Our first bird walk of the year at Elmwood cemetery turned out to be a delightful adventure. If you have never been to Elmwood before, I urge you to visit. Besides the amazing history, the cemetery has been named Detroit's first certified arboretum by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program. Its slightly hilly topography is visually pleasing and is a throwback to what Detroit looked like before the city was graded for businesses and neighborhoods.

As we gathered near the entrance, we had good scope views of a Cooper's Hawk. We witnessed the maneuverability of the species when it made a quick pass at a Red-winged Blackbird.

The quiet of this area of Detroit lends itself well to birding by ear. We could key in on the drumming of the Downy Woodpecker and the nasal calls of White-breasted Nuthatches. The nuthatches pair has returned to the cavity they used last year for nesting. Today they were more involved with gathering food than nesting material, the need for energy apparent in the near freezing temperatures.

Our hearing birding came into play again after Bill Rapai called out "Look up, look up, look up". Flying above us was a group of eight swans. I asked the group to be quiet so we could listen. Fading away, the gentle calls of these beautiful birds became another learning lesson. Looking at my Sibley guide, I pointed out that the swans were not mute Swans as they lacked orange in the bill. I showed the birders the drawings of the other two swan species and then turned to the descriptions of their sounds. Did we hear a noise like baying hounds or more similar to a French horn? Ah yes, Trumpeter Swans was the answer.

Bill also found a perched Red-tailed Hawk with quite the interesting tail. One half was the expected red and the other half black. Scope views were magnificent at 60 power and appreciated by all. When we saw the direction that the hawk flew toward, we decided to check for a nest.

At the far outer edge of the property, we located the nest with an adult sitting deep inside. We marveled at how close a squirrel came to the nest - within a few feet. The squirrel must be aware that the hawk is harmless when it is not in a position to dive down upon it. Or perhaps, just a clueless squirrel?

At one point we came across a gathering of the winter resident birds. Many came quite near to where we were standing as if to show us their field marks so that the beginning birders could learn more easily. Red-bellied woodpeckers and Downy Woodpeckers worked the larger branches of the trees, with a pair of White-breasted Nuthatches working on smaller branches and some lightweight Chickadees showing us how they can feed at the very ends of branches. Many types of birds working together on the same trees keep them free of insects and many eyes can be alert for danger. It's a good system.

With many thanks to Joanie Capuano for suggesting the walks at Elmwood Cemetery. Continued thanks for the co-leadership skills and photographic abilities of Bill Rapai and the scope skills and general knowledge of Jim Szelc.

We love Bringing People and Nature Together! So special in the D.

Rosann Kovalcik, Owner
Wild Birds Unlimited of Grosse Pointe Woods

Bird list for March 20th, 2016 at Elmwood Cemetery
20 species
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan
Mallard
Cooper’s Hawk
Red Tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Black-capped Chickadee
Blue Jay
American Crow
White-breasted Nuthatch
American Robin
European Starling
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
American Goldfinch