Kelleys Island migrants; mainland King Rails

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Kelleys Island migrants; mainland King Rails

Delores Cole reports that good numbers of migrants are being seen on Kelleys Island. Notable warblers there include the "Brewster's" hybrid, Yellow-throated, Orange-crowned, and late-season migrants like Canada, Mourning, and Wilson's Warblers. I suspect that when the wind goes to west-southwest on Friday night, the numbers there should pick up even more. A couple of days ago there was an intriguing report of a large hummingbird there that vaguely suggested the description of a Green-breasted Mango, but the bird has not been seen again and is definitely unconfirmed. Even without such tantalizing possibilities, Kelleys Island is a beautiful spot for birding and always worth a visit.

Back on the Ohio "mainland" there are apparently King Rails at three different spots right now: at Mallard Club Marsh, along the dike north from the west parking lot; at Metzger Marsh, at the curve where the road in turns from north to east-northeast; and at the Magee causeway, to west of the road near the third (northernmost) pullout. As far as I know, the latter have only been heard so far. See our maps and directions page on the website if any of these locations are unfamiliar.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...: Ken,

Really appreciate your reports. Any predictions for Monday, May 26? Thinking of coming that for that day.

Mary C.; May 16, 2008 at 4:09 PM
Kenn Kaufman said...: Thanks for asking ... At this point I really can't tell what will be happening by the 26th. That's out at the edge of the ten-day forecast for weather and it's not reliable that far ahead. That point in the month usually has good variety still, with big numbers of Red-eyed Vireos and several warbler species. It's the best time of month to look for Connecticut Warbler and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.

Kenn K.; May 16, 2008 at 5:57 PM
Anonymous said...: Ken,
Thanks for your reports they are very helpful in planning my visits. With gasoline the price that it is, there is definitely a need to make the most of each trip and your reports help a lot! I have never been to Magee before this year and so far, I have been there 3 times! I have seen many wonderful birds and have met a lot of great/helpful people each time. For those who are interested feel free to visit my online gallery of pictures captured at Magee:
http://www.pbase.com/gehringmi/warblers

Thanks Again,
Tim; May 17, 2008 at 12:43 AM
Anonymous said...: Hi Kenn,

Not sure my earlier comments went through.

I made an error and I am actually interested in coming up on Monday, May 19th. What does the birding picture look like for Monday?

Looking forward to your update.

Thanks,
Mary C.; May 18, 2008 at 4:12 PM

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Crane Creek, Magee Marsh, Black Swamp: where are we?

Birders all over North America have heard of "the boardwalk at Crane Creek" as a fabulous place to see migrants, while locals more often refer to "the Magee boardwalk." The confusion is understandable. The famous boardwalk is actually on the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, while the adjacent beach and half the parking lot were until recently part of Crane Creek State Park; the latter areas were turned over to the Ohio Division of Wildlife on May 1, 2008. The creek itself --Crane Creek--flows into Lake Erie just west of the boardwalk, on Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Our bird observatory is named for the Great Black Swamp, which used to cover much of northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana. On these pages I refer to "the Crane Creek -Magee Region" as a general term for the Lake Erie shoreline between Toledo and Sandusky, Ohio.

Thursday, May 15, 2008