“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

“On The Road” (Summation)

Magee Marsh/ Metzger Marsh/ Ottawa N.W.R.

As I sit here gathering my thoughts on how I can best sum up this birding trip you realize that it’s not just about the birds, it’s the people you meet along the way that can make a good trip into a great birding trip. Meeting Rick and Allan while I was there was a treat, however having some of the Amish youth speak to you was a surprise. This close knit group are great birders and can be seen all along the boardwalk as a family. Then there was Sally and her mother who I meet at Metzger Marsh where we birded for a couple of hours and then meet up again the next morning at the boardwalk. This common bond we have is the catalyst that starts new friendships that can last a long time. I love this aspect of birding. Birders love nothing more than to talk about birds with other birders.

Except for a brief thundershower in the morning on my last day, the weather was nothing but beautiful. The crowds were smaller than what you’d expect to see when the festival was going on. Getting a parking spot close to the East end entrance to the boardwalk was never a problem in case you had to run back to your car for anything. This played out on a couple of occasions when I would leave the boardwalk and walk a few hundreds yards to the Estuary Trail. I’d pick up my spotting scope on the way since you’ll need it as you look out over the estuary.

Birders along the Estuary Trail, with Lake Erie on their right.

2 views overlooking the estuary at Ottawa NWR

The channel of water in the fore ground links directly to Lake Erie. The water is pretty shallow here because as you looked out over the water you could see the backs of Carp break the surface.

The birds were great as usual and timing and weather can determine what you see. Also with the warmer than average Spring the ground cover was thick which hide birds that you would normally see. Thrushes which will forage on the ground were difficult to pick up. One of the surprise birds that I wasn’t able to find were the Ovenbird. A Warbler species that I’ve seen regularly in years past, not this time though.

Yellow Warbler was the dominate species here. They are everywhere you go, either on the boardwalk or at Ottawa or Metzger. Become familiar with it’s call or it will drive you crazy as you try to ID a Warbler you hear only to find out that it’s another Yellow Warbler.

If you visit here and not see any Yellow Warblers, then something is seriously wrong either with you or Mother Nature.

Prothonotary Warblers are friendly, aggressive, and easily photographed. Besides being a beauty to behold, they have no fear when it comes to us upright walking humanoids.

Most of all the other Warbler species were difficult to photograph since they were feeding mostly in the tops of the trees. Even the photographers with their big rigs were having a problem getting onto the bird and squeezing of a shot. If the bird wasn’t out in the open, they were out of luck.

On the last day we had a proliferation of Cape May Warblers near the observation deck near the East end of the boardwalk. My favorite and most beautiful Warbler species, wouldn’t you agree?

Black Poll Warbler

Female Baltimore Oriole

This male Baltimore Oriole was as close I you’d normally see while here. These tree top dwellers were always heard, or seen as a orange flash before landing into the thickest portion of the tree. A striking bird.

I always make a trip to Ottawa NWR since it’s a fabulous place to bird, and being right next door to Magee it would be foolish not to go. While having lunch you can watch the Purple Martins as they put on their aerial display.

Another one of my favorites, a Canada warbler showing off it’s trademark black necklace.

The omnipresent American Redstart

Remember this area just isn’t a jumping off point for bird migration. Nesting birds are very common throughout all the parks and preserves along the lake, like this American Robin.

Black-throated Blue warbler

As with all trips they must come to and end, and preparations need to be made for next year. As I reflect on this trip I would have to give it an A+, even though my original plans was to be there for another day. Well there’s always next year. So now here’s the list of all the bird species seen with 24 species of  the Warblers.

1. Rock Pigeon
2. American Robin
3. European Starling
4. House Finch
5. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
6. American Finch
7. Northern Cardinal
8. Common Grackle
9. Red-winged Blackbird
10. Killdeer
11. Semipalmated Plover
12. Black-bellied Plover
13. Veery
14. Swainson’s Thrush
15. Gray-cheeked Thrush
16. Hermit Thrush
17. Eastern Kingbird
18. Eastern Phoebe
19. Eastern Wood Pewee
20. Least Flycatcher
21. Willow Flycatcher
22. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
23. Tree Swallow
24. Barn Swallow
25. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
26. Purple Martin
27. Lincoln Sparrow
28. Song Sparrow
29. Field Sparrow
30. Chipping Sparrow
31. Indigo Bunting
32. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
33. Mourning Dove
34. Canada Goose
35. Mallard
36. Red-breasted Merganser
37. Wood Duck
38. Ruddy Duck
39. Least Sandpiper
40. Semipalmated Sandpiper
41. Upland Sandpiper
42. Ruddy Turnstone
43. Dunlin
44. Great Egret
45. Snowy Egret
46. Black-crowned Night Heron
47. Green heron
48. Great Blue Heron
49. Short-billed Dowitcher
50. Lesser Yellowleg
51. American Coot
52. Common Gallinule
53. Herring Gull
54. Ring-billed Gull
55. Forester’s Tern
56. Common Tern
57. Black Tern
58. Double-creasted Cormorant
59. American White Pelican
60. Pied-billed Grebe
61. Trumpeter Swan
62. Sandhill Crane
63. Bald Eagle
64. Red-tailed Hawk
65. Turkey Vulture
66. Eastern Screech Owl
67. Great Horned Owl
68. Red-bellied Woodpecker
69. Downy Woodpecker
70. Northern Flicker
71. Blue Jay
72. American Woodcock
73. Scarlet Tanager
74. Baltimore Oriole
75. Orchard Oriole
76. House Wren
77. Marsh Wren
78. Blue-headed Vireo
79. Red-eyed Vireo
80. Philadelphia Vireo
81. Warbling Vireo
82. White-eyed Vireo
83. Black-capped Chickadee
84. White-breasted Nuthatch
85. Eastern Meadowlark
86. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
87. Black-billed Cuckoo
88. Gray Catbird
89. Yellow Warbler
90. Yellow-rumped Warbler
91. Nashville Warbler
92. Tennessee Warbler
93. Northern Parula
94. Magnolia Warbler
95. Wilson’s Warbler
96. Canada Warbler
97. Chestnut-sided Warbler
98. Black-throated Green Warbler
99. Cape May Warbler
100. American Redstart
101. Prairie Warbler
102. Black Poll Warbler
103. Prothonotary Warbler
104. Bay-breasted Warbler
105. Blackburnian Warbler
106. Yellow-breasted Chat
107. Black and White Warbler
108. Black-throated Blue Warbler
109. Yellow-throated Warbler
110. Mourning Warbler
111. Connecticut Warbler
112. Common Yellowthroat

“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

On The Road / # 292

Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge/ Magee Marsh/ Maumee Bay State Park

It was a cool and dark morning when I picked up fellow birder Jon Frodge in Franklin Ohio this Saturday. This was a 2 stage pick-up with me picking up Phil Burgio just prior at his house.  This trip to Ottawa has been in the works for some time , and now we’re all pretty excited with the day finally here. With the caffeine-generated birders on board the bird mobile, the trip to Ottawa went without incident until a closed exit in Toledo made for an unexpected U-turn and a minimal delay in reaching Ottawa. We arrived at the visitors center at Ottawa by 9:00 am.

After a quick pit-stop we started to bird the boardwalk behind the visitors center. We didn’t have to go far when we hit a honey hole of birds. There were plenty of warblers to go around for everyone. When the birding is this good you hate to leave, so we didn’t. Unfortunately for Jon we didn’t go too far on the boardwalk. And with the morning waning, and the auto tour calling our names, we opted to depart the boardwalk and head out.

Phil and Jon towards the beginning of the auto tour.

Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge in simple terms is MASSIVE. I can see why these auto tours are popular. It’s not that you couldn’t walk or ride a bike to some of the hot spots, but this makes it so much easier, especially if you’re hauling cameras, scopes with tripods, and other birding paraphernalia. There is a handy map which you can print off their website which has the refuge and auto tour route mapped out. It’s relatively easy to follow and depending on how many times you stop, it can take several hours to complete.

This was a common sight throughout the day, Great Egrets just everywhere.

Driving East towards one of the hot spots that’s close to the estuary, we came upon these sleeping Trumpeter Swans that were right next to the road.

After crossing a bridge that crosses Crane Creek we came upon an area that held 7 Snowy Egrets, with most of them in trees. This was the best shot I could get from that distance with my digiscope rig.

Up to this point it’s been a wonderful day. A little overcast in the morning with a little bit of a breeze, however when the day wore on the sun came out as did the wind. The temperatures were pleasant so you didn’t need to wear a jacket, unless you have problems with the low 70′s.

Prior to leaving on this trip I found out that they were planning on opening up a section of road that isn’t normally open on the auto tour. This was being done as a request so participants from the Midwest Bird Symposium could enjoy a little extra that Ottawa has to offer. We as well took advantage of this. The auto tour would normally take you between 2 impoundments by following this dike. However this time we were given access by car the ability to drive all the way around a pond called MS 5. This was a treat for all of us since this part can only be accessed either on foot or bike.

And it’s at this pond that I scored my 292nd life bird. I was getting concerned that I was going to get skunked this trip, however when Jon saw what he thought were Black-bellied Plovers, well, my heart skipped a beat for a second. MS 5 is pretty big, so it took some time before we were able to spot these rascals foraging along this mud flat close to the corner of the pond.

We dared not get any closer than this, since we were also trying to figure out if any of the other birds present were Buff-breasted Sandpipers.

(On a personal note, Jon these are the only 2 picture that were any good)

After the auto tour we made our way over to the beach at Magee Marsh. The wind was really blowing and the Sanderlings were busy feeding as they raced back and forth when the waves crashed onto the beach.

We left the beach an headed over towards the west entrance to the boardwalk. We didn’t have to walk to far before we came upon another pocket of good warbler activity. And since you never leave a good spot we stayed here for some time before we wandered down the boardwalk. The further we got the lighter the activity became. After spending some time here we then decided that our last stop for the day, since the day was wearing on, would be Maumee Bay State Park to check out the beach. Rick Asamoto who was also there at Magee to do some birding just came from there with some promising news of 2 Ruddy Turnstones. Another nemesis bird that I’ve been wanting to add to my list for a long time, now within my grasps. However not today. After scouring the beach twice all we came away with were some more Sanderlings and a very cool Lesser Black-backed Gull that Jon spotted, which was another life bird for Phil.

With the light beginning to fade and appetites growing we decided it was time to head over for some food before driving home. It was a spectacular day for birding with 2 good friends. However before we left the park while we drove slowly towards the entrance I noticed a Red-tailed Hawk sitting on a post right next to the road. Normally you wouldn’t find this peculiar, however as we inched closer the the hawk just sat there. It eventually flew to a tree when we were within a few feet, and I was able to get this picture from the car. Or was it Jon who took this picture? Either way, with the fading light, and with the hawk in a tree, lighting was difficult.

What a great parting shot.

The drive home was long and quiet as we crossed Ohio with the setting sun. We arrived home exhausted from a great day of birding, and one I will look forward to next year. Notable birds for the day include:

1. Rock Dove
2. European Starling
3. Red-tailed Hawk
4. Ring-billed Gull
5. Killdeer
6. Great Blue Heron
7. Mourning Dove
8. American Kestrel
9. Blue Jay
10. Red-winged Black Bird
11. Eastern Goldfinch
12. American Robin
13. Swainson’s Thrush
14. Downy Woodpecker
15. Blackpoll Warbler
16. Magnolia Warbler
17. Red-eyed Vireo
18. Eastern Wood Pewee
19. Common Yellowthroat
20. Black-capped Chickadee
21. Sora
22. Cape May Warbler
23. Pine Warbler
24. Nashville Warbler
25. Tennessee Warbler
26. Tufted Titmouse
27. Red-bellied Woodpecker
28. White-breasted Nuthatch
29. Indigo Bunting
30. Great Egret
31. Mallard
32. Northern Flicker
33. Blue-winged Teal
34. Pied-billed Grebe
35. Black-crowned Night Heron
36. Belted Kingfisher
37. Cedar Waxwing
38. Northern Shoveler
39. Yellow=rumped Warbler
40. Gray Catbird
41. Marsh Wren
42. Trumpeter Swan
43. Philadelphia Vireo
44. Canada Goose
45. Carolina Wren
46. House Wren
47. Bald Eagle
48. Common Grackle
49. Snowy Egret
50. Eastern Phoebe
51. Greater Yellowleg
52. Lesser Yellowleg
53. Least Sandpiper
54. Pectoral Sandpiper
55. Semipalmated Plover
56. Semipalmated Sandpiper
57. Solitary Sandpiper
58. Spotted Sandpiper
59. Black-bellied Plover-Lifer
60. Tree Swallow
61. Barn Swallow
62. Double-creasted Cormorant
63. Caspian Tern
64. Herring Gull
65. Lesser Black-backed Gull
66. Short-billed Dowitcher
67. Turkey Vulture
68. Sharp-shinned Hawk
69. Sanderlings
70. Warbling Vireo
71. Hairy Woodpecker
72. Blackburnian Warbler
73. Acadian Flycatcher
74. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
75. American Redstart
76. Bay-breasted Warbler
77. Black-throated Green Warbler
78. Wilson’s warbler
79. Wood Thrush
80. Northern Cardinal
81. Least Flycatcher
82. Wood Duck

” On The Road “

This road trip was definitely an emotional roller coaster ride for me. Hitting the road at 4am and making real good time, with hopes of reaching the boardwalk at 7:30, only to be shocked into despair  by the loss of my cell phone. Then lifted back up by the thrill of just being up in this wonderful birding area for only a couple of days. And scoring on a lifer of a lifetime.

Of all the places I birded for these past few days, I enjoyed them all equally.

This is where it’s happening! As soon as you make that left hand turn into the drive, your greeted by this sign. The sponsor of the birding festival.

As you drive past the headquarters for Black Swamp Bird Observatory, you come upon the main building for Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. This is called the Sportsman Migratory Bird Center. One thing to remember is that the Observatory is a private organization, where Magee Marsh is run by the state of Ohio. Here is their headquarters.

Around the headquarters there’s plenty to do. The headquarters itself has a gift shop, museum, and displays and exhibits concerning nothing else but birds. Now how cool is that. They have a real nice trail which winds it’s way around the headquarters area.

However the walking path was closed about half way. It seems a Bald Eagle has taken up housekeeping on the back side of the property. I was able to get some poor quality pictures of the nest with one adult Eagle.

If you click on the picture, the image will enlarge.

The place to be though during migration is the boardwalk. However to get there you need to traverse the causeway which bisects the marsh from the beach area.

Sorry for the poor quality picture, but you get the idea.

Rising at 5 am everyday to get a jump on the day, I’d be greeted by sunrises like this as I crossed the causeway towards the boardwalk.

As you exited off the causeway you’d make a left into the grand parking lot. This lot is enormous. Even though it never was completely full while I was there, it would take you some time to find a good spot if you got there even a little late. My plan was to get up at 5, shower, eat, and drive there, and arrive no later than 6:30. It was roughly 18 miles to get to the turn off at Magee Marsh.

The parking lot runs parallel to the beach and the boardwalk. There is an East and West entrance to the boardwalk accessible at either end of the parking lot. So if you plan on walking the whole trail, parking towards the center of the parking lot will save you some steps in the long run. For myself, I parked towards the West entrance, since that’s where all the action is. Walking the entire boardwalk took some time. And if it was real crowded, it took longer.

However other times, especially towards the East end, the boardwalk would be practically empty, like the evening I spotted the Kirtlands Warbler.

Birds were plentiful on the boardwalk, especially Warblers. There were times that you could almost reach out and touch them. As much as I tried to get some pictures, I had to delete most of them because it was so difficult to get good pictures with the camera I have. And since Warblers move all the time, getting them into focus was quite a challenge.

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Prothonotary Warbler

Bay-breasted warbler

American Redstart

American Redstart (female)

Veery

Another refuge close by was Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.

This place was awesome as well, with good trail’s and a headquarters building with a gift shop, and information desk. I visited there twice and on one occasion I was able to digiscope some decent pictures of some birds that would hold still long enough.

The most common bird up there, Red-winged Blackbird.

Tree Swallow

Purple Martin

Great Egret

Eastern Kingbird

The refuge is enormous, at over 9,000 acres it would take you over a week to cover this place on foot. I never made it to the Lake Erie from the parking lot, which was one of my goals.

On my second trip I walked it’s own boardwalk and  wooded lot that was close to the headquarters building. Level terrain with good birds throughout.

The boardwalk was wide, hence no need for hand rails.

After a short walk the boardwalk dives into the woods, where it becomes a nice level hiking trail, with beautiful scenery.

With all the rain they’ve received lately, the landscape was green and lush. Since they are in a later growing zone than us in Southern Ohio, plants and flowers were just beginning to burst.

One thing to remember is that area was once called Black Swamp. It covered most of what is North West Ohio, and seeing this water covered forest floor, the name is applicable.

Always try to look up every now and then. You might see a Bald Eagle.

Came upon a group of birders trying to locate a Golden-winged Warbler. Tough little bird to find.

 Here’s my sad attempt at getting it’s picture.

As the trail wound through the woods I thought I would take some artsy pictures of some of the vegetation growing on the forest floor.

One evening I ventured over to Maumee Bay State Park to see if there were any good birds on the beach.

David and I stayed in the camp ground on our visit last year, and with such a beautiful facility a perfect place to stay when I go up again. The park has it’s own extensive trail system with good birding for all ages. I can remember the last time I was there, David and I were tearing down camp while a strom was blowing in off the lake. While we ate breakfast in the resort dining room, the rain was blowing horizontal across the dining rooms huge windows. We were debating whether to go birding or not. We did.

Even with losing my cell phone in the beginning, this trip was too much fun. I took a lot more pictures than what I’ve shown on this post, most of the bird picture will be added to my photostream on my Flickr account. So don’t forget to check it out later.

All told after 4 hard days of birding I came away with 116 different species of birds. That may seem like a lot, but I know I could do better. I had opportunities to see birds that slipped away just that fast. These are the things that keep me coming back for more day in and day out. I did top my total species list from last year, and next year I’ll try to do better. I may have to change up the dates to try and catch some of those elusive types.

So here is my trip list.

1. Canada Goose
2. Mute Swan
3. Trumpeter Swan
4. Wood Duck
5. American Black Duck
6. Mallard
7. Ruddy Duck
8. Pied-billed Grebe
9. Double-crested Cormorant
10. Great Blue Heron
11. Great Egret
12. Green Heron
13. Black-crowned Night Heron
14. Turkey Vulture
15. Bald Eagle
16. Northern Harrier
17. Red-tailed Hawk
18. American Kestrel
19. Spotted Sandpiper
20. Common Moorhen
21. American Coot
22. Killdeer
23. Least Sandpiper
24. Dunlin
25. American Woodcock
26. Ring-billed Gull
27. Herring Gull
28. Common Tern
29. Mourning Dove
30. Black-billed Cuckoo
31. Eastern Screech Owl
32. Whip-poor-will
33. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
34. Red-bellied Woodpecker
35. Downy Woodpecker
36. Northern Flicker
37. Eastern Wood Pewee
38. Least Flycatcher
39. Eastern Phoebe
40. Great-crested Flycatcher
41. Eastern Kingbird
42. Yellow-throated Vireo
43. Blue-headed Vireo
44. Warbling Vireo
45. Philadelphia Vireo
46. Red-eyed Vireo
47. Blue Jay
48. Purple Martin
49. Tree Swallow
50. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
51. Bank Swallow
52. Barn Swallow
53. Black-capped Chickadee
54. Tufted Titmouse
55. Red-breasted Nuthatch
56. White-breasted Nuthatch
57. House Wren
58. Golden-crowned Kinglet
59. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
60. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
61. Veery
62. Swainson’s Thrush
63. Wood Thrush
64. American Robin
65. Gray Catbird
66. Golden-winged Warbler
67. Tennessee Warbler
68. Orange-crowned Warbler
69. Nashville Warbler
70. Northern Parula
71. Yellow Warbler
72. Chestnut-sided Warbler
73. Magnolia Warbler
74. Cape May Warbler
75. Black-throated Blue Warbler
76. Black-throated Green Warbler
77. Yellow-rumped Warbler
78. Blackburnian Warbler
79. Yellow-throated Warbler
80. Pine Warbler
81. Kirtland’s Warbler
82. Prairie Warbler
83. Palm Warbler
84. Bay-breasted Warbler
85. Blackpoll Warbler
86. Black and White Warbler
87. American Redstart
88. Prothonotary Warbler
89. Ovenbird
90. Northern Waterthrush
91. Mourning Warbler
92. Common Yellowthroat
93. Hooded Warbler
94. Wilson’s Warbler
95. Canada Warbler
96. Scarlet Tanager
97. Eastern Towhee
98. Chipping Sparrow
99. Song Sparrow
100. Lincoln’s Sparrow
101. White-throated Sparrow
102. White-crowned Sparrow
103. Dark-eyed Junco
104. Northern Cardinal
105. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
106. Indigo Bunting
107. Red-winged Blackbird
108. Common Grackle
109. Brown-headed Cowbird
110. Orchard Oriole
111. Baltimore Oriole
112. House Finch
113. American Goldfinch
114. House Sparrow
115. Starling
116. American Pipit

Notes From The Field

Well this trip to Northeastern Ohio certainly started out with high anxiety and excitement. Leaving at 4:05 am I made real good time through Dayton and point beyond. Pulling into a rest stop just South of Bowling Green is when my day went down the crapper. I have a habit of taking my cell phone off my belt to use the facility. This is done so my phone doesn’t accidentally hit those disgusting floors. I didn’t bring phone sanitizer for this trip. I placed it right next to me on the toilet paper dispenser. And yes, that’s where I left it till I remembered it just as I was getting off the highway in Toledo.

Now someone like myself would either turn it in at the desk that was at the rest stop or just leave it. No, some person picked it up, and my mood turned ever downward. Making frantic phone calls from a pay phone I was able to enlist the help from Kathy and David to stop service and re-set certain passwords. I really don’t want to go into too many details.

My next step was waiting for an hour and a half at the Bowling Green Verizon store to be raped for a new phone. Since we just up-graded, we’re not eligible for the cheaper rate. Hence the rapping of Les Houser for his new phone. They had me by the short hairs, and gave them a twist. So now I have a new phone, but my collection of phone numbers are now gone.

Life goes on.

By the time I reached Magee Marsh it was getting onto 11:30 am. I birded heavy there, then went to the beach trail after lunch. Afterwards went to the trail that is outside of Black Swamp Bird Observatory. Then I drove over to Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge to see if there were any wading birds. However they’ve had the problems we’ve had in the Southern part of the state. Too much rain. All the estuaries that I walked by were full of water and no mud flats for wading birds. After walking several miles here I made my way back to my car to head over to my hotel.

Total bird count for the day is 72. I expect more tomorrow.