It really is true that there is a Bluebird of Happiness. Such was the case for us lucky birders at Detroit’s Elmwood Cemetery on the morning of May 25.

Our first notable bird was a Black-crowned Night Heron, found on the far side of the pond. With help of the telescope we were able to see his large feet and dramatic feathers that demonstrated he was in breeding plumage.

Soon we were teased by the songs of a few Red-eyed Vireos, and eventually one made himself visible on a bare branch.

We had as much fun trying to find the American Redstarts that were singing high in the trees. Our persistence coupled with luck allowed us to finally see their beautiful black and orange pattern in between the leaves.

As if trying to remind us that he is a resident bird who deserves some respect, a White-breasted Nuthatch appeared on a tree before us. He gave a slight call, and we all turned to watch him perform his upside down maneuvers as he searched for insects.

We had superb scope views of a Northern Flicker, sitting out on a bare branch and preening in the sun. His choice of perch again proves how much birds like snags, and how important that we try to maintain that natural feature in our landscape.

We finally found a thrush other than an American Robin—a Swainson's Thrush. It was then that Bill spotted another thrush, calling out with excitement "Eastern Bluebird!". We were so fortunate to have this bird land on a number of the monuments in full sun, and every birder had a chance to view it numerous times at 60 power through the scope. This male was not singing and we did not see a female. Instead, he fed in true Bluebirdfashion—sitting and watching for insects and then flying down to the ground to catch them.

Then we had awesome views of the three young Red-tailed Hawks. We were amazed at how much they had grown since our previous walk in late April. Mom flew nervously around the area while we looked at the youngsters. She was not happy with our presence. We had a good chuckle over how the Red-tailed Hawk baby sitting on the front of the nest carefully watched Bill as he approached to take a photo. It was very hard to walk away from such good entertainment.

A few minutes later, we watched the male Cooper's Hawk add sticks to the nest. We watched him breaking twigs off branches and carry them up to the nest. Making repairs?

While the male added heft to the condo, the female stayed on the nest. We could only speculate as to whether there were young since our poor angle did not allow us to see inside the nest so high in the tree.

This is the end of warbler migration and the song of Blackpoll Warbler was testimony to that. The Blackpolland a Northern Parula warbler both made their presence known by song only. None of us could get a visual on either species. On the other hand, we found a male Magnolia Warbler at eye level, which allowed for good views of the bold streaks on yellow breast and overall bold plumage pattern.

As we made our way to the chapel, the Black-crowned Night Heron flew directly in front of us and landed so that we could get amazing looks through the scope. We couldn't believe how well he tolerated our presence.

Elmwood Cemetery offers such a scenic and historic setting, a relaxing pace and quality birds—a great way to Bring People & Nature Together.
Many thanks to Bill Rapai for his excellent leadership skills and to Jim Szelc for carrying the telescope for miles with smiles!

Rosann Kovalcik, Owner
Wild Birds Unlimited - Grosse Pointe Woods

Bird species seen at Elmwood cemetery on May 25, 2016
40 Species
Black-crowned Night Heron
Canada Goose
Mallard
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-necked Pheasant
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Great-crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Rough-winged Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
American Redstart
Chipping Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Brown-headed Cowbird
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow