Rare sighting of black-bellied whistling duck in Michigan draws crowd

ANN ARBOR, MI — A cool duck on the scene at Ann Arbor’s Gallup Park attracted a crowd of birdwatchers from all through the area Wednesday, June 1.

The weird sighting of a black-bellied whistling duck here’s a first, in response to avid birders who monitor and report such uncommon observations utilizing apps like eBird.

“It ought to be down in south Texas or Mexico,” stated Dan Ezekiel, a retired Ann Arbor science trainer who’s amongst these fascinated by the duck’s presence right here.

With phrase of the chicken circulating Wednesday morning, the curious eagerly grabbed their gear and traveled to witness the event, some even skipping work to take action.

Lake Orion resident Daniel Bernard stated he deliberate to spend the day birding in Lapeer County however shifted course when he realized concerning the small duck making an enormous splash in Ann Arbor.

“I’m making an attempt to see as many birds within the state as I can for the yr. It’s at all times actually thrilling when one thing like this reveals up,” he stated, calling it a stunning chicken. “Particularly that kind of flanking line they’ve via them could be very vibrant. They’re additionally, I feel, one of many funniest-looking geese — very long-necked and simply kind of goofy trying. Clearly as a birder, I’m a bit biased towards considering all birds are superior and exquisite, however black-bellied whistling geese are simply so funky trying.”

As of mid-morning, over a dozen onlookers with binoculars, telescopes, cameras and tripods — amongst different passersby — watched because the waterbird with the pink ft and orange-red invoice mingled among the many geese and mallards alongside the Huron River, resting riverside between land ventures to snack on grass.

Whereas there have been a handful of sightings of black-bellied whistling geese in Michigan lately, it’s uncommon and this can be a first for Washtenaw County, watchers stated.

“For a very long time, nobody ever noticed them in Michigan, however with local weather change and stuff, plenty of birds are turning up extra continuously and that is one,” stated Curt Powell, an avid Ann Arbor birder who took photographs utilizing a telescope lens. “Typically there’s teams of them, however this one’s alone.”

Powell talked about the blue grosbeak and the neotropic cormorant as a few of the different species now displaying up in Michigan. Native birders additionally delighted within the uncommon sighting of a pink tropical chicken referred to as the roseate spoonbill in Saline final yr.

“There was chicken referred to as the noticed redshank from Europe that was on the opposite facet of city a number of years again,” Powell added.

Amongst Wednesday’s crowd was Juliet Berger, Ann Arbor’s official metropolis ornithologist who spends her days observing birds.

“It’s my job to survey the parks and preserve monitor of the chicken life,” she stated, indicating she does that 40 hours per week, monitoring which birds are nesting by which parks.

Berger, who was shadowed by an intern, agreed it was a uncommon sighting. She has seen black-bellied whistling geese wintering in Florida, and so they additionally may be present in Texas and Mexico, however one right here just isn’t regular, she stated.

“This one is a uncommon vagrant or it’s an escapee from a farm,” she stated, noting she didn’t see any signal of leg bands, although she did observe the chicken appeared “just a little scruffy.”

Birds are categorised as vagrants once they’re exterior their regular wintering or breeding areas.

“It occurs yearly or two that we get one thing that’s form of mega uncommon,” Berger stated.

Steven Gurka, a neighborhood chemist, stated he heard concerning the duck and determined to make a pitstop whereas working an errand.

“I simply bought into birding throughout the pandemic,” he stated. “So, final yr I actually spent plenty of time making an attempt to see as many birds in Michigan as I may. This yr, it’s roughly the identical story.”

Noting there was a black-bellied whistling duck that hung round Southfield for months, Powell stated the one in Ann Arbor might keep for some time and entice an excellent variety of folks.

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