2022 Ohio Birding Big Year

  March 28 th           This afternoon, once it warmed up a little bit, we took a walk at Secor Metropark.   While walking on a swampy wooded trail, we spotted an Eastern Phoebe.   A phoebe is a dark-headed flycatcher without distinct wingbars. It has a large head that often looks peaked. It is grayish brown above and whitish below with a smudgy breast.   Phoebes are very active and generally perch low in trees or on fences.   They make short flights to catch insects and often return to the same perch.           The Eastern Phoebe can be a favorite among birders.   They are among the earliest of migrants a sure sign that Spring is near.   They often nest around buildings or bridges where they are easily observed.   When perched, phoebes wag their tails up and down frequently.   The call of the phoebe sounds like its name (fee-bee) which makes it easy to identify.    (1 new species, total 140)           Eastern Phoebe                                                             Ea

  March 27 th           This morning we stayed close to home again.   We went to the recently acquired Sandhill Crane Wetlands.   This was low-lying farmland that was recently purchased by The Nature Conservancy.   They brought in bulldozers, removed the field tiles and are allowing the land to revert to what was historically the Great Black Swamp.   This has already attracted waterfowl and shorebirds and hopefully soon Sandhill Cranes.           We saw three new shorebirds, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and Pectoral Sandpipers. These birds are migrating through our area on the way to their arctic breeding grounds. We also saw more Wilson’s Snipe and Blue-winged Teal.           Next, we went to the Oak Openings Metropark and saw a few good birds but nothing new.   (3 new species, total 139)           Greater Yellowlegs           Lesser Yellowlegs (scarce)           Pectoral Sandpiper                                                        Pectoral Sandpipers                

  March 26 th           Today we stayed closer to home.   We went to the marshes along the lakeshore to look for birds that are returning for the summer or migrating through the area.   First, we went to Magee Marsh Wildlife Area which is known for its boardwalk. It is a magical place during warbler migration.   Today, we focused on the marsh and were able to find several Blue-winged Teal.   Later in the day we found more teal in other locations.   They breed and spend the summer in our area.           Next, we went to the Boss Unit of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.   This is an area that seems to attract Wilson’s Snipe every year during migration.   We found at least six snipe in a flooded muddy field.   Snipe are plump, long-billed shorebirds that are well camouflaged with their brown and buff coloration.   They methodically probe the mud for earthworms and other invertebrates with a sewing machine-like motion.   Displaying males fly high in the sky and make a whistling noise

  March 25 th           Today we were back on the road chasing rare birds in Ohio with some success.   We left the house early to drive to Hoover Reservoir near Westerville which is a little northeast of Columbus.   A Little Gull has been reported there periodically for the last ten days.   Unfortunately, this is a large reservoir that is inaccessible in some areas because of homes along the shore.   We searched several different spots but couldn’t find the Little Gull.   Mike said, “I think I’m going to make a list of all the birds we didn’t find.”   To which I replied, “That’s a very negative attitude!”   We did find two new birds while at this location.   There were many Tree Swallows flying over the reservoir and we saw a pair of Ospreys building a nest on a cell phone tower.           From here we drove an hour northeast to an Amish farm where the owners had been seeing a White-winged Crossbill at their feeders since Saturday.   This is a rare bird in Ohio, and we knew that b

  March 23 rd           Mike and I recently signed up to be part of the Volunteer Trail Patrol program at the Toledo Area Metroparks.   It is a process.   First, we went to an informational meeting to learn about the program.   Next, we had to agree to a background check.   Then, we had to go for a personal interview.   Thankfully we were both accepted.   Now we are in the training phase.   We had to complete a CPR and first aid course.   Today we went to Secor Park for our core training to learn about our responsibilities etc.   At the end of our session, the park ranger led our group on a short walk around the park.   As we returned to the nature center, we clearly heard a Field Sparrow singing.   Finally, a new bird to add to our list.   (1 new species, 130 total) Field Sparrow                           Spring at Secor Park in a few weeks                    (not our photo)           

  March 20 th           After leaving John and Marty we drove to Sarasota and spent a couple of nights with friends.   No birding here, just visiting, eating, and drinking.   We left early this morning and drove 700 miles to Knoxville.   That was a little exhausting, but tomorrow we are homeward bound.   Here is a short summary of our Florida birding: We ended up with 74 new species for the year and 132 total species.   Even though this wasn’t a birding trip, we managed to see many birds along the way.   Soon we’ll be back in Ohio and will continue with our 2022 Ohio Birding Big Year.

  March 17 th (yesterday’s blog posted today)           Yesterday we drove from Bonita Springs to Engelwood Beach on Manasota Key to visit my other brother John and sister-in law Marty.   We met at the Venice Rookery which is run by the National Audubon Society and enjoyed a variety of breeding birds with their young.   We all had dinner together at Magnolia’s and had a wonderful time.           This morning we played golf with John and Marty at a really nice course. While on the golf course, we saw a Pileated Woodpecker, a nesting Osprey, a Wood Stork on top of a tree and a Red-headed Woodpecker that flew by.           Later in the afternoon we went to Stump Pass Beach State Park.   We walked on a trail and the beach and saw a few new birds including a Sandwich Tern, Black Skimmer, Wilson’s and Semipalmated Plover and Lesser Black-backed Gull.   We had a special Jiggs dinner and  a bonfire on the beach with a beautiful sunset and full moon rising.   Happy St. Patrick’s Day!   (

  March 15 th           This morning Tom, Mike and I went birding.   Our first stop was Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary which has a great boardwalk through a Cypress swamp.   We saw a number of herons and egrets but our best bird by far was a Barred Owl that was sitting right next to the boardwalk.   This was the closest and best view of a Barred Owl ever!           Next, we went to the CREW Bird Rockery Swamp Trail. We hiked about a mile and saw some other interesting birds and Mike and Tom took some nice pictures.   Later we met Sharon for lunch and pizza at Oak and Stone. (4 new FOY species, total in Florida 66)           Black-crowned Night Heron           Great Crested Flycatcher           Blue-headed Vireo           Summer Tanager                               Black-crowned Night-Heron                                            Barred Owl                                            Carolina Wren                                                      Anhinga

  March 14 th (yesterday’s post, posted today)           We said goodbye to Mike’s parents this morning.   We’re on our way to visit my brother Tom and sister-in-law Sharon in Bonita Springs but we made a couple of birding stops along the way.   Our first stop was a city park in Coral Springs which is west and south of Boca Raton.   We were able to find two Burrowing Owls in this area.   Seeing a Burrowing Owl is always a special treat.   Burrowing Owls in Florida and elsewhere are threatened by development and habitat loss.   Sometimes you can find these owls in an unlikely location.   We have seen them in a vacant lot in the middle of a subdivision or sitting in a drainpipe or surrounded by yellow crime scene tape etc.   Usually there is one owl on sentry duty guarding the entrance to its burrow.           Our next stop was the Tamarac Exotic Duck Pond near Ft. Lauderdale.   There are several exotic ducks on the pond.   Some are countable in the ABA area, and some are not.   It

  March 14 th           Saturday, we played some ugly golf in gale force winds.   While golfing, we saw two Black-bellied Whistling Ducks flying around.   That night we had a special dinner to celebrate my in-law’s 72 nd wedding anniversary.             Yesterday, Mike and I went birding at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge which is a little west of Boca.   We walked around the dikes at the refuge and saw a few good birds including a Purple Gallinule, Pileated Woodpecker, and two new warblers, an American Redstart, and a Prairie Warbler.   I wish Mike had been able to get a photo of the Prairie Warbler but it’s really difficult to photograph such a small flitty bird.             After our walk, we drove around and got great looks at a pair of Wood Ducks and Mottled Ducks.   As we were leaving the refuge, we saw several Monk and Nanday Parakeets perched on the telephone wires.   There was a U-pick strawberry field here and the parakeets were swiping some berries.   Both these

March 10 th           This morning was a birding morning.   We got up at the crack of dawn to beat the traffic, the heat, and the predicted rain.   We drove from Boca Raton to Homestead in search of a Smooth-billed Ani that would have been an ABA lifer.   We drove to a canal near the Everglades National Park and had to hike a mile to get to the spot where the Ani had recently been reported.   An Ani is a big black noisy bird, but we had no luck trying to locate it.             We did find a number of other good birds in the area.   When we started walking on the trail, we noticed a lot of Blue Jays making a racket.   It turns out that they were mobbing a Great Horned Owl.   Next, we saw a beautiful male Painted Bunting which is another Florida specialty bird in the wintertime.   As we walked along, we saw a Gray Catbird and some Common Ground Doves which were new trip birds.             As we neared the spot to look for the Ani, we saw Wood Storks soaring, a Snail Kite patrolling

  March 9 th           We arrived at my in-law’s house in Boca Raton yesterday afternoon.   We played golf this morning with Mike’s brother and sister-in-law so today was not a birding day.   We did manage to see several new birds out on the course or in the backyard.   We don’t have many pictures today because Mike didn’t take his camera on the golf course. (4 new FOY species, total in Florida 44)                                Egyptian Goose                                White-winged Dove                                Roseate Spoonbill                                Purple Martin                                                      Golfing with Roberta                                                      Purple Martin

March 8 th           We spent last night in Ocala which is between Gainesville and Orlando.   This morning we drove about 1½ hours to the Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area south of Orlando.   The area has both a grassland habitat and several lakes with waterfowl and shorebirds.   We did not see anything unusual, but it was a very rural part of Florida which was new to us.   The area surrounding the wildlife area had lots of horse and cattle ranches.           Two Florida specialties that we saw today were the Mottled Duck and the Limpkin.   The Mottled Duck is closely related to the Mallard and the Black Duck.   Some authorities suggest lumping all three under a single species.   However, the Mottled Duck generally occurs throughout most of Florida and the gulf coast of Texas and Louisiana.   In these areas the Mallard is uncommon.           The Limpkin looks like something between a crane and a rail, but this odd wading bird has no close relatives.   It is widespread in the A