Midges, migrants, and Connecticut Warbler

As of Thursday, Sept. 25, there are still excellent numbers of warblers and other migrants in the woods behind the Observatory. There was a large emergence of midges in the area Wednesday night. We know from studies here and elsewhere around the Great Lakes that midges provide a major food source for warblers and other insectivorous migrants, so the abundance of these small insects in the Lake Erie Marshes is one reason why the lakeshore region of northwest Ohio is so spectacular for birding. To the uninitiated, these big emergences of adult midges can be a little unnerving, because the midges (family Chironomidae) look somewhat like mosquitoes. But they don't bite, they're totally harmless, and they help the songbirds fatten up to survive the next leg of their migration, so we should be glad to see them. One notable result today (Sept. 25) was a Connecticut Warbler seen at the new water feature that's right outside Anna's Window on Wildlife, inside the Observatory building. It didn't stay long and I don't know if it will be back, but certainly people will be looking tomorrow. The Black Swamp Bird Observatory is located just north of Rt. 2 at the entrance to Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, and at this season it's open to the public from 11 to 5 on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

Weekend Sept. 20-21 migration

In the area of Magee Marsh / Ottawa NWR, numbers and variety of migrant songbirds have been very good over the weekend of Sept. 20-21. More than 20 species of warblers were seen each day, as well as good numbers of vireos, thrushes, and other migrants. Blackpoll Warbler has been the most numerous species, but Magnolias, Cape Mays, Am. Redstarts, and others also have been present in good numbers. Most flycatchers have gone through already (although I saw a few Least Flycatchers) and the big influx of sparrows has not arrived yet (although a few Lincoln's Sparrows and others were around).

For the last three days -- Friday through Sunday -- the numbers of birds have been excellent in the immediate area of the BSBO center, just north of Rt 2 at the entrance to Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. The new water feature right outside "Anna's Window on Wildlife" in the Observatory has been attracting a steady parade of warblers and other migrants, with knockout views of Gray-cheeked Thrush, good comparisons of Blackpoll and Bay-breasted Warblers, and other treats.

Numbers of birds also have been fairly good at the famous Magee boardwalk, but in general the birds seem to be spread out over a wider area. The Observatory is a mile south of the Lake Erie shoreline, and it appears that these migrants are using a band of habitat more than a mile wide rather than concentrating along the immediate lakeshore as they sometimes do in spring.

Tips for finding fall warblers

The Lake Erie shoreline in northwestern Ohio is great for finding migrant songbirds in both spring and fall, but fall birding takes a slightly different approach. In spring, you can find most of the warblers and other migrants just by wandering along the Magee boardwalk and stopping where you see clusters of birders. In fall, the birders are less numerous and the warblers and other birds are less conspicuous.

Fall warblers are generally not singing, and they even seem to give fewer callnotes. Perhaps it's because they still have much of their journey ahead of them when they come through northern Ohio, and they're intent on feeding and fattening up for the next flight. With less of the flamboyant energy of spring, the birds are quieter and less noticeable.

In fall, even more than in spring, there's a tendency for the warblers to be in flocks. These flocks may be loosely constituted, but there may be anywhere from half a dozen to thirty or forty birds traveling in the same general area. In between flocks, you may not see anything at all. So if you're birding an area like the Magee boardwalk or any of the local trails, if you see one warbler, you should pause and observe the area for a while: there's a good chance that other warblers are nearby. Likewise, if you encounter chickadees, there may be warblers flocking with them. Today on the boardwalk, each time I found one or two warblers or chickadees, I wound up spending at least 15 minutes in that exact area, and each time I found several more warblers and other migrants with them.

Just as in spring, the birds concentrate where the food is, and insects make up much of their diet. Today the wind was a light breeze from the northeast, and there were no warblers at all on the north or east side of any woodlots I checked -- they were all on the south or west sides, out of the breeze, where presumably the insects were easier to find. If you don't find migrants right away, it's always a good idea to check the sheltered side of the woods. If you're out early on a chilly morning, the warblers are likely to concentrate on the east edge, on the first areas that the sun hits, because the insects will become active there first.

Right now the dogwoods have a lot of fruit on them. In the Magee area these are mostly Rough-leaved Dogwood, with abundant white berries, and these are very popular with certain birds such as vireos and thrushes. Spending some time near heavily fruiting dogwoods can provide you with great eye-level views of Red-eyed Vireos, Philadelphia Vireos, and Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrushes. Even warblers will feed on these berries, though they seem to pick at them rather than swallowing them whole most of the time. Today I watched a Blackpoll Warbler picking at one cluster of dogwood berries for more than two minutes.

Fall birding may take more patience, but in its own way it can be just as rewarding as spring birding, and it can increase our appreciation for the feats of migration performed by these small travelers.

Migration update Sept. 19

During the week of Sept. 14-19 we've had several days with good numbers of fall migrant songbirds in n.w. Ohio. Today, Friday Sept. 19, there were at least 20 species of warblers found in the immediate area of Magee Marsh / Ottawa Natl Wildlife Refuge. I saw more Blackpoll Warblers than any other species, but there were also decent numbers of Magnolias, Am. Redstarts, and Cape Mays. Relatively "early-fall" migrants were still in evidence, with Canada and Wilson's Warblers in small numbers. I was most surprised to see a Blue-winged Warbler, one of the classic "early" migrants, on the Magee boardwalk only a few yards away from an Orange-crowned Warbler, which is a classic "late" migrant among warblers. However, the late shift definitely has not taken over yet: I saw only one Yellow-rumped Warbler, a harbinger of the hordes yet to come, and I saw numbers of Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrushes but no Hermit Thrushes (Hermits will be the main brown thrushes around in October).

With light northeast winds today, birds were scarce on the north side of the woods near the beach, easier to find a little farther south. One of today's hot spots was at the BSBO office / nature center itself. "Anna's Window on Wildlife" has been a source of delight for visitors for the last three years; recently it has become even more so with the addition of a rain garden and water feature, made possible by a grant from Audubon Ohio. The water feature attracts warblers like magic. I stopped at BSBO briefly today, and immediately saw Wilson's, Magnolia, and Blackpoll Warblers, plus Red-eyed Vireo, in the vicinity of the water. According to those who were there longer, the water was attracting a steady trickle of warblers, thrushes, and vireos all day. (Thanks to John Sawvel, Hugh Rose, and Kim Kaufman for info on this.)

Tonight -- Friday night, Sept. 19 -- the wind is supposed to swing around from east-northeast toward the south, and if it happens early enough, many of these migrants should stick around for the weekend. A bird banding demonstration is scheduled for 10 - 11:30 a.m. Saturday Sept 20 at the BSBO office, just north of Rt 2 at the entrance to the Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. This demo is free and open to the public. Also on Saturday there will be a "BSBO Lunch Lecture" at the same place, from 12:30 to 2 p.m., for a nominal charge of $7 (members) or $10 (non-members). Lunch is included, and this Saturday's program will be by Ethan Kistler -- a phenomenal young birding expert -- talking about the nocturnal flight calls of migrating birds. If you're going to be out, consider coming to BSBO to learn about migrant birds from all angles!

Warbler migration picking up

The warbler migration had been fairly slow and scattered through last Friday, but with the shift of winds to the north on Friday night, Sept. 5, the numbers of warblers and other songbirds picked up substantially in the general area of Magee Marsh and Ottawa NWR. There has been a surprising amount of activity at the BSBO office (just north of Rt. 2 on the entrance road to Magee Marsh Wildlife Area), specifically at the new water feature outside the window on wildlife. Numerous warblers, including Wilson's, Canada, Magnolia, Mourning, and Ovenbird, have been seen visiting the water. Other migrants seen out the window here have included Swainson's Thrush and Philadelphia Vireo. Numbers and variety have been decent at the Magee boardwalk as well. With a few small fronts moving through the area, I expect the warbler numbers and variety to continue to be good for the next several days.

Maumee Bay SP terns and LBBG

In years past I've found early September to be a great time for studying terns at Maumee Bay State Park. Today (Friday Sept. 5) I visited and found about 300 terns resting on the beach there -- my estimates were roughly 160 Common Terns, 120 Forster's Terns, and 20 Caspian Terns. The opportunity to compare a lot of Forster's and Commons side by side makes it easier to recognize the species when we see smaller numbers of them separately. Right now there are still a few adult Commons that are mostly in breeding plumage, but most of the birds are in transitional plumages and showing a lot of variation. With the birds resting at close range, it's possible to check the identifications of odd individuals by considering their bill shapes, as the Common's bill is distinctly smaller and narrower, more attenuated toward the tip. When the birds get up and fly around (as happens periodically when they're disturbed), it's possible to study their flight patterns also. (While I was watching them today, all the terns took off at once, and out of the corner of my eye I saw two large dogs bounding down the beach; then I took a second look at realized that the "dogs" were White-tailed Deer!)

The flocks of gulls resting on the beaches and in the parking lots today (mostly Ring-billed, some Herring and Bonaparte's Gulls) included a single one-year-old Lesser Black-backed Gull in the 2nd lot back from the beach -- this species shows up more frequently in winter here. Along the water's edge on the beach were single juveniles of Sanderling and Ruddy Turnstone. Brian Zwiebel had seen a Buff-breasted Sandpiper in the grass near the beach a few days ago but I didn't see it today.

Tricolored Heron continues near Sandusky

As of Sunday, August 31, an adult Tricolored Heron continues in Medusa Marsh, west of Sandusky and southeast of Port Clinton. The bird was first discovered by Jen Brumfield a week ago and has been seen off and on since. This is a rare visitor to northwestern Ohio, not found every year. To locate the bird, go to the junction of Rt. 2 and Rt. 269 South, just on the south side of Sandusky Bay, and turn north toward Bay View. From the overpass over Rt. 2, if you look toward the northeast, you'll see a large open area of shallow water and exposed flats surrounded by marsh and phragmites. To view this area, you have to go north (downhill) about fifty yards to a wide spot where you can park, and then walk back uphill along the road shoulder toward the interchange to get high enough to see over the vegetation.

I was there this afternoon and the Tricolored Heron was out in the middle of the open area. It was not at all obvious and took some scanning to find; and although it would have been identifiable through binoculars, a telescope is very helpful here for getting decent looks. Other birds out on the flats included at least 20 Snowy Egrets, several Caspian Terns and Forster's Terns, one Bonaparte's Gull, two American Golden-Plovers, good numbers of Semipalmated Plovers, Killdeers, and Lesser Yellowlegs, a few dowitchers and "peeps" at great distance, many Blue-winged Teal, and a few Northern Shovelers and Green-winged Teal. A couple of times, Bald Eagles made low passes over the area, causing many of the birds (including the Tricolored Heron) to get up and fly around before landing again.

Best current shorebirding in Ohio

Late August is a great time for shorebirding in northwestern Ohio if you can find areas of good habitat. A lot of shorebirds are using habitat in the state Wildlife Areas and the Ottawa Natl Wildlife Refuge near the lakeshore, but access to the best spots is difficult. Right now the easiest shorebird viewing is a little farther south -- south of Sandusky and east of Fremont -- in areas of flooded farm fields just west of Bellevue, along the Seneca - Sandusky county line.

Here are notes on some specific spots, with notable birds that I observed at these places on Friday, August 22 (I saw a total of 16 shorebird species and well over 1000 individuals). To find these spots, consult any detailed road atlas, such as the DeLorme Atlas for Ohio. All observation should be from the road shoulder, since all of these places are on private property.

Seneca County, pond on the north side of C34 between T79 and T80, a mile south of the county line: the pond is some distance away from the road, so a telescope is essential. Parking is a challenge as well, since the road shoulders are narrow; exercise extreme caution here. The water level is a lot lower from last week but on 8/22 the pond still had 163 Killdeer, 71 Lesser Yellowlegs, 4 Greater Yellowlegs, 4 Pectoral Sandpipers, 2 Short-billed Dowitchers, about 20 Least Sandpipers, and one Baird's Sandpiper.

Seneca County, pond on east side of T80, half a mile south of the county line: again, water level is down, but the pond had a surprising 9 Stilt Sandpipers on August 22. Other birds included 14 Pectoral, one Solitary, 2 Spotted, one Semipalmated, and 28 Least Sandpipers, 41 Killdeer, and 6 Lesser Yellowlegs. One female Yellow-headed Blackbird was with the starlings and Red-wings on the shore.

Sandusky County, flooded area on both sides of the railroad tracks on T292 (Riddle Rd) just north of the county line: The "road closed, high water" signs are still there, but there's no longer any water across the road south of the tracks, and only a narrow strip across the road north of the tracks. Off to the sides, though, there is still a very large flooded area, with hundreds of shorebirds present. On August 22, highlights at this spot included a juvenile Wilson's Phalarope, 2 adult Black-bellied Plovers, and several Semipalmated Plovers. In one section I counted 57 Stilt Sandpipers, a great concentration any time for Ohio. (Only two of those were adults, the rest juveniles.) A couple of quick sample counts indicated that there were well over 300 Lesser Yellowlegs and over 200 Pectoral Sandpipers here, over 200 Least Sandpipers, and at least 150 Semipalmated Sandpipers. The numbers of shorebirds were in stark contrast to their scarcity of the previous Saturday, when repeated passes by a young Peregrine Falcon apparently had moved some things out. This area continues to hold many Pied-billed Grebes and a variety of ducks, including a bedraggled Bufflehead, a species that rarely summers in Ohio.

Sandusky County, flooded area on 205 (Bonham Rd) between 296 and 288, north of US 20: no shorebirds here except a few Killdeers and a Solitary. Still a lot of water. This area still held American Coots, Common Moorhens, and many ducks; it seems like a place where some really odd rarities could show up.

Sandusky County, flooded area on 175 (South Ridge Rd) east of 278, or about 2 miles east-northeast of US 20: Most of the water is gone, but the remaining four patches of water and the surrounding flats were crowded with birds, including a beautiful juvenile Red-necked Phalarope, 5 juvenile Baird's Sandpipers, one adult White-rumped Sandpiper, and 3 adult Black-bellied Plovers. Other birds there were 5 Semipalmated Plovers, 100-plus Killdeer, 4 Spotted Sandpipers, 3 Solitary Sandpipers, 100-plus Lesser Yellowlegs, 50-plus Semipalmated Sandpipers, 100-plus Least Sandpipers, 100-plus Pectoral Sandpipers, 42 Stilt Sandpipers, and 18 Short-billed Dowitchers.

The numbers and variety present right now make this the best current shorebirding in Ohio. It should continue to be good until the water dries up, which may happen soon at a couple of these sites if we don't get more rain. In the meantime, though, I expect there's daily turnover, and some of these spots would be worth checking every day for some exciting studies of migratory shorebirds.

Timing of shorebird migration

Shorebird migration seems to be proceeding at a normal pace in northwestern Ohio, in terms of both numbers and timing. Areas of shorebird habitat have been changing constantly over the last six weeks ... as is also normal. Stopover habitats for shorebirds are changeable by their very nature -- changing by the hour in tidal situations at the coast, changing by the day inland, as low-lying areas flood or dry up. The shorebirds, ever adaptable, are quick to take advantage of new habitat, quick to move on when it loses its appeal. Most migratory shorebirds are such strong fliers that they can keep going for hundreds of miles, at least, until they happen to find a good spot. In an inland region like Ohio, when an area of good habitat appears, shorebirds migrating over will drop in. So these temporary habitats give us a chance to take a sample of what is passing overhead.

I had a chance to sample what was pausing in the back country of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge on Friday, Aug. 8, and today, Monday, Aug. 11, when I tagged along with a team doing research there. (Unfortunately, as reported earlier, the auto tour at Ottawa won't be open this weekend, owing to unforeseen delays in construction, but the main shorebird concentrations right now are away from the auto tour anyway.) These are my very rough numbers from one major impoundment from today, estimated when I wasn't up to my knees in glutinous mud:
Semipalmated Plover 20 (mostly adults)
Killdeer 35
Greater Yellowlegs 14 (mostly adults)
Lesser Yellowlegs 90 (more juveniles than adults)
Solitary Sandpiper 15 (those seen well were adults)
Spotted Sandpiper 10 (adults and juvs)
Semipalmated Sandpiper 120 (roughly equal numbers of adults and juvs)
Least Sandpiper 200 (more juvs than adults)
Pectoral Sandpiper 40 (adults)
Stilt Sandpiper 2 (juvs)
Short-billed Dowitcher 25 (1 adult, the rest juvs)
Wilson's Snipe 4
The mix on Friday 8/8 was similar, but with the addition of one Long-billed Dowitcher and two Dunlin, and larger numbers of Short-billed Dowitchers. Also on Friday, slightly fewer of the Semi and Least Sandpipers were juveniles.

I'm not mentioning these birds to frustrate birders who can't get into closed areas of the refuge, but just to indicate that there are indeed good numbers migrating through. Fortunately, I didn't see anything rare on the refuge, and all of these species could be expected in visits to the Bellevue ponds and other accessible sites.

The timing of dowitcher migration is worthy of special mention. Hundreds of Short-billed Dowitchers were passing through the area a month ago; for example, I counted 86 on one impoundment at Pickerel Creek on July 4, and others had higher counts there. Western Ottawa County had very heavy rains in early July, causing damage to some local crops but creating temporary shorebird habitat, and many dowitchers (all adult Short-billeds of the prairie race, hendersoni) paused in these flooded fields. On July 10 I saw a dozen in a flooded front yard in the town of Rocky Ridge! July is the peak migration season for adult Short-billeds here; by now the great majority of the adults have departed, and numbers of juveniles have not yet reached their peak. Meanwhile, a few adult Long-billed Dowitchers can be expected now, but juveniles aren't likely to show up until September.

Many areas of shorebird habitat near the lakeshore are far more accessible to the birds than to the birders. For good viewing, for the time being, it's probably best to keep checking the flooded fields near Bellevue. One particularly good spot recently has been on TR 292 just north of the Sandusky/Seneca County line; a few days ago, these ponds still had four Black-necked Stilts and three Wilson's Phalaropes.

Mid-August is a great time to be looking at shorebirds. The differences between adults and juveniles are very obvious for many species now, and the juveniles are particularly beautiful in their crisp new plumage. Paying attention to the ages of shorebirds in fall will really pay off in increased understanding of the timing of their migrations. For most species, the adults migrate south before the juveniles, and keeping this in mind will help you to make sense out of what you're seeing.

Pickerel Creek shorebirds

Right now, as far as I know, the single best shorebird spot in n.w. Ohio is one of the impoundments at Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area, on the north side of Rt 6 in Sandusky County, about 7 miles east of Fremont. From the southwest corner of the wildlife area (corner of CR 256/Pearson Rd and Rt 6), continue east on Rt 6; in a little over half a mile you'll pass an observation platform on the north side of the road, and a quarter mile past that is a pulloff next to a pumphouse. If you park next to the pumphouse you can walk east on a dike that runs along the south side of a shallow impoundment that has excellent shorebird habitat now, with shallow water and exposed mudflats. On Friday, July 4, I counted the following there: Killdeer 24, Spotted Sandpiper 5, Lesser Yellowlegs 53, Short-billed Dowitcher 86, Least Sandpiper 104, Dunlin 3, and American Avocet 1.

This is the beginning of the fall shorebird migration, and aside from the Dunlins (surprisingly early) and the Am Avocet (surprising anytime), today's species composition was as expected. Lesser Yellowlegs show up in numbers before Greaters, Least Sandpipers show up before Semipalmateds. Within a few days or a couple of weeks, if the habitat remains as good as it is now, the diversity of shorebirds should pick up even more.

Incidentally, if you go back to Pearson Rd / CR 256 and go north a little over a mile, there's a pullout on the right with an interpretive sign about the Prairie Fringed White Orchid. As Su Snyder pointed out a few days ago, there are Sedge Wrens singing in the field east of this sign. On July 4 (in addition to seeing 2 Sedge Wrens), in a brief search northeast of the sign, I found 7 of the orchids blooming, and they're worth seeing as well.