A cedar waxwing grazes. (Scot Stewart photo)

“So, I close my eyes to old ends, and open my heart to new beginnings.” — Mandy Hale

With the end of 2024, outdoor lovers look back at the past year as it wraps up and think about all the great experiences they have had and the places they have gone. Often, trips outside come with planning, although for birders some come with a call, text, or email about an interesting bird. Following stories, reports, and maybe best of all hunches, the New Year offers chances to act on the desires and try new approaches, and new starts in the outdoors.

Winter birding does offer some amazing experiences to those who open their hearts to new, and often less conventional ideas. The Dafter landfill in Chippewa County can provide one of those opportunities. Last Tuesday a birder there needed a tally counter to keep track of the huge number of birds there. Topping the list was American herring gulls (just recently renamed from herring gulls) with 1500. Also there in extremely high numbers was a flock of European starlings. Jumpier than the gulls, their numbers were estimated at 800.

Other species, while not in such high numbers were impressive none-the-less. Crows numbered 50, common ravens at 30, and bald eagles at 38! Other birds of note there were one glaucous gull, one iceland gull and one red-tailed hawk, probably looking for rodents. Landfills and sewage treatment plants are not the most scenic or romantic places to enjoy wildlife and the great outdoors, but both can offer a vast variety of opportunities for seeing wildlife, especially birds.

The New Year offers new chances to explore the neighborhood around home for the latest birds and even other wildlife as weather, plant life, and human activities change circumstances. Many birds move frequently during winter months, taking advantage of meager food supplies like tree fruits and seeds. Their presence is often dictated by the size of flocks and the amount of food available, so some sights may be short.

Last Sunday a flock of 31 cedar waxwings and eight evening grosbeaks were seen at a residence in the middle of Rapid River in Delta County. Both species have been scarce in the Upper Peninsula this winter. Evening grosbeaks have been seen in very low numbers in Marquette County and several others, but not in large flocks this winter and usually at feeders.

Cedar waxwings typically migrate farther south for the winter months but may appear in small numbers mixed in flocks of winter migrant bohemian waxwings. Even though the winter range of these beautiful, crested birds includes the northern half of the Lower 48 states, a group of thirty or more during the winter months is quite unusual in the U.P. Because of the waxwings preferences for fruit-only winter diets, sometimes for several months, the best way to attract waxwings is to plant trees like mountain ash and crab apples with small fruits, and shrubs like viburnum, winter holly (Ilex), holly, and others with brightly colored berries and look for these fruit eaters during cold weather months.

Another winter visitor birders are now looking for in Marquette is a snowy owl frequently spotted along the Lake Superior shoreline between the lighthouse and Presque Isle. Most frequently seen at dusk, it was sighted at Lighthouse Point this past Tuesday morning. Usually, snowy owls prefer to remain in semi-protected areas on the ground during the day to avoid harassment from crows and blue jays. Discovery can lead to a dangerous assault of dive-bombers attempting to drive the owl away.

A larger number of snowy owls has made its way to the eastern U.P. south of Sault Ste. Marie and around the Pickford-Rudyard area. Last Friday four were seen in the Rudyard area on Centerline and Tilson Roads. Plenty of other raptors were also seen. Seven bald eagles, an American kestrel, seven rough-legged hawks, and a red-tailed hawk were also observed in that area. Sharp-tailed grouse have also been seen regularly in Chippewa County, and like many areas in the U.P. this fall and winter, wild turkeys have also been frequently noted.

The continuing reports of birders has also kept many others in the area busy looking for notable birds seen earlier. A Pacific loon popped up again this past week at the end of the Upper Harbor breakwall in Marquette, Lingering looks of any type of loon are not typical this time of year in Marquette so a few birders have felt very lucky to catch sight of it, or of two, if there has been more than one in the Harbor. A harlequin duck, another unusual waterbird to find in the U.P. especially for more than a day, also hung around the Upper Harbor. They warm spell and lack of ice in the harbor has contributed to the ducks, two red-necked grebes and the loon remaining there so long.

Not far away, near the mouth of the Dead River, more open water has brought a family of trumpeter swans back to feed in the shallows. Apparently, this family has remained close or on the Dead River for some time returning to a very visible spot on the river near the Lakeshore Blvd. bridge.

Some natural history experiences may be fleeting and rely on luck or long-termed persistence. Both Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawks have provided short looks in the Marquette area recently. The former was at Presque Isle, the latter on the Chocolay River in Harvey. Just so many ways to begin anew and connect with the natural world in the year to come!

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