2022 Ohio Birding Big Year

  Wednesday March 29 th – Cattle Egret           Wednesday morning Mike and I decided to take a quick trip out to Howard’s Marsh and were able to find several new FOY birds. These included a flock of Dunlin, a couple of Pectoral Sandpipers and a single Caspian Tern mixed in with a flock of gulls.             We were a little short on time, but decided to take a run through Metzger’s Marsh.   We hadn’t seen anything unusual and were leaving when a woman coming the other way rolled down her window and asked if we had seen anything special.   We said no and she said, “There’s a Cattle Egret right over there with the gulls”.   I thought to myself – yeah, right!   I assumed that she had misidentified a Great Egret, but I was wrong.   There really was a little Cattle Egret in breeding plumage right there.   This is a pretty rare bird in Ohio especially this early in the Spring.   Mike reported the bird, and it made the Ohio Rare Bird Alert.   This was definitely the highlight of our mor

  Tuesday March 28 th – Sounds in the Night at Irwin Prairie           Today was a nice sunny Spring day with temperatures hovering around 50 degrees in the afternoon.   After finishing dinner and cleaning up, I convinced Mike to go to Irwin Prairie at dusk to look for snipe and woodcocks.   We arrived about 8:00pm and started walking out on the boardwalk and were greeted with a loud chorus of spring peepers.           Spring Peepers are tiny frogs only an inch long and their sleigh bell-like sound is a harbinger of Spring.   The male peepers begin calling to find a mate.   The stretchy vocal sack under their chin produces the sound.   Scientists believe that the females listen to the speed of the calls.   A faster call probably comes from an older larger male.   The female gives the male a little nudge to let him know he has been chosen.   Below is a recording of the Spring Peepers.   Click on the link below to hear their sound. https://youtu.be/lXfmubmx-qw           We walke

  March 18-27 th – Early Spring Migrants           The Spring migration is underway even though the weather is still chilly, especially along the lakeshore.   Here is a list of some of the new Spring migrants that we have seen recently along with some photos:           Blue-winged Teal (Howard Marsh)         Eastern Meadowlark (Oak Openings)           Tree Swallow (Magee Marsh)                  Field Sparrow (Oak Openings)           Great Egret (Metzger Marsh)                   Eastern Phoebe (Oak Openings)           Lesser Yellowlegs (Howard Marsh)                    Greater Yellowlegs (Howard Marsh)           Osprey (Howard Marsh)                                            Field Sparrow                                                    Great Egret                                            Greater Yellowlegs                                                      Osprey                                            Eastern Phoebe                                            C

  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

  Saturday March 18 th – False Alarm and Missed ID           On Friday someone had reported a Pacific Loon complete with several faraway photos at the Findlay Reservoir about an hour south of us.   Although the photos were fuzzy, we noticed a light gray nape on the Loon’s neck.   This is usually a diagnostic feature of a Pacific Loon.   This bird would have been an Ohio lifer, so Saturday morning we went to chase it.           The conditions were miserable.   It was cold, very blustery and when we arrived a light drizzle was falling.   Findlay Reservoir is actually two twin very large reservoirs.   We walked along the elevated dikes, and the wind was howling.   I felt like I was going to get frostbite on my face.   We spotted some ducks and several Common Loons but nothing that looked like a Pacific Loon.   The wind was buffeting our scope, so it was hard to focus on anything.   At one point Mike said, “I’m tearing up, can you look at these birds?”           We were frozen and h

  Tuesday March 14 th – Florida Summary           Today we are heading home after a nice visit with my in-laws.   We had great weather, lots of fine dining and saw plenty of great birds.   Mike and I had a total of 70 species in Florida of which 47 were new birds for the year and that included the Tricolored Munia which was a lifer.   Many of these birds will be heading north for the summer and we will see them again in Ohio, but some are Florida specialties.   We have been birding in Florida for many years, but it is always a treat to see these special birds.                         

  Monday March 13 th – Tricolored Munia           Today is our last full day in Florida.   We never made it to the golf course but that left more time for birding.   We left the house early and headed north on the backroads because of major congestion on the Florida Turnpike.   Our destination was Belle Glade Marina and Torry Island which is just south of Lake Okeechobee.             Once again, we were searching for a lifer.   This time it was a Tricolored Munia.   This is a small finchlike bird that is native to places like India and Pakistan.   It has been introduced to several Caribbean countries probably as an escaped cage bird.   It has become established locally in South Florida and was added to the ABA “accepted” list in 2020.   The birds in South Florida probably got there from Cuba. Tricolored Munias are seedeaters found is weedy, grassy areas of tropical lowlands.   The adult has a very large, pale blue or whitish bill and distinctive tricolored plumage: black hood an

  Sunday March 12 th – Green Cay Wetlands           Green Cay is similar to Wakodahatchee but is larger and a little more natural. The wetland contains over 100 acres and 1.5 miles of elevated boardwalks.   My father-in-law Bob has been an excellent photographer for many years but has recently become interested in birding photography.   He joined us at Green Cay and was able to get some good shots, so we enjoyed our morning together.             We didn’t see anything too unusual, but the best birds of the day were a male Painted Bunting at the feeders and two Black-necked Stilts.   FOY birds at Green Cay: Painted Bunting                            Black-necked Stilt Green Heron                                 Purple Gallinule Little Blue Heron                           White-winged Dove                                            Black-necked Stilt                                            Painted Bunting                                            Green Heron              

  Saturday March 11 th  Key Biscayne and Homestead           This morning we got an early start and headed for Key Biscayne which is a barrier island across the Rickenbacker Causeway from Miami.   We were searching for a La Sagra’s Flycatcher at Crandon Park which would have been a life bird for us.   The La Sagra’s is a very rare visitor from the Bahamas and Cuba and can occasionally be found in brushy woods and shrubs in southeastern Florida.   Usually, one or two are recorded annually.   We were at the park for about two hours and were unable to find the bird.   We did find a nice variety of warblers and other birds there.   FOY birds seen at Crandon Park: Palm Warbler                                          Ovenbird Common Yellowthroat                              Gray Catbird Black-and-white Warbler                         White-eyed Vireo Louisiana Waterthrush           From here we drove through lots of Miami traffic and 1 ½ hours later ended up at the Homestead Gen

Friday March 10 th – Wakodahatchee Wetlands           These constructed wetlands were designed to recycle highly treated wastewater from the county’s water reclamation facility.   In addition, they provide approximately 50 acres of freshwater marsh habitat for wetland birds.   The elevated boardwalk offers unbelievable views of many wading birds, ducks, and grebes.   This location has become a favorite nesting spot for Wood Storks.   It is a great place for the birds (and birders) and also walkers and nature lovers.   FOY birds seen at Wakodahatchee: Yellow-rumped Warbler                          Snowy Egret Osprey                                                    Great Egret Glossy Ibis                                              Anhinga White Ibis                                                Wood Stork Black-crowned Night-Heron                   Gray-headed Swamphen Cattle Egret                                             Common Gallinule Tricolored Heron        

  Thursday March 9 th – Boca West Birds           We arrived in Florida last evening to spend a few days visiting Mike’s parents. Today we had a chance to see some of the usual suspects while relaxing in their beautiful backyard.   Here is a list of the FOY (first of the year) birds that we saw: Boat-tailed Grackle Purple Martin Limpkin Mottled Duck Egyptian Goose   Boat-tailed Grackles are found year around throughout Florida and along the gulf and southern Atlantic coast.   They are large, lanky birds with a long V-shaped tail, long legs and a long pointed bill.   The males are glossy black with an iridescent purple sheen on the head.   The females are dark brown above and russet below.   They are larger and have longer tails than a Common Grackle.           The gangly, brown-and white Limpkin looks like a giant rail or a young night-heron.   Limpkins are widespread in Central and South American and range northward to parts of Mexico and most of Florida.   They special

  Saturday March 4 th – Rusty Blackbird           We went to the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area to look for a Northern Shrike which had been seen there the previous day.   We walked the Estuary Trail looking for the shrike without success.   It was a nice day, so we decided to walk the boardwalk.   It was pretty quiet, but we did manage to hear and see a Rusty Blackbird although it was well concealed  in the underbrush.           A Rusty Blackbird is a medium-sized blackbird with a slender bill and a medium-length tail.   In winter, male Rusty Blackbirds have rusty feather edges and a pale yellow eye.   They are often seen in mixed flocks with Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds and European Starlings.           Unfortunately, the Rusty Blackbird population is rapidly declining, and scientists are not sure what has caused this.   They breed in the boreal forest and winter in the eastern United States. Their song consists of two or three notes, followed by a higher, rising note tha

  Thursday March 2 nd – Slaty-backed Gull           Once again Thursday was a free day, no bridge or mah jongg games, platform tennis or yoga etc.   So, we could not resist chasing a Slaty-backed Gull which is a mega rarity throughout most of North America.   This bird turned up on the lakefront in downtown Cleveland and had been seen pretty regularly for at least a week.                    Slaty-backed Gulls are normally found along the coastline of northeastern Asia and are regular summer visitors to western Alaska in small numbers.   In winter, they have appeared as a rare stray at scattered places in North America.   The Slaty-backed Gull is a large dark-mantled gull with pink legs and a distinctive white “string of pearls” between the gray and black on its wingtips.   It also has a dark blotch or smudge around the eye.           We arrived at Wendy Park and walked out to the abandoned coast guard station which is where the bird had been seen.   There were hundreds of gulls

  Friday February 24 th – Western Meadowlark           This rare bird turned up in our neck of the woods!   A  Western Meadowlark looks almost identical to an Eastern Meadowlark, and are best distinguished by their songs which are very different.   The Western Meadowlark had been seen at Howard Marsh Metropark and the ID was confirmed by its song.   Friday morning, we went to look for it.   The bird was being seen by three big rocks in a meadow just off the main entrance road.             We parked the car there and waited for about 10 minutes until the meadowlark showed up.   It perched fairly close to us, and we could hear it singing its western song.   The Western Meadowlark is rare in Ohio but is common in the western United States.   This is another bird that we that we did not see last year.   As a matter of fact, we have only seen it two other times in Ohio.                                            Western Meadowlark

  Thursday February 23 rd – Ross’s Goose           Thursday was a free day for us, so we decided to chase a Ross’s Goose that had been hanging around a retention pond at an industrial park west of Columbus.   We arrived and drove around briefly but pretty quickly located both a Ross’s Goose and his larger cousin a Snow Goose.             Snow Geese occur in two color morphs: white (with black wingtips) and “blue” with a mostly blue-gray body and white head.   The two look so different that they were classified as separate species until 1973.   However, it can be challenging to distinguish a Snow Goose from a Ross’s Goose.   Ross’s Geese are smaller versions of the Snow Goose with much stubbier bills, little or no black “grin patch” and a shorter neck.   Their heads are also more rounded.   Snow Geese are more common, but the population of the Ross’s Goose has been increasing so it is important to check them closely.                                            Ross's Goose      

  Monday February 20 th – Eurasian Wigeon           Over President’s weekend we drove to the Poconos in eastern Pennsylvania for a ski weekend with our kids (although Mike and I didn’t actually ski).   On the way there, we made one stop at Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve to try and find a Northern Saw-whet Owl.   This park is on the lakeshore near downtown Cleveland and has many large pine trees where Saw-whet Owls like to roost in the winter.   The Saw-whet is a small football sized owl and is usually well-hidden in the dense pine trees.   There have been multiple sightings here this winter but after several tries including today, we have been unsuccessful in locating one.           After a great weekend, we left early Monday morning and made good time on our drive home.   Once we got back to Ohio, we decided to take a little detour to chase a Eurasian Wigeon which had been reported south of Wooster.   Of the 304 species we saw last year, this bird was not on our list, so we