Started in 1973, this survey covers the entire spring migration period and, over the years, has documented 209 species. Check back for weekly updates from April – May each year!
See the 2025 Kleinstuck Report here>
April 9 – 15, 20206
The last week has been a little slow, adding only 6 new additions (highlighted red in the following list) putting us at 65 for the season. The Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Hermit Thrush numbers have increased significantly in the last week, and the Ruby-crowned Kinglets are now outnumbering their close cousin Golden-crowned Kinglets. Purple Finches have increased in the last few days with birds that probably overwintered farther south and are now moving back north. Tree Swallows have been present for a couple weeks but finally showed up at Kleinstuck. The first Blue-headed Vireo was on Monday April 13th, and we can expect a bunch more in the coming weeks. Birds to be on the watch out for this coming week would be House Wrens, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and maybe a warbler species or two that are not Yellow-rumped, like a Black-and-white or Black-throated Green Warbler. Hoping to see a little less rain this coming week also.
3/31/26 – 4/8/26
The last nine days have either been wet or cold and we lost 3 days of surveys due to bad weather. Regardless, we happened to find 9 new birds (highlighted in red) this past week, bringing us to a total of 59 species for the season. So far this season I have witnessed many birds fighting with each other including an interspecies battle between a Chickadee and a Downy Woodpecker which I am assuming was over a nesting hole. I also observed two male Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers fighting in mid-air and only stopping when they almost hit the ground. In the Spring there are longer daylight hours which in turn triggers testosterone to build in male birds making them aggressive to other males or even their reflection in a window or mirror to the chagrin of some homeowners. Someone also reported to me this year they saw two Red-bellied Woodpeckers fighting in their yard until one was dead. Now birds fighting to the death is a rare event but can happen especially when sharp powerful bills are used. I have on two separate occasions witnessed a Red-winged Blackbird kill a Song Sparrow and a Dark-eyed Junco. Now Red-winged Blackbirds are notorious for their aggressive behavior and can be seen attacking much larger birds, like hawks or even humans if you have been unlucky enough to get divebombed by one. This extra aggressive behavior serves as an umbrella of protection for other species nesting within the territories of Blackbirds, but I guess comes with some risk also. I expect the next week will bring higher numbers of Hermit Thrushes, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Winter Wrens. I also think that Ruby-crowned Kinglets should start to come through and replace the numerous Golden-crowned Kinglets that are around now. Hoping for some warm weather soon and happy birding.
The last 10 days we added 7 new species and finished the season at 130 species. Some of the species found the last 10 days were mostly the late season migrants or some of the last species to arrive to this area for nesting. The Connecticut Warbler is a very secretive bird and was heard…
A decent week of new arrivals with 10 new species being found putting us at 123 species for the season. Over half of the new arrivals this last week were warblers with Blackpoll, Canada, Golden-winged, Orange-crowned, Wilson’s, and Prothonotary Warblers all being sighted. The Prothonotary Warbler is of particular interest and a rare find in…
Another good week of new arrivals with 16 new species pushing our total species count to 113 thus far this season. Some of the highlights include some colorful warblers like the Bay-breasted, Black-throated Blue and Hooded Warblers. The Hooded Warbler is a species that nests in Kalamazoo County although they are not likely to do…
4/23/2025 – 4/30/2025 This last week there was an excellent movement of birds, especially on April 25th and the 30th which added 26 new birds to bring our season total to 97 species. The warm weather also brought about the emergence of the turtles like the beautiful Eastern Box Turtle I saw on the 24th.…
The past 10 days we have added 15 new species which included a couple of early arriving Warbler species (Black-throated Green Warbler and a Northern Waterthrush). The Broad-winged and Cooper’s Hawks are setting up nesting territory again and two Great Horned Owls young have fledged and can be seen quite regularly moving around the trees…
I returned from Spring break early this week and would like to thank the volunteers that helped cover a few of the days while I was gone. We have added 13 new species and now have a total of 56 species for the early Spring season. Some of the more notable new species are Barred…
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. …