On Might 11, 2024, to assist have fun International Huge Day and lift funds for the Cornell Lab’s conservation work, Staff Sapsucker headed to the Nice Lakes to discover two very totally different landscapes. One crew searched sparsely populated Chippewa County, Michigan, on the shore of Lake Superior; whereas the opposite scoured bustling Chicago on Lake Michigan. Energized by the shimmering aurora borealis and the anticipation of watching migration unfold within the coronary heart of North America, the 2 groups spent almost 24 hours discovering as many chicken species as attainable.
Beginning with Mallards and Purple-necked Grebes earlier than daybreak, and ending with a Frequent Nighthawk after nightfall, the groups discovered 203 complete species* (164 for Chippewa County, 132 for Chicago). Staff Sapsucker’s cumulative eBird journey report showcases the avian range of the Nice Lakes, from surprises like Yellow-headed Blackbird and Wilson’s Phalarope to elegant scenes akin to a Black Tern coursing over a marsh within the fading mild. Together with the tens of 1000’s of different eBird checklists submitted on International Huge Day and each day, these observations add to our means to trace the standing of chicken populations and pinpoint which of them want our assist most.
The Cornell Lab is grateful to the numerous donors who supported Huge Day, our largest conservation fundraiser of the yr; and to LOWA Boots for sponsoring Staff Sapsucker.
A Story of Two Lakeshores
“Being within the Higher Peninsula is an opportunity to expertise what wild lakeshores are like and the way birds use habitats which might be principally untouched,” mentioned Marshall Iliff, captain of Staff Chippewa. “The birds are extra unfold out as a result of they’ve extra locations to be.”
In distinction, Chicago crew captain Jenna Curtis mentioned spending the day in a bustling metropolis that’s additionally on a serious migration route is an opportunity to witness firsthand the significance of defending pure habitats in a quickly growing world. “Chicago is among the many prime 40 largest cities on the planet. Our key websites in Chicago present havens for each birds and other people,” mentioned Curtis We might by no means have discovered the variety of species we did if it wasn’t for key conservation areas like Montrose Level and the Calumet Lake space, and the individuals working to guard them.”
In each areas, migrating birds focus alongside main strains of lakeshores, which is a part of what makes lights and buildings in Chicago such a severe subject, particularly throughout migration. In Chicago, migrating birds focus in small areas of stopover habitat alongside the lakeshore, the place buildings filled with reflective glass and shining lights current severe hazards to their well being.
Collectively, the 2 websites spotlight the position of the Nice Lakes and the Mississippi Flyway each for migrating land birds, which should pause right here earlier than crossing the huge lakes, and for waterbirds that use the Nice Lakes as a route into the huge wetlands that sprawl throughout northern North America.
A Migration-Stuffed Morning in Northern Michigan
Staff Sapsucker-Chippewa County knew they might face challenges discovering birds within the huge northern forests, fields, and marshes of the Higher Peninsula.
“The best method to plan a giant day is to know the place totally different sorts of birds are breeding or establishing territories,” says crew captain Marshall Iliff. “However birding on this northern area on Might 11, we knew we had been a few week or two early for many of that, so it turned extra about how migration was shaping up that day.” Iliff, a mission chief with the Cornell Lab’s eBird mission, was joined by Lab employees members Gemma Clucas, Chris Tessaglia-Hymes, Tom Auer, and Evan Griffis.
Regardless of a forecast for rain and overcast skies, the climate turned clear by 3:30 a.m. That’s when crew captain Iliff heard the primary birds of the day—two Purple-necked Grebes calling from a close-by lake. He roused his teammates, they took a second to bask within the purple mild of the aurora, after which Huge Day was on.
Their first predawn cease was Whitefish Level, a peninsula that juts out into Lake Superior and acts as a pure focus level for birds migrating over or across the Nice Lakes.
Earlier than daybreak broke, the crew had recognized a number of dozen species, largely by name, together with American Pipit, Swainson’s Thrush, Frequent Redpoll, and Lengthy-eared Owl. They even discovered a fearless Spruce Grouse in the midst of a rural highway.
Then it was again to Whitefish Level, now at about an hour after daybreak, the proper time to stake out a sit spot on the dune-edged, sandy level, and let the morning flight of migrants wash over them.
Clearing skies and gentle southerly winds meant loads of birds arriving within the area in a single day, and in slightly below three hours the crew picked up 74 species. As geese, grebes and even a Trumpeter Swan moved over the water, land birds, together with 15 warbler species, sought their manner alongside the shoreline. “The warbler flight was actually enjoyable as a result of they form of got here as much as the dune after which rotated, so that they paused for a second lengthy sufficient for us to ID them,” mentioned crew member Tom Auer.
Raptors, Blue Jays, bluebirds, and a bunch of different species had been on the transfer as properly, together with Tough-legged Hawk, Night Grosbeak, Semipalmated Plover, Canada Warbler, and Bay-breasted Warbler.
“To see the massive flocks of Blue Jays overhead and all these raptors coming by, and loons and sea geese, after which all of the warblers,” mentioned Gemma Clucas, a U.Ok. native. “It was mind-blowing to see all these several types of birds really on the transfer.”
At noon the crew left the shoreline to move southeast for prairie potholes, marshes, and a mixture of forest sorts.
Two days earlier, throughout scouting, that they had discovered an early-arriving Kirtland’s Warbler, the long-lasting, endangered species of the area’s jack pine forests. That day that they had been handled to nice seems and even photographs, however on Huge Day the crew arrived throughout a noon lull. Fortunately, the sharp ears of two of the crew members had been capable of hear the chattery warble of 1 distant male Kirtland’s.
In a subject close to Brimley, Michigan, the crew racked up a powerful six species of blackbirds, embrace a uncommon Yellow-headed Blackbird first discovered by Clucas throughout scouting.
The crew continued to develop their checklist, although it wasn’t all the time a rosy image. At one cease they had been hoping for Golden-winged Warbler together with some species surprisingly uncommon for the realm, akin to White-breasted Nuthatch, Wooden Thrush, and Downy Woodpecker. After donning mud boots and slogging via swampy fields and woods, they got here away with precisely zero of these goal birds.
Staff captain Marshall Iliff had set the quantity 165 because the “absolute higher restrict” of what the crew may hope to attain on their Huge Day. They had been round 150 by the late afternoon, because of the crew’s unflagging efforts (they submitted 43 separate eBird checklists in round 19 hours) together with thrilling rarities akin to Wilson’s Phalarope, American Avocet, Western Meadowlark, and Golden Eagle.
It was after 8:00 p.m. when the crew rolled into their final birding places, the marshes and mudflats on the mouth of Munuscong River, a part of a sequence of rivers and lakes that movement between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. The crew picked up seven new species, together with Black-crowned Night time-Heron, Sedge Wren, Virginia Rail, and Black Tern. This introduced their complete to 164 species, one shy of Iliff’s best-case situation—regardless of lacking some “straightforward” species akin to Blue-headed Vireo and Belted Kingfisher. View the Staff Chippewa journey report.**
“We set our aim at 150, and would have been glad to beat that,” mentioned Marshall. “To get this near 165…we’re thrilled.”
Making Connections in The Windy Metropolis
Whereas Staff Chippewa traveled greater than 100 miles exploring the Higher Peninsula, Staff Chicago had a extra compact route, however lined spectacular distances on foot. One crew member logged round 36,000 steps—not less than 14 miles. And just like the birds, additionally they had many extra vehicles, buildings, and other people to take care of whereas in search of out the best websites throughout the Windy Metropolis.
The Chicago crew bought a fair earlier begin than their Michigan counterparts. It was round 2:30 a.m. when the crew recognized their first chicken—a Mallard flying over Eggers Grove Forest Protect, a small strip of preserved forest on the east facet of town. That was adopted shortly after by the ringing wheet-wheet of a Solitary Sandpiper.
Staff Captain Jenna Curtis was joined by fellow Cornell Lab employees Christine Audette, Nick Butts, John Garrett, and Alexis Falise. Because of a brand new nomination course of that opened up the possibility to be part of Staff Sapsucker to all Cornell Lab employees, the Chicago contingent included three members who had by no means undertaken a giant day. Falise added dozens of latest species to her life checklist over the course of the Huge Day and the scouting that preceded it.
“It was only a blast. The adrenaline was so excessive, on the finish of the day I didn’t need to cease. I don’t suppose I’ve come down but!” Falise mentioned. Her favourite a part of Huge Day was a noon go to to Huge Marsh, a 300-acre wetland on the Southeast Facet with miles of trails. The crew related with employees and guests, and even saved a couple of steps by birding on bikes they picked up through Divvy, Chicago’s bikeshare program. “I beloved the twin nature of that place,” Falise mentioned. “How they encourage birding together with different leisure alternatives for the encircling neighborhoods.”
Within the predawn hours, the crew discovered birds like Virginia Rail and Sora calling from marshes and Semipalmated Plover, Noticed Sandpiper, and Dunlin dimly seen in a shallow pond behind a chainlink fence.
After some transient breaks within the birding to benefit from the revved up aurora borealis, the crew greeted dawn on the premier birding spot within the metropolis: Montrose Level Fowl Sanctuary.
Montrose Level juts out into Lake Michigan proper from the guts of town: an oasis of inexperienced timber and grassy dunes simply north of the treacherous canyons of glass, concrete, and lights of the middle of town. Identified for its breeding endangered Piping Plovers, and a “magic hedge” that draws weary migrants within the spring and fall, Montrose Level has seen 273 species recorded within the month of Might, in response to eBird.
Over the course of the early morning, the crew ticked off 20 species of warblers, together with a singing Cerulean Warbler, one of many rarest warblers east of the Rockies. They tallied a powerful 79 species complete on the web site.
The following a part of the plan was to move inland to forested remnants like Labagh Woods, the place they picked up their solely White-breasted Nuthatch (a species missed by Staff Chippewa) and Furry Woodpecker. By 11 a.m. their species complete had handed the century mark. Whereas the crew in Michigan noticed a number of dozen extra species than the Chicago crew, there have been greater than 30 species that the Chicago crew picked up that the Michigan crew didn’t, together with frequent birds like Downy Woodpecker and Belted Kingfisher, plus some enjoyable surprises like Cerulean Warbler and Olive-sided Flycatcher.
Then got here an arduous, 16-mile crosstown drive to Washington Park after which on to further hotspots round Calumet Lake. At a web site referred to as Park 566 they scoured 70 acres of reclaimed grassland so as to add Sedge Wren, Japanese Meadowlark, and Area Sparrow. It was John Garrett’s favourite cease of the day: “[Park 566] could be very totally different from wherever else throughout the metropolis—restored grasslands however like proper alongside the sting of the lake,” he mentioned. “I actually beloved being there within the night with displaying woodcocks and nighthawks collectively all making their buzzy sounds.”
Different afternoon highlights included an sudden pair of Eurasian Collared-Doves that the crew spied whereas crawling via downtown site visitors, and a shock Purple-shouldered Hawk that they noticed in an industrial canal the place they’d been hoping to seek out some Horned Grebes.
As Huge Day 2024 wound down, the crew made a cease on the Chicago establishment Portillo’s for a night power enhance within the type of sizzling canine and cheese fries. Their final new species for the day was at Park 566, a trio of Frequent Nighthawks within the darkening sky. Over the course of 20 hours that they had filed 33 eBird checklists. View the Staff Chicago journey report.
Reflecting on their day discovering birds in a spot the place human alterations to habitat are unavoidable, Jenna Curtis seen a connecting thread for lots of the finest websites: “So lots of the locations we visited was industrial wastelands or effluent flows and ponds or dumps, or outdated touchdown strip or airfield,” she mentioned. “They’ve all been transformed again into pure habitats for probably the most half. That’s one thing that’s actually particular to expertise…seeing all of those areas being now preserved and restored for native wildlife.”
