ONE PARK, 500 BIRD WALKS

By Leonard Weber

Soon, probably shortly before January 1, 2012, I will record the 500th bird walk that I have taken in Eliza Howell Park since January 1, 2005.

In getting started on this project, I was influenced by the advice attributed to different naturalists: if you really want to get to know nature well, take the same walk repeatedly. That made sense to me. Repeated visits to the same area should lead to a much better knowledge of the flora and fauna and a clearer recognition of how things change with the seasons. I was also growing convinced that keeping more detailed records of what I see on my walks would focus my attention and contribute to my knowledge. I decided to pick my spot.

Eliza Howell Park, east of Telegraph between Fenkell and Schoolcraft, is close to home and convenient for visiting even when time is limited. It is large, as city parks go, and has a diversity of habitats, including a river with bottomland that is flooded on occasion, forested areas both large and small, and a more open area spotted with mature trees. It has many fruit-bearing trees and shrubs. A Detroit city park, it provides an opportunity to improve my understanding of birds in the heart of a major urban area.

Eliza Howell Park has proven to be an excellent location for my more systematic approach to birding and nature study. I typically take at least 70 walks there a year, usually lasting about two to three hours. I have not missed a month in the seven years, the lowest number of walks in a single month being two.

The number of bird species is considerably greater than I had originally expected, especially since the park does not get many water birds. Over the last seven years, the average number of species observed per year is 106; the total for seven years is 135. Sixteen species have been observed in every month of the year. I have found more species in September than any other month, an average of 64. May is very similar, with an average of 62 species. It is no surprise that these, key months for warbler migration, are the highest. It is also no surprise that February, the heart of winter, has the lowest average, just 12 species.

While the numbers are worth noting, many of my memories as I reach 500 walks are mental pictures of specific occasions. As I write this, I am thinking of

• watching a Blue Jay maneuver around the branches of a tree to keep 15 feet between itself and the Cooper’s Hawk that was pursuing it,

• finding nine Baltimore Oriole nests in one season,

• being totally surprised to see a Summer Tanager on a May morning walk,

• watching a Great Horned Owl nest with two nestlings on several April visits one year,

• finding both a Purple Finch and a Fox Sparrow on the very day in October when I thought they were due to arrive,

• watching an adult Chipping Sparrow feed a Brown-headed Cowbird fledgling that was bigger than it was one July morning,

• being warmed by the bright color and loud call of the Red-bellied Woodpecker on cold February days,

• watching a Merlin consume a Black-capped Chickadee during a January snowfall,

• observing a flock of about 50 Mourning Doves forage for seeds on the ground in early October,

• finding “pockets” of migrating warblers every September,

• watching dozens of Cedar Waxwings and American Robins enjoy the wild black cherries in August,

• watching a Red-headed Woodpecker visit oak trees one August afternoon,

• finding Black-capped Chickadees looking for seeds in a sumac patch in late winter,

• watching the fascinating feeding flights of Barn Swallows over the fields in visit after visit every year,

• watching the Red-tailed Hawk soar overhead and perch in trees many times and never—at least not yet—finding its nest,

• seeing the increased presence of Eastern Bluebirds as the years go by, and

• frequently watching the male Ruby-throated Hummingbird as it watched over its territory from its favorite tree-top perches.

While I have been mostly watching birds on my walks, I have of course observed much more. Eliza Howell Park is a good urban location for mammals, butterflies and dragonflies, wildflowers, and other wildlife. My memories include

• watching a Red Fox bounding toward me through snowdrifts, stopping when it saw me, and then rapidly crossing the frozen river to disappear on the other side;

• checking butterfly bushes and finding Tiger Swallowtails nectaring there, just as I had hoped;

• surprising a Coyote as it was sunning itself on a cool June day;

• learning to know just where in the park I can find a Silver-spotted Skipper much of the summer; and

• discovering some of the best patches of wild black raspberries I have ever seen.

Five hundred walks in the same park and no two have been the same. The walks will continue. I am eager to know what I will see next time.

---------

NOTE: If you would like to know more about the birds of Eliza Howell Park or would like to be part of an Eliza Howell Park bird walk, please contact Leonard Weber at daspres@detroitaudubon.org or by contacting the Detroit Audubon Society.