Upcoming Events

This Sunday I’ll be venturing out on my annual trip to Boone County Cliffs State Nature Preserve. This 74 acre jewel has some of the most diverse habitat around the Tri-state area, not to mention that Worm-eating Warblers breed in this preserve. So stay tuned for my report as Jon and myself set out on what we hope to be a successful, and dry bird trip.

And added trip for next month will be a evening birding adventure to the Edge Of Appalachia Preserve to try and pick up another life bird, the Chuck-wills-Widow. More to come on that later.

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

Rare Bird Alert

3 Black-bellied Plovers were sighted at Ellis Lake/ West Chester Wetlands (a.k.a. Firebird Lane) yesterday afternoon. These very distinct Plovers are easy to spot with solid black starting from the head and extending down to the belly, hence the name. And if your plans are to make a visit make sure you listen for the Bell’s Vireo.

Bird Brief

Serving the Tri-State with all your birding news.

With all the recent activity in the area focusing on the skulking, elusive, and vocally identifiable Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii), this author thought a little brief  update is in order. For the past several weeks now this hard to see bird has been either seen or heard at Ellis Lake/ West Chester Wetlands, Gilmore Ponds, Smith Tract County Park, and near Rapid Run Park.

With it’s very distinctive song, you will find this bird in low and mid level thickets frequently bobbing it’s tail. They have obvious white spectacles that are broken in the front and back, and 2 white wing bars, with the lower one being more prominent. There are 4 sub-species that become progressively greener above and yellower below as you travel from West to East.

Become familiar with it’s unusual call as you travel about birding. It’s rather unmistakeable and was the first thing I heard as I was hunting down this bird both this year and last at the same location. And remember it’s not a very large bird at only 4 3/4″.  Each year more and more of these birds are showing up in our area. Is this a sign of them losing their habitat out West, or another victim of Brown-headed Cowbirds? I guess that’s what the pros at Cornell have to think about. For us it’s still good birding for Ohio.

“On The Road”

Magee Marsh/ Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge/ Metzger Marsh

Is it just me or is 3 am the normal time for birders to get up? Considering how excited I was to go on my abbreviated birding vacation I have to ask myself what is sleep. I was out the door at 4 am with my to-go cup and thermos full of java trying to put a dent into the darkness as I traveled Northward to my own birding Mecca.

One cause of all the excitement was the discovery of a Uplands Sandpiper real close to Ottawa NWR. This comes from a very reliable source and worth checking out before hitting the boardwalk. However before I tell too much about this bird, let’s return later to this story line.

With the festival just ending the boardwalk was rather quiet without all the crowds which made it enjoyable to say the least.

Granted it wasn’t like this throughout the entire boardwalk, there was your usual congestion when something good was showing itself, like a Prothonotary Warbler.

I wish this one turned out a little better, but I’ll try again tomorrow.

I wasn’t on the boardwalk more than 20 minutes when a friendly face showed up besides me, Rick Asamoto. I’ve birded with Rick on a number of occasions and being up here is going to make this day extra special. He has a very keen eye which comes into play when we go and try to re-locate the Upland Sandpiper.

Throughout the day we traveled between all 3 parks trying to add to our already bulging bird count . While at Metzger we had a great surprise as we were walking on the causeway that separates the lake from the marsh we noticed 2 Ruddy Turnstones foraging on a thin strip of sand and stones along the waters edge.

It was prior to our arrival to Metzger Marsh that I made the decision to turn onto Stange Road, which runs into Rt.2. It’s at this intersection that the Uplands was last seen the evening before. It was Rick and another birder that posted the sighting on the Ohio Listserv, and why I got so excited. This was my second stop here today, striking out on my first attempt, however this time Rick sighted it along the grassy edge that ran parallel to the road. Hoorah for me, new life bird!

Here is crappy photographic proof of my new life bird. I would say that I would go back tomorrow to see if I could get a better shot, but while I was here trying to get this picture the farmer was working the field with this tractor and some other implements that tear up the soil. In a cloud of dust it was gone.

I think this is a Warbling Vireo.

With 2 more days left and very little sleep, I’m going to cut this post short a little. However here is today’s list of birds for those keeping count.

1. American Robin
2. House Sparrow
3. Lincoln Sparrow
4. Song Sparrow
5. White-crowned Sparrow
6. Indigo Bunting
7. Canada Goose
8. Mallard
9. Pied-billed Grebe
10. Killdeer
11. Semipalmated Plover
12. Great Blue Heron
13. Green Heron
14. Black-crowned Night Heron
15. Great Egret
16. Snowy Egret
17. Trumpeter Swan
18. Red-winged Blackbird
19. Mourning Dove
20. Least Flycatcher
21. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
22. Short-billed Dowitcher
23. Dunlin
24. Least Sandpiper
25. Ruddy Turnstone
26. Common Coot
27. Moorhen
28. Lesser Yellowleg
29. Barn Swallow
30. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
31. Tree Swallow
32. Common Grackle
33. Common Yellowthroat
34. Yellow Warbler
35. Eastern Kingbird
36. Eastern Wood Pewee
37. Eastern Phoebe
38. Baltimore Oriole
39. Orchard Oriole
40. Prairie Warbler
41. Blue Jay
42. Cape May Warbler
43. Red-eyed Vireo
44. Northern Cardinal
45. American Redstart
46. Blackpoll Warbler
47. Northern Parula
48. Blackburnian Warbler
49. Bay-breasted Warbler
50. Prothonotary Warbler
51. Gray Catbird
52. Tennessee Warbler
53. Black-throated Green Warbler
54. Magnolia Warbler
55. Chestnut-sided Warbler
56. Scarlet Tanager
57. Nashville Warbler
58. American Woodcock
59. Eastern Screech Owl
60. Yellow-rumped Warbler
61. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
62. Cedar Waxwing
63. Veery
64. Swainson Thrush
65. House Wren
66. Marsh Wren
67. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
68. Wilson’s Warbler
69. Ring-billed Gull
70. Forster’s Tern
71. Bald Eagle
72. Black-capped Chickadee
73. Red-bellied Woodpecker
74. Turkey Vulture
75. Eastern Meadowlark
76. Ruddy Duck
77. American Goldfinch
78. Palm Warbler
79. Canada Warbler
80. Brown-headed Cowbird