“December has the clarity, the simplicity, and the silence you need for the best fresh start of your life.” — Vivian Swift

While not all of the snow has come in quiet, gentle showers and flurries, it has delivered a tone to set the season. In many places the balsam fir, spruces and pines look as though they have old fashion flocking to decorate them for winter. In some places there has been more than enough to get the quiet cross-country skiers out. December has gotten off to a great start for birders so far too. especially in the Marquette as a number of late lingering birds and recent vagrants have been seen in the area.

Little Whetstone Creek empties into Lake Superior at Founders Landing in Marquette. It flows out of an underground tile, under Lakeshore Blvd. and under the bike path, before dropping down a charming little falls into a narrow gap to the Big Lake in the Lower Harbor. It sometimes provides a warm place for shy late flying warblers looking for a warm place out of the elements with something of a viable, if not meager food supply. Being close to Lake Superior does provide a slightly warmer to be in the area too.

Again, this year an orange-crowned warbler has turned up there. Several have turned up in early December in Marquette in recent years, and these hardy warblers always amaze. While these and other late warblers usually head to open water where a few midges might hover, they also can survive on suet at feeder stations too. Their normal winter range starts on the southern half of the Lower 48 states and extends down into Mexico. A secondary winter range follows the Pacific Coast down from Canada, showing they are pretty hardy.

Vagrants continue to drift into the U.P. from a variety of directions. What seems to be a one-day wonder, was a common ground-dove that appeared at a feeder in north Marquette. These small doves, resemble mourning doves in shape, but are the size of a sparrow, and spend nearly all their time on the ground feeding on seeds. The feathers on their heads and chests have marking to resemble scales.

One was also seen in Marquette in 2015. That bird was also found in north Marquette, originally in the old compost area along Lakeshore Blvd and stayed several days. The dove seen this week was only seen on Sunday and watches in the area on Monday and Tuesday did not prove productive for another sighting.

Next weekend the Christmas Bird Counts (CBC’s) will begin. In Marquette counters will meet at the Mattson Park parking lot at 8:00 AM and will divide the count circle into sections to tally all the birds they can find. The count areas are circles with a 7 ½ mile radius. Marquette’s is gearing up for its 77th year.

During its run it has been based from the old city hall building downtown on Washington Street. The edges stretch out, north to the Harlow Lake area, east to end of Lakewood Land, south to just north of the county fairgrounds, and to the west to the far end of the McClure Basin of the Dead River http://www.upbirders.org/mqt_cbc_map_areas.pdf.

The design hoped to capture as many habitats as possible, with both harbors, good stretches of the Chocolay, Carp, and Dead Rivers, part of the Sands Plains south of Co. Rd. 480, and much of the forest land from Sugarloaf Mt. to Harlow Lake.

Most years there has been at least one individual working along the shore of the harbors in Marquette as the ducks, grebes, and gulls can change drastically during the day and provide some great surprises. Some years the harbors have been iced over, considerably reducing the number of waterbird species on the count. Currently scaup, buffleheads, common goldeneyes, long-tailed ducks, redheads, common, red-breasted, and hooded mergansers, horned and red-necked grebes have been reported in recent days. Mallards and black ducks are also present and will remain through the winter, while most of the rest, except for some goldeneyes and some mergansers.

Gulls have some similarities in expectations. Herring gulls are usually present as long as some open water can be found. Most all the ring-billed gulls have gone, but greater black-backed, glaucous, iceland gulls can show up. Years ago, a very rare ivory gull showed up for the CBC. So close tabs will be kept along the shoreline.

Raptors are a very special part of daily sightings and the CBC’s too. A second snowy owl showed up in north Marquette this past week, near the mouth of the Dead River and both peregrine falcons and merlins have been seen. Hopes will be they all continue.

Some birders may start even earlier on counts to check a variety of locations in the circle where there have been reports, either in the past or currently of calling owls. Both great horned and barred owls have known territories, especially in the Marquette city limits so hopes are always high some will be heard. Birders may also keep track of the birds in their yard. For more information contact count coordinator, Melinda Stamp at mstamp@mstamp.net.

For information on other U.P. counts check the Audubon CBC webpage https://www.audubon.org/community-science/christmas-bird-count/join-christmas-bird-count . It looks like there should be around 15 in the U.P. this year between December 14 and January 5. The CBC’s offer a great opportunity to see where birds are currently hanging out across the U.P. and join other birders, including some very knowledgeable ones, for a great day afield.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Scot Stewart is naturalist at the MooseWood Nature Center, a writer and photographer.