Southern Lapwing

On June 30, 2022, a Southern Lapwing was reported at Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Iosco County. An employee of the air force base was seeing it since the end of May. This bird is a first Michigan record. How it got here is anyone’s guess. Is it a countable bird on eBird? Time will tell. The Michigan Bird Record Committee will decide at their next meeting if it an accepted record of a bird unusual to Michigan. The Southern Lapwing is found south of Nicaragua. accepted records of birds unusual to Michigan.

We decided to go see it on July 15th. After setting the alarm clock for 1:30 AM, we went to bed at 8:00 PM. I could not sleep that night. The Lapwing was being seen every morning before 7:00. On July 16, 2022, we left home at 1:55 AM and at 6:26 AM – 4 hours and 20 minutes and 248.8 miles later – we pulled into the parking lot at the air force base. As we got out of the car, we heard it calling as it flew from the air force base across the street and into parking lot. We got great looks at it before it flew back into the air force base behind the fence.

Our goal is to see birds in every county of Michigan. Two counties with no bird sightings were nearby. After seeing birds in both counties, we headed home. We arrived home at 3:41 PM and went to bed at 8:17 PM. I did not sleep at all from 8:00 AM on July 15th to 8:17 PM July 16th which surprised me.