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.

Your Week In Review

For the week of April 29th, through May 5th, this is your week in review.

28   That’s the number of total Warblers identified this week throughout the tri-state area. One might call this a fall-out, and you’d probably be correct in that statement. Once again it was another phenomenal week birding. With some of the heavy rains we’ve been experiencing, the effects in regards to the different species of birds is apparent.

Area parks where birders visited include Withrow Nature Preserve, Boone County Cliffs,  Ault Park, Spring Grove Cemetery, Burnett Woods, Miami Whitewater Forest, Shawnee Lookout Park, Ellis Lake/ West Chester Wetlands, Smith Tract Preserve, Magrish Riverlands Preserve, Armleder Park, California Woods, East Fork S.P., Chilo Lock #34, Mt. Airy Forest, Fernald Preserve, and Ferbach-Werner Nature Preserve.

Neighborhoods reporting in include: Newtown, Clifton, Westwood, Lost Bridge, Owensville, West Chester, New Richmond, Milford, Price Hill, Kenwood, and Williamsburg.

Notable birds for the week include;

Accipitriformes

1. Broad-winged Hawk
2. Cooper’s Hawk
3. Red-tailed Hawk
4. Ferruginous Hawk
5. Osprey

Falconiformes

1. American Kestrel

Charadriiformes

1. Wilson’s Snipe
2. Solitary Sandpiper
3. Pectoral Sandpiper
4. Greater Yellowlegs
5. Lesser Yellowlegs
6. Long-billed Dowitcher
7. Short-billed Dowitcher
8. Spotted sandpiper
9. Least Sandpiper
10. Semipalmated sandpiper
11. Dunlin
12. Semipalmated Plover

Piciformes

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

Gruiformes

1. Sora
2. Virginia Rail

Caprimulgiformes

1. Common Nighthawk

Passeriformes

1. Red-eyed Vireo
2. Warbling Vireo
3. Blue-headed Vireo
4. Bell’s Vireo
5. Acadian Flycatcher
6. Least Flycatcher
7. Willow Flycatcher
8. Great-creasted Flycatcher
9. Wood Thrush
10. Hermit Thrush
11. Veery
12. Eastern Phoebe
13. Grasshopper Sparrow
14. Savannah Sparrow
15. Henslow’s Sparrow
16. White-throated Sparrow
17. White-crowned Sparrow
18. Chipping Sparrow
19. Song Sparrow
20. Lincoln Sparrow
21. Summer Tanager
22. Scarlet Tanager
23. Rose-breasted grosbeak
24. Blue Grosbeak
25. Baltimore Oriole
26. Orchard Oriole
27. Sedge Wren
28. Dickcissel
29. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
30. Bobolink
31. Cedar Waxwing
32. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
33. Blue-winged Warbler
34. Black and White Warbler
35. Nashville warbler
36. Cerulean Warbler
37. Yellow Warbler
38. Pine Warbler
39. Yellow-throated Warbler
40. Yellow-rumped Warbler
41. Black-throated Green Warbler
42. Prothonotary Warbler
43. Chestnut-sided Warbler
44. Palm Warbler
45. Magnolia Warbler
46. Tennessee Warbler
47. Northern Waterthrush
48. Louisiana Waterthrush
49. Hooded Warbler
50. American Redstart
51. Blackpoll Warbler
52. Wilson’s Warbler
53. Cape May Warbler
54. Prairie warbler
55. Kentucky Warbler
56. Canada warbler
57. Black-throated Blue warbler
58. Yellow-breasted Chat
59. Ovenbird

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.

 

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.

 

Notes From The Field

Lost Bridge, Smith Tract County Park, Miami Whitewater Forest, & Fernald Preserve

The purpose of yesterdays field trip was to cover as much ground in as little amount of time as possible. My original plan was to go to Fernald Preserve and try to re-locate and get a better photo of the Eurasian Wigeon. However as I was driving I had a thought, (which usually requires more driving) why not go to Lost Bridge first, then work my back towards my final destination, Fernald with stops at Smith Tract and Miami Whitewater.

Turning onto Lawrenceburg Road off of Rt. 50 the Lost Bridge area just opens up before your eyes. With Martin-Marietta Aggregate on the left, and another gravel company on the right, Lawrenceburg Road bisects these 2 bird loving areas as you approach the actual bridge.  As I slowed down to scan the water on both sides I notice a immature Bald Eagle sitting on the thin ice that’s still frozen along the edge. He seems to be eating something and perks up as I drive by to park. With the sun to my back I’m going to try and get a killer picture while it’s feeding. Well it would have been a killer shot if it wasn’t for the fact that it didn’t want it’s picture taken, and flew off. This time of year you would find all sorts of waterfowl here but not today, just a scattering of Canadian Geese, Mallards, and these Snow Geese that were intermingled with the other geese.

In this shot you’re able to see the 2 Blue Phase and the 1 White Snow Goose.

Off to Smith Tract County Park. There are several large lakes on both sides of Kilby Road which can hold some good birds, however today the one I was looking at held nothing, however what caught my attention was a very cooperative Song Sparrow,

and 2 not so cooperative American Kestrels. By the time I re-located the 2, they were quite some distance away perched on a tall pile of gravel next to the lake.

This shot is about 400 yards distance, and heavily cropped.

After Smith Tact it was onto Miami Whitewater Forest and Shaker Trace Wetlands. Driving towards New Haven with the park on my left I noticed a large Buteo with it’s back towards me as it surveyed an open field. Quickly pulling over and grabbing my gear I was able to get a couple of shots off before it flew off.

I parked in my normal spot off of Baughman Road and made my way towards the observation platform that overlooks the wetlands. What a wonderful time to be at the park. Except for a few morning joggers, I had the whole place to myself. From the observation building a large body of water stretched out in front of me, but Mallards were the only waterfowl present. And there were a lot of them.

With the morning waning it was time to make my way to Fernald. I don’t know if the beautiful weather or the Eurasian Wigeon brought the birders out, but there were a lot of them as I made my way back stopping as I went to view the birds.

I’ve come to the conclusion that American Kestrels don’t like me. Even though I got closer than the other 2, this one turned it’s back on me.

I introduced myself to Neil Cade, who is Jason Cade’s father, whom I’ve birded with in the past. We birded together for the next couple of hours as others I knew showed up to see if the Wigeon was there. If you’ve never been to Fernald before the preserve is very flat and covered with small ponds that you’re not able to see because of the vegetation. You know there’s a pond there, and you know there are ducks in it, but it’s impossible to see. No Eurasian Wigeon today, however later that afternoon several birders spotted it again, unfortunately they failed to mention where they saw it. Details people, details!

Not wanting to press my luck I made my way back towards the bird-mobile for the long journey home, however before I left I was able to get a couple of pictures of some of the citizens at Fernald Preserve.

Eastern Bluebird

White-crowned Sparrow

Notable birds for the day include:

1. American Kestrel
2. Bald Eagle
3. Red-tailed Hawk
4. Northern Harrier
5. Gadwall
6. Green-winged Teal
7. Mallard
8. Killdeer
9. Canada Goose
10. Snow Goose
11. American Crow
12. American Wigeon
13. Great Blue Heron
14. Tufted Titmouse
15. Carolina chickadee
16. Field Sparrow
17. Swamp Sparrow
18. Song Sparrow
19. American Tree Sparrow
20. White-crowned Sparrow
21. Mute Swan
22. American Robin
23. Mourning Dove
24. Pigeon
25. Northern Cardinal
26. Eastern Towhee
27. Belted Kingfisher
28. Red Winged Blackbird
29. Eastern Goldfinch

Notes From The Field/3-19-2011

With Kathy off to work today, and Ethan still asleep, there was no use burning daylight just sitting around the house. I was thinking about doing some birding over in the Kilby Road, Route 50, and Lost Bridge area this morning. It’s been awhile since I’ve been in this neck of the woods, and with the sun coming up, a very enjoyable drive is just what the doctor prescribed. Sometimes I wish I lived closer to this part of the Tri-state. There is such good birding opportunities with the Oxbow, Miami Whitewater Forest and Fernald Preserve in such close proximity to where I was at today.

Exiting off of I-275 at Kilby Road, I make my way towards Route 50 and past acres and acres of farm land. As I was nearing Route 50 you could start to see the remnants of the flooding that just ended. Right at the intersection of Kilby Road and Route 50 this field is still holding water where waterfowl is holding up in.

Those trees that are running left to right in the background are growing parallel to Route 50. This was the area when it was flooding hundreds upon hundreds of ducks were spotted in. Now not so many.

A good example of how large these sky ponds get in these massive fields down in this flood plain.

If you look real close you can see some Northern Shovelers.

I drove onto Route 50 for a short distance, then pulled over onto this ramp that went down into the field I was just scoping out. I’m assuming the the farmers the cultivate this field use this ramp to access the field. For me it was a handy way to try and get closer to the ducks. In this first picture the debris on the ramp is corn stalks that flowed up to the high water mark from the flood. By the looks of it, the field was probably underwater.

Looking left from the ramp.

Looking right from the ramp.

After I departed from here I made my way over to Lost Bridge. I wish I knew why they call it Lost Bridge, anyway it’s a good area for birding.

Looking downstream from Lost Bridge.

The Great Miami River was still up and flowing fast so there wasn’t anything on the river. However on the opposite side there are some flooded fields that held some promise. You have to be careful when you pull off the road here, the traffic can get busy with lots of cars and large trucks. This is the area that I did catch the sight of a Bald Eagle. He was flying around scaring the hell out of some gulls that were feeding on some mud flats.

That brown spot is the Bald Eagle. He eventually landed and started to eat on something he found. Or should I say stole from the gulls.

A closer view of the Bald Eagle.

Now it was time to go over to Smith Tract County Park, going in the opposite direction on Kilby Road. This is the park where last year a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was sighted for a couple of days. And yours truly was one of the lucky ones to see it.

Walking the gravel road in.

One of several large ponds that dot the park.

Song Sparrow

First Brown Thrasher of the year.

I made my way over to this high spot where I was able to take this picture with the park spread out in front of me. When I was talking to a ranger last year about this park, he informed me that they plan on doing nothing to this park. Leave it just like it is. More of a wildlife refuge without actually calling it a refuge. In the Spring this place turns into a 50 bird area, so to here that they don’t plan on developing it is music to my ears.

Notable birds for the day include:

1. Crow
2. Red-tailed Hawk
3. American Robin
4. Mourning Dove
5. Canada Goose
6. House Finch
7. Tufted Titmouse
8. Pigeon
9. Common Grackle
10. Great Blue Heron
11. Gadwall
12. Mallard
13. Northern Shoveler
14. Wood Duck
15. Ring-necked Duck
16. Northern Cardinal
17. Red-bellied Woodpecker
18. Killdeer
19. White-breasted Nuthatch
20. Carolina Chickadee
21. American Goldfinch
22. Downy Woodpecker
23. Bald Eagle
24. Cooper’s Hawk
25. Ring-billed Gull
26. Song Sparrow
27. Bonaparte’s Gull
28. Bufflehead
29. Lesser Scaup
30. Red-winged Black Bird
31. Green-winged Teal
32. Turkey Vulture
33. Northern Mockingbird
34. Northern Flicker
35. Field Sparrow
36. Tree Swallow
37. Coot
38. Brown Thrasher
39. American Wigeon
40. Redhead