We camped by Muskegon in September where gulls and shorebirds were in and out of the water, swimming and walking and flying, busy searching for food.
Gulls on the Beach at Hoffmaster September 2016
Gulls are smart and wait for people to discard pretzels that fall on the sand. This guy was persistent! (Yes, we gave him and his friends some pretzels.)
Gull Waiting for His Pretzels
This was the first time we saw sanderlings here. These are cute little birds that skitter in and out of the waves, darting to get the morsels flung upon shore. We loved seeing sanderlings in Florida and I was so glad to find them here too.
We went to Northport, about 25 miles north of Traverse City on Grand Traverse Bay last week. The hotel beach had a rocky point which was a gull magnet. See the lake/sky horizon for another gull joining the crowd.
Gull Flying to Land Northport October 2016
Birds were not afraid.
Gulls on the Rocks Northport October 2016
This stand of lake grass was right next to the rocks. The gulls seemed to prefer the rocks.
Lake Weeds by Shore Northport October 2016
So pretty in the setting sun!
Grass Vivid in the Setting Sun
We saw several swans in the bay driving up, and one was right in front of the beach, a little too far away to get a photo. Whap! Whap! Whap! I got to see him take off – the swan has to beat his wings hard on the water to get to speed and lift. Swans look so graceful in the water!
Leave a Reply