Birding Boy

Nice! Agreed with YBFL.

Oh, thanks. Oops 😅

yup!

Indigo Bunting with my point and shoot

Some good targets there! @Tanager 101 would probably have a better answer to these, but he might be busy so I guess my reply will have to do until then 😂 Some of these are going to be impossible as you mentioned, a couple difficult, and some pretty easy. AM Black Duck - usually one or two stick through the summer at Shiawassee or along the coast. Ruffed Grouse - yeah...there's only one spot I know of about a half hour from Bay City, and no consistent reports throughout the summer months. Might be pretty tough. Woodcock. They're there! Just not calling as much, so you'd pretty much have to flush one. Cuckoos. They breed in the area, especially around Shiawassee, but again, they're secretive, so you've got to get lucky. Whip-poor Will. Really very uncommon in the area. I don't know if you'd be able to go, but they're regularly reported calling at Tuttle Marsh further north in Iosco County. Herring Gulls should be ez at Bay City Sp. Lots of good photo ops there! Black Terns - should be a few hanging around Shiawassee. Common Loon - sadly a bit too far south for breeding birds. Further north you might get lucky, but I'm not sure of an exact location. Least Bitter - they're there, but as with all bitterns, luck will be required! Might be easier to at least hear one if a night trip can be planned. We ain't birders if we can't get you an Osprey, Green Heron, Virginia Rail, or Gallinule 😉 Should be pretty easy. Short/Long Eared Owls are gone in the summer months, sadly. Eastern Screech-Owls are there, but not calling much. You'll have to get lucky. Wood Thrush and Veery should be possible with some searching, but most likely will be heard rather than seen. Marsh Wren and YBSA and pains to photograph, however they will both be easy to find, and with some luck ya might be able to get some decent shots. Alder Flycatcher - pretty uncommon, but might get lucky and find a singing one. Prothonotary Warbler - should have a pretty good shot at these on one trail at Shiawassee! Sadly, the remainder of your warblers are all either too far north or south, or only migrate through in spring and summer. Golden-winged and Chestnut Sided are very infrequently reported, but we might be able to find one with some diligent searching. I wouldn't count on it though. Broad-winged Hawk. I could be wrong, but these are going to be hard to get. Only place they've been reported (And still infrequently) in the summer is further west in Midland county. Henslow's Sparrows are pretty rare, with no consistent reports. Grasshopper might be more abundant relatively speaking, but hard to find. Purple Finches unfortunately are more of a fall-winter-spring bird in that area. Oh yeah, Ovenbird. A bit more frequently reported than the other warbs, but still going to be pretty tough. Might get lucky at the Chippewa Nature Center or Shiawassee, though. Rose-breasted Grosbeak-should be pretty easy to find a singing bird or something. Scarlet Tanager is going to be a little trickier. Bobolink - should be able to get 'em at Shiawassee. Eastern Towhee - a pain to find in the summer, especially in a kind of underbirded area such as Saginaw/Bay counties. @Tanager 101 might have some local expertise, though. Whew, hope that helps a bit! Let me know if there's anything else. Hopefully @Tanager 101 has some good tips too.

Good, there will be Doritos left over for me

Probably my best ever photo of a Ruby-throated. https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/450761071

@Seanbirds Heyyy, sorry for not replying to you sooner! I was birding all day yesterday with @Tanager 101, and sleeping and driving this morning (Though not at the same time 😅). Awesome! July should still be good for passerine breeding birds, though they may not be singing as much, and marsh and early migrant shorebirds. Bay City Sp. is great for shorbs, gulls, terns, and herons (And just a nice place to go with the family). ALSO, the Bay City and Saginaw areas are pretty much @Tanager 101's backyard. He'd probably have some great recommendations for ya. Maybe we could all try to do some birding together one day, maybe drive to get the Kirtland's Warbler and possible Evening Grosbeak up in Grayling if you have the time for that. @Tanager 101 knows a good spot for them. If you haven't already, take a look at ebird target sp for the county(s) you're going to be visiting, to get an idea of what's possible. https://ebird.org/targets?region=Michigan%2C+US&r1=US-MI&bmo=7&emo=7&r2=world&t2=life&mediaType=

Catbird in the open doesn’t happen very often, so I risked the ticks to get eyelevel with this guy. https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/449695811

Pretty happy with some of these hummingbird flight shots I got the other day. Those little feet poking out of their feathers though... https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/449113021

Went through typing half of these and then @PalmWarbler had to go and snipe me 😤 Agreed with @PalmWarbler's id's, but I think 6 is a Gray-cheeked Thrush, as I'm not seeing much buffy coloration in the face. I also agree that 9 is some thrush. Veery would be my best guess.

Found this gem of an underbirded hotspot last fall, where I could regularly find a few Orange-crowned's every time I went. They're typically one of the more uncommon migrants in the county. Here's one of them.

Love the colors on its back and wings!

Pretty crappy but my best photo yet of an Iceland Gull (Thayer’s subspecies)

They aren’t a protected species here, so technically it’s not a problem to raise them. I know of someone who has. https://youtube.com/user/Rainbowkittenism