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.
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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 16, 2008 at 4:09 PM

    Ken,

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

    Mary C.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kenn KaufmanMay 16, 2008 at 5:57 PM

    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.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 17, 2008 at 12:43 AM

    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

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMay 18, 2008 at 4:12 PM

    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.

    ReplyDelete