Lake Erie Metropark is part of southeast Michigan’s Huron-Clinton Metroparks system. It’s located at the mouth of the Detroit River as it flows into northwest Lake Erie. It’s also the main stake out for the Detroit River Hawk Watch. I wrote a Dawn Chorus about a breathtaking Canvasback murmuration I witnessed there last winter. A pretty cool place to birdwatch or just see what nature has to offer — like the fox kit in the title photo. Join me for a short visit from Sunday, September 24th.
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on Follow.
|
I didn’t have much time on Sunday, with only a few hours in the late afternoon. I wanted to see which raptors were passing through this major migration route, and get a little walking in as well. I stopped first at an area where I saw lots of shorebirds last fall. However, the landscape had changed with a change in the water level. Last fall, water levels were down. Late winter and spring remained very dry. Thankfully, rains came this summer. According to U.S. Drought Monitor, we went from moderate drought to abnormally dry to currently no drought. Here’s two photos comparing last fall and now:
The higher water did mean some dabblers were out. Lots of Mallards and Canada Geese. A handful of Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets stalked the shallow water. Other ducks haven’t arrived in big numbers just yet, but there were some beauties to appreciate.
.
Pollinators were swarming the last of the year’s wildflowers.
Heading from the mudflats over to the Detroit River and the Hawk Watch, I couldn’t believe my eyes when the young Red Fox in the title photo trotted next to the road (park speed limit is 15 MPH). It was visible for only seconds before ducking into a culvert and into the woods.
The Hawk Watch was quiet with not much business while I was there, so I headed south along the lakefront. The first thing I noticed here was storm damage from the late August storms that spawned five tornados through southern Michigan.
.
.
The park also left trees that had fallen into the lake lie where they fell. Ducks were taking advantage of the quieter water to hang out and preen.
.
It was still warm enough for dragonflies and damselflies to be out and about.
As I was leaving, the clouds had moved in except for a band of clear sky behind me to the west. It lit up Celeron Island, which is part of Pointe Mouillee State Game Area.
Thanks for stopping by for this virtual walk at Lake Erie Metropark.
Now it’s your turn.
What’s up in nature in your area?