A Short Visit to the W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary

It's been a busy two weeks since I last posted. During that time I spent a long weekend visiting my mom and other family members in the area of Battle Creek, Michigan. I spent a couple of hours one morning exploring the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary near Hickory Corners. The sanctuary is owned by Michigan State University and open year round. I wish I could have spent a little more time at the Sanctuary, but it didn't open until 9 and I had to leave by 10. I wandered the area outside the sanctuary for about an hour before it opened and found a few colorful birds.

Common Yellowthroat at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Hickory Corners, MI

Common Yellowthroat at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Hickory Corners, MI

Common Yellowthroat at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Hickory Corners, MI

Blue Jay at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Hickory Corners, MI

Blue Jay at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Hickory Corners, MI

The light was harsh so it washed out the color of this Northern Cardinal, but I had to include at least one image of a Cardinal in this post. It's the state bird for my home state of Kentucky and I never see them in Utah.

Northern Cardinal at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Hickory Corners, MI

What sounded like a group of unskilled, beginning brass players from outside the Sanctuary turned out to be Trumpeter Swans, Michigan's largest native waterfowl species. They have wingspans up to 80"--about the same wingspan as Bald and Golden Eagles.

Trumpeter Swan at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Hickory Corners, MI

Trumpeter Swan at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Hickory Corners, MI

I ran across a Red Fox, White-tailed Deer, Wood Ducks, Kingfishers, Flycatchers, Woodpeckers, Catbirds, Indigo Buntings, and a number of other expected bird species. This little Mallard family was quite content as I passed by them while walking a short trail.

Mallard Family at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Hickory Corners, MI

I started to take the 3/4-mile Lake Loop trail around Wintergreen Lake and ran out of time so I had to turn around just after getting on my belly to capture an image of some mushrooms on the trail.

Spring Mushrooms at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Hickory Corners, MI

I stopped for a few moments outside the entrance to the Sanctuary to observe a few squirrels and chipmunks feeding around some bird feeders. I think mammals are fascinating and need to include more in my future blog posts.

Eastern Chipmunk at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Hickory Corners, MI

Black squirrels, which are abundant in the Battle Creek area, are actually a melanistic (black pigmented) subgroup of the Eastern Gray Squirrel. I had to remove a tick from my leg after spending some time in Utah mountains a couple of weeks ago so I couldn't help but notice the squirrel below had a tick latched onto the inside of its ear.

Black (Melanistic) Eastern Gray Squirrel at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Hickory Corners, MI

Here's a super-cropped image of the same squirrel showing the tick in its ear. It's pretty common for ticks to latch onto flesh of mammals that live in the woods.

Black (Melanistic) Eastern Gray Squirrel with Tick in Ear at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Near Hickory Corners, MI

While we don't see black squirrels in Utah, we certainly have our share of American Red Squirrels. It was a familiar sight when the Red Squirrel below scampered up a tree and perched just above me. These are the smallest tree squirrels in North America.

Red Squirrel at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Hickory Corners, MI

Red Squirrel at Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Hickory Corners, MI

I missed a lot of good birding opportunities during my short visit to Battle Creek, but I enjoyed the short time I had at the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary.