Notes From The Field

Grassland/ Wetlands Series

Shaker Trace Wetlands/ Fernald Perserve

Southwestern Ohio isn’t noted for their miles and miles of grasslands/ wetlands. The small pockets that dot this area are few and far between, and on a much smaller scale. So this last Saturday my focus was on 2 of our larger preserves that contain some of the Summertime residents that frequent these grasslands/ wetlands. And if you happen to have read last weeks blog post you’ll also notice that I’m returning to Shaker trace Wetlands. You can’t talk about open grasslands/ wetlands without birding at this small corner of Miami Whitewater Forest.

So I was on the road by 6 am. and arrived just before 7 am. just as the sun started to heat things up a bit. The reason for such an early start was to try again to catch the Henslow’s Sparrow singing, and get a digiscoped picture. This way I can keep my distance from the bird, and hopefully get some awesome shots. Today’s trip is about taking pictures of birds that frequent this kind of habitat, and as birder’s what to expect to see.

These open grasslands/ wetlands come alive in the morning. Birds are everywhere and as I identify birds by ear as I hurry along towards where Jon and myself sighted the Henslow’s last week. A great variety of species come to mind as I try to ID each one by sound. But my focus is finding a good spot to set up my scope and camera and waiting for them to sing. And I didn’t have to wait long.

The bird jumped up onto the top of a small bush and started to sing. So I set up my rig and set about getting some pictures despite the sun being in an awful angle, that placed a bad glare in the finished photograph.

As you can see the sun is low in the sky which creates a lot of glare in this picture. So changing position, without spooking the bird was important.

With the bird positioned in such a bad place when it comes to the angle with the sun, I made the decision to move slowly and re-locate myself for a better shot.

Huge difference in quality and lighting.

I love it when they throw their heads back and sing.

The Henslow’s Sparrow was named to honor clergyman, geologist and botanist John Stevens Henslow, by his good friend John James Audubon. John Henslow was also one of Charles Darwin’s teachers and mentor. It was Henslow who was first approached to be the naturalist aboard the HMS Beagle for that 2 year voyage to South America. After Henslow’s wife dissuaded him from going, it was a letter from Henslow to the ship’s captain suggesting that Charles Darwin was the man suitable for the job. And we all know how that voyage went?

I stayed in the area watching the Henslow for about an hour before moving on. I continued on the bike path till I came to the “Farm Road”, a mowed swath cutting directly through the heart of the grasslands/ wetlands. This was my path.

The American Goldfinch is one of the most colorful, and easily seen as I made my way across.

It’s during this time of year that the Tree swallows become more and more bold as they protect their territory.

The Willow Flycatcher is easily recognized by it’s voice and the kind of habitat you find it in.

The warbler of the grasslands, the Common Yellowthroat. I just don’t understand how this bird stayed still for so long. Even a blind squirrel…

Another one of my seasonal favorites, Field Sparrow.

A Dickcissel sings from it perch in the middle of the grassland.

As you make your way deeper along the farm road waterfowl fly back and forth. Mallards, Blue-winged Teal, Green and Great Blue Herons soar overhead as Red-winged Black Birds call unceasingly. As we approach the end of the farm road we start coming into the trees that border Shaker Trace. It’s from this vantage point where the lay of the land is spread out in front of me.

It’s from these dense, shrubby vegetative areas when I start to hear the “chattering” of the Yellow-breasted Chat, our largest warbler species. Now it’s one thing to hear them, with their distinct song, but locating them and getting a picture has always proved a challenge for me.

Then I looked up…

…and there he was perched in the top of this tree. But he was constantly moving from one tree to another, but always in the same general location.

It wasn’t just one “Chat”, it was multiple “Chats” that kept me entertained as I walked along the western border of Shaker Trace back towards my car. They would call from high up in the trees, and their calls would travel with me.

After leaving Shaker Trace it was onto Fernald Preserve for more Dickcissels, Blue Grosbeaks, and hopefully Grasshopper Sparrows.

Stay tuned for more.

Notes From The Field

Miami Whitewater Forest & Campbell Lakes Preserve

In the waning days of Spring, as more and more migrants depart to their respective breeding grounds, our thoughts turn to our own summertime residents. Here in the Ohio valley our woodlands are teaming with Wood Warblers, Tanagers, Vireos, Thrushes and Flycatchers. However for myself and others we’ll brave the blazing sun and heat as we head out into our local wetlands/grasslands. These are the  summertime homes of reclusive Sparrows, Dickcissels, Bobolinks, Blue Grosbeaks, and Meadowlarks. And it’s these species we’ll be focusing on as Spring turns into Summer in just 10 days.

So yesterday morning I picked up Jon and we made our way to Shaker Trace Wetlands at Miami Whitewater Forest. With 123 acres of wetlands and 296 acres of planted prairies this is just one of the tri-states best birding spot. And today’s target bird is the Henslow’s Sparrow. Some recent chatter on Cincinnatibirds message board gave us a good idea where to start our search. As we walked the bike trail that bisects this area Yellow Warblers, Baltimore Orioles, Eastern Towhees, and Red-winged Black Birds called from either side. As we passed into the vast openness of grasslands we started to pay attention more closely for the Henslow’s “hic-cup” type call.

It was Jon who stop and paused first. Above all the other birds singing, trying to pick out a small 2 note call is tough.

Willow Flycatcher greeted us as we made our way out onto the grasslands.

Then both of us heard the call. Now all our attention is tuned into the Henslow’s whereabouts. And since Jon heard it first, it was me who spotted it as it crept along the grassy border where the short and tall grass meet. We both got on it and verified it was indeed a Henslow’s Sparrow. Then it flew to a nearby bush where it perched on top and started to sing.

And since I didn’t have my digiscoping rig with me I really had to try and get close to capture any kind of picture. As we positioned ourselves to get a better look it flew down into the long grass. We moved onto a mowed path that ran parallel to the bike path and the bird jumped out. Quickly I took some pictures.

As far as I was concerned, this was a successful trip with such a great bird. Not wanting to bother this bird because of our concern that their nest was close by (there were actually 2 Henslow’s) we retreated down the trail, and made our way towards the bird blind that overlooks the wetlands. We scanned from the blind for a few minutes before heading out onto the overgrown dike that cuts across the narrowest part of the wetlands. This time were looking for a Least Bittern. We never got any look at the Least Bittern, however we heard what we thought was one calling. As we moved closer to the bird, it quit calling.

We moved on and made our way back to the car where we continued to explore more of the shadier portions of the park. The sun was up and beginning to melt our brains. We drove to the Timber Lakes region of the park where dense trees cover deep ravines. Wood Thrush, Hooded Warblers, and a Ovenbird were some of the species either seen or heard. However the highlight were all the Cerulean Warblers. From the tops of the towering trees we could hear them sing. Multiple birds were putting on a vocal display as we searched for any movements. We’d see a single bird fly from one tree to the next, but with such dense follage picking them out from all the leaves was next to impossible.

As the morning wore into the afternoon we drove over to a new place for me, Campbell Lakes Preserve. Once a gravel quarry with 4 lakes that are now used as play fishing lakes, this property now under the Hamilton County Parks District control, this is the same park where a Least Tern was seen for a day just last week.

Encompassing 183 acres, besides the lakes that dot the park this is how the land scape basically looks. Perfect grassland habitat. As we walked along we made our way towards the Great Miami River for a look over the bluff. As we approached this dead tree I couldn’t help but notice a Brown Thrasher calling.

It was then joined by 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers.

Another one of our target birds for the day.

Blue Grosbeaks, Grasshopper Sparrows, Orchard Orioles, and a hunting American Kestrel were just some of the birds seen while we visited this new, but soon to be re-visited park. And with all good things, this day had to end.

Notable birds for the day include:

1. Carolina Wren
2. House Wren
3. Red-winged Black Bird
4. Northern Cardinal
5. American Robin
6. Least Bittern?
7. Song Sparrow
8. Field Sparrow
9. Henslow’s Sparrow
10. Grasshopper Sparrow
11. House Sparrow
12. Chipping Sparrow
13. Warbling Vireo
14. Red-eyed Vireo
15. Yellow-throated Vireo
16. Indigo Bunting
17. Eastern Kingbird
18. Willow Flycatcher
19. Acadian Flycatcher
20. Eastern Wood Pewee
21. Eastern Phoebe
22. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
23. Mallard
24. Canada Goose
25. Wood Duck
26. Turkey Vulture
27. Red-tailed Hawk
28. American Kestre
29. Red-bellied Woodpecker
30. Downy Woodpecker
31. Hairy Woodpecker
32. Pileated Woodpecker
33. Red-headed Woodpecker
34. Orchard Oriole
35. Baltimore Oriole
36. Common Grackle
37. Tree Swallow
38. Purple Martin
39. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
40. Barn Swallow
41. American Goldfinch
42. Blue Jay
43. Eastern Meadowlark
44. Killdeer
45. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
46. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
47. Brown Thrasher
48. Eastern Bluebird
49. Mourning Dove
50. Yellow-breasted Chat
51. Cerulean Warbler
52. Hooded warbler
53. Yellow Warbler
54. Common Yellowthroat
55. Ovenbird
56. Northern Parula
57. Blue Grosbeak
58. White-breasted Nuthatch
59. Brown-headed Cowbird
60. Northern Mockingbird
61. Eastern Towhee
62. Gray catbird
63. Cedar Waxwing

Notes From The Field

Bellevue Bottoms, Boone County Cliffs, The Oxbow, Lost Bridge, Smith Tract County Park

It was an early morning risin’ as I set off from my local UDF with coffee in hand towards Jon’s house. Today’s destination is our yearly trip to Boone County Cliffs, which is the biggest 78 acre park I’ve ever visited. But first we’re passing the turn off to the “cliffs” and heading towards a couple of dead end roads which recently has had some good bird reports. Especially Henslow Sparrows and Northern Bobwhites. We’re traveling to an area of Boone County Kentucky that is called Bellevue Bottoms. With it’s close proximity to the Ohio River and Aurora Indiana this part of the tri-state is new to me and has so much potential for some good birding in the future.

I’m assuming at one time these 2 roads (Horsley Ferry and Aurora Ferry Roads) had serviceable ferries that crossed the river, and being dead end there wasn’t too much traffic and walking on the road wasn’t an issue. Northern Bobwhite, Bank Swallow, Yellow-breasted Chat, Orioles, Eastern Kingbird, and Vireos were some of the more numerous species seen. After leaving this beautiful rural setting it was off to Boone County Cliffs.

As we turned onto Middleboro Road we are greeted with a singing Eastern Phoebe perched on a bridge post. And as was the case for the day no camera within reach. So I opted to leave it behind today and just focus on the birds. Sometimes when I go birding I focus too much on getting a decent picture of the bird than concentrating on what’s important, the actual bird. Then when I’m scrambling to retrieve my camera from it’s case, the bird is gone.

Boone County Cliffs is without a doubt in my top 5 places to visit within my 50 mile radius of home. Great hiking trail that winds on for 2 miles deep in some beautiful deciduous woods. A great variety of birds await anyone who visits this gem. However today the target birds are Kentucky and Worm-eating Warblers. Worm-eating warblers especially habitat specific and Boone County Cliffs are noted for multiple nesting “Wormies”. Since I starting visiting here I’ve not missed on this bird, it’s that reliable. With just a good set of ears and some patience anyone can either see of hear them. There call is a high pitched thrill that’s difficult to pick up at first if you’re not used to hearing it. Which was the case this morning. Jon was hearing one in the distance, but I couldn’t pick it up till I heard one close and got “tuned in”.

We were greeted with over active Louisiana Waterthrush’s as multiple birds chased each other around in the area of a small stream that cascades down towards the road we came in on. A thick canopy and under growth close in on both sides of the trail as we started to climb towards the area of the cliffs. Vireos, Flycatchers, Orioles, Tanagers, and my most favorite bird song, the Wood Thrush were everywhere.

This 2 mile trail finally reached it’s highest point, then started to level out with a gently rolling path that followed the contour of the ridge top. We’d pause and listen if a bird peaked our interest, or if a sudden movement caught our eye. As we made our way deeper into the woods we started to hear Wormies a little closer and had a great look of an Ovenbird. The one thing about Ovenbirds and Kentucky warblers is that their calls are very similar. And after we really listened, at both a Kentucky Warbler and an Ovenbird we finally were able to tell the difference when we heard more sing later on.

THEN OUR SOLITUDE WAS BROKEN BY GUN FIRE!

We had heard voices behind us for some time, but being a pretty popular place to go birding we never gave it much thought as this group of people were several hundred yards behind us the whole time. We didn’t know if they were birders or not, but there loud talking made us think they were just hiking. That was until one of the idiots discharged their gun, which in turned scared the shit out of the both of us. Jon then yells back at them that we’re up here and not to shoot their gun again. We reported the incident to the police and made a hasty retreat to our car, not wanting to run into some pissed off locals with a loaded gun. A very disturbing end to a great birding outing.

We took the long way home with stops at the Oxbow were a group of Great Egrets yielded one Snowy Egret, and a couple Prothonotary Warblers. After leaving the Oxbow we made our way to Smith tract County Park. In the past a good spot for Bell’s Vireo and Lark Sparrows. However the area where they’re usually sen has been taken over by a company that is using the area for a huge pipe line project. I real bummer. But on a bright note we did get some good looks as a Grasshopper Sparrow as it sang from the top of some weed.

And since it was an early day we called it over after leaving Smith Tract. Despite the disturbing end to our visit at “The Cliffs”, it was a great day of birding.

Notable birds for the day include:

1. American Kestrel
2. Black Vulture
3. Turkey Vulture
4. Dickcissel
5. Yellow Warbler
6. Common Yellowthroat
7. Yellow-throated Warbler
8. Cerulean Warbler
9. Hooded warbler
10. Worm-eating Warbler
11. Kentucky Warbler
12. Louisiana Waterthrush
13. Northern Parula
14. Yellow-breasted Chat
15. Field Sparrow
16. Chipping Sparrow
17. House Sparrow
18. Grasshopper Sparrow
19. Song Sparrow
20. Cedar Waxwing
21. Gray Catbird
22. Red-winged Blackbird
23. Common grackle
24. Common Crow
25. Northern Cardinal
26. Tufted Titmouse
27. Carolina Chickadee
28. Carolina Wren
29. House Wren
30. Indigo Bunting
31. Baltimore Oriole
32. Orchard Oriole
33. Brown Thrasher
34. Northern Mockingbird
35. Mourning Dove
36. Northern Bobwhite
37. American goldfinch
38. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
39. Great-creasted Flycatcher
40. Willow flycatcher
41. Acadian Flycatcher
42. Eastern Kingbird
43. Downy Woodpecker
44. Hairy Woodpecker
45. Red-bellied Woodpecker
46. Pileated Woodpecker
47. Great Blue Heron
48. Green Heron
49. Great Egret
50. Snowy Egret
51. Canada Goose
52. Mallard
53. Purple Martin
54. Tree Swallow
55. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
56. Bank Swallow
57. Cliff Swallow
58. Barn Swallow
59. Red-eyed Vireo
60. White-eyed Vireo
61. Warbling Vireo
62. Chimney Swift
63. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
64. Double-creasted Cormorant
65. Blue jay
66. Wood Thrush
67. American Robin
68. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
69. Scarlet Tanager
70. Belted Kingfisher
71. Spotted Sandpiper
72. Common Loon
73. White-breasted Nuthatch

The Story Of A Bird “Part 2″

The rarest of the Wood Warbler family (Parulidae), the Kirtland Warbler is a true prize sighting for any bird watcher. Especially if you happen to catch one during migration while they’re off their breeding grounds. Being a very habitat specific species they require young Jack Pine stands that are 5 to 20 years old where they will nest on the ground under the branches.

The first census taken on this bird was conducted in 1951. Then another 10 years later. Starting in 1971 they’ve annually conducted a census with 2012 showing 2,090 singing males. So you get the true idea of how few there are. So when I wrote a post on May 14th titled “A Story Of A Bird” about being one of the first people to view this beautiful female Kirtland warbler at the East Beach, I couldn’t wait to see if any of my pictures turned out.

This is the kind of underbrush that we had to deal with as we tried to re-locate the bird. If you look close she’s under there in the shadows.

Here’s a closer view as you see the bird looking to it’s right, behind the stick. It then flew to a bush that had less vegetation on it.

A closer view of the above picture. If only it was turned around.

I just kept taking pictures till I felt I had captured one image worthy. And here it is after blowing it up and cropping out the background.

As one would expect when a rarity is spotted, the masses start gathering. I was very thankful that it wasn’t during the week of the festival because there would have been 4 times more people trying to get a good view of the bird.

It was a great time and a great bird. And believe it or not, on the last morning we were there 3 more were sighted. It really was a great time for birding. And on this note I’m going to leave you with a very good picture of the above mentioned bird. This was sent to me upon request from a very good photographer the day we saw the bird. He was excited because he spent 8 days there already waiting to see if a Kirtland Warbler would show up.

Courtesy of R. Bruce Richardson

“On The Road” (Summary)

Magee Marsh, Ottawa N.W.R., Metzger Marsh, Maumee Bay State Park

Since our return from our annual trip to the Lake Erie hot spots for migrating birds I’ve been nothing but busy, busy, busy. With just a few days before I return back to work the list of chores and appointments was pretty long. And with that comes the delay with getting any post for my blog out to you.

The trip was epic! The birds were abundant! The boardwalk was busy at times but I’ve seen it worse in years past. The lodge at Maumee Bay State Park was everything and more. The room was nice with a great view of the lake, which cost extra but worth it. We only ate in the restaurant twice, but it to was nice. And yes plans are in place for a return visit during this same time next year, but maybe rent a cabin and invite the kids to stay during the weekend if they want.

We arrived on Saturday morning, and left Wednesday morning after one more walk on the boardwalk. And since Kathy isn’t a birder, yet, there were plenty of things to do while we were there. Like I told here if I was here by myself I would be birding non-stop for most of the day. However this time we both ventured out and went out to eat in Port Clinton and Marble Head. We also visited the Lighthouse at Marble Head one afternoon.

So we broke up this trip with some touristy things and some birding things. We were lucky to have been up there on the weekend when the auto tour was open at Ottawa N.W.R. It’s one great way to really measure how immense this place really is. It was during the auto tour that I was finally able to get a poor photo of a Bald Eagle sitting still.

Overall it was a great trip. Total species count was 137, with 30 Warbler species. That is the most Warbler I’ve counted since I started going up there.

Eastern Wood Pewee

A very cooperative Scarlet Tanager. Too bad I couldn’t get a decent focus on it.

Palm Warbler at the East Beach. They were everywhere at this location.

The state used caution tape to create a barrier around this nesting American Woodcock that the grassy area between the parking lots was the best location to hatch her chicks.

As I came off the causeway into the parking area at Magee Marsh I noticed this small Egret feeding at that corner where you turn left. A Snowy Egret.

Snowy Egret

At times during our visit the boardwalks were this deserted. Here I am standing in one spot and shooting a picture in both directions.

Black & White Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

A very vocal House Wren

Northern Waterthrush

Trumpeter Swans

A Veery along the path was you approach the Estuary Trail

Prothonotary Warbler as it emerged out of it’s nesting cavity.

And I always try to make it at sunrise along the causeway for great pictures like this.

And the best way to sum up why I do what I do.

Notable birds:

1. Bald Eagle
2. Osprey
3. Red-tailed Hawk
4. American Kestrel
5. Turkey Vulture
6. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
7. Sandhill Crane
8. Great Horned Owl
9. Song Sparrow
10. White-crowned Sparrow
11. White-throated Sparrow
12. House Sparrow
13. Swamp Sparrow
14. Chipping Sparrow
15. Clay-colored Sparrow
16. Lincoln Sparrow
17. Great-creasted Flycatcher
18. Least Flycatcher
19. Eastern Phoebe
20. Eastern Wood Pewee
21. Olive-sided Flycatcher
22. Willow Flycatcher
23. Eastern Kingbird
24. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
25. Acadian Flycatcher
26. Blackburnian Warbler
27. Blackpoll Warbler
28. Black & White Warbler
29. Magnolia Warbler
30. Cape May Warbler
31. Yellow Warbler
32. Black-throated Blue Warbler
33. Black-throated Green Warbler
34. Yellow-throated Warbler
35. Kirtland Warbler
36. Yellow-rumped Warbler
37. Hooded warbler
38. Northern Parula
39. Ovenbird
40. Louisiana Waterthrush
41. Northern Waterthrush
42. Blue-winged Warbler
43. Prothonotary Warbler
44. Palm Warbler
45. Wilson’s Warbler
46. American Redstart
47. Canada warbler
48. Tennessee Warbler
49. Nashville Warbler
50. Bay-breasted Warbler
51. Chestnut-sided Warbler
52. Pine Warbler
53. Mourning Warbler
54. Orange-crowned Warbler
55. Common Yellowthroat
56. Mallard
57. Blue-winged Teal
58. Lesser Scaup
59. Canada Geese
60. Wood Duck
61. Pied-billed Grebe
62. Trumpeter Swan
63. Mute Swan
64. Double-creasted Cormorant
65. White Pelican
66. Herring Gull
67. Ring-billed Gull
68. Common Tern
69. American Woodcock
70. Killdeer
71. Semipalmated Plover
72. Black-bellied Plover
73. Ruddy Turnstone
74. Willet
75. Semipalmated sandpiper
76. Least sandpiper
77. Dunlin
78. Great Egret
79. Snowy Egret
80. Green Heron
81. Great Blue Heron
82. Hooded Merganser
83. American Coot
84. Common Gallinule
85. Sora
86. American Bittern
87. Lesser Yellowleg
88. Pectoral Sandpiper
89. Spotted Sandpiper
90. Warbling Vireo
91. Red-eyed Vireo
92. Philadephia Vireo
93. Blue-headed Vireo
94. White-breasted Nuthatch
95. Red-breasted Nuthatch
96. American Robin
97. Northern Cardinal
98. Blue Jay
99. Scarlet Tanager
100. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
101. Common Grackle
102. Red-winged Black Bird
103. Common Crow
104. Black-capped Chickadee
105. House Wren
106. Marsh Wren
107. Carolina Wren
108. Golden-crowned Kinglet
109. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
110. Gray Catbird
111. Baltimore Oriole
112. Northern Mockingbird
113. Brown-headed Cowbird
114. Swainson’s Thrush
115. Hermit Thrush
116. Gray-cheeked Thrush
117. Wood Thrush
118. Veery
119. Downy Woodpecker
120. Hairy Woodpecker
121. Red-bellied Woodpecker
122. Northern Flicker
123. Tree Swallow
124. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
125. Purple Martin
126. Bank Swallow
127. Barn Swallow
128. Chimney Swift
129. Cliff Swallow
130. Mourning Dove
131. Eastern Meadowlark
132. American Goldfinch
133. Brown Thrasher
134. Eastern towhee
135. Belted Kingfisher
136. Pine Siskin
137. European Starling

Notes From The Field/ #330

White-faced Ibis! The same bird I missed last year by hours. Arriving home from my yearly Lake Erie Warbler Madness Adventure, I receive a call from birding buddy Allan who asked if I happened to see the White-faced Ibis at Metzger Marsh? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

So when rumors of dark Ibis’s at Fernald Preserve a few days ago, I waited till something concrete came about. And it did yesterday. 2 White-faced Ibis’s were spotted and then I got that same old feeling. “The Twitch” I made a hasty phone call to Allan (who’s retired)  and ask if he was heading over in the morning. And if he was would he let me know if the birds were still there.

So at 9:30 this morning a post came across the internet of our White-faced Ibis being seen. Now the waiting game starts. So I waited, and waited, and waited till they sprang me from work.

With just having received a speeding ticket last week I showed great restraint as I drove over to Fernald this afternoon. Following the speed limit ever so closely I made quite good time, and arrived as a few fellow birders were focusing in on the birds.

Did I say I love getting a new life bird.

Lighting was horrendous. It was really overcast and the shadows made getting the true color of the birds difficult. I shot over 60 pictures.

The Glossy Ibis has a brownish bill, this White-faced Ibis has a gray one.