2022 Ohio Birding Big Year

July 31 st           Mike and I were able to see eleven new species during the month of July.   This may not seem like an impressive total but since we have already seen most of the common birds that pass through Ohio, we were satisfied.   The majority of birds that we saw this month were shorebirds, with the exception of the Blue Grosbeak and the Little Blue Heron.           The Upland Sandpiper was probably nesting near Columbus, but the other shorebirds were migrating through our area.   They were coming from their summer breeding grounds in the arctic or the western great plains.   Some were young birds like the Wilson’s Phalarope and the Little Blue Heron.   These birds tend to show up in unexpected places and are considered vagrants.           The Blue Grosbeak breeds in small numbers in Ohio because this is the northern end of its breeding range.   Most of the birds we saw in July are considered to be scarce or rare in our area.   We had already seen a lot of the common s

  July 30 th (posted July 31 st )           After a wonderful visit with Becky, Scott, Ryan, and Jared, we dropped everyone off at Detroit Metro about 8:15am.   Our week had included a Mudhens game, visit to the Toledo Zoo, a ride on the canal boat at Providence Metropark and searching for fossils at Fossil Park.   We played mini golf, rode go karts, spent time at the pool and had a full day at Cedar Point.   We played Clue, Connect Four, Chinese Checkers etc. etc.           Before the visit, we decided to rent a minivan so we could all fit in one vehicle.   We got upgraded to a premium SUV which was a black Nissan Armada.   We nicknamed it “the monster”.   After returning from the airport, we stopped at home to change into our birding clothes and pack a lunch.   We returned “the monster” to Toledo Express Airport and were off in “Electra” my Prius for another birding adventure.           We headed for Hilliard, Ohio which is a suburb on the west side of Columbus.   An immature

  July 21 st           This morning Mike and I left the house at 6:30am with every intention of arriving at Poland Township Park by around 9:30am.   This park is outside of Youngstown and some of you will remember that we were here on June 13 th trying to find a Clay-colored Sparrow.   We decided to give it one more try, even though the park is very large, and we still had no specific information about where to look.   It was not meant to be!           We stopped at a service plaza along the Ohio Turnpike for coffee and a pit stop.   When we returned to the car, Mike noticed that we had one very flat tire.   We were able to put air in the tire and got back on the turnpike.   We got off at the first exit about ten miles down the road and immediately stopped at a gas station to add more air.             We did a google search and found an auto repair shop close by in a little town called Newton Falls.   The owner T.C. Smith was very helpful.   It turns out that the tire was beyon

  July 20 th           Once again, we were compelled to return to Huron Harbor which seems to be our favorite birding site even though it is an hour and fifteen minutes away.   The last time we were there four days ago, we could not find a Red-necked Phalarope.   It was seen again yesterday afternoon, so we decided to take another look.           When we arrived, we walked out to the viewing deck but could not identify the birds from that distance.   We walked the familiar path to get closer views of the mudflat and were able to locate a Red-necked Phalarope swimming in circles in a pool of water.    This is a very special bird, and we were excited to see it at close range.           A Red-necked Phalarope is a small shorebird known for spinning in the water to stir up small invertebrates.   Phalaropes reverse the usual sexual roles in birds.   The females are larger and more colorful than the males.   The female takes the lead in courtship, and the males are left to incubate th

  July 16th (posted July 17th)                There were a couple of good birds seen last evening at Huron Harbor so once again we decided to make a return trip to search for a Stilt Sandpiper and a Red-necked Phalarope.   We wore our knee-high waders and walked the trail to get close views of the mudflats.   We were rewarded with excellent views of four Stilt Sandpipers.   We searched high and low but did not see the Red-necked Phalarope.           From here we headed south on back country roads for an hour and a half to get to Wilderness Road which is between Mansfield and Wooster.  We were looking for a Wilson’s Phalarope.   We could not locate the phalarope, but we did get scope views of some Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and Sandhill Cranes.             Next, we went to nearby Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area to search for another reported Wilson’s Phalarope with no success.     (1 new species, total for the year 282) Stilt Sandpiper                                            

  July 12 th (posted July 13 th )           Mike came home from his bridge game about 4:00pm and said, “A Willet and a Stilt Sandpiper were seen this morning at Huron Harbor.  Would you want to chase them?”  I had already started marinating some turkey tenderloins for dinner, but that got put on hold and off we went.            We arrived at Huron Harbor and walked out to the viewing platform and spotted a Willet right away.  There were other shorebirds on the mudflat, but they were too far away to identify.  We decided to explore a mowed trail that went through the marsh to see if we could get closer to the birds.  As we walked along, the trail got narrower and narrower and was no longer mowed.  We forged ahead and eventually came out in a clearing that was much closer to the shorebirds.           There were actually two other birders out on the mudflat.  We talked to them and also scoped all the birds but couldn’t find a Stilt Sandpiper.  We did see a juvenile Black-crowned Night-He

  July 9 th (posted July 10 th )           Mike and I have been to the corner of Girdham and Reed roads in the Oak Openings Metropark umpteen times (at least six or seven) in search of a Blue Grosbeak.   A pair has been reported sporadically at this location for at least two months.   Every time we’ve gone, we wander up and down the road looking and listening and finding nothing.   We’ve come at different times of the day.   We’ve hiked a trail near the intersection.   No grosbeak.           I’ve listened to recordings of the Blue Grosbeak song trying to get it in my head.   The problem is that a Blue Grosbeak sounds somewhat similar to an Indigo Bunting.   This is a common bird that is always around and singing.   Every time I hear an Indigo Bunting, I think to myself could this be a Blue Grosbeak?   I was making myself a little crazy.   Mike kept saying, “When you hear a Blue Grosbeak, you will know it.”   I was skeptical.           We went back to the infamous location once

  July 8 th (posted July 9 th )           I had just finished my afternoon Mah Jongg game where I was the big winner, when Mike called me.   “Where are you?” he asked excitedly.   “I’m on my way home.   Where are you?” I replied.   He had just walked off the golf course and checked the bird alerts that he gets daily and sometimes hourly.   Apparently, there had been multiple sightings of several birds that we needed.   An American Avocet and Stilt Sandpiper had been reported in Huron, Ohio and a Willet and Marbled Godwit in Lorain.           This qualified as a Birding Emergency!   We both got home, changed into our birding clothes, and gathered our water and provisions.   We left the house about 4:30pm and took off for Huron Harbor which is about 1hr 20min away.   We took a fairly long walk on the pier to a viewing platform.   From there, we got distant scope views of the mudflats where the shorebirds were.   Right away Mike spotted the American Avocet.   Success!   We spent a lo

  July 5 th           Perseverance pays off!   After all the driving we did two days ago, neither one of us was too enthused about going back to the Lorain impoundment.   This morning I was busy trying to catch up on yard work, but while we were eating lunch, Mike noticed that a Western Sandpiper had been spotted in Lorain.   This is a very good bird for Ohio so after a little debate, we decided to chase it.           We arrived at the impoundment and immediately saw several birders there.   This was a good sign, and it turns out the Western Sandpiper was still there.   We got great looks at it and could compare it to a Least Sandpiper that was also present.   A Western Sandpiper is a small sandpiper with black legs and a long black slightly drooping bill.   Breeding birds have a rusty cap and rusty mottling on the back.   They nest mostly in Alaska, and many migrate along the Pacific coast, but significant numbers move through the interior of the country.   The Western Sandpipe

  July 3 rd   We arrived home Friday July 1 st .   Our bags are unpacked, the laundry is done, and we have milk in the house.   We were anxious to see some new Ohio birds.   We left this morning for the Lorain impoundment to look for an American Avocet.   We walked around the entire impoundment but did not see the avocet.             Next, we headed south to The Ohio State University Airport which was decked out in scarlet and gray and had a statue of Brutus Buckeye in the lobby.   We went up a flight of red stairs to the observation deck.   From there we had a distant scope view of an Upland Sandpiper that had been previously reported.   We tried to get closer looks, but it wasn’t possible.   We both agreed that based on the size, shape, and posture of the bird that it was definitely an Upland Sandpiper.           On the way home, we stopped at Killdeer Plains to look for a Blue Grosbeak.   It was hot and muggy, and the birds were not singing so we couldn’t find the grosbeak.

  July 2 nd                    June was a strange month for our Ohio Birding Big Year.   We were out of the state for the majority of the month.   The first part of the month we were visiting family on Long Island and in New Jersey.    We also spent a couple of days in Manhattan seeing the sights and going to a show.           When we returned, Mike and I were ready to do some birding and were able to see three very rare Ohio birds.   The first was a Tricolored Heron which we saw at Howards Marsh Metropark.   This bird is normally found year-round along the gulf and Atlantic coasts.             Three days later we drove to the Hebron Fish Hatchery east of Columbus and chased a Black-bellied Whistling Duck.   This bird was way out of its range.   It is found in Florida and Texas and is very rare in Ohio but has been expanding its range northward.   That same day we stopped at Glacier Ridge Metro Park a little northwest of Columbus to look for a Western Kingbird.   That bird had