When the days shorten and go gray in mid-November your Metroparks get a special visitor. Tundra Swans drop in to load up on food during their journey from the arctic tundra nesting grounds to their winter home in Chesapeake Bay.…

As the largest waterfowl in North America, the Trumpeter Swan is an elegant sight in flight and on water.  This native bird can be found in Great Lakes and Midwest states, often in more wild habitats with shallow water such…

Whether you hear a self-announcing “JAY JAY” or an accusatory “Thief! Thief!” the bird making the noise is the Blue Jay. This noisy, active bird is often known for stealing and eating eggs and nestlings of other birds and pestering…

American Tree Sparrows are not really associated with trees at all and are actually ground birds. The name comes from European settlers that thought that these birds looked like the Tree Sparrows they were used to seeing back home. American…

The quintessential duck, the Mallard, is spread far and wide across the northern hemisphere with populations throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Its name is even a word that used to be for any wild drake. This duck is so…

Had Edgar Allen Poe lived in Europe his famous poem, “The Raven”, might have been “The Starling.” The European Starling is a destructive pest. They are harmful to native species of birds, harmful to crops and livestock, and were even…

Most Michigan owls can be found hidden among the trees in our forests, but this week’s feature, the Short-eared Owl, prefers wide-open spaces. Grasslands and wet meadows are the habitat of choice for this short, round owl.  Look out for…

It is hard to believe when driving through your Metroparks that the Giant Canada Goose was thought to be extinct 100 years ago! The birds return from the brink had several causes. Hunting regulations, particularly the banning of lead shot…

While many birds are leaving Michigan in the fall to head for warmer wintering grounds down south, two of our most handsomely marked sparrows are moving in from even farther north. White-crowned and White-throated Sparrows are both relatively large songbirds with…

Often referred to by park visitors as a prehistoric bird, the Sandhill Crane is an exciting bird to spot while visiting the Metroparks. With their characteristic red marking on the crown of their head and stilt-like walking they are certainly…