2022 Ohio Birding Big Year

  May 31 st           May is always the peak time for Spring migration and for us everything happened at a frantic pace.   We started the month with 216 species and ended with 272.   A lot of these birds were either migrants or returning nesting birds.   The Barn Owl that we saw in Amish country completed our sightings of the regularly occurring owls in Ohio.   The Bell’s Vireo in Wood County completed our list of the vireos.   We also saw all 36 of the regularly occurring warblers that pass through Ohio.   This is something we have never done before.           I wrote 20 blog posts for the month.   Feel free to review our adventures.   Going forward the posts will be more infrequent because there are not that many new birds for us to find right now.   Here is a list of some of the highlights we saw during the month of May including some rare and scarce birds:   Kirtland’s Warbler – always a special bird American Pipit – a bird that we don’t see every year Sedge Wren – usual

  May 26 th           This morning Mike and I went out to Oak Openings Metropark.   We were searching for two species that usually nest here, the Yellow-breasted Chat and the Blue Grosbeak.   We were successful in finding a chat in two different locations but had no luck finding a Blue Grosbeak.             Chats are small songbirds but are large and bulky compared to other warblers.   They have a long tail, big head, bright yellow breast, and white spectacles.   Chats can be hard to find because they tend to skulk in dense thickets.   The best time of year to find a chat is during the breeding season when the male delivers a stream of whistles, cackles, chuckles, and gurgles often singing from an exposed perch. (1 new species, total 272) Yellow-breasted Chat (scarce)                                            Yellow-breasted Chat                                        Lark Sparrow

  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.

  May 21 st           This morning Mike and I went back to Magee Marsh probably for the last time this year because the Spring migration is just about over.   We were still hoping to find a Connecticut Warbler.   This bird had been seen for the last two days on the boardwalk so we figured this might be our last best hope of finding one.             We arrived about 10:00am and soon after we came across a crowd of birders.   We asked what they were looking for and the answer was, “There’s a Connecticut back there.”   We started looking around in the thick underbrush and couldn’t find anything.   After a few minutes, I heard the distinctive call of a Connecticut Warbler which kind of sounds like chee-pa-chuh; chee-pa-chuh; chee-pa-chuh; chee chik-a-too-ee; chik-a-too-ee.   The bird continued to call repeatedly, and a few people got a quick look at him, but we never did.   However, hearing a bird and being able to identify it by sound counts.   You don’t necessarily need to see it.

  May 19 th           This morning our first stop was to check the beach at Maumee Bay State Park for shorebirds.   We found six beautiful Ruddy Turnstones in breeding plumage and one Sanderling on the main beach and another on the inland beach. Sanderlings are small, plump sandpipers with a stout bill.   They probe the sand of wave-washed beaches, running back and forth chasing the waves.   They nest in the High Arctic on gravel patches and low-growing wet tundra.           Next, we stopped at a field to look for Dickcissels, but Mike noticed a post about a Connecticut Warbler on the boardwalk.   We abandoned the search for the Dickcissel and immediately went to the boardwalk at Magee.   This was a “birding emergency”.   A Connecticut Warbler is the only remaining regularly seen warbler that we haven’t found this year.   It is a notoriously skulky bird and many years we don’t see or hear one.           We arrived at Magee hoping to find a crowd of people looking at or at least

  May 18 th           This morning the weather was threatening so we decided "car birding" was probably our best option.   We went back to the lakeshore to look for some shorebirds.   Our first stop was the flooded field next to the Barnside Creamery.   I’m sure the owners of this place love it when there are good shorebirds next door.   It would definitely help boost ice cream sales.   We got distant scope views of the Semipalmated and White-rumped Sandpipers which were new for us.             “Peeps” is a common term for the five smallest North American sandpipers.   They tend to create more identification headaches than other shorebirds.   The Semipalmated and White-rumped Sandpipers are both “peeps” as well at the Least, Western and Baird’s.   The Semipalmated is similar in size and shape to the Least Sandpiper but has black legs whereas the Least has yellow legs.             Semipalmated Sandpipers winter in South America and breed in the Arctic tundra.   They are

  May 16 th           Mike and I only had time to do some morning birding because I had an important mah jongg game this afternoon.   We decided to go to the Cannonball Prairie Metropark to look for Grasshopper and Henslow’s Sparrows that can be found here.   We walked out to the grassland area on a very muddy trail due to the recent rain.   Both sparrows were singing and perched up on tufts of grass or little shrubs.   We got good scope views, so this was quick and easy.           Since we had a little extra time, we drove to nearby Oak Openings Metropark and went to an area nicknamed “tornado alley”.   A few years ago, a tornado tore through this part of the park and knocked over a lot of trees.   There are still quite a few dead snags and certain birds seem to like to perch on top of them.   One such bird is an Olive-sided Flycatcher.   We have seen them in this spot in past years and decided to take a look.           Once again it was easy.   We ran into some other birders a

  May 15 th (posted May 16 th )           On Saturday May 14 th we got up as usual, packed a lunch and went out birding.   We were out at the lakeshore not seeing too much and I was in a foul mood.   I really did not want to be there.   I was suffering from “birding burnout”.   Mike said, “Where do you want to go now?”   I said, “I just wanna go home”.             I spent the rest of the afternoon mulching the garden and applying Hollytone to the azaleas, hydrangeas and rhododendrons and finished just before the thunderstorm hit.   After a much-needed trip to the grocery store, I felt much better.           Today was a better day.   We made a quick stop at Foundation Stone Church on Woodville Road that is next to a flooded field with shorebird habitat.   We found a few shorebirds including some Short-billed Dowitchers.   Next, we went to Magee Marsh and found a nice variety of migrants but nothing new for us.   Then it was on to Barnside Creamery where we got distant views of a

  May 13 th           This morning Mike and I scheduled a walk at Secor Park with a mentor for the Volunteer Trail Patrol program.  This was our final step to get qualified to patrol the park.  We were actually hoping to hear an Alder Flycatcher on our walk because we know they are here every year.           An Acadian Flycatcher is an Empidonax flycatcher.  There are five Empids that are found in eastern North America, the Least, Alder, Willow, Yellow-bellied and Acadian.  These birds are very similar in size, shape, and field marks.  They are best identified by hearing them call.           The Acadian breeds in mature deciduous forests often in lowlands near rivers, streams, and swamps.  They are usually calling high in the treetops and are more often heard rather than seen.  Their call is an explosive “Piz-za” with a heavy accent on the first syllable.  As we walked along at Secor Park, we heard several Acadian Flycatchers calling.  No pictures today.  (1 new species, total 25

  May 12 th           Early this morning while I was still drinking my coffee, we got a tweet about a Golden-winged Warbler being seen near the Oak Openings Lodge.   Mike said, “Let’s Go.”   We got over there ASAP.   I got on the bird quickly, but Mike didn’t see it before it flew.   We couldn’t relocate the Golden-winged, so we walked around a little looking for other things.   Luckily, when we came back to the original spot, the Golden-winged Warbler was singing away, and we were able to see it.           The Golden-winged Warbler has a sharply declining population due to habitat loss.   They need shrubby open spaces for breeding, and these areas are declining on their breeding grounds in the Great Lakes and Appalachian Mountain regions.   Also, the open woodlands where they live during the winter in Central and South America are disappearing.   Finally, Golden-winged and Blue-winged warblers hybridize which also contributes to their population decline.   We were lucky to see and

  May 11 th           Back to the boardwalk early in the morning.   Fairly quickly we found one of the three remaining warblers that we were searching for.   The Wilson’s Warbler is a small warbler that is entirely yellow below with an olive back and a beady black eye.   Adult males have a black cap that looks like a yarmulke.           As we walked along, Mike and I spotted an Orchard Oriole which is a good bird.   A kid wearing an Ohio State tee shirt came up next to us and said, “Well, right behind it is a Cuckoo.”   It turned out to be a Black-billed Cuckoo which is an even better bird.   A little further along, a guide yelled out, “Yellow-billed Cuckoo flying!”   It perched nearby and we got to see that too.   It was a Cuckoo kind of day.           Further down the boardwalk, a group was gathered with binoculars pointed high.   They were looking at a roosting Common Nighthawk.   Nighthawks sleep during the day and actively forage for insects near dawn and dusk.   Their shar

  May 10 th           The winds were favorable again today.   We decided to try and beat the crowd by arriving early at the boardwalk.   As we drove into Magee Marsh, I heard the hoarse fitz-bew call of a Willow Flycatcher (1 st new bird of the day).   We arrived at the west entrance of the boardwalk about 7:45am.   Along the edge of the woodlot, there was a crowd of birders with binoculars and cameras raised.   We went to investigate and were able to see our first Mourning Warbler of the year.   A very good way to start the morning.           There were lots of new arrivals today.   Flycatchers, which tend to be later migrants, are starting to return.   We saw an Eastern Wood-Pewee as well as the Willow, Least and Great Crested Flycatchers.   We also saw  a variety of vireos including a Philadelphia, White-eyed, Blue-headed, Warbling and Red-eyed.             We saw 22 species of warblers on the boardwalk including four new ones.   This was a really good morning and by arrivin