Metzger Marsh update 5/31

Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area, Lucas Co., northwest. Ohio, continues to be a good spot for shorebirds and other waterbirds. Most of the main unit has been drawn down (and I understand it won't be refilled until mid-August), but south of the dike that separates the marsh from Lake Erie there remains a large body of shallow water with extensive mudflats along the far edge; this is best viewed by walking out the dike that runs southeast from the parking lot, and looking across with a telescope. I was there at midday today (Thursday 5/31) and failed to see the Laughing Gull or White-faced Ibis that were there two days earlier, but I did see a Stilt Sandpiper in almost full breeding plumage, a rare bird for spring and the second one at Metzger this year. Also there among the shorebirds were five Black-bellied Plovers, 25 Ruddy Turnstones, and two White-rumped Sandpipers. The resting flock of gulls and terns at midday today included two one-year-old Bonaparte's Gulls, the first I'd seen locally in more than three weeks, as well as several subadult Forster's Terns. A single unidentified dark ibis flew over, and later a single Glossy Ibis came in and was foraging along the edge of the flats. There have been a few Glossy Ibises around the area continuously since late April, but for a while I was missing them repeatedly, and they showed up at Metzger only when I wasn't there. Hugh Rose and Judy Kolo-Rose had a standing joke that I was an ibis jinx, and that the best way for birders to see ibises was to go someplace where I wasn't going! But I guess the jinx has been broken. At any rate, birders who are coming to n.w. Ohio for the tail end of the spring migration should consider bringing a scope and stopping at Metzger.

Metzger Marsh White-faced Ibis, Laughing Gull 5/29

This spring there have been numerous reports of Glossy Ibises around the state, but I'm also aware of a couple of reports of White-faced Ibis, including one at Metzger Marsh on April 26 and one in the Killbuck Marsh area on May 11. This evening (Tuesday May 29) I found one White-faced and one Glossy Ibis at Metzger Marsh, n.w. Ohio. The two birds were foraging together along the edge of the extensive flats south of the dike that runs east from the parking lot at the end of the road. Like most of the other birds present, the ibises were some distance away from the dike. Through the telescope it was easy to see the Glossy's dark slaty facial skin with narrow border of pale blue skin, and the White-faced Ibis's red facial skin with a smeary surrounding area of white feathers. Without a scope, though, it would have been impossible to identify these two birds with certainty. Glossy Ibis has been recorded far more often in Ohio than White-faced, but clearly we can't just assume that dark ibises are Glossies unless they're seen well enough to prove that identification.

Also at Metzger this evening was an adult Laughing Gull. It was resting on the edge of the flats with a group that included about 50 Ring-billed Gulls (mostly subadults), 20 Herring Gulls (all adults), 35 Common Terns, 7 Forster's Terns, 2 Black Terns, and 3 Caspian Terns. Those are maximum counts for each, because there was continuous turnover in the birds present. Turnover seems to be a constant at Metzger right now. This evening I saw only three Black-bellied Plovers (but Kim and I had seen 64 there yesterday) and no Red Knots (five yesterday). Numbers of Ruddy Turnstones and Dunlins also had dropped substantially, but this evening I had one Sanderling, three Least Sandpipers, and two White-rumped Sandpipers, all missed yesterday.

Clearly, Metzger is worth a look for anyone birding the area over the next couple of weeks, but do bring a telescope if you can.

Magee area migrants 5/28

This weekend (May 26 and 27), the area of Magee Marsh and nearby hot spots in n.w. Ohio had unsettled weather, with winds and intermittent rain, but with good birding in between storms. Today (Monday May 28) was startlingly calm by contrast, and was clear after the morning fog lifted.

Kim and I spent a couple of hours at Metzger Marsh and about three hours at the Magee Marsh boardwalk today to get a sense of the state of migration. Numbers of migrants had definitely dropped a lot since Friday, but there was still a fair amount of variety. Wilson's Warblers and especially American Redstarts were obvious at both locations, most of the latter being young males, actively singing. Other classic late migrants included multiples of Canada and Mourning Warblers, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, and Red-eyed Vireos. We also saw numbers of Magnolia Warblers, plus Bay-breasted, Ovenbird, and others, but no Connecticut Warbler for us today. All five species of Empidonax flycatchers were at the Magee boardwalk, with only one Least but multiples of the others; two singing Acadians were something of a surprise. An Olive-sided Flycatcher was there as well. There apparently had been an influx of thrushes again: even though we were at Magee in the heat of the afternoon, we saw 7 Swainson's Thrushes, 4 Gray-cheeked, and a Veery. Having such a high ratio of Gray-cheekeds was a pleasant surprise; but since this species breeds farther north, on average, than any of our other brown thrushes, perhaps it makes sense for it to be a late migrant.

The extensive mudflats at Metzger Marsh (northwest of Magee) continue to see frequent turnover. Highlights there at midday today included five Red Knots (four in breeding plumage), 64 Black-bellied Plovers, and 70-plus Ruddy Turnstones. The resting flock of ratty subadult Ring-billed Gulls was joined off and on by up to 25-plus Common Terns as well as one Forster's, three Caspian, and two Black Terns.

At this point I don't expect any more big fallouts of migrants, but the woodlots at Magee, Ottawa NWR, Metzger, and elsewhere along the lakeshore should have an interesting variety of late migrants for the next week or so, including sought-after species like Yellow-bellied, Alder, and Olive-sided Flycatchers, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Mourning and Connecticut Warblers, and perhaps some surprising strays. Shorebird migration should continue to make Metzger Marsh worth checking for another couple of weeks at least.

Magee area migration 5/25

For the last three nights (Tuesday through Thursday) the winds were southerly, and the last three days (Wednesday through Friday, May 23 - 25) saw excellent numbers and substantial turnover of late-season migrants in the area of Magee Marsh, n.w. Ohio. Today, Friday 5/25, there were good numbers of migrants at all the spots in this immediate area: the Magee Marsh boardwalk, the woodlots at Ottawa NWR main unit, the Black Swamp Bird Observatory banding station (on the Navarre Unit of Ottawa NWR, about five miles east of Magee), and the woodlot at Metzger Marsh, to the west of Magee. The makeup of the flight was about as expected for late May: lots of Empidonax flycatchers of all five species, with Yellow-bellied Flycatcher especially numerous today; both cuckoos in good numbers, especially Yellow-billed; very large numbers of Swainson's Thrushes but also a decent number of Gray-cheeked Thrushes today; many Blackpoll Warblers and American Redstarts, but also fair numbers of Canada and Mourning Warblers and a fair scattering of at least 15 other warbler species. This evening we saw at least one Connecticut Warbler, possibly two, in the area of the tower at the west end of the Magee boardwalk, and I heard that one was seen earlier in the woodlot at Metzger.

The mudflats at Metzger Marsh continue to see rapid turnover in the birds present. I was there today just before a heavy rain hit in the early afternoon, and went back an hour later after the rain ceased, and even in that time there was turnover, with two Black-bellied Plovers and an American Golden-Plover before the rain, many Forster's Terns and a lone Bonaparte's Gull after the rain. There are still impressive numbers of Ruddy Turnstones. Two American Pipits here seemed to be getting a bit late.

With the weather conditions tonight, I would expect that not many of the current migrants would leave, and numbers and variety should be excellent for the weekend.

Magee area migration 5/23

In the area of Magee Marsh, n.w. Ohio, today (Wednesday May 23) it was evident that umbers of migrants had picked up since Monday. Winds had been oddly variable Monday night but by Tuesday night they were more consistently out of the south, and many birds apparently came in overnight. This morning I had good numbers of Empidonax flycatchers at Magee, with all five species represented during four hours on the east beach and the boardwalk: 5 Yellow-bellied, 2 Acadian, 3 Alder, 6 Willow, 4 Least, and another 15 unidentified Empidonax that were silent or seen too briefly (mostly Willow/Alder types). This was the first good influx of Alder and Yellow-bellied that I had encountered this year, but these are notoriously late migrants anyway.

Diversity of warblers is starting to drop off a bit, but there were still good numbers of some things, especially American Redstarts (I saw at least 50, mostly females and young males). Blackpoll, Wilson's, and Canada Warblers were also present in good numbers. A lone Palm Warbler on the east beach was getting a little late. One Kentucky Warbler was a surprise (and I heard of sightings of two others). Everyone I met on the boardwalk was looking for Connecticut Warblers, but I didn't talk to anyone who had seen one. However, at least one was heard singing at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory's main banding site, about five miles east of Magee, this morning.

Notable among other migrants were at least 25 Swainson's Thrushes, at least 7 Lincoln's Sparrows, and at least 2 Philadelphia Vireos. Also interesting to me was a substantial flight of Blue Jays. During a couple of hours in mid-morning I saw at least 400 Blue Jays, in flocks of 3 or 4 up to 20 or 25, all moving silently east-southeast paralleling the lake shore. The May migration here is a well-known phenomenon, described in some detail in The Birds of Ohio (Bruce Peterjohn) and mentioned in Birds of the Toledo Area (Matt Anderson et al.) and Birds of the Cleveland Region (Larry Rosche). But I grew up thinking of this species as a cold-hardy permanent resident, and it's still startling to me to be out in late May, with foliage looking like summer and temperatures in the 80s, seeing flocks of Blue Jays still engaged in spring migration.

Current predictions are for southerly winds to continue for the next couple of nights, so I expect there will be continued turnover and bigger numbers for the next couple of days, and then decent numbers of migrants grounded on the lake shore over the weekend.

North Coast highlights 5/21

We were sorry to miss the OOS conference this weekend, which sounds like it was another excellent event. But Kim and I admittedly were having an outrageously good time on Saturday the 19th, taking part in another tradition: the North Coast Open, an annual big day competition sponsored by the Toledo Naturalists' Association. The event is limited to just five counties in northwestern Ohio (Lucas, Ottawa, Erie, Sandusky, and Wood), no one is allowed to use tapes, the count runs just from midnight to 9 p.m., and everyone on a team must see or hear a bird for it to count, so it's more restrictive than American Birding Association rules. Kim and I were lucky enough to get to team up with Greg Links and John Chadwick, two top-notch birders who know every bird location in this part of the world. Thanks to their expertise, we wound up with a total of 158 species for the 21-hour event. All teams combined had a cumulative total of 199 species, reflecting just how good the birding is in this part of the state.

It was actually kind of a rough day for birding, with cold morning temps and overcast keeping birdsong to a minimum, and then intermittent rain and wind for the rest of the day, or totals would have been even higher. Anyway, a few highlights just from our team's experience: two Glossy Ibises at Pipe Creek Wildlife Area, Sandusky, adding to the impression that there are a lot of these birds around. A lingering Ring-necked Duck also at Pipe Creek.

Two King Rails actively calling at Mallard Club Marsh -- possibly two rival males, rather than two members of a pair (although a pair was seen here previously by Jen Brumfield). Good numbers of shorebirds at Metzger Marsh at the end of the day -- there seems to be a lot of turnover here in the evenings, and we had a Willet flying around and actually doing a burst of its breeding-grounds "song," but our best shorebird here was a beautiful Stilt Sandpiper in breeding plumage, a rare bird for spring. One Olive-sided Flycatcher on Girdham Road in the Oak Openings. Summer Tanagers -- in addition to birds on territory as expected in the Oak Openings, we also had a young male on the east beach at Magee Marsh. Somewhat late were a Hermit Thrush and an Orange-crowned Warbler at Magee.

The Toledo Naturalists' Association has been around for almost 75 years, and they're not just about birds -- their membership includes experts on all aspects of natural history. But as they proved once again on Saturday, they sure know how to go birding!

Weather / migration update

Discussing the state of migration in n.w. Ohio, just last night I wrote that I didn't expect any south winds to bring in waves of migrants before next week. Well, around here, the weather predictions change as often as the weather, which is saying a lot. They're now calling for the winds to switch around to the southwest tonight (Friday May 18) and stay southwest or west-southwest through Saturday and Saturday night. So I expect there will be a lot of turnover -- the birds that have been here for several days may leave, but I expect there will be new ones coming in as well. Today I was still finding things like Tennessee Warbler and Veery scattered at small woodlots well inland, but I would guess that tomorrow the migrants may be
more concentrated close to the lake.

Weather / migration update 5/18

Discussing the state of migration in northwest Ohio, just last night I wrote that I didn't expect any south winds to bring in waves of migrants before next week. Well, around here, the weather predictions change as often as the weather, which is saying a lot. They're now calling for the winds to switch around to the southwest tonight (Friday May 18) and stay southwest or west-southwest through Saturday and Saturday night. So I expect there will be a lot of turnover -- the birds that have been here for several days may leave, but I expect there will be new ones coming in as well. Today I was still finding things like Tennessee Warbler and Veery scattered at small woodlots well inland, but I would guess that tomorrow the migrants may be more concentrated close to the lake.

Migrants everywhere in northwest Ohio

Kudos to Ben Warner for finding a Connecticut Warbler in the woods at Ottawa NWR, and thanks for the thorough and helpful report on what was happening there and at Magee Marsh. I haven't been to Magee for the last two days, but based on what I've seen elsewhere, there are migrants all over in the Western Lake Erie Marsh region. Today (Thursday May 17), for example, I was at East Harbor State Park, just east of Port Clinton, and in just an hour on the trails south of the east beach I had 18 warbler species, including Cape May, Blackpoll, Tennessee, Canada, Ovenbird, and N Parula. Greg Links checked a woodlot inside Sandusky city limits and had 20 warbler species in a short visit. Yesterday, the 16th, Kim and I had Tennessee, Magnolia, and other warblers in small patches of trees near Medusa Marsh, and we found flocks of warblers (including Yellow-rumped, Palm, and Black-throated Green) just back in the woods at the Resthaven Wildlife Area, near Castalia. The main banding station of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, located about 5 miles east of Magee, has handled hundreds of migrants for the last three days. As of today, they're up to over 1,000 Magnolia Warblers for the spring!

We haven't had south winds to bring in new waves since Tuesday, and it doesn't appear that we'll have any more before next week, but the birds are here anyway. It may be that the recent heavy rains put them down where they were, so that any sizeable woodlot within miles of Lake Erie has a good concentration of birds. The point is that there are a LOT of migrants around, and you should get out tomorrow and this weekend if you get the chance -- don't wait for it to look like "perfect" migration weather.

Magee area migration 5/15

As predicted, there were strong winds from the southwest last night and this morning, and many new migrants were evident this morning (Tuesday May 15) in the vicinity of the boardwalk at Magee Marsh, n.w. Ohio. The influx was most obvious to those of us who started off the morning along the north edge of the woods, on the edge of the parking lot and access road, where the first sunlight was hitting the trees and where there was more shelter from the wind. Birders who arrived and immediately took the boardwalk straight into the woods were generally less impressed with today's numbers. But it seemed clear to me that at least some species were more abundant than yesterday.

Conspicuous among the birds moving on the outer edge in the morning were Blue Jays (50-plus, in flocks moving over), Cedar Waxwing (about 50), and Indigo Bunting (15). About the same warbler species were present today as yesterday, but there were distinct changes in relative abundance, with a lot more Blackpoll Warblers (I saw/heard 10 today, 1 yesterday), Tennessees (8 today, 1 yesterday), Black-throated Blues (18 today, 8 yesterday), and American Redstarts (40 today, 20 yesterday). Chestnut-sided (15), Magnolia (20), and Bay-breasted (12) were still common, but less so than they had been. I had at least 20 Red-eyed Vireos and 3 Philadelphia Vireos, but not a single Ruby-crowned Kinglet today. Those are just my personal numbers from four hours on the boardwalk and vicinity, to give a sense of relative abundance, not any attempt for a complete number. The strong wind made it hard to detect birds by sight or sound and I probably found fewer than I would have under calm conditions.

An interesting note on the differences between perceived and actual bird numbers. Kim was at the main banding site for the Black Swamp Bird Observatory early in the morning before coming to join me on the boardwalk in late morning, and she pointed out that on very windy days, the total catch at the banding station seems to be reduced. Evidently the wind makes it easier for birds to see and avoid the mist nets. Also, some of the birds that were evident at the boardwalk today, such as Blue Jays and Cedar Waxwings, are high fliers that don't wind up in the banders' nets very often. So, while the banding station totals are more standardized than counts taken from field observation, they're not immune to being skewed by outside forces. All the more evidence of the fact that it takes serious attention and thought to really detect what's going on with bird numbers.

This evening there were strong storms that came through the area after 7 p.m., with near-tornadic conditions in our little burg of Rocky Ridge, and the wind shifted abruptly to the northwest. It has since shifted back to the WSW, but I expect consistent northwest winds by morning, with cooler temperatures. I doubt that many birds left tonight, aside from those that were blown right off their perches and into the lake! Numbers should still be decent tomorrow but I plan to go look at water areas to see if any odd migrant waterbirds might have been put down by the storms.