2022 Ohio Birding Big Year

  Monday February 6 th – All Around the Town           Mike and I   have developed a bad habit of chasing birds all over the state of Ohio.   We are really trying to stay closer to home and find birds locally.   Today was a free day so we decided to go to the Sandhill Crane Wetlands this morning. This is a new park which adds 280 acres to the Kitty Todd Nature Preserve owned by the Nature Conservancy.             We saw several raptors at this location including a Rough-legged Hawk, two Red-tailed Hawks, an adult Bald Eagle, a Red-shouldered Hawk and a Cooper’s Hawk.   We also saw a huge flock of Common Grackles which was a FOY (first of the year) bird for us.   Grackles are one of the very early Spring migrants and they are just starting to head north in large numbers.           After returning home for lunch we...

  Sunday January 29 th – Birding with Ann and Howard           We had not been birding with our good friends and birding buddies Ann and Howard for way too long.   Howard has been recuperating from surgery and we were excited to go birding together in their fancy new Tesla.   We went to some of the usual spots along the lakeshore and saw a variety of gulls and ducks.   As we were driving along Route 2 at about 60mph, eagle-eyed Ann calmly says, “There’s a pheasant in that field.   We made a quick U-turn and sure enough there was a Ring-necked Pheasant sitting right there.   We ended the month with 105 species and NO we are not doing another Big Year.                                               Ring-necked Pheasant                       ...

Thursday January 26 th – Gulls in Cleveland           At this point in the month, we had seen 97 species of birds in Ohio.   We only needed three more to get our “January 100” but we were running out of days.   Today was a free day so we decided to head toward Cleveland once again in hopes of seeing several gulls that had been reported.           First, we stopped at a spot near Ottawa National Wildlife refuge to look for a Northern Shrike.   As we pulled up to the parking area, a Sharp-shinned Hawk was perched right in front of us.   We both got a quick look before it flew away.   We didn't see any sign of the shrike but we had picked up bird #98.           We continued on to the Ninth Street Pier in downtown Cleveland where a Black-headed Gull had been reported.   This time of year a Black-headed Gull does not have ...

  Tuesday January 24 th – Wood Duck           On Tuesday afternoon I made a solo excursion to the Findlay water treatment plant where  warm water is discharged into the Blanchard River.   Two Wood Ducks had been seen here the day before.   It was about a 45-minute drive, and I was a little conflicted about whether I should chase these birds.   Mike had already seen a Wood Duck this year at Woodlawn Cemetery, so he had one more bird than I did.   Now if I waited until Spring, I would surely see a Wood Duck, but I really didn’t like being one behind Mike.           So, I took off, found the spot and there were two beautiful male Wood Ducks.   It was very easy and worth the trip.   For now, we are even.   No pictures because I’m not the photographer.

  Sunday January 22 nd – Turkey in a Tree           Today we stayed closer to home and went to Wildwood Metropark and saw two turkeys perched high in a tree.   This was a strange sight, but we were happy to see our first Wild Turkeys of the year.   Apparently, there is a small flock of turkeys that have been seen at the feeders eating seed on the ground.           While looking at the turkeys, I heard a distant Pileated Woodpecker calling and we were lucky to see it when it flew in closer to us.   Several days later Mike got a tip about where to find an Eastern Screech Owl in a nest box at Wildwood.  We returned and got to see him too.   No Pileated pictures because the camera was still on the fritz!                                               Wild ...

  Saturday January 21 st – “January 100"?           After our previous excursion we realized that our total number of species for the year was now at 84.   This meant we had a realistic possibility of attaining the January 100 if we went into chase mode.   We couldn’t help ourselves and took a trip to Lorain where we saw many Bonaparte’s Gulls and a Common Loon.   We continued on to the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve and after a lot of hiking, we finally found a Red-necked Grebe.   Unfortunately, Mike’s camera was not working, and he wasn’t able to get any pictures.   We think it had something to do with the cold, damp weather.                                            Distant view of a Red-necked Grebe                          ...

  Thursday January 19 th – Evening Grosbeaks           Of the 304 species that we saw last year, we did not see an Evening Grosbeak.   It is an irruptive species, not following regular patterns of movement.   They can be seen in huge numbers and then not be seen again for years.   In general, their population has been declining dramatically and they are rare in Ohio.           The best place to see an Evening Grosbeak would be in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula or Duluth, Minnesota which is a very accessible and friendly place.   There you can find Snowy and Northern Hawk Owls and occasionally a Great Gray Owl.   There are “winter finches” such as the Pine and Evening Grosbeak and Purple Finches.   There are Red and White-winged Crossbills and Canada Jays (a.k.a. Gray Jays).   Sometimes there are Bohemian Waxwings, Boreal Chickadees and Ruffed or Sharp-tailed...