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.

 

2010-A Year In Rerview

As the year closes, I feel that a reflective post is in order. Review what has transpired from a birding prospective over the course of the year 2010.

If I had to sum up 2010 in one word, it would be “Incredible”. The minute I made the decision to devote more of my spare time to birding, it has been a thrilling ride. The triggering mechanism that hurtled me to birding bliss was the purchase of my spotting scope. As I’ve said in the past, if it wasn’t for my spotting scope my “Life List” wouldn’t be what it is today. And when you can pull in that far away duck, and be able to identify it, that’s what keeps me coming back.

Following Cincinnati Bird Club’s web site, and religiously checking the postings of recent sightings has been invaluable. On a number of occasions I’ve followed up on a sighting that was posted, and I come away with a new bird for my life list. Case in point, the American Avocets at Cowen Lake State Park.

Discovering new places to visit has taken me to hot spots I normally wouldn’t go to. Just in the Tri-State area I’ve visited Boone County Cliffs, Shawnee Lookout Park, Winton Woods, Sharon Woods, Armleder Park, The Oxbow, Miami Whitewater Forest, Fernald Preserve, Halls Creek Preserve, Voice of America Park, Ft. Ancient State Memorial, Brookville Lake State Park, Cowan Lake State Park, Caesar Creek State Park, Magrish Riverland Preserve, and Spring Valley Wildlife Area. Some of my birding adventures have taken me on the road. I really enjoy traveling and hope to do more in 2011. Distant birding venues include Red River Gorge, Mackinac Island, Magee Marsh, Ottawa and Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuges. Some of my more recent trips have taken me to Lake Erie, Killdeer Plains and Mercer Wildlife Areas.

I’m meeting new friends as I participate more and more in organized field trips. Whether they are sponsored by the Audubon Society, or Cincinnati Bird Club, joining a group, I feel, makes you a better birder. They all have pearls they want to share with an experienced novice like myself. I really enjoy field trips with knowledgeable and passionate birders. Either with a large group or my best friend Phil.

With the addition of “A Birder’s Notebook”, I’m able to share my thoughts and experiences to the public. This blog has taken my birding encounters just one step toward “Birding Happiness”. That may sound corny, but it’s true. To be able to share your thoughts and exploits with other people helps me to maintain my focus. To help educate birders and non-birders, whether it’s about “Birding Ethics”, to book reviews, I enjoy keeping my blog updated with the latest information.

Now onto my list of new birds I’ve seen this year. Now you may look at this list and say to yourself, “what a long list”. Just remember this is the first year that I put forth the effort to bird on a regular basis. Traveling to Magee Marsh in the Spring added to my life list quite a bit. My spotting scope has helped a little bit as well.

1. Greater White-fronted Goose
2. Ross’s Goose
3. Cackling Goose
4. Green-winged Teal
5. Redhead
6. Greater Scaup
7. Lesser Scaup
8. White-winged Scoter
9. Black Scoter
10. Long-tailed Duck
11. Bufflehead
12. Common Goldeneye
13. Red-throated Loon
14. Pacific Loon
15. Horned Grebe
16. Eared grebe
17. Red-necked Grebe
18. Black-crowned Night Heron
19. Broad-winged Hawk
20. Rough-legged Hawk
21. Northern Harrier
22. Merlin
23. Sora
24. American Golden Plover
25. Semipalmated Plover
26. Black-necked Stilt
27. American Avocet
28. Solitary sandpiper
29. Greater Yellowlegs
30. Lesser Yellowlegs
31. Sanderling
32. Semipalmated Sandpiper
33. Least Sandpiper
34. White-rumped sandpiper
35. Baird’s Sandpiper
36. Pectoral Sandpiper
37. Dunlin
38. Short-billed Dowitcher
39. American Woodcock
40. Wilson’s Snipe
41. Bonaparte’s Gull
42. Franklin’s Gull
43. Herring Gull
44. Great Black-backed Gull
45. Caspian Tern
46. Black Tern
47. Pomarine Jaeger
48. Short-eared Owl
49. Northern Saw-whet Owl
50. Olive-sided Flycatcher
51. Willow Flycatcher
52. Acadian Flycatcher
53. Least Flycatcher
54. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher
55. White-eyed Vireo
56. Blue-headed Vireo
57. Philadelphia Vireo
58. Red-eyed Vireo
59. Horned Lark
60. Red-breasted Nuthatch
61. Winter Wren
62. Sedge Wren
63. Veery
64. Grey-cheeked Thrush
65. Swainson’s Thrush
66. American Pipit
67. Blue-winged Warbler
68. Golden-winged Warbler
69. Tennessee Warbler
70. Orange-crowned Warbler
71. Nashville Warbler
72. Northern Parula
73. Chestnut-sided Warbler
74. Magnolia Warbler
75. Cape May Warbler
76. Black-throated Blue Warbler
77. Black-throated Green Warbler
78. Blackburnian Warbler
79. Yellow-throated Warbler
80. Pine Warbler
81. Prairie Warbler
82. Palm Warbler
83. Bay-breasted Warbler
84. Blackpoll Warbler
85. American Redstart
86. Prothonotary Warbler
87. Worm-eating Warbler
88. Ovenbird
89. Northern Waterthrush
90. Louisiana Waterthrush
91. Kentucky Warbler
92. Mourning Warbler
93. Common Yellowthroat
94. Hooded Warbler
95. Wilson’s Warbler
96. Canada Warbler
97. Yellow-breasted Chat
98. Lark Sparrow
99. Henslow’s Sparrow
100. Swamp Sparrow
101. Lapland Longspur
102. Snow Bunting
103. Blue Grosbeak
104. Dickcissel
105. Orchard Oriole

So what’s in-store for me in 2011? Well, I’ll be picking up where I left off in 2010. Maintaining a consistent routine where I attempt to get out at least once a week. Keeping an eye on Ohio Listserv and Cincinnati Bird Club sightings log, to keep myself ahead of the game. Participating in more organized field trips, that will in turn build upon existing friendships,and hopefully produce more. Adding to my life list towards 300 different species.

Also this year I’m adding a new spotting scope to my birding tools. Why would I do such a thing when my present scope is only a year old? Well, I had issues with the eyepiece and cold weather. It wasn’t a very expensive spotting scope in the first place, and now would be a good time to up-grade. More on this as the purchase date draws near.

Phil and myself are presenting our 3rd annual Bird Study Merit Badge. The date has been set and the location has changed to Fernald preserve. I’m very excited about this years class. I love Fernald Preserve, and I’m sure the scouts will to.

And finally, I’ll be studying harder so I can improve upon my existing experience to be a better birder. See you in 2011.

Brookville Lake 9/19/2010

When the alarm went off at 5 am this morning I just had to hit the snooze button just once. Realizing the night before that I didn’t have to meet the group of birders till 7:30, I thought I had plenty of time. Pulling off the highway I decided to go into Wendy’s to recycle my coffee. On my way out again I was treated to another of God’s great sunrises and the hope of a good day.

There was about 15 of use eager to drive another 30 minutes to our destination. My passenger for the trip was a young guy by the name of Tom, who I learned from was a Zoology major who went to Miami. He now does contract work studying bats. Very nice person to ride with. He also has a connection to a professor he knows who studies Saw-whet Owls in the Oxford area. I love connections like this.

Our first stop was the overlook at the dam. And for some it was a pit-stop.

As you can tell from the sky, it’s definitely overcast and hazy by this long shot of the dam. It does improve as the day wears on. Our next stop was the beach area to see what was cookin’ in the way of shore birds. After a brief visit there we loaded everyone up and dropped off the majority of the group and left the vehicles for a nice 1 mile hike along one of the main roads in the park. This is where things started to jump. We would run  into pockets of birds that offered a lot of different species. Not just birds but plenty of butterflies, which I didn’t get one picture of. But that’s OK, I’m birding, not butterflying.

As the day wore on, and the sun was climbing higher, our hopes to spot some Raptors started to pay off. From one of our vantage points we were able to view a large area with good mud flats, which had a bunch of gulls on it. I didn’t notice at first that they took off all at once, but Ned was quick to point out that if you looked right above the mass of gulls you’ll notice 2 Bald Eagles. He said that they normally all don’t take off at the same time unless it’s an eagle that spooks them. Yet another little tidbit of info to store away. Even though I got 4 new birds today, the highlight was seeing up close a albino Red-tail hawk. Seeing a bird like that, it’s no wonder that certain cultures would believe that to be a sacred omen.

Courtesy of Allan Claybon

Courtesy Of Allan Claybon

We ended the day over at the mud flats that we were looking at in the distance when all the gulls took off. And gratefully they all returned when we got there.

As you can tell by the next picture that we’re pretty tight along this narrow road. But this offered the best vantage point, and the different variety of shore birds was exceptional.

So I would say that after about 8 hours of birding, and that includes all the driving time, we came away with a rather impressive list of birds.

1. Chimney Swift
2. Red-bellied Woodpecker
3. Northern Cardinal
4. Blue Jay
5. Great Blue Heron
6. Common Crow
7. Eastern Gold Finch
8. American Robin
9. Double-crested Cormorant
10. Caspian Tern-New
11. Ring-billed Gull
12. Belted Kingfisher
13. Eastern Blue Bird
14. Chipping Sparrow
15. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
16. Palm Warbler
17. Eastern Phoebe
18. Northern Flicker
19. Downy Woodpecker
20. American Redstart
21. Indigo Bunting
22. Cedar Waxwing
23. White-eyed Vireo
24. Tennessee Warbler
25. Black-throated Green Warbler
26. Bay-breasted Warbler
27. Emphid ?
28. Red-eyed Vireo
29. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
30. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
31. Grey Catbird
32. Eastern Towhee
33. Turkey Vulture
34. Warbling Vireo
35. Mallard
36. Canada Geese
37. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
38. Pileated Woodpecker
39. Bald Eagle
40. White-breasted Nuthatch
41. Osprey
42. Broad Wing Hawk-New
43. Black Vulture
44. Red Tail hawk
45. Carolina Chickadee
46. Common Tern
47. Great Egret
48. Bonaparte’s Gull-New
49. Franklin’s Gull
50. Lesser Yellowleg
51. Greater Yellowleg
52. Sanderling
53. Baird’s Sandpiper
54. Least Sandpiper
55. Stilt Sandpiper-New
56. Pectoral Sandpiper
57. Semipalmated Sandpiper
58. Spotted Sandpiper
59. Solitary Sandpiper
60. Northern Shoveler
61. Killdeer

Now that’s a helluva day of birding!