Your Week In Review

For the week of April 29th, through May 5th, this is your week in review.

28   That’s the number of total Warblers identified this week throughout the tri-state area. One might call this a fall-out, and you’d probably be correct in that statement. Once again it was another phenomenal week birding. With some of the heavy rains we’ve been experiencing, the effects in regards to the different species of birds is apparent.

Area parks where birders visited include Withrow Nature Preserve, Boone County Cliffs,  Ault Park, Spring Grove Cemetery, Burnett Woods, Miami Whitewater Forest, Shawnee Lookout Park, Ellis Lake/ West Chester Wetlands, Smith Tract Preserve, Magrish Riverlands Preserve, Armleder Park, California Woods, East Fork S.P., Chilo Lock #34, Mt. Airy Forest, Fernald Preserve, and Ferbach-Werner Nature Preserve.

Neighborhoods reporting in include: Newtown, Clifton, Westwood, Lost Bridge, Owensville, West Chester, New Richmond, Milford, Price Hill, Kenwood, and Williamsburg.

Notable birds for the week include;

Accipitriformes

1. Broad-winged Hawk
2. Cooper’s Hawk
3. Red-tailed Hawk
4. Ferruginous Hawk
5. Osprey

Falconiformes

1. American Kestrel

Charadriiformes

1. Wilson’s Snipe
2. Solitary Sandpiper
3. Pectoral Sandpiper
4. Greater Yellowlegs
5. Lesser Yellowlegs
6. Long-billed Dowitcher
7. Short-billed Dowitcher
8. Spotted sandpiper
9. Least Sandpiper
10. Semipalmated sandpiper
11. Dunlin
12. Semipalmated Plover

Piciformes

1. Hairy Woodpecker
2. Downy Woodpecker
3. Pileated Woodpecker
4. Red-bellied Woodpecker
5. Northern Flicker

Gruiformes

1. Sora
2. Virginia Rail

Caprimulgiformes

1. Common Nighthawk

Passeriformes

1. Red-eyed Vireo
2. Warbling Vireo
3. Blue-headed Vireo
4. Bell’s Vireo
5. Acadian Flycatcher
6. Least Flycatcher
7. Willow Flycatcher
8. Great-creasted Flycatcher
9. Wood Thrush
10. Hermit Thrush
11. Veery
12. Eastern Phoebe
13. Grasshopper Sparrow
14. Savannah Sparrow
15. Henslow’s Sparrow
16. White-throated Sparrow
17. White-crowned Sparrow
18. Chipping Sparrow
19. Song Sparrow
20. Lincoln Sparrow
21. Summer Tanager
22. Scarlet Tanager
23. Rose-breasted grosbeak
24. Blue Grosbeak
25. Baltimore Oriole
26. Orchard Oriole
27. Sedge Wren
28. Dickcissel
29. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
30. Bobolink
31. Cedar Waxwing
32. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
33. Blue-winged Warbler
34. Black and White Warbler
35. Nashville warbler
36. Cerulean Warbler
37. Yellow Warbler
38. Pine Warbler
39. Yellow-throated Warbler
40. Yellow-rumped Warbler
41. Black-throated Green Warbler
42. Prothonotary Warbler
43. Chestnut-sided Warbler
44. Palm Warbler
45. Magnolia Warbler
46. Tennessee Warbler
47. Northern Waterthrush
48. Louisiana Waterthrush
49. Hooded Warbler
50. American Redstart
51. Blackpoll Warbler
52. Wilson’s Warbler
53. Cape May Warbler
54. Prairie warbler
55. Kentucky Warbler
56. Canada warbler
57. Black-throated Blue warbler
58. Yellow-breasted Chat
59. Ovenbird

Your Week In Review

For the week of April 22nd, through April 28th, this is your week in review.

Another busy birding week brought birders out in force once again. At times like these I seem to do more blogging than actual birding. I’d be birding tonight if it wasn’t for the workshop tomorrow and all the stuff I have to ready. So I’ll stay home and compile this extremely long list of parks and neighborhoods where birders reported from. So without further ado here’s the list of the parks where birders visited this week: Gilmore Ponds, East Fork S.P., Magrish Riverland Preserve, Armleder Park, Avoca Park, Hueston Woods S.P., Brookville Lake, Winton Woods Park, Lost Bridge, Smith Tract Park, Campbell Lake Preserve, Cincinnati Nature Center, Shawnee Lookout, Burnett Woods Park, Caesar Creek Gorge, and Ellis Lake/ West Chester Wetlands.

Neighborhoods reporting in include: Winton Place, Deer Park, Felicity, East Walnut Hills, Goshen, Newtown, Anderson Twp., Newport, Kenwood, Clifton, Southern Clermont County, Franklin County, Finnytown, Monroe, Sharonville, Latonia, and Westwood.

Notable birds for the week include:

Accipitriformes

1. Bald Eagle
2. Broad-winged Hawk
3. Osprey
4. Cooper’s Hawk
5. Red-tailed Hawk

Pelecaniformes

1. American Bittern
2. Black-crowned Night Heron

Charadriiformes

1. Spotted Sandpiper
2. Least Sandpiper
3. Semipalmated Sandpiper
4. Pectoral Sandpiper
5. Greater Yellowleg
6. Lesser Yellowleg
7. Dunlin
8. Willet
9. Solitary Sandpiper
10. Short-billed Dowitcher
11. Long-billed Dowitcher
12. Bonaparte’s Gull
13. Wilson’s Snipe
14. Common Tern
15. Caspian Tern
16. Forester’s Tern

Anseriformes

1. Blue-winged Teal
2. America Wigeon
3. Northern Shoveler

Strigiformes

1. Barred Owl

Piciformes

1. Northern Flicker
2. Pileated Woodpecker
3. Hairy Woodpecker

Gruiformes

1. Virginia Rail
2. Sora

Apodiformes

1. Chimney Swift
2. Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Passeriformes

1. Acadian Flycatcher
2. Great-crested Flycatcher
3. Least Flycatcher
4. Wood Thrush
5. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
6. Blue Grosbeak
7. Orchard Oriole
8. Baltimore Oriole
9. Pine Siskins
10. Red-eyed Vireo
11. White-eyed Vireo
12. Blue-headed Vireo
13. Warbling Viroe
14. Yellow-throated Vireo
15. Rusty Blackbird
16. Eastern Phoebe
17. Eastern Kingbird
18. Horned Lark
19. Bobolink
20. Savannah Sparrow
21. White-throated Sparrow
22. White-crowned Sparrow
23. Meadow Lark
24. Lark Sparrow
25. Vesper Sparrow
26. Swamp Sparrow
27. Grasshopper Sparrow
28. Field Sparrow
29. Scarlet Tanager
30. Summer Tanager
31. Indigo Bunting
32. Palm Warbler
33. Northern Parula
34. Prothonotary Warbler
35. Common Yellowthroat
36. Yellow-throated Warbler
37. Nashville Warbler
38. Cerulean Warbler
39. Kentucky Warbler
40. Blackburnian Warbler
41. American Redstart
42. Black-throated Green Warbler
43. Prairie Warbler
44. Louisiana Waterthrush
45. Northern Waterthrush
46. Yellow-breasted Chat
47. Ovenbird
48. Worm-eating warbler
49. Black and White Warbler
50. Blackpoll Warbler
51. Pine Warbler
52. Hooded Warbler
53. Tennessee Warbl
54. Barn Swallow
55. Cliff Swallow
56. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
57. Tree Swallow
58. Purple Martin

For a detailed listing of the weeks postings, please go to www.cincinnatibirds.com

So as we end this week in review, keep on birding, and don’t forget to post your sightings.

 

Your Week In Review

For the week of April 15th, through April 21st, this is your week in review.

Spring migration is in full bloom as more and more of our beautiful Spring migrants arrive around the Tri-state in our typical hotspots. But you better be prepared to know your bird calls since the majority of the trees are leafed out. Being able to ID a Warbler in the top of a totally leafed out tree will require both sight and sound skills. The Ferruginous Hawk is still being seen over at CVG with no sign of it leaving, so if you’ve not seen this bird as of yet, plan a trip before it leaves. We also had 48 hours of excitement as a Black-necked Stilt was sighted at Ellis Lake. And once again this blogger was able to see it and get some pictures as well. Also Caesar Creek had it’s own excitement as both Lesser Black-backed Gull and Surf Scoters were seen earlier this week.

This has got to be the largest “location” list I’ve typed for this column ever and this is just a prelude of what it”ll be like in weeks to come. So to quote Samuel L. Jackson in the movie Jurassic Park, “Hold on to your butts”, here’s the list of where our birders visited this week. Shawnee Lookout, Crooked Run Nature Preserve, Fairview Park, Ault Park, Magrish Riverland Preserve, California Woods, East Fork S.P., Caesar Creek S.P., Hueston Woods S.P., Cowan Lake S.P., The Oxbow, Miami Whitewater Forest, Winton Woods, Smith Tract Park, Fernald Preserve, Eden Park, Spring Valley Wildlife Area, CVG, Ellis Lake/ West Chester Wetlands, Armleder Park, Sharon Woods, Grand Valley, Avoca Trailhead Park, Lake Isabella, and Glenwood Gardens.

Neighborhoods reporting in include: Felicity, Kenwood, Landen, Lawrenceburg Road, Milford, Newtown, Clifton, Maderia, United American Cemetery, Owensville, Oxford, West Wood, Morrow, and Williamsburg.

Notable birds for the week include:

Accipitriformes

1. Bald Eagle
2. Ferruginous Hawk
3. Broad-winged Hawk
4. Osprey
5. Sharp-shinned Hawk

Falconiformes

1. American Kestrel

Pelecaniformes

1. Great Egret
2. Green Heron

Charadriiformes

1. Pectoral Sandpiper
2. Black-necked Stilt
3. Wilson’s Snipe
4. Solitary Sandpiper
5. Lesser Yellowleg
6. Greater Yellowleg
7. Spotted Sandpiper
8. Dunlin
9. Short-billed Dowitcher
10. Forster’s Tern
11. Caspian tern
12. Least Tern
13. Lesser Black-backed Gull
14. Bonaparte’s Gull
15. Semi-palmated Plover

Anseriformes

1. Ring-necked Duck
2. Surf scoter
3. Wood Duck
4. Green-winged Teal
5. Blue-winged Teal
6. Red-breasted Merganser
7. Northern Shoveler

Strigiformes

1. Great Horned Owl

Piciformes

1. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
2. Pileated Woodpecker
3. Downy Woodpecker
4. hairy Woodpecker
5. Red-bellied Woodpecker
6. Red-headed Woodpecker

Gruiformes

1. Virginia Rail

Galliformes

1. Wild Turkey

Apodiformes

1. Chimney Swift
2. Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Podicipediformes

1. Horned Grebe
2. Pied-billed Grebe

Passeriformes

1. Great-crested Flycatcher
2. Horned Lark
3. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
4. Orchard Oriole
5. Baltimore Oriole
6. Brown Thrasher
7. Eastern Kingbird
8. Eastern Phoebe
9. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
10. Wood Thrush
11. Rusty Blackbird
12. Purple Finch
13. Scarlet Tanager
14. Yellow-throated Vireo
15. White-eyed Vireo
16. Red-eyed Vireo
17. Warbling Vireo
18. Brown Creeper
19. Red-breasted Nuthatch
20. Tree Swallow
21. Barn Swallow
22. Norther Rough-winged Swallow
23. Nashville Warbler
24. Yellow-rumped Warbler
25. Common Yellowthroat
26. Cerulean Warbler
27. Prothonotary Warbler
28. Yellow-breasted Chat
29. Kentucky Warbler
30. Black-throated Green warbler
31. Louisiana Waterthrush
32. Black and White Warbler
33. Northern Parula
34. Tennessee Warbler
35. Yellow-throated warbler
36. Pine Warbler
37. Blue-winged Warbler
38. Prairie Warbler
39. Palm Warbler
40. Houose Wren
41. Field Sparrow
42. Chipping Sparrow
43. Savannah Sparrow
44. vesper Sparrow
45. Song Sparrow
46. Swamp Sparrow
47. White-throated Sparrow
48. White-crowned Sparrow

For a detailed listing of the weeks postings, please go to www.cincinnatibirds.com

So as we end this week in review, keep on birding, and don’t forget to post your sightings.

 

Notes From The Field

Ellis Lake/ West Chester Wetlands & Armleder Park

Spring migration for birders is like your birthday, Christmas, and bringing home the new puppy, all in one beautiful package. Did I mention that it could be a bit hectic. It’s this kind of action that keeps us coming back for more, and today was no exception. With a change in Kathy’s class schedule, Tuesday has become my new day to go birding in the late afternoon. So I made some arrangements to meet up with Jon Frodge and John Marvin at Armleder Park at 5 o’clock. That was until I read the “Sightings” list from Cincinnatibirds. Mike Busam reported that he had seen a Black-necked Stilt at Ellis Lake/West Chester Wetlands at 11:30. OK, change of plans. I called both Jon and John to see if they’d go for a little detour before heading to Armleder. Jon said no, what with traffic being bad that time of day and where he works not being very close to Ellis Lake. However John who works in West Chester was all over it, so we meet at 4:50.

The rain on both Saturday and Monday had left several sky pools in the field to the West of the dike. These pools are perfect feeding locations for wading birds. We were able to see plenty of Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpipers, Wilson’s Snipe, Pectoral Sandpipers, and a Dunlin. The Stilt though was pretty far away as both John Marvin and John Habib (who was there to see the Stilt as well) pointed me in the general direction where to look. And there he was. Now, there’s a shallow ditch that runs Northwest to Southeast and bisects the field. The Stilt was right on the edge of the ditch moving in and out of some of the taller vegetation that grew along the edge.

This picture was taken of the Stilt at about 240 yards away.

After several minutes watching the Stilt I focused my attention on the other wading birds out in the field, returning to make sure it didn’t fly away. And it did fly, but only a few yards further down the ditch where it proceeded to enter the ditch where all you could see was it’s head. Then we lost sight of it completely. After about 5 minutes it reemerged foraging for food in some standing water that was at the foot of the dike.

Happy with our discovery we left about 5:20 and fought our way to Armleder park. Considering how bad the traffic was, we made good time as we pulled into the park about 40 minutes later. Jon hadn’t arrived yet so we made our way to the bean field to spot waders. The usual cast of characters were there, Pectoral and Spotted Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs, Blue-winged Teal and this nice Wilson’s Snipe.

Jon eventually joined us as the remainder of the evening was spent wandering throughout the park. The highlights of Armleder Park were the 2 Prothonotary Warblers and the Palm Warblers we saw. If it wasn’t for the fact that it was getting dark, we’d probably still be there looking for Vesper Sparrows.

Notable birds for the day include:

1. Black-necked Stilt
2. Lesser Yellowleg
3. Solitary Sandpiper
4. Pectoral Sandpiper
5. Spotted Sandpiper
6. Dunlin
7. Wilson’s Snipe
8. Semi-palmated Plover
9. Killdeer
10. Great Blue Heron
11. Great Egret
12. Barn Swallow
13. Purple Martin
14. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
15. Tree Swallow
16. Field Sparrow
17. Swamp Sparrow
18. White-throated Sparrow
19. Song Sparrow
20. Fox Sparrow
21. Chipping Sparrow
22. Northern Mockingbird
23. American Robin
24. White-breasted Nuthatch
25. Downy Woodpecker
26. Wood Duck
27. Mallard
28. Blue-winged teal
29. Green-winged Teal
30. Canada Goose
31. Red-tailed Hawk
32. Turkey Vulture
33. Yellow-rumped Warbler
34. Palm warbler
35. Prothonotary Warbler
36. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
37. Eastern Towhee
38. Carolina Chickadee
39. Northern Cardinal
40. American Goldfinch
41. Mourning Dove
42. Belted Kingfisher
43. Chimney Swift
44. Carolina Wren

Your Week In Review

For the week of April 8th, through April 14th, this is your week in review.

Migrants are on a roll, and this week was showing great promise for some good Waders and Warblers influx. Despite the cooler, or what I should say is average temperatures, and drier than normal conditions, birders are reporting from all over the Tri-state.  The top story is still the Ferruginous Hawk, still being seen over at CVG. And with this probably being a “first” for the State of Kentucky, the Hawk has made it to the ABA Blog. So don’t forget to check out their blog and read up on this now famous bird . Better yet, go check it out for yourself before it’s too late.

Area parks where birders visited include: Avoca Trailhead Park, California Woods, Cincinnati Nature Center, Spring Grove Cemetery, East Fork S.P., Cowan Lake S.P., Rocky Fork S.P., Indian Creek Wildlife Area, Paint Creek S.P., Armleder Park, Fairview Park, Sharon Woods Park, Spring Valley Wildlife Area, Versailles S.P., Kelly Nature Preserve, Lost Bridge, Miami Whitewater Forest, Shawnee Lookout Park, and Crooked Run Nature Preserve.

Neighborhoods reporting in include: Felicity, Union Twp, and Wyoming, Beavercreek, Sycamore Twp., Kilby Road, Covington, and Kenwood.

Notable birds for the week include:

Accipitriformes

1. Bald Eagle
2. Ferruginous Hawk
3. Broad-winged Hawk
4. Red-shouldered Hawk
5. Red-tailed Hawk
6. Cooper’s Hawk
7. Osprey

Falconiformes

1. American Kestrel

Charadriiformes

1. Solitary Sandpiper
2. Pectoral Sandpiper
3. Greater Yellowleg
4. Lesser Yellowleg
5. Wilson’s Snipe
6. Bonaparte’s Gull
7. Dunlin

Podicipediformes

1. Horned Grebe

Piciformes

1. Pileated Woodpecker
2. Northern Flicker
3. Red-bellied Woodpecker
4. Downy Woodpecker

Anseriformes

1. Ruddy Duck
2. Greater Scaup
3. Lesser Scaup
4. Northern Shoveler
5. Wood Duck
6. Blue-winged Teal
7. Common Goldeneye
8. Bufflehead
9. Ring-necked Duck
10. Hooded Merganser
11. Red-breasted Merganser
12. Surf Scoter

Gaviiformes

1. Common Loon

Galliformes

1. Wild Turkey

Passeriformes

1. Eastern Meadowlark
2. Blue-winged Warbler
3. Prothonotary Warbler
4. Pine Warbler
5. Prairie Warbler
6. Northern Parula
7. Louisiana Waterthrush
8. Yellow-rumped Warbler
9. Black & White Warbler
10. Rusty Blackbird
11. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
12. Warbling Vireo
13. Blue-headed Vireo
14. Orchard Oriole
15. Eastern Towhee
16. Barn Swallow
17. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
18. Bank Swallow
19. Tree Swallow
20. Field Sparrow
21. Song Sparrow
22. Chipping Sparrow
23. White-throated Sparrow
24. Grasshopper Sparrow
25. Dark-eyed Junco
26. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
27. Brown Thrasher
28. Eastern Phoebe
29. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
30. Warbling Vireo
31. White-eyed Vireo
32. Savannah Sparrow

For a detailed listing of the weeks postings, please go to www.cincinnatibirds.com

So as we end this week in review, keep on birding, and don’t forget to post your sightings.

Notes From The Field

Daniel Drake Park, California Woods, Magrish Riverlands Preserve, Armleder Park, Avoca Trailhead Park, & Grand Valley

If you haven’t noticed by now, yesterdays field trip involved following the Little Miami River north from California Woods, and ending at Grand Valley. Granted Daniel Drake Park doesn’t border the Little Miami, however it is on the way, so I stopped there first. Several weeks ago a Pine Warbler was sighted there, so I thought I’d see if the bird was still there. They have a nice stand of Evergreens which would entice me if I was a Pine Warbler.

Now there’s something about Pine Warblers that drives me nuts. They sound almost identical to Chipping Sparrows. So for over an hour I chased down every song that sounded like a Pine Warbler, only to find it to be another Chipping Sparrow. A Pine Warbler was later spotted at Avoca Trailhead.

From there it was a short drive to California Woods to try and find another target bird for the day, a Louisiana Waterthrush. Lick Run Creek runs through this 113 acre heavily wooded forest. And it’s along this creek that I hope to find the Waterthrush. I’ve seen Waterthrush here in the past, and some recent sightings has given me confidence that I’ll spot at least one. I hope. For 30 minutes I walked up and down the road hearing and see everything but a Louisiana Waterthrush. I didn’t want to get too far away from the creek and hike up into the woods, even as tempting as it looked. At one point I went back to the bird-mobile and reacquainted myself with it’s song. 2 minutes later I hear the song coming from the nature center. The song was loud and clear and constant. I had it cornered in a bend of the creek prior to the bridge when it flew to a nearby tree and continued to sing. Getting a proper ID on it was the easy part, getting a picture was different. Like most Warblers, they don’t like to sit still long enough for photos. Digi-binning a was out of the question, so I pulled out my other camera and took this photo.

I wish the Waterthrush was as cooperative as this Eastern Towhee.

2 minutes after leaving California Woods, I pull into Magrish Riverlands Preserve. This is one of my favorite spots for migrant Warblers and with the dry weather we’ve had lately, it should be relatively dry. Well I was correct on the dry part. For the hour I spent here I would have thought the birding would be better than it was. Picking up a couple FOS birds, I made my way to Armleder Park, where the bulk of the day I was going to spend.

Armleder Park was a bustle of activity as I pulled in. I think every dog owner in Cincinnati had their dogs romping in the enclosed dog parks. That’s right they have 2 of them now. I guess it’s like an overflow parking lot for dogs.  Families were out in force with young ones in tow as they biked, hiked, skated, their way around the paved paths that loop around and through the park. For myself it was onto the “Bean Field”. And what do my wondering eyes should appear, but Great Egrets.

As the Sun rose higher, the morning frost finally melted away and more layers of clothing peeled off. Getting along into the late morning and early afternoon my target birds of Savannah and Vesper Sparrows were becoming harder to find. I did find one Savannah Sparrow as it hide under a bush.

Savannah Sparrow

I dipped on the Vesper Sparrow but I did have some luck with 2 fly over Rusty Blackbirds. I did find one Song Sparrow that held still long enough for me to get these 2 pretty good pictures.

The Tree Swallows were everywhere today. Laying claim to empty Bluebird houses, they were easy to photograph as they lighted on the post that held up the bird house.

With a couple of hours till needing to be back home I left Armleder Park and followed the river to Avoca Trailhead Park. Situated along the bike trail this is a small park with river access. Plus it has a lot of potential for some good birding. This is where I picked up a Pine and Yellow-throated Warbler. With one more stop before home I left Avoca Trailhead Park on my way to Grand Valley. Which turned out to be rather disappointing. If there were any ducks on the lake they were all scared off by the fisherman and children playing. I was able to spot one lone Horned Grebe which I thought was a great find considering.

Notable birds for the day include:

1. Mourning Dove
2. Rock Dove
3. Northern Cardinal
4. Tufted Titmouse
5. Carolina Chickadee
6. Blue Jay
7. White-throated Sparrow
8. White-crowned Sparrow
9. Song Sparrow
10. Savannah Sparrow
11. Field Sparrow
12. Chipping Sparrow
13. House Sparrow
14. House Finch
15. American Goldfinch
16. Common Grackle
17. Common Crow
18. Rusty Blackbird
19. Red-winged Blackbird
20. Canada Goose
21. American Robin
22. American Coot
23. Mallard
24. Wood Duck
25. Blue-winged Teal
26. Great Egret
27. Great Blue Heron
28. Lesser Yellowleg
29. Pectoral Sandpiper
30. Killdeer
31. Bank Swallow
32. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
33. Barn Swallow
34. Tree Swallow
35. Eastern Towhee
36. Louisiana Waterthrush
37. Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler
38. Pine Warbler
39. Downy Woodpecker
40. Red-bellied Woodpecker
41. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
42. Brown-headed Cowbird
43. Carolina Wren
44. Cooper’s Hawk
45. Red-tailed Hawk
46. Turkey Vulture
47. Eastern Meadowlark
48. Horned Grebe
49. Pied-billed Grebe
50. Northern Mockingbird
51. Belted Kingfisher