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.

 

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.

Your Week In Review

For the week of January 1st through January 7th, this is your week in review.

There’s been excitement in the air this week as a Eurasian Wigeon (ABA 2) decided to drop into Fernald Preserve on Tuesday. According to Cincinnati Bird Clubs data base, the last time one was in the area was 2007, so it’s been awhile. Several attempts to re-locate Tuesday late afternoon and subsequent days have been negative, which doesn’t surprise me since so much of Fernald is not open to the general public. Well thank goodness for the Wigeon because it got birders out and posting their bird sightings. And it also helps that we’re having a mild Winter so far with hardly any rain to speak of this week.

Local parks where our birders reported from include: East Fork State Park, Fernald Preserve, Chilo Lock 34 Park, Winton Woods, Miami Whitewater Forest, Stone Lick State Park, and Armleder Park. Neighborhoods reporting in include United American Cemetery, Lost Bridge, Anderson Township, Green Township, and Afton Ohio.

Notable birds for the week include:

Accipitriformes

1. Bald Eagle
2. Northern Harrier
3. Rough-legged Hawk
4. Red-tailed Hawk

Falconiformes

1. American Kestrel

Charadriiformes

1. Herring Gull
2. Bonaparte’s Gull

Strigiformes

1. Great Horned Owl

Anseriformes

1. Tundra Swan
2. Eurasian Wigeon
3. American Wigeon
4. Northern Pintail
5. Northern Shoveler
6. Green-winged Teal
7. Gadwall
8. Ring-necked Duck
9. Mallard
10. Snow Goose
11. Canada Goose
12. Lesser Scaup
13. Common Goldeneye
14. Redhead
15. Hooded Merganser
16. Black Duck
17. Greater White-fronted Goose

Gruiformes

1. Sandhill Crane

Gaviiformes

1. Red-throated Loon
2. Common Loon

Passeriformes

1. Song Sparrow
2. Fox Sparrow
3. American Tree Sparrow
4. White-crowned Sparrow
5. Swamp Sparrow
6. Chipping Sparrow
7. Field Sparrow
8. Lapland Longspur
9. Brown Creeper
10. Gray Catbird
11. Eastern Bluebird

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

Winton Woods Settling Pond & Par Course

According to my calculations I’ve not been birding since the 22nd, so I was long over due for a Saturday morning field trip, and this day took me to Winton Woods Park. This 2,555 acre urban park in the middle of Greenhills  has some very good birding going for it, if you know where to go. You have to get off the beaten path and avoid the main section, away from the crowds to really find some very nice and secluded sections. Even though this is a city park of substantial size, you get the feeling of being far and away from the maddening crowd. You’re brought back to reality when you’re straining to pick up that bird song over the traffic that’s right on the other side of the tree line.

Despite the pros and cons, I had a great time in spite of the gray gloom that has enveloped the tri-state for days. Since David decided to sleep in this morning I went solo, and made my way over to the settling pond first thing. There wasn’t too much waterfowl activity here, so I thought I would try the new camera out on some ducks. I really need to practice with this one. I took several pictures and was unhappy with all of them except one, which was still crap.

Ring-necked Ducks & American Coots

I’m still having trouble with focusing as you can probably see by now. It’s not that the camera isn’t able to auto-focus, it can. It’s me and my inability to focus my own eyesight and get a crisp image on the LCD screen.

I left the settling pond after 30 minutes and drove over to a part of the park where they have a Frisbee golf course and the par course, and today despite the weather there were pretty many people there. Frisbee golfers, joggers, and birders, so even with this part of the park being separate from the main part, it was crowded.

Leaving the soccer and baseball fields behind, I stepped into a marvelous mix of hardwood and evergreen trees that towered high above. Like any other par course I’ve seen, there are stations set up around a circuit with various exercises to be done at each station. The path is wide with gravel and decaying leaves so your steps are muffled as you walk. Except for the chatter of Carolina Chickadees overhead, it was a quiet place. I proceeded to follow the trail to my favorite place, a large group of tall pine trees. The path is level for several hundred feet then drops down to a small stream that flows into the lake. As you walk up and out of this run off area, the trail splits into 3 different paths to take. With no Scarecrow to point the way, it’s a good thing I’ve been here before and know the way to the “pines”, as local birders call this part.

50 to 60 foot pine trees are scattered throughout this part of the par course, and home to some good birds such as Pine Siskins, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and hopefully Crossbills. The quiet under this cathedral of conifers was very surreal. No birds! Well almost no birds. There were a few but I was disappointed in the total lack of any of my target birds. Not even a RBNU. I’d walk 20 yards and stop and listen and look for several minutes, then repeat till I covered the “pines” twice. The morning was waning into the afternoon, so now was the time to go back. Skirting an area which I believe is a campground that can be reserved, I noticed a  large main building, shelter house, cabins and a Coyote which ran across my path without giving me a second glance.

I was once again walking across the large fields they use for soccer and baseball, looking into the woods along the edge trying to spot any kind of bird activity when I noticed a Cooper’s Hawk just sitting there on a branch.

I took several pictures and this one was the best. All the others either were out of focus (imagine that) or it’s head was turned.

Pleased with the Cooper’s Hawk, I made my way back to the bird-mobile and loaded my gear inside for the drive home. Exiting the park, and readying myself for the turn on the main road, I noticed in the field that opened up in front of me several telephone poles. And on 2 of these poles were Red-tailed Hawks waiting for their prey.

Not too bad of an effort if I do say so myself.

Notable birds for the day include:

1. Canada Goose
2. Ring-necked Duck
3. American Coot
4. Mallard
5. Song Sparrow
6. Fox Sparrow
7. Blue Jay
8. Great Blue Heron
9. Carolina Chickadee
10. Tufted Titmouse
11. Cooper’s Hawk
12. Red-tailed Hawk
13. Red-bellied Woodpecker
14. Downy Woodpecker
15. American Robin
16. Northern Cardinal
17. Mourning Dove
18. White-breasted Nuthatch
19. Brown Creeper
20. Carolina Wren

Your Week In Review

For the week of December 25th, through December 31st, this is your week in review.

Let’s start this review with a re-cap of Cincinnati’s Christmas Bird Count. Jay Stenger posted the results just the other day and with 106 field participants they were able to come away with 89 species. I’m not sure if this is a record but a solid effort for all involved with the count. For a detailed listing of all the birds seen during the count, go to Cincinnati Bird Club web sight and click the “sightings” link on the side tool bar.

It was a pretty busy week for folks, with the holidays and everything else going on, we came away with an impressive list of birds. I’m sure having the CBC going on this week helped with the overall species count, but none the less it sure does fill up some blank spots we’ve had for the past couple of weeks.

Area parks that were visited this week include: Fernald Preserve, Armleder Park, Brookville Lake, Miami Whitewater Park, The Oxbow, Winton Woods Park, White Water State Park, and Gilmore Ponds. Neighborhoods reporting in include: Dayton KY., Sharonville, United American Cemetery, and Lost Bridge.

Notable birds for the week include:

Accipitriformes

1. Cooper’s Hawk
2. Sharp-shinned Hawk
3. Red-tailed Hawk
4. Red-shouldered Hawk
5. Northern Harrier

Falconiformes

1. Merlin
2. Peregrine Falcon
3. American Kestrel

Charadriiformes

1. Bonaparte’s Gull
2. Wilson’s Snipe

Strigiformes

1. Short-eared Owl

Podicipediformes

1. Pied-billed Grebe
2. Horned Grebe

Anseriformes

1. Canada Goose
2. Cackling Goose
3. Snow Goose
4. Mallard
5. American Wigeon
6. Gadwall
7. Northern Shoveler
8. Northern Pintail
9. Green-winged Teal
10. Canvasback
11. Ring-necked Duck
12. American Black Duck
13. Lesser Scaup
14. Greater Scaup
15. Hooded Merganser
16. Long-tailed Duck
17. Bufflehead
18. Ruddy Duck

Piciformes

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

Gruiformes

1. Sandhill Crane

Galliformes

1. Wild Turkey

Passeriformes

1. Chipping Sparrow
2. Savannah Sparrow
3. American Tree Sparrow
4. Fox Sparrow
5. White-throated Sparrow
6. White-crowned Sparrow
7. Swamp Sparrow
8. Song Sparrow
9. Eastern Towhee
10. Pine Siskin
11. Red-breasted Nuthatch
12. Brown Thrasher
13. Winter Wren
14. Golden-crowned Kinglet
15. Horned Lark
16. Purple Finch
17. Common Yellowthroat
18. Pine Warbler
19. Yellow-rumped Warbler
20. Hermit Thrush
21. Rusty Blackbird
22. Brewer’s Blackbird

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.