Black-necked Stilt and more

 

April 18th

          We left New Jersey this morning after a nice visit with Becky and her family.  The weather was chilly but fine until we hit central Pennsylvania around noon. It started raining with a little sleet mixed in and was pretty nasty.  After a quick lunch at Wendy’s, we continued on to Ohio our Big Year state.  Even though the weather was awful, we couldn’t resist doing a little birding on the way home.

          When we got off the turnpike near Sandusky, there was a couple of inches of snow on the ground.  We headed to a country road with corn stubble fields where some Smith’s Longspurs had been seen yesterday.  The snow was actually a benefit because many birds including Killdeer, Horned Larks, Savannah Sparrows, and Lapland Longspurs were foraging for food along the edge of the road.  We drove slowly and checked out all these birds and eventually saw a Smith’s Longspur in the middle of the road.  A car came along and flushed the bird, so no photos but we both got good looks at a female Smith’s Longspur.  This is a rare bird for Ohio, and we were fortunate to find it.

          Next, we headed a little bit further north and west to a cow pasture where Brewer’s Blackbirds have been seen for the past several days.  The rain was getting heavier but immediately we where able to identify several Brewer’s Blackbirds in the field.  This is another rare bird for Ohio and the birding gods were looking out for us today.

          We took Route 2 home and decided to make a quick run along the Metzger Marsh Causeway and saw a Black-necked Stilt in the marsh and a Common Tern on the fishing pier. 

(4 new species, total 159)

Black-necked Stilt (rare)

Common Tern

Smith’s Longspur (very rare)

Brewer’s Blackbird (very rare) 

                                       Black-necked Stilt

                                       Brewer's Blackbird (male)
                  Brewer's Blackbird (male and female)

                                        Common Tern


    

Comments

  1. AnnApril 19, 2022 at 5:55 AM

    Those two rare birds are fabulous finds. I bet that you were thrilled to get them.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

January Summary

Image
  February 1 st           The first month of our Birding Big Year has drawn to a close.   Mike and I have worked hard to find the important winter target birds as well as some rarities.  We are pleased with our progress.   Here is a list of the winter target birds that we have found:           Snow Goose                                           Snowy Owl           Ross’s Goose                                        Long-eared Owl           Greater White-fronted Goose                   Short-eared Owl           Cackling Goose                                       Northern Saw-whet Owl           White-winged Scoter                               Northern Shrike           Long-tailed Duck                                    Purple Finch           Iceland Gull                                            Common Redpoll           Glaucous Gull                                         Lapland Longspur           Rough-legged Hawk                                Snow Bunting
Read more

Chuck-will's-widow

Image
  May 22 nd             This morning Mike and I left for southern Ohio but took a round about way of getting there.   First, we went east to Lorain to look for several birds that had been reported there.   We did find a Cattle Egret at the Lorain Impoundment which is a marshy area near the boat launch and pier.   Cattle Egrets are common in the South but are scarce in Ohio.   Our view of the egret was somewhat obstructed, but it was definitely in full breeding plumage.           From here we headed south for our destination which was Shawnee State Park.   Some of you will remember that we were here just about a month ago with Ann and Howard Rosenberg. That trip ended with the “stomach flu” episode.   We arrived about 4:00pm today and went out for a walk.   There had been a report of a pair of Mississippi Kites seen near the firepit in the cabin area.   We found the spot and immediately saw a kite perched high on a dead snag.   As Mike was taking pictures, I spotted the second kite.
Read more

Saturday March 25th - Black-legged Kittiwake

Image
  Saturday March 25 th – Black-legged Kittiwake           A Black-legged Kittiwake had been hanging around at the Spitzer Riverside Marina in Lorain, Ohio for more than a week and was seen by many birders.   Mike and I had actually gone to chase this bird the previous Sunday without success.   Since so many people had found the bird, we decided to give it one more try.           We drove 1 ½ hours to Lorain, pulled up to the marina and immediately saw the kittiwake floating by itself really close by.   Mike was able to get some great pictures, and it was worth the trip.   This is only the second time we have seen a Black-legged Kittiwake in Ohio.   The previous time was in 2015.           A Black-legged Kittiwake is a type of gull that gets its name because of the shrill sound of its call “kittee-wa-aaake”.   A kittiwake is a small gull and the breeding adults are pale gray above with black wingtips, white below and a yellow bill. The legs are jet black.   Juveniles are quite st
Read more