Bugs. There is a love/hate relationship with them for birders.

With the warmth of spring in full force this week, the bugs have returned. And in normal spring fashion, when the bugs arrive the birds follow. They are eaten by swallows, flycatchers, and warblers just to name a few.

But they also annoy!

Mosquitos are the most known antagonizers for humans. These blood suckers are everywhere! They buzz irritatingly around the face and leave nice welts after they feast on our skin when they go undetected.

I would say the worst of the bugs for me has to be the Tick. They are silent and very hard to see as you pass by. All one has to do is walk by any plant while they wait to jump onto you looking to dig in (literally) looking for their next meal. They can hide in all sorts of places and you don’t notice them until they are crawling along your skin.

Today I took a very short walk in a field looking for migrating sparrows and by the time I returned to my car, I discovered I picked up no less than TEN ticks on my pant legs! Then 30 minutes later I felt not one but two more crawling up the inside of my pant leg! I believe it’s time to invest on tick spray!

Now for the birds!

I attempted to play catch-up today and saw 53 species. (My list is in the eBird link below) Included is first of year birds Pine Warbler, Ruby Crowned Kinglet, Double-Crested Cormorant, Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, and Northern Rough-Winged Swallow which upped my tally in Michigan to 116. I also added 10 species to my county list, including a pair of calling Barred Owls, which brings it to 91 for the year.

Birds seen while being ticked: https://ebird.org/tripreport/119391?welcome=true