Hawks, Turkeys, and Sandhill Cranes!

Plus the usual suspects. A winter walk around Wild Wing Lake

What a difference two weeks can make in Michigan! I visited Kensington just before we left for Egypt, as reported here: A Final Walk before the Nile. The ice had melted and ducks were returning to Wild Wing Lake.

Yesterday I got the invitation to return, courtesy of the Horsewoman, who wanted a ride to Yeti’s place. I put on my warmest long underwear, threw my heavy coat in the truck and we were off.

As I drove along the west shore of the Huron River I was on alert for Sand Hill Cranes. I’ve been quite curious to see if any will brave the Michigan winters. According to the Cornell Bird Lab, our local Sand Hills should be migrating south at some point!

Michigan is shaped like a left handed mitten, surrounded by the Great Lakes. We’re located at the bottom of the thumb, just above the dark brown “key staging area” shown above. But apparently the Cranes haven’t read the Guide Book!

Sure enough, they were still here! I counted three pairs hiding along the shoreline, sheltering from the strong northwest wind that was driving snow flurries across the frozen river. I made a note to return if time permitted.

Wild Wings Lake, where hundreds of ducks and geese had been swimming just a few weeks ago, was a frozen wasteland. Opening photo.

As I walked through the frozen cattails along the edge of the lake I spotted the unmistakable flight of a Northern Harrier.

I stopped to watch him hunt. Have you ever seen them? They are called a harrier for good reason. They fly close to the ground, swooping on the wind, trying to scare up a rabbit or other prey from sheer fright, then pouncing.

No other bird has a similar flight pattern, and these hawks are big! They sport a white rump up top, and their wings are more dihedral, like a turkey vulture, though they are much more active than vultures, who left long ago and won’t be back until the middle of March.

I watched him work the marshes, then took this photo of the terrain. He is in this picture waaay off in the distance. I thought, “Man I wish I had a photo to share!” Well I do, thanks to Karen Davis!

You can see the white rump in this brilliant shot.

Here’s another! Looks like she’s having a fresh field mouse for lunch!

For more Brilliant Bird Photos, check out Karen’s wonderful Substack, Drops of Beauty. Thank you so much Karen!

One lone goose sat out on the frozen lake, seemingly frozen in place, waiting to die, I thought. Not the worst way to go. I’m guessing he’s injured or just too old to fly anymore, and was left behind by his family, who needed to move on to find open water and preserve themselves from the bitter cold. Or maybe he lost his mate.

A group of chickadees and titmice started to follow me along the path. Finally I relented, unlimbered my pack and dug out some seed.

Up close you can see the beautiful reddish brown under the wings. A young family from Sweden, living in Ann Arbor for now, came trudging up the path. I helped them identify some of the many birds that were now congregating, including a beautiful Rusty-capped sparrow and nuthatch. They wanted the name of the bright red male cardinal who was too proud to come close as well.

I moved on so they could enjoy the magic alone as a family. We were the only folks around. As I walked deeper into the woods a family of turkeys appeared, scratching and digging through the snow and leaves for tasty morsels. I followed them through the thick woods til we came to a wide path.

It was easier to see them all here, in the open, so I shot this video for you.

They really are pretty intelligent birds.

The trail climbs up along the west side of the lake to a broad overlook. Before I could dig out my binoculars to check on the stranded goose I was under attack!

The chickadees and other birds here seemed really hungry!

I still hadn’t seen any Sand Hill Cranes around this lake. As I finished my hike I saw something move on the other side of Huron Parkway, the road that winds along the west shore of the river. Perhaps there was some open water there. I crossed the road and hiked down to the frozen river, then walked along the shoreline. The clouds had started to break up. Bright rags of blue peeked through.

This is my kind of winter hiking. Reading the signs left in the snow. I spotted a mink run and made a mental note to do an article on tracking.

I kept near to the shore, in case there was some weak ice under the snow. As I rounded a point I saw them. Three nice Sand Hills sheltering from the wind.

Now the snow had let up completely. The clouds cracked open even wider, and a brilliant blue sky appeared.

Thanks for walking along, so glad you are here~!