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September 2001

An Eared Grebe was reported late this afternoon from the Cedar Point Chausee in Erie County. The bird was discovered by Joe Hammond and Bill Whan swimming in the N-S channel on the east side of the causeway near the condos. - fide Greg Miller. While early for the species this is already our second of the season with a bird occupying the Paulding sewage lagoons for a couple of days in mid-September - another Dunakin discovery.

Bird reports have been surprisingly sparse leaving me little to write about of late. This week, an Indiana birder Jim Haw proved my suspicions correct, that there was still a good variety of shorebirds at Ottawa N.W.R. On Tuesday he noted a Hudsonian Godwit and a Red Knot among the 12 species of shorebirds present. For all the birder activity in the Ottawa/Magee area in the fall very little news seems to make its way onto the various listservs/message boards from the region. Shorebirds are not without there fans elsewhere in October. The flats look good on Hoover Reservoir at Galena still sporting 9 species yesterday for Rob Thorn including a Sanderling. At Spring Valley Wildlife Area Scott Reeves produced a White-rumped Sandpiper. Conneaut Harbor swings back and forth from desolate to productive almost daily. Tuesday was, as October goes, productive for Bob Royse highlighted by a White-rumped Sandpiper and a Willet. At another inland site, St. Mary's which seems to pick up in October, a Ruddy Turnstone was present last Sunday - Jonathan Ruedisueli. The Dunakins also report a couple of White-rumped Sandpipers from Paulding lagoons for much of last few days.

Songbirds of the expected kind have been just a touch early in the north and perhaps in better numbers than we have been accustomed to in recent years. Winter Wren is enjoying a good season as apparently is Cape May Warbler. The usual abundance of Yellow-rumped Warbler has been detected across the state these past few days. The sparrows have provided the more exciting finds with a Le Conte's Sparrow headlining out of the Toledo area last Sunday - Chuck Anderson. The day before saw the report of a Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow by the observation deck at Conneaut Harbor - John Pogacnik. Dark-eyed Junco reached Hocking County yesterday - Jim Fry. Mark Shieldcastle reported the season's first Lapland Longspur last week out at Navarre Marsh right on time. Even so Bob Royse's 10-15 at Conneaut Harbor Tuesday was a very healthy number for the first week of October.

Perhaps the most significant bird note from the weekend festival on Kelleys Island was the raptor numbers. In particular the Merlin numbers (including 4 on Sunday). On a hourly basis, can anyone identify for me a better fall location for this species in Ohio than Kelleys Island? Or for that matter, any time of the year? My roughly 600 hrs of formal spring hawk-watching in the Western Basin has yielded roughly 10 sightings. My roughly 30 hrs during the fall migration on Kelleys Island (none hawk-watching) has produced 6 sightings. I suspect Conneaut in spring is still your best bet for multiple birds in a day during migration but the apparent island hopping by fall migrant raptors across the Lake Erie Islands warrants closer scrutiny by ornithologists - V.W.F.III.

A Snow Goose set down at Sandy Ridge Metropark a week ago Saturday - Charlotte Horace & Jack Smitth. The northeast seems to get a late September individual (Mosquito Lake anyone?) most every year. Could there be anything to the notion that such a bird is off the Atlantic flyway explaining the apparent discrepancy between these September birds inthe northeast and the late October arrival in the Western Basin (Mississippi flyway birds)? While the Snow Goose was on time, if the Horned Grebe already off Kelleys Island Saturday - Kevin Metcalf is any guide, we can anticipate that October waterbird migration may be as much ahead of schedule as the songbirds. I understand large numbers of Brant have already made themselves known at the western end of Lake Ontario this week.

Another significant landfall of songbird migrants overnight. Catharus thrushes and White-throated Sparrows could be heard in the early morning fog throughout Shaker Hts. (Cuyahoga Co.) this morning. In moments shortly after 6:00 am, I could pick out 8 Swainson's and a single Gray-cheeked Thrush. A Lesser Black-backed Gull still lingers at Conneaut Harbor today. While the path around the west end of Lake Erie is well known for fall migrant raptors, the trickle along the south shore from the east is rarely measured. Sporadic observation while in Conneaut Harbor from the lakeshore alone yielded a Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, and 54 Turkey Vultures over the course of a couple of hours. Shorebirds were few but three juvenile Baird's Sandpipers were especially approachable.- V.W.F.III

A migrant White-eyed Vireo was detected today in Parma (Cuyahoga Co.) - Gabe Leidy. We have a poor understanding of the fall migration of this species in northern Ohio. Just last Monday three residents at Resthaven W.A. (Erie Co.) were still holding territory singing vigorously - V.W.F.III.

There has been some speculation regarding the prospect for a Boreal Chickadee invasion into the southern Great Lakes this winter. Certainly the report of birds on the move at Duluth MN a month ago (where an October appearance is the norm) bodes well for such a movement. There is also the synchrony with what some have perceived as a 14-16 year cycle for the species. The winter of 1986-87 saw perhaps the greatest modern invasion. Individuals were all along the north shore of Lake Erie with a few seen departing the tip of Pt. Pelee in a southerly direction. I counted more than 2000 that spring at Whitefish Pt. MI on their return flight. I have been awaiting the next invasion ever since. Historical records point to the northeast as an area to look for the species this coming winter, but I would also be keen to listen for their chickadee call with its telltale nasal nuance somewhere on the Bass isles of Lake Erie.

The Little Blue Heron at Hoover Reservoir (at Oxbow Island in the first bay north of the causeway - Rob Thorn) was last seen Tuesday - Joe Hammond.

Here is the bird as it first appeared on the 1st of the month. Photo courtesy Chris and Dawn McCoy. Copyright 2001

Note my reference to THIS weekend's Kelleys Island birding festival has been corrected to read NEXT weekend's (by which I mean the 29th Sep.) Another birding open house is scheduled the same weekend at The Wilds.

The birds continue their peregrinations

Recent cold fronts have spurred sizeable movements of songbird migrants into the Lake Erie Basin. No where was this more noticeable this weekend than along the Erie County shoreline - especially as detected on Sunday's census of Kelleys Island. More than 400 warblers were found although the canopy hugging nature of fall migrants precluded identification of all but 150. Of these, the species found most often were Blackpoll, American Redstart, and Magnolia Warbler. All in all, 18 species of warbler were found with none of the skulky Oporornis or Seiurus detected. If you are planning on attending NEXT weekend's fall birding festival on Kelleys Island you should be aware that the trees lining the boulevard along the southwest shoreline are as productive as anywhere else on the island, especially during a NE wind when presumably the birds find it easier to forage for insects in the lee of the wind. The quarry immediately below the Glacial Grooves was also productive. A number of migrants commonly not seen for another week were found in surprising numbers including Winter Wren (10 - that's one more than the entire 1999 census combined), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (7), Purple Finch (26), White-throated Sparrow (24), plus a Blue-headed Vireo and a Hermit Thrush. A staggering number of Catharus thrush were present. During the opening hours of the morning when these birds are most vocal we detected more than 100; roughly 75% Swainson's and 25% Gray-cheeked Thrush. Many more likely present but vocalizations ceased by mid-morning (or half-way through the census) and in the dense foliage they were no longer detectable by our roadside survey. Curiously we failed to find any Veery or Wood Thrush though these species were readily found on the mainland at Sheldon marsh SNP. There was a noticeable influx of raptors over the weekend with Sharp-shinned Hawk leading the way. Individuals were scattered along the lakeshore from Resthaven W.A. to Lorain.

Shorebirds are still to be seen in some variety although many of the sites so prolific in August are quickly drying up and vegetation taking hold. This is especially true of Sheldon Marsh, Meadowbrook Lake, and Little Portage estuary. Saturday saw the Marbled Godwit along the Cedar Point Chaussee still present accompanied by 3 Red-necked Phalaropes - courtesy PA birders. Whilst there we were entertained by an adult Tundrius Peregrine Falcon which reduced the plover flock by one. There had been up to 8 American Golden-Plover and 6 Black-bellied Plover before its appearance. Conneaut Harbor yesterday held 2 Baird's Sandpipers and a Red Knot - Gary Meszaros.

National Day of Prayer & Remembrance

Regional RBAs have been reporting a new influx of gulls into the Great Lakes including a couple of Sabine's Gulls. At Conneaut Harbor yesterday John Pogacnik obtained a fine shot of another early Lesser Black-backed Gull. Select the image for a much larger view.

During the shorebird reserve dedication walk at Ottawa N.W.R. a couple of weeks ago participants were treated to views of the leucistic Caspian Tern that had been present a week or so. Holding a digital camera up to a 50x Kowa, Tom Bartlett obtained this photodocumentation that morning.



Not a pretty picture perhaps but like the American White Pelican image posted a few weeks ago, this bird was about 250 yards away.

Songbird migration is in full swing. Many warbler species have been reported including several Connecticuts. One gets the sense that the fall songbird flight is about a week ahead of where it has been in recent years.

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maintained by Victor W. Fazio III / last modified 26 Nov. 2000