I drove out to Clarkston to see if I could spot the Blue Jays and Yellow-shafted Flicker,
but with no luck. This was around 3:30 - 4:00 pm. I will have to give it another shot some other time.
But I did see some interesting birds nonetheless. Tom Gordon's home is crawling with birds! I saw Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Downy Woodpecker, Red-shafted FlickerOut on Airport road I was able to find a solitary Short-eared Owl, sitting on a fence post. At the Bear River Oxbow, there was a group of 10-12 Canada Geese keeping company with 2 Tundra Swans.
At Benson Marina, I was completely surprised to see 6 Common Loons, just off to the north of the bridge. They looked to be coming into their breeding plumage, with almost completely black heads. There was also a couple of Pied-Billed Grebes in the same area.
According to the Sibley Guide, the breeding plumage for Common Loons is evident in March. I watched them for a few minutes until they spooked and took off towards the west.
Stephen