On 30 December, Winter Wrens found below still present, Belted Kingfisher, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and six Canvasback on the Rouge, the first campus record (when found, they're usually downriver at the Ford Rouge Plant).
On 27 December, two Winter Wrens, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow-shafted Flicker and several Carolina Wrens. The Winter Wrens are only our third mid-winter record.
On 21 December, Julie Craves and John Lowry found a dark Red-tailed Hawk of the western subspecies (Buteo jamaicensis calurus) near I-94 and Greenfield (taking time to study it by engaging in marginally legal traffic maneuvers). This is the second B.j. calurus seen in Dearborn (read about the first in the book).
Other winter birds have been popping up in the area. Horned Larks were found on 17 November (nine near the Rouge south of Rotunda by Gary Hutman) and 25 November (two over Greenfield Village by Jim Fowler, Jr.). Gary found four Snow Buntings at the Horned Lark location on 28 November. Jim saw a Northern Shrike on 9 December at the Village, and Gary relocated the Northern Mockingbird that's been around for months behind the office buildings at Rotunda and Greenfield.
Late fall news...When Gary found three Dunlin along the concrete channel of the Rouge River on 24 October 1996, it was the first sighting since 1953 in Dearborn. All other previous records were from the turn of the century, so we got to remove the historical status for this species.
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Revised 3 January 1997 by Julie Craves