Another year of Kleinstuck Surveys has started! Over the first week I had 43 species which are listed below. The end of March always has a mix of birds that have either overwintered here or are some early season migrants. These early season migrants are the Fox Sparrow, Golden-crowned Kinglet, White-throated Sparrow and Winter Wren. The Fox Sparrow is the first true migrant that travels across our state. This bird does not breed in Michigan but travels through our state to breeding grounds in Northern Canada. They are a robust bird with a reddish-brown coloring over its back and head and blurred streaks along its sides and breast. This year the Great Horned Owl is again being seen along the trail on your way in from Chevy Chase Avenue. It is nesting in this area somewhere, but its nest has not been located yet. A nice surprise so far this year has been the Eastern Screech-Owl that has been sitting in a hole in a tree on warm sunny days. The Eastern Screech-Owl is common in most woodlots, however, is seldom seen especially during the daylight hours. The other two surprises were an Eastern Towhee and Hermit Thrush. Both of these birds I am guessing overwintered in Kleinstuck or nearby. This coming week I will be out of town and will have a few people covering my survey days while I am gone. When I return, I will give an update of what they have found. Happy Birding.
