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.

 

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.

Week In Review

For the week of March 11th, through March 17th, this is your week in review.

Well the calendar may say Winter, but the weather with all the severe thunderstorms and mild temperatures sure does indicate Spring to me. And what do we get when nicer weather comes for a visit? People go birding and they come away with some outstanding finds this week. Least Sandpiper, Virginia Rail, Marsh Wren, Eurasian Wigeon. How exciting is that? For bloggers like yours truly, this will be a busy Spring, which will keep me in more bird stuff to write about than normal.

So as I reviewed where birds visited this week you can start to see a steady increase in places where they went. Also birders are becoming more conscience to the birds in there own yards and neighborhoods. So here is a list of parks where birders visited: Cowan Lake S.P., Spring Grove Cemetery, Fernald Preserve, Spring Valley Wildlife Area, Armleder Park, The Oxbow, Shawnee Lookout Park, Miami Whitewater Forest, Crooked Run Nature Preserve, and Ellis Lake/West Chester Wetlands. Neighborhoods reporting in include: Milford, Clifton, Anderson Twp, East Gate, and  East Walnut Hills.

Notable birds for the week include:

Accipitriformes

1. Bald Eagle

Falconiformes

1. Merlin

Strigiformes

1. Barred Owl
2. Great Horned Owl
3. Long-eared Owl

Charadriiformes

1. Least Sandpiper
2. Wilson’s Snipe
3. American Woodcock

Podicipediformes

1. Horned Grebe

Piciformes

1. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
2. Pileated Woodpecker
3. Downy Woodpecker
4. Red-bellied Woodpecker

Anseriformes

1. Eurasian Wigeon
2. Green-winged Teal
3. Northern Shoveler
4. Wood Duck
5. American Black Duck
6. Bufflehead
7. Lesser Scaup
8. Red Head
9. Gadwall
10. Ring-necked Duck
11. Blue-winged Teal
12. Ruddy Duck

Passeriformes

1. Fox Sparrow
2. Tree Swallow
3. Marsh Wren
4. Eastern Phoebe
5. Chipping Sparrow
6. Yellow-rumped Warbler
7. Vesper Sparrow
8. Swamp Sparrow
9. Field Sparrow
10. Rusty Black Bird
11. Golden-crowned Kinglet
12. Eastern Towhee
13. Song Sparrow
14. White-throated Sparrow
15. Red-breasted Nuthatch
16. Brown Thrasher

Gruiformes

1. Virginia Rail

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

Cowan Lake State Park

 Have you ever gone to work on your day off? It happened to me on the Monday that followed our trip to Hilton Head back in October. Well history almost repeated itself, as I forgot that I had taken today and tomorrow off . I had asked for the days off late last year when Kathy and I were planning a short trip to Atlanta for a medical conference that Kathy was going to attend. Well she decided not to go, and I forgot that I asked for the days off. So it came as a surprise when at work yesterday when the charge nurse reminded me that I had a long weekend. SWEET! Let’s go birding.

But first let’s sleep in a little and have that second cup of coffee while lounging around in your soft clothes. Then, when I feel motivated enough,  I’ll hit the road.

I arrived at Cowan Lake a little after 9 am with hopes of re-locating the Eurasian Wigeon that eluded me the last time. My plan was to cover along the Southern edge of the lake from the large picnic pavilion Eastward towards the boat ramp and docks. There were just a few fisherman out and the water was glass smooth upon arrival. With my initial scan I could tell we had some good waterfowl out on the lake. Today could be my lucky day. Driving back and forth along the lake front I would stop, take my scope out and see what I could see.

Male Hooded Merganser and his lady friend.

On one of my loops around I noticed a kettle of Turkey Vultures sunning in a tree by the side of the road. The one that caught my attention was the one with it’s wings out.

I would have loved to have gotten a picture from the front, however I’m sure they would have flown off as soon as I got out of my car.

I had been there for about an hour when skies started to darken and the sound of thunder off in the distance was barely heard. My plans to hike back on Locust Trail to where so many good ducks were was not going to happen. The last place I wanted to get caught in, would be in the middle of the woods in a thunder storm. However there was one more spot I wanted to check out before I left, which offers a good view from a bluff of this small bay near the large picnic pavilion.

One day I’ll get a clear picture of a Belted Kingfisher

While scanning the lake from the bluff I noticed what I thought was a Pied-billed Grebe. So I took a picture of it, and when I got home blew it up, I looked closely at it, and it turned out to be a Horned Grebe.

The red eye was the first clue for a Horned Grebe. But look at the throat, it’s starting to turn reddish with it’s Spring mating coloration. I thought that was pretty cool.

I left the park about 10:30, and it’s a good thing I did. I was just a couple of miles away when the heavens opened up. Still no Eurasian Wigeon.

Notable birds for the morning include:

1. American Coots
2. Hooded Merganser
3. Cooper’s Hawk
4. American Wigeon
5. American Crow
6. Canada Goose
7. Pied-billed Grebe
8. Horned Grebe
9. Bufflehead
10. Ruddy Duck
11. Green-winged Teal
12. Blue-winged Teal
13. Northern Shoveler
14. Mallard
15. Wood Duck
16. Ring-necked Duck
17. Northern Cardinal
18. Tree Swallow
19. Tufted Titmouse
20. Carolina Chickadee
21. Downy Woodpecker
22. Turkey Vulture
23. Eastern Towhee
24. Carolina Wren
25. Great Blue Heron
26. Blue Jay
27. Common Loon
28. Belted Kingfisher
29. Song Sparrow
30. Red-winged Blackbird
31. Mourning Dove
32. American Robin

Notes From The Field

Cowan Lake State Park

Despite the lack of 1 hour of sleep, I left the house early this morning as suicidal Robins darted back and forth across my street in search of a mate. I don’t think you can count a bird if it’s splattered across your grill, so driving slowly I made my way North and East towards the lake. At 700 acres the lake is a sailing paradise, with a 10 HP limit on motorized boats it’s not unusual to see the lake full of sailboats because a regatta is going on. Being relatively small compared to Caesar Creek, it’s easier to get around to various vantage points to scope out our elusive bird for the day, a Eurasian Wigeon

For me this is the second time I’ve chased this bird. The first time was at Fernald Preserve earlier in the fall with the help of the site manager allowing Shane Eggleston  and myself the opportunity to drive to an “off limits” spot where we were able to get good views of the Wigeon. Today was different.

The first few stops were the beach and then the boat ramp in the Eastern portion of the lake. From here you’re allowed a free view of the shallow end of the lake and where the Wigeon was first viewed. From what I could make out it was mostly Teal, Shovelers, and Coots. I needed to get across this portion of the lake to get a better view into the shallower end, so back into the bird-mobile for the drive over. This part of the lake is probably the hardest to access, however there is one trail called the Locust Trail that will get you as close as any other place. That was my next stop, after I pulled over and did a quick ID on a raft of Ruddy Ducks.

The trail was muddy for the 20 minute hike to the lake. Eastern Towhees greeted me as I stepped under the canopy of branches just starting to swell from buds aching to burst open. I was alone, and I loved it. It gives you the feeling that everything around you is all yours. For your eyes only. That’s until you run into other birders chasing the same bird as you are.

Northern Pintail

I stayed at the overlook off of Locust Trail for about an hour with no sign of the Eurasian Wigeon. Feeling the need to move to another location, I went hiking back to the parking lot and try my luck at another spot. The morning was waning and I didn’t have a lot of time to bird this  morning. David was home for Spring break and he was leaving today after we had lunch and I wanted to get home and see him off.

I drove over to the campground where they have a boat ramp which offers some panoramic views. For the most part the people fishing scared off most of the ducks out of the middle of the lake, except this lone Common Loon.

There he was, right out in the middle of the lake, totally oblivious to the coming and goings of the fishing boats. I left the boat ramp and made my way over to the cottages that the state rents out. Some of them sit very close to the edge of a bluff overlooking the lake. Setting up my scope and scanning for several minutes, I struck out again. Or did I.

Even dipping on the Eurasian Wigeon doesn’t really matter when you can be out on a beautiful day like today birding.

Notable birds for the day include:

1. Black Vulture
2. Turkey Vulture
3. American Robin
4. Ruddy Duck
5. Canada Goose
6. Common Crow
7. American Coot
8. Northern Shoveler
9. Green-winged Teal
10. Blue-winged Teal
11. Hooded Merganser
12. Mallard
13. Northern Cardinal
14. Red-winged Black Bird
15. Mourning Dove
16. Dark-eyed Junco
17. Red Head
18. Eastern Towhee
19. American Wigeon
20. Northern Pintail
21. Carolina Chickadee
22. Tufted Titmoouse
23. Pileated Woodpecker
24. Downy Woodpecker
25. Red-bellied Woodpecker
26. Belted Kingfisher
27. Bufflehead
28. Yellow-rumped Warbler
29. Common Loon
30. Blue Jay
31. Horned Grebe
32. Carolina Wren
33. White-breasted Nuthatch
34. Cooper’s Hawk

Your Week In Review

For the week of March 4th, through March 10th, this is your week in review.

In a couple of hours Kathy and me are going to a matinee of West Side Story that’s showing in town. So I’m sitting in front of my computer writing up this story instead of out birding. Especially since we have 2 pretty good birds at Cowan Lake, which is in my neighborhood.

Anyway we had about your same normal activity, except we had some outstanding sightings. Namely the Northern Goshawk and the Eurasian Wigeon. Birders are getting out to a bunch of different locations, just not the species, except for the above mentioned. Another good sign that Spring is right around the corner is our first Pine Warbler sighting.

Area parks where our birders visited include East Fork S.P., Cowan Lake S.P., Whitacre Park, Fernald Preserve, The Oxbow, Winton Woods Park, Armleder Park, Daniel Drake Park, Spring Grove Cemetery, Miami Whitewater Forest, and California Woods. Neighborhoods reporting in include Liberty Township, Okeana, Price Hill, and Milford.

Notable birds for the week include:

Accipitriformes

1. Sharp-shinned Hawk
2. Red-shouldered Hawk
3. NORTHERN GOSHAWK
4. Red-tailed Hawk

Falconiformes

1. Merlin

Strigiformes

1. Barred Owl

Charadriiformes

1. Wilson’s Snipe
2. American Woodcock

Gaviiformes

1. Common Loon

Podicipediformes

1. Pied-bill Grebe
2. Horned Grebe

Piciformes

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

Anseriformes

1. Greater White-fronted Goose
2. Wood Duck
3. Green-winged Teal
4. EURASIAN WIGEON
5. Ross’s Goose
6. American Wigeon
7. Gadwall

Passeriformes

1. Tree Swallow
2. Golden-crowned Kinglet
3. Dark-eyed Junco
4. Eastern Towhee
5. Brown Creeper
6. Pine Warbler
7. Eastern Phoebe
8. Fox 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.