fields. The wood ducks are another story. You probably need to wait for them until next spring.
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Laurie, I didn’t realize the kestrel was so small until I Googled for an image after meeting those photographers. Hopefully if it stays there all Winter, its colorful plumage should be easy to spot in the bare branches of the Wintertime. I keep seeing the female wood ducks with ducklings at Lake Erie Metropark, but never a male, the more striking of the two. I find that odd.
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I love watching the Killdeer walk and they are so noisy. I’m with you, I like when they have the raised walkways to walk on, especially when you’re looking for snakes!!!! Those limbs almost look like snakes Linda! I bet all the geese are grown up and ready to head south soon.
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The Killdeer walk so fast! They walk, I stalk and they will walk way faster than me! I agree Diane – it is fun to watch them. They will put up with me trying to get a photo, then no longer and they take to the sky with their odd and loud bird call. The snakes make me nervous and the elevated platform is strange in that in places you have to step off the platform and step down onto the trail, then a few feet later, you are on the platform again. I spend more time looking ahead, then down, then ahead, looking around. Yes, those geese are the same size as their parents now and ready to fly south. I think this is the end of my goslings for 2023 pics.
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Why in the world di they do that to the platform. 🤦🏽♀️
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I don’t know why Diane – it is stupid because you’re walking on the Trex-like platform and next thing you know, you’re on the ground (and watching for Eastern Fox Snakes) … it looks to me like they ran out of money, so cut corners. 🙂
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What a fun post. Love seeing those lil ducklings. Great photos!
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Thank you Jessica – I love seeing all the babies. They are so sweet when they’re that young.
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You have so many water walk venues around you, Linda! It’s wonderful!!
The shag bark hickory is very interesting!!
I love the two chicks mooning you, Linda. That was funny!!
“na-na-na-na-na” seagulls also funny. You gave me good laughs today!
I have a new very tiny bird (3 so far) for two weeks now. They are a tad bit bigger than a hummingbird. Medium Gray back, light grey belly and the tail is black and white. They swoop down to catch bugs in mid air. Very entertaining. I have no idea what they are!!!
Also my live oak tree is sprouting new green leaves which are suppose to come in spring not fall! Confused my trees are!!
Enjoyed your post my dear friend.
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Glad you enjoyed this post TD and I gave you some good laughs for the day. I am lucky to live so close to shoreline parks and marshes. The shag bark hickory is unusual looking. It would appear you could reach up and strip the bark right off of it. The goslings and their little bums amused me, especially when they waddled in sync.
I looked to see if maybe the bird you saw was a flycatcher – it did have two shades of gray, but is the size of a sparrow – so much for that idea. I have seen barn swallows catch insects in mid-air and feed them to their young like that, but they’re bigger birds, iridescent with long tails, so it’s can that type of bird either. I hope you figure it out – if you take a photo and do Google image search, you might have the answer.
The poor trees are confused by this wacky weather. A few years ago we had a hard freeze in Michigan in early May after many of the flowering trees bloomed and my Japanese Laceleaf Weeping Maple got frost burn and had yellow on its leaves. My neighbor’s Magnolia tree got frostbite and dropped its petals from each bloom – now it blooms several times a year, which is really strange. It was blooming again about a week ago … usually Magnolias are once-n-
I believe these are the last of the gosling pictures for 2023. Every park I went to in May and early June was filled with Canada Geese with their goslings.
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I looked up the pic of flycatcher and no, not that. And it does fly like the swallow, but tinier. So not that. They are so small that my cell phone even on zoom can’t capture them. They are amazing fast tiny birds. I’ll call them my tiny mystery birds. 😉
So interesting how our landscapes are ever changing. We are as confused as nature seems to be too.
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Hopefully you can get a photo of your mystery birds TD. I just Googled and hummingbirds do catch insects in mid-air and there are eight types of hummingbirds in your state, so perhaps it IS a hummingbird after all, just not type of hummingbird most of us are familiar with. I agree with you about nature’s confusion … I first started noticing the weather in 2017 when it was warm enough for shirtsleeves in the beginning of December. I remembered it was a friend’s birthday who had passed away earlier that year, so that date sticks in my mind. It was way too warm and abnormal and since then our weather has gotten wacky.
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That is a great killdeer photo! I enjoyed the “lonely at the top” remark.
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Thanks Eilene. It is the best Killdeer photo I’ve ever taken. They usually walk so fast or fly away that I only get faraway shots. I thought I’d add that quip “lonely at the top” because if you look at the seagull’s mannerisms at the end, it stands one way, then the other as if to say “great, but what have I really accomplished here?”
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Fantastic picture of the killdeer!!! I think shagbark hickories are very interesting, too. Did you see any of their nuts? They start out green in the spring. Oh those darling little goslings, so adorable, and keeping their parents very busy. And the gulls, doing what all gulls like to do. 🙂
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Barbara, this killdeer is the best shot I’ve gotten to date and I was excited for that. Usually they take to the sky once I get that close. I can’t recall the nuts on the shagbark hickory to be honest. I just Googled and I don’t think I’ve seen them on the pathway either – I wonder who eats them as I’ve seen very few squirrels at the Refuge. Those are the last of my gosling photos for 2023. They were such cutie pies that day, all full of life and making little squeaks and peeps between mouthfuls of grass and following their mom to the water. The gulls are always good for a photo and in this case, fighting for the perch was interesting to watch. In the end, it sat up top like a bump on a log by itself.
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That’s a fun adventure you had back in May! The little waddle butts are adorable. My favorite photo is the one of them heading back to the water – the colors in the photo are enchanting. I also like the Shag Bark Hickory photo – I don’t know that I’ve noticed one of those before in my walks in the woods. We have Killdeer here but they rarely land on our fence or in the yard, we just hear them flying around. You captured a great photo of one, thanks for sharing it!
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Yes it was a fun adventure Shelley and I was glad I saw the Canada Geese parents and their offspring as I was ready to leave after my little walk in the forest – it gave me much more to look at, photograph and write about. I liked that photo of the goslings too. It’s funny … when Mama starts heading to toward the water, they all queue up, just like the ducklings always do. I mean, it’s not like she sounds a whistle to get in line, they all just hurry to follow her. Those extra-large feet they have help them to keep up. I never knew the name of the Shag Bark Hickory tree before until a fellow blogger wrote about it and I thought “all this time, I suspected it had damaged bark and it was peeling off.” Some of the trees in this forest are 300+ years, so it would not surprise me they could have issues. That’s my best Killdeer pic I have ever taken. Usually they take off run-walking or they fly away, but this one stopped to ponder life, so I took advantage of that. They have a lot of Killdeer at the Refuge.
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All-in-all it was a serendipitous walk! Thank you for sharing what you discovered 🤩
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Glad you liked what I shared Shelley!
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Yes, I did! 🥰😍
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You have a talent for finding the best birds to photograph. Such a fun way to wander through a park, camera in hand.
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Thank you Ally. That walk ended up being lucrative, so it was a good thing I saw the geese and their goslings as that led to all the in sync sightings. That Killdeer was a lucky shot for me as they move very quickly or take flight and I often come home with blurry or faraway shots of them.
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Duck butts are always adorable. I love the shag bark tree!
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Yes they are! That tree sure is unusual looking!
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Great pics, Linda! Be careful on your walks. Take pepper spray of something similar.
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Thanks Tom – it ended up being a fun outing, though a little boring at first. That is a great idea and I always do when walking in the neighborhood in the Winter months due to stray dogs.
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I guess I am dating myself – when I see/hear the word “killdeer”, all I can think about is Dr. Kildare.
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Well I am dating myself too JP – I remember Dr. Kildare. My mom would watch three TV shows when I was growing up: Dr. Kildare, The Fugitive and Perry Mason. “Must-see TV” for her before the phrase became popular.
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