Bird Checklist for Nichols Arboretum - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Bird Checklist for Nichols Arboretum - Ann Arbor, Michigan

Washtenaw County

221 species

List last updated - February 7, 2018

Nichols Arboretum is probably the single best birding site in Washtenaw County, and it should be on any southeast Michigan birder's list of high-priority birding locations, especially for spring (and fall!) passerine migration. "The Arb," as it is called by most birders and other regular visitors, has 123 acres of varied habitat in a setting with an elevation change of 270 feet. Its size and breadth of character, a breadth not diminished by the Huron River, which bounds the Arb on the north, account for the diversity of avian wildlife that may be found here. The river boundary is over eight-tenths of a mile long. The Arb's natural areas together with its considerable assortment of botanical collections make it a place enjoyed by visitors of all feather. This birding site and its location are described at the bottom of this document.

Checklist of the Birds of Nichols Arboretum
The checklist below is not claimed to be official, but it can be considered a reliable guide to the birds that may be found at Nichols Arboretum.

Taxonomic ordering and bird species names reflect all ABA changes made through Checklist 8.0.1 (November 2017), (C) American Birding Association.

English Name Scientific Name

DUCKS, GEESE, and SWANS Anatidae

Snow Goose Chen caerulescens

Canada Goose Branta canadensis

Mute Swan Cygnus olor

Trumpeter Swan Cygnus buccinator

Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus

Wood Duck Aix sponsa

Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata

Gadwall Mareca strepera

American Wigeon Mareca americana

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

American Black Duck Anas rubripes

Green-winged Teal Anas crecca

Canvasback Aythya valisineria

Redhead Aythya americana

Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris

Greater Scaup Aythya marila

Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis

Bufflehead Bucephala albeola

Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula

Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus

Common Merganser Mergus merganser

Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator

NEW WORLD QUAIL Odontophoridae

Northern Bobwhite (T) Colinus virginianus

PARTRIDGES, GROUSE, TURKEYS, and OLD WORLD QUAIL Phasianidae

Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus

Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo

GREBES Podicipedidae

Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps

Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus

Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena

PIGEONS and DOVES Columbidae

Rock Pigeon Columba livia

Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura

CUCKOOS, ROADRUNNERS, and ANIS Cuculidae

Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus

Black-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus erythropthalmus

GOATSUCKERS Caprimulgidae

Common Nighthawk Chordeiles minor

Eastern Whip-poor-will Antrostomus vociferus

SWIFTS Apodidae

Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica

HUMMINGBIRDS Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris

RAILS, GALLINULES, and COOTS Rallidae

American Coot Fulica americana

CRANES Gruidae

Sandhill Crane Antigone canadensis

LAPWINGS and PLOVERS Charadriidae

Killdeer Charadrius vociferus

SANDPIPERS, PHALAROPES, and ALLIES Scolopacidae

Red Knot Calidris canutus

American Woodcock Scolopax minor

Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius

Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria

Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes

GULLS, TERNS, and SKIMMERS Laridae

Bonaparte's Gull Chroicocephalus philadelphia

Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis

Herring Gull Larus argentatus

Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia

Black Tern (T) Chlidonias niger

Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri

LOONS Gaviidae

Common Loon Gavia immer

CORMORANTS Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus

BITTERNS, HERONS, and ALLIES Ardeidae

American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus

Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias

Great Egret Ardea alba

Green Heron Butorides virescens

Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron [Casual] Nyctanassa violacea

NEW WORLD VULTURES Cathartidae

Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura

OSPREYS Pandionidae

Osprey Pandion haliaetus

HAWKS, KITES, EAGLES, and ALLIES Accipitridae

Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Northern Harrier Circus hudsonius

Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus

Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii

Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis

Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus

Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus

Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis

Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus

TYPICAL OWLS Strigidae

Eastern Screech-Owl Megascops asio

Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus

Barred Owl Strix varia

Long-eared Owl (T) Asio otus

Northern Saw-whet Owl Aegolius acadicus

KINGFISHERS Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon

WOODPECKERS and ALLIES Picidae

Red-headed Woodpecker Melanerpes erythrocephalus

Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Sphyrapicus varius

Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens

Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus

Black-backed Woodpecker Picoides arcticus

Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus

Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus

CARACARAS and FALCONS Falconidae

American Kestrel Falco sparverius

Merlin Falco columbarius

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

TYRANT FLYCATCHERS Tyrannidae

Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi

Eastern Wood-Pewee Contopus virens

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Empidonax flaviventris

Acadian Flycatcher Empidonax virescens

Alder Flycatcher Empidonax alnorum

Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii

Least Flycatcher Empidonax minimus

Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe

Great Crested Flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus

Tropical/Couch's Kingbird [Accidental] Tyrannus melancholicus/couchii

Eastern Kingbird Tyrannus tyrannus

SHRIKES Laniidae

Northern Shrike Lanius borealis

VIREOS Vireonidae

White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus

Bell's Vireo [Casual] Vireo bellii

Yellow-throated Vireo Vireo flavifrons

Blue-headed Vireo Vireo solitarius

Philadelphia Vireo Vireo philadelphicus

Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus

Red-eyed Vireo Vireo olivaceus

JAYS and CROWS Corvidae

Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata

American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos

LARKS Alaudidae

Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris

SWALLOWS Hirundinidae

Purple Martin Progne subis

Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor

Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Bank Swallow Riparia riparia

Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

CHICKADEES and TITMICE Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus

Boreal Chickadee Poecile hudsonicus

Tufted Titmouse Baeolophus bicolor

NUTHATCHES Sittidae

Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis

White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis

CREEPERS Certhiidae

Brown Creeper Certhia americana

WRENS Troglodytidae

House Wren Troglodytes aedon

Winter Wren Troglodytes hiemalis

Sedge Wren Cistothorus platensis

Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris

Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus

GNATCATCHERS Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea

KINGLETS Regulidae

Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa

Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula

THRUSHES Turdidae

Eastern Bluebird Sialia sialis

Veery Catharus fuscescens

Gray-cheeked Thrush Catharus minimus

Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus

Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus

Wood Thrush Hylocichla mustelina

American Robin Turdus migratorius

MOCKINGBIRDS and THRASHERS Mimidae

Gray Catbird Dumetella carolinensis

Brown Thrasher Toxostoma rufum

Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos

STARLINGS and ALLIES Sturnidae

European Starling Sturnus vulgaris

WAXWINGS Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum

OLD WORLD SPARROWS Passeridae

House Sparrow Passer domesticus

WAGTAILS and PIPITS Motacillidae

American Pipit Anthus rubescens

FINCHES and ALLIES Fringillidae

Evening Grosbeak Coccothraustes vespertinus

Pine Grosbeak Pinicola enucleator

House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus

Purple Finch Haemorhous purpureus

Common Redpoll Acanthis flammea

Red Crossbill Loxia curvirostra

White-winged Crossbill Loxia leucoptera

Pine Siskin Spinus pinus

American Goldfinch Spinus tristis

LONGSPURS and SNOW BUNTINGS Calcaridae

Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis

TOWHEES and SPARROWS Passerellidae

Eastern Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus

American Tree Sparrow Spizella arborea

Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina

Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida

Field Sparrow Spizella pusilla

Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus

Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus

Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis

Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca

Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia

Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii

Swamp Sparrow Melospiza georgiana

White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis

Harris's Sparrow Zonotrichia querula

White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys

Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis

YELLOW-BREASTED CHATS Icteriidae

Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens

BLACKBIRDS Icteridae

Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus

Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna

Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius

Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula

Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus

Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater

Rusty Blackbird (T) Euphagus carolinus

Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula

WOOD-WARBLERS Parulidae

Ovenbird Seiurus aurocapilla

Worm-eating Warbler Helmitheros vermivorum

Louisiana Waterthrush Parkesia motacilla

Northern Waterthrush Parkesia noveboracensis

Golden-winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera

Blue-winged Warbler Vermivora cyonoptera

Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia

Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea

Tennessee Warbler Oreothlypis peregrina

Orange-crowned Warbler Oreothlypis celata

Nashville Warbler Oreothlypis ruficapilla

Connecticut Warbler Oporornis agilis

Mourning Warbler Geothlypis philadelphia

Kentucky Warbler Geothlypis formosa

Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas

Hooded Warbler Setophaga citrina

American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla

Kirtland's Warbler Setophaga kirtlandii

Cape May Warbler Setophaga tigrina

Cerulean Warbler Setophaga cerulea

Northern Parula Parula americana

Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia

Bay-breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea

Blackburnian Warbler Setophaga fusca

Yellow Warbler Setophaga petechia

Chestnut-sided Warbler Setophaga pensylvanica

Blackpoll Warbler Setophaga striata

Black-throated Blue Warbler Setophaga caerulescens

Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum

Pine Warbler Setophaga pinus

Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata

Yellow-throated Warbler Setophaga dominica

Prairie Warbler Setophaga discolor

Black-throated Gray Warbler [Accidental] Setophaga nigrescens

Hermit Warbler [Accidental] Setophaga occidentalis

Black-throated Green Warbler Setophaga virens

Canada Warbler Cardellina canadensis

Wilson's Warbler Cardellina pusilla

CARDINALS, TANAGERS, and ALLIES (Cardinalidae

Summer Tanager Piranga rubra

Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea

Western Tanager [Casual] Piranga ludoviciana

Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis

Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus

Black-headed Grosbeak [Accidental] Pheucticus melanocephalus

Indigo Bunting Passerina cyanea

TOTAL SPECIES COUNT FOR NICHOLS ARBORETUM: 221
MBRC Review List species are in blue. top

(T) - Tinker, A.D. (1910) - four species not reported by other sources or in other material reviewed for developing this checklist: Northern Bobwhite, Black Tern, Long-eared Owl, Rusty Blackbird. Several birds not reported by Tinker for the Arb but reported by other birders are surely as rare: Black-backed Woodpecker, Hermit Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, Boreal Chickadee, Tropical/Couch's Kingbird, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Bell's Vireo, and Western Tanager.

SOURCES OF DATA FOR THE CHECKLIST
A.D. Tinker checklist (1910)
The Birds of Washtenaw County, Michigan (1992) (Michael A. Kielb, John M. Swales, and Richard A. Wolinski)
Kielb 2002 checklist
personal records
personal communications
posts to listserv email list birders@umich.edu (now birders@great-lakes.net)
posts to eBird for hotspot Nichols Arboretum
NEW SPECIES IN THE CHECKLIST (15) - entries 207 to 221
The birds listed below are the most recent additions to the Arb checklist--fifteen species. Only seven of the new birds were seen in the six and a half years since compilation of the October 27, 2011, checklist--one new bird per year. The other eight are birds that could have been in the 2011 checklist but they were discovered only during research for this 2018 update. Entries 215 to 221 were found only in eBird.
207. Red Knot - in breeding plumage; Mike Kielb, date unknown
208. Marsh Wren - Juliet Berger and others; 9-10-2015
209. Snow Goose - Larry Urbanski; 3-9-2014
210. Red-necked Grebe - Jacco Gelderloos, Paul Dannels; 3-8-2014
211. Horned Grebe - Edgar Otto; 2-10-2014
212. Lesser Yellowlegs - Jacco Gelderloos; 8-24-2013 + Laurent Fournier; 8-29-2013
213. Wild Turkey - Sandra Bouma; 4-14-2013 + Jacco Gelderloos; 5-13-2013
214. Ring-necked Duck - Selena Creed; 3-6-2013 eBird
215. American Pipit - Oakland Audubon Society; 5-7-2011 eBird
216. Sedge Wren - Sarah Toner; 10-7-2010 eBird
217. Tundra Swan - Cathy Theisen; 1-1-2009 eBird
218. Forster's Tern - Jason Weckstein; 4-22-1991 eBird
219. Northern Shoveler - Jason Weckstein; 9-19-1989 eBird
220. Boreal Chickadee - Bill Tweit; 1-20-1973 eBird
221. Barred Owl - Peter Bono; 5-18-1970 eBird

Another checklist, Mike Kielb's (2002), can be found here (178 species). There is also a 1910 list of A.D. Tinker (138 species). (Both of these checklists are borrowed for publication here, with permission from Nichols Arboretum, as they are not presently available at any University or Nichols Arboretum web site.)
List Contributors
Washtenaw County birders have been the primary contributors to Nichols Arboretum bird checklist records, Mike Kielb primary among them. I have borrowed birds freely from his book (with John Swales and Dick Wolinski) and checklist. Four species came from the Tinker checklist. Some great records in the checklist above are old and some are new--and many good birds are found at the Arb every year by birders who work at it (and many Arb lovers do!). If you have a species in your Arb list that is not in the above checklist, you are invited to submit it for inclusion.
Location
Nichols Arboretum is located east of the University of Michigan's Central Campus in Ann Arbor. Its west side is bounded by the University of Michigan Medical Center and a cemetery. The Huron River bounds the Arb on the north, and Geddes Avenue and residential areas bound it on the south. Residences bound the Arb on the east. Ann Arbor is 35 miles west of Detroit.
Directions, Maps, and Parking
Directions and parking information accompany the maps.
Location maps (directions and parking)
Nichols Arboretum maps (parking and trails)
Description of the Arb
Two books describe Nichols Arboretum in detail with information about what birds to look for, and where, in spring, summer, fall, and winter. Every birder who wants to explore Washtenaw County, one of the richest birding counties in Michigan, should have the first of these: The Birds of Washtenaw County, Michigan (1992), by Michael A. Kielb, John M. Swales, and Richard A. Wolinski. Every Michigan birder, and certainly all who have in mind coming to Michigan to bird, should have the second: A Birder's Guide to Michigan (2004), by Allen T. Chartier and Jerry Ziarno.

Besides these two books see information about birding in Washtenaw County and the rest of Michigan at the Southeast Michigan Birding web site. There are presently many dead links at that web site, but there are two particularly useful links there and they are intact: (1) Michigan Area Birds/Birding Links and (2) Birding Sites in Southeast Michigan and Vicinity. Also see the new Field Guide to the Birds of Michigan (2018), by Allen T. Chartier and Brian E. Small (photos).

These books have trail maps for the Arb, and you can also find trail maps here.
In these books and in your walks at the Arb you will become familiar with many named and unnamed areas. Some of these are
• School Girl's Glen
• Dow Prairie
• Heathdale
• the Peony Garden
• the Appalachian Glen
• the Rhododendron Glen
• the Caretaker's Road
• the boardwalk (riparian area), new warber hot spot
• the Huron River
• the river road (Nichols Drive)
• the ridge trail
• the beach
• the valley
• the "warbler hot spot" or "warbler way"

Unnamed areas known to all birders include wood piles, scrub along a railroad track, meadow-like areas, deciduous woods, glens, and stands of pine trees--and a sometimes stream under the Boardwalk.
The following description was excerpted The Birds of Washtenaw County, Michigan (1992).

Nichols Arboretum is the best studied ornithological site within Washtenaw County, if not Michigan. The spring migration, in particular, of birds in the Arb has been well studied over the years (Wood 1908; Tinker 1910, 1911; Barrows 1912; Wood and Tinker 1934; Wood 1951; Burrows 1954). The study of migration at this site was continued into the 1970s and 1980s with a complete survey of spring migrants, including peaks in migration, and early and late spring arrival dates (Kielb 1989). In contrast the fall migration is understudied, but there is no doubt that large numbers of migrants pass through. Even in winter interesting birds appear. In the summer, it is a nice place to take a stroll but lacks the abundance of interesting species that occur during other seasons.
... The fall warbler migration is as spectacular here as in the spring. Realistically many of the warblers are frequently drabber in plumage, but they are also much more numerous, and the length of their migration is more protracted than in the spring. The fall warbler migration starts in early August and continues into mid to late October. In late August the Arb can be full of migrants.
During the winter (late November through late February) the Arb is a good area to see winter finches and species that uncommonly spend the winter in the county.

Access
Nichols Arboretum is open year round sunrise to sunset, and admission is free. There are no locked gates, so you need not be concerned about being locked in if you dally past dusk. The only restrooms at the Arb are in the Reader Center (Burnham House) at the Washington Heights entrance on the west side of the Arb, south of the Peony Garden. The hours there are M-F, 8:30am-4:30pm, weekends variable.
Contact
Nichols Arboretum
1600 Washington Heights
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 647-7600
Bob Grese
Director of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum
bgrese@umich.edu
(734) 763-0645

Bruce M. Bowman, 2150 Spruceway Ln., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103 / (734) 994-5398

Bird Checklist for Nichols Arboretum - Ann Arbor, Michigan Bird Checklist for Nichols Arboretum - Ann Arbor, Michigan top home
created by / comments to: Bruce M. Bowman bbowman99@comcast.net

web site created: February 2005
checklist last updated: February 7, 2018
web site last modified: February 28, 2018
date of previous major update (206 species): October 27, 2011

This page has been visited times since July 29, 2005.
URL: http://www.umich.edu/~bbowman/birds/se_mich/nichols_arb.html