Notes From The Field

Ellis Lake/ West Chester Wetlands & Gilmore Ponds

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Well I may not be dull, but I was a little sad not being able to get a little birding in this long Memorial Day weekend. The yard and garden has taken over so much of my spare time recently I’m trying to finish up as much as I can so I could get away for a morning. So with Kathy going into work yesterday, the time was ripe for some local birding. Which isn’t a bad thing since both of the above mentioned birding hotspots are some of my favorites.

The morning was warm and humid as I steps out of the bird-mobile at Ellis Lake/ West Chester Wetlands. So much of the water that was previously there was mostly dried up. However there have been reports recently of White-rumped Sandppipers here so here we go. The large field which will normally hold a boat load of water after a good rain was just a couple of small mud puddles. Scanning paid off with mostly Killdeer and some Spotted Sandpipers. The low spot in the field is this ditch which will hide even the smallest bird was still a hundred yards out of sight, so I walked out into the field in the attempt to close the gap a little and get a better view into the ditch. Not surprisingly was my White-rumped Sandpipers. So much of the water drains into this ditch, which in turn attracts the birds. However my stay was shortened with the onslaught of some flying, biting insects that were feasting on my flesh.

Willow Flycatcher at Ellis Lake.

Onto Gilmore Ponds. I spent over 3 hours here and as the Sun rose higher and higher birding became more difficult as energy levels drained for the heat and humidity. From the Gilmore Road parking lot the trail dives right into a flooded forest. Home to Wood Ducks and Prothonotary Warblers I always thought how much fun it would be to drift in a canoe in this tall stand of trees, but I don’t think the Butler County Metroparks  would like it much.

There were a few folks either enjoying the park with a nice walk, or a few who were there to photograph whatever fancies their interest. I was the only birder.

Green Herons are one of my favorite bird subjects. The hold still long enough for you to get a decent picture, and this one was very cooperative.

The portion of trail I was walking on runs along side of the old Miami-Erie Canal. Vegetation is so thick along the edges that your not able to see over it. The Butler County Regional Airport is on the other side of the canal, and some railroad track, and if it wasn’t for the airplanes you’d never know it’s there. I was able to find a spot where there was a log lying over the now silted over canal, so I tight roped over and peered over the tracks. This part of the airport property slopes down towards the canal and held massive amounts of water where Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons made their home.

Now in this picture you see my spotting scope in the middle, next to the Hemlock. My scope stands a few inches over 4 feet. So you get the idea of how tall, and closed in you can feel along this trail.

As the morning wore on, birds were becoming fewer and fewer. I had reached the half way point when the desire of the ice water in the truck started to call. I made sure that I hydrated myself before leaving, but i was starting to get a little parched. So I quickened my pace.

The stops were less frequent as I made my way around the park. I’d stop and check out when the birds got a little more active than usual. But the last half of the trip was pretty uneventful. The trees became sparse and open fields spread out before me.

This time of year Indigo Buntings are numerous here,

as well as Eastern Kingbirds.

A much needed trip. There are times when we need to get back to nature to recharge our souls.

Notable birds for the day include:

1. Northern Cardinal
2. Blue Jay
3. American Robin
4. Red-winged Blackbird
5. Brown-headed Cowbird
6. Common Grackle
7. Mourning Dove
8. Mallard
9. Wood Duck
10. Double-crested Cormorant
11. Canada Goose
12. Yellow Warbler
13. Prothonotary Warbler
14. Gray Catbird
15. American Goldfinch
16. Eastern Phoebe
17. Great-crested Flycatcher
18. Willow Flycatcher
19. Barn Swallow
20. Tree Swallow
21. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
22. Turkey Vulture
23. Northern Flicker
24. Red-bellied Woodpecker
25. Downy Woodpecker
26. Carolina Wren House Wren
27. Eastern Kingbird
28. Belted Kingfisher
29. Chimney swift
30. Cedar waxwing
31. Field Sparrow
32. Song Sparrow
33. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
34. Swamp Sparrow
35. Great Egret
36. Great Blue Heron
37. Green Heron
38. White-rumped Sandpiper
39. Spotted Sandpiper
40. Semipalmated sandpiper
41. Least Sandpiper
42. Lesser Yellowleg
43. Killdeer
44. Semipalmated Plover
45. Red-eyed Vireo
46. Yellow-throated Vireo
47. White-throated Sparrow
48. Baltimore Oriole
49. Carolina Chickadee
50. House Sparrow

Notes From The Field

Voice of America MetroPark

Yesterday was almost a week since I returned from Lake Erie and when I last birded, so I felt the need last night to try my hand at Voice of America. The last time I was there I was turned back because of an expired park pass, so being prepared to buy a new one I found that no one was at the gate to sell me  one. Now the honest thing to do was to drive over to the park office and renew there, however it was getting dark and my target birds for tonight are elusive anyway, so time was of the essence.

Sitting right in the middle of West Chester this 435 acre gem has a lot to offer. A 35 acre stocked lake, a paved trail, soccer and baseball fields, and even a cricket pitch. But what attracts the birders is the Audubon Important Birding Area. A large grassy area has been set aside for several breeding grassland birds. One of them are Bobolinks.

And some of the others include Eastern Meadowlarks and Red-winged Blackbirds, which are numerous. However the prize is the most secretive Henslow’s Sparrow. So for the next hour and a half was spent listening for their faint, high pitched, hiccup of a song.

In years past there is a mowed path that birders stay on as they bird this portion of the park, however last night the grass was tall. I was still able to follow where the path normally was and after half and hour was able to make out the song of the Henslow’s Sparrow, despite the fact that I never saw any.

I normally don’t get big numbers when I bird at VOA, so I was kind of surprised when I my total for the night was 19 species. Also if I had more time I probably would find a few more.

American Goldfinch

As with most bird outings during the week this one was another short one so hardly an impressive list.

Notable birds for the evening include:

1. Canada Goose
2. Mallard
3. Cooper’s Hawk
4. Killdeer
5. Mourning Dove
6. Willow Flycatcher
7. Horned Lark
8. Tree Swallow
9. Barn Swallow
10. American Robin
11. American Goldfinch
12. Cedar Waxwing
13. Field Sparrow
14. Song Sparrow
15. Henslow’s Sparrow
16. Bobolink
17. Indigo Bunting
18. Red-winged Blackbird
19. Eastern Meadowlark

Notes From The Field

Ellis Lake/ West Chester Wetlands

My plans for late this afternoon were simple. Come home from work, let the dog out for a while, go birding at Voice of America Park. VOA is great for breeding Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlarks, and in years past Henslow Sparrows. Last year I wasn’t able to spot one, so I thought why not give it a try.

Normally when I drive into VOA I drive back towards the athletic fields, where access to the good birding spots are located. Today I was turned back by a park volunteer either wanting to see my new park pass, which I haven’t renewed yet, or $5.00. That to I didn’t have. So I did a U-turn and headed out to Ellis Lake/ West Chester Wetlands.

 

With all the recent rain, the amount of water was beyond what I expected. And with all this water comes all the wading birds. And me without my spotting scope. Since I was planning on going to VOA, I decided to leave the scope at home for this trip.

However all is not lost, because one of my target birds for this trip is a Bell’s Vireo. Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii) is usually not seen but heard by it’s distinctive call. Last year that’s how David and myself were able to find it. That time we were able to actually see it, as well as hear it’s call. Today I just heard it’s call as it hide in some very dense thickets. The Bell’s Vireo is kind of unusual for our part of the country, however in the past few years several locations around the tri-state has little pockets where you can find them, and Ellis Lake is one of them.

Walking down the paved path that both walkers and cyclists enjoy, I scanned both the saturated field and the thick tangle of low shrubs and trees on the opposite side. I’d scan to my right and see Least Sandpipers, Great Egrets, Northern Shovelers, and on my left Yellow Warblers, Orchard Orioles, and Willow Flycatchers.

This is just a few of the 40-50 Least Sandpipers that were feeding along the waters edge. Without my spotting scope some of the farthest away birds were next to impossible to identify. Another lesson learned the hard way, never leave home without it.

For a nice 90 minute stay I think I turned up a pretty respectable list of birds.

1. Northern Mockingbird
2. Northern Shoveler
3. Mallard
4. Blue-winged Teal
5. Red-winged Blackbird
6. Killdeer
7. American Robin
8. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
9. Tree Swallow
10. Barn Swallow
11. Least Sandpiper
12. Pectoral Sandpiper
13. Solitary Sandpiper
14. Lesser Yellowleg
15. Short-billed Dowitcher
16. Northern Cardinal
17. Willow Flycatcher
18. Great-crested Flycatcher
19. Great Blue Heron
20. Great Egret
21. Bell’s Vireo
22. Gray Catbird
23. Common Grackle
24. Indigo Bunting
25. American Goldfinch
26. Song Sparrow
27. Red-tailed Hawk
28. Turkey Vulture
29. Mourning Dove
30. American Coot
31. Canada Goose

Notes From The Field

Avoca Trailhead Park & Bass Island

Well I did it again. I went to work on a day I had requested off. I believe this is the second time in the last 6 months I’ve done this. Well all is not lost, I went birding and my first thought was to head to Ault Park. But it was Kathy’s normal day off and she wanted to go take care of some errands so I made it a short day in the field. Being only 20 miles form where I live Avoca Park was a good selection since the last time I was there the Warblers were plentiful.

I arrived at 10:10 and made my way into the woods. I felt like I was in another place entirely. Considering the bird activity last time I was here, now it’s almost too quiet. Once again no one was in the park except for a few bicycle folks and the occasional jogger. As I made my way deeper into the woods I wa startled by a large Owl leaving it’s perch and fly to a nearby tree. It must have been me that startled the Owl in the first place, so when I put my bins on him to find out what species it was, it turned out to be a Barred Owl. I think this is only the second time I’ve actually seen one. Now I’ve heard plenty of them, but to see one was special. Thinking that it might hold still long enough for me to reach for my camera, it flew off as a mob of Robins and Blue Jays harassed it through the trees, only to disappear.

The previous days storms have left it’s mark as the trails were either soft or down right muddy as you got closer to the river. But all along the way bird activity was unusually quiet except for your normal year round birds. I was at the park fo0r about 90 minutes before making my way back to the car with still a little bit of time left. So right down the road is bass Island. Another river side park with bike trail  and canoe access. Of course the action starts to pick up when it get’s closer to when you have to leave.

This very vocal Carolina Wren was more than happy to sit for this so-so picture. I took my 8×42 Leupold binoculars and wanted to practice digi-binning with them. This will be the bins I’ll use when I go to the boardwalk at Crane Creek while on vacation.

I did come across a pair of birds I was having a particularly difficult time ID’ing. At first I thought a Vireo species, but later when I got home and checked my book, it turned out to be a Orange-crowned Warbler. That made me happy.

It could always have been a better day when it comes to Warblers, but I’ll take what I can take.

Notable birds for the day include:

1. Orchard Oriole
2. Baltimore Oriole
3. American Robin
4. Northern Parula
5. Cedar Waxwing
6. Brown-headed Cowbird
7. Belted Kingfisher
8. Tufter Titmouse
9. Eastern Towhee
10. Carolina Wren
11. House Wren
12. Blue Jay
13. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
14. Eastern Phoebe
15. Eastern Kingbird
16. Barred Owl
17. Spotted Sandpiper
18. Indigo Bunting
19. Brown Thrasher
20. Carolina Chickadee
21. Song Sparrow
22. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
23. Pileated Woodpecker
24. Killdeer
25. Downy Woodpecker
26. Red-bellied Woodpecker
27. Chipping Sparrow
28. Common Grackle
29. Yellow Warbler
30. Yellow-rumped Warbler
31. Orange-crowned Warbler
32. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
33. Mourning Dove
34. House Finch
35. American Goldfinch
36. Northern Cardinal

Multiple Notes From The Field

Newtown Farmers Market, Ellis Lake/ West Chester Wetlands, Avoca Trailhead Park, Magrish Riverlands Preserve

As a bird blogger there comes a time when birding supersedes blogging. And such is the case these last several days. I would rather write one big blog, than to miss an opportunity to go birding during migration when things are really firing up.

So to start, last Sunday I made a deal with Kathy that I’d do the grocery shopping  if I could get the morning off to do a little birding. DEAL. So I was off to Riverside park in Newtown right across from Newtown Farmers Market, where for the last several days a Long-billed Dowitcher and other cool stuff had been hangin’. Across the road from the park is a grass field that was retaining water and the perfect location for your wading type birds.

Spotting the Dowitchers was easy enough, telling the difference between the 2 species is an entirely different matter. There were 3 Dowitchers and one was very different from the others, so this was the one I focused my attention on.

Doing a side by side comparison with the other 2 and studying the field marks I felt confident that we had 2 Short-billed and 1 Long-billed Dowitcher.

After 30 minutes I was planning on going home but I had a great idea that maybe I should drop by Avoca Park that’s right on the way back towards home. I’ve only been to Avoca Park once before and it was for a very short visit. This time I thought I’d walk into the woods a little and get a feel for the park. And what a great feeling it was. Warblers were everywhere. Yellow-rumped Warblers were to numerous to count after a while and Nashville and Blue-winged were always on either side of me as I made my way slowly along well maintained trails.

I could have stayed a whole day, but a deal is a deal so I headed home to  keep my end of the bargain.

Now yesterday with Kathy in school I thought a quick stop at Ellis Lake & West Chester Wetlands was in order. With all the rain lately and a few reports that came across the “sightings log”, there appeared to be some decent activity going on. As I pulled into the parking lot me eyes were towards the darkening sky than the birds  feeding in several large sky pools.

With the rumble of thunder in the background I quickly noted all the species that I saw and did some quick calculations as to how many and left with lightning showing up on the horizon.

2 Short-billed Dowitchers

30 minutes just isn’t enough time to thoroughly count all the different species in a given area. However by the time I got going the rain started to pick up in intensity, so by the time i got home it was coming down in buckets.

So today John Marvin e-mailed me wanting to know if I wanted to meet over in Newtown again and see if we can re-locate the Long-billed Dowitchers. I got there first and started to scan the now larger body of water. John showed up a few minutes later and then we got serious. We moved down the side of the road to get a better view and to see if they were somewhere we hadn’t looked . John was the first to spot them. All told there were 3 Dowitchers. 2 of them were definitely Short-billed, however there was one that had that look to it.

This is the one with that look to it. Maybe a possible Long-billed?

A sleepy Short-billed Dowitcher

I can’t believe that I caught this one flapping it’s wings.

After leaving Newtown John and myself drove to Magrish Riverlands Preserve. We stayed for about an hour and covered as much as possible. I think some of the birds that were there yesterday moved on after the storms passed through. It was pretty quiet except for a couple of FOY birds, Philadelphia Vireo and Veery. At 6:30 we parted ways so we both could get home at a decent hour.

Notable birds for the past few days include:

1. Great Blue Heron
2. Warbling Vireo
3. Philadelphia Vireo
4. Blue Jay
5. Carolina Chickadee
6. Tufted Titmouse
7. Carolina Wren
8. American Robin
9. Northern Cardinal
10. Song Sparrow
11. Cedar Waxwing
12. Indigo Bunting
13. Baltimore Oriole
14. Veery
15. Canada Goose
16. Wood Duck
17. Mallard
18. Blue-winged Teal
19. American Coot
20. Blue-winged Warbler
21. Tennessee Warbler
22. Nashville Warbler
23. Yellow Warbler
24. Yellow-rumped Warbler
25. Northern Parula
26. Palm Warbler
27. Common Yellowthroat
28. Mourning Dove
29. Gray Catbird
30. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
31. Chimney Swift
32. Tree Swallow
33. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
34. Downy Woodpecker
35. Northern Flicker
36. Red-bellied Woodpecker
37. Belted Kingfisher
38. Solitary Sandpiper
39. Spotted Sandpiper
40. Least Sandpiper
41. Semipalmated Sandpiper
42. Dunlin
43. Greater Yellowleg
44. Lesser Yellowleg
45. Pectoral Sandpipper
46.  Short-billed Dowitcher
47. Long-billed Dowitcher
48. Killdeer
49. Semipalmated Plover
50. Northern Shoveler
51. Virginai Rail
52. Brown-headed Cowbird
53. Common Grackle
54. American Goldfinch

Notes From The Field

Eastwood Lake Metropark

I left work a little early and made my way home to once again pick up my gear to go chasin’ down another good bird. This time it was the aforementioned Pacific Loon sighted at Eastwood Lake Metropark, which is one of the parks in the Five Rivers MetroParks system. It’s not a very large park, nor is the lake anything big. I’m so used to seeing Loons on such large lakes such as Caesar Creek and East Fork, it’s hard to believe someone would find such a great bird here.

I arrived a little after 4 pm after getting lost and asking directions twice before I found the place. And the birders were out in force trying to locate this small Loon. And to make matters worse was the wind once again howling out of the Northwest and causing enough of a chop on the water it was difficult to see anything.

10 minutes after arriving John Habib shows up, so we join forces to re-locate the bird. And we do. But the Loon was actively feeding so it would submerge and reappear after several moments even further away from where we just saw it. And it would play this cat-n-mouse game during the whole time I was there. And with the sun setting the reflection on the water made visualization next to impossible.

So you have very windy conditions, with choppy water, and a setting sun, and I’m trying to take a picture of this bird.  What a fool I am to even try…but I did. And they’re all crappy. So I’ll share them with you now, and please pardon the quality.

This picture is a little more diagnostic with the gray nap on the head and you can barely see the white baring going up the side of the head. A Common Loon would have a white collar around the back of the neck.

We lost sight of the bird and tried in vain for 20 minutes to re-locate it. It was approaching 6 pm and I had to meet up with my youngest for dinner so I had to leave without that stellar photo that I really wanted. Kind of bitter-sweet.