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September 1999

October - unofficial harbinger of vagrant rarities. The month certainly has brought the year's rarest bird record of the year thus far. Yesterday, Amish birders located a Long-billed Curlew in Holmes Co. The bird was photographed in the evening by Bruce Glick for the first photographic record for Ohio.There have been only two previous accepted sight records (May 1926 and May 1983). The bird was subsequently found this morning briefly before observers saw the bird lift off, circle a couple of times, and then head to the northwest - Jason Larson et al.. A number of observers searched for the bird throughout the day with no further observations as of 6:00 p.m.

The cold fronts of the past few days produced some additional fallouts of interest. Friday morning brought 16 Franklin's Gulls to the beach at Caesar Creek State Park - Larry Gara. Larry saw the 16 take off only to discover 8 remaining today. Curiously, the previous afternoon (after Larry's birds had taken off), Hank Armstrong located 8 birds due south of Caesar Creek at East Fork State Park.

At Gordon impoundment (in Cleveland) on Thursday Joe Hammond and Dan Sanders were surprised by a Yellow Rail. Joe and Dan had their first Lesser Black-backed Gull of the season at Huron Harbor. Another near adult bird was on Kelleys Island today - V.W.F.III. This bird headlined more than 90 species discovered by some intensive birding from a number of parties (Kevin Metcalf, Paula Lozano, Tom Bartlett, Sean Zadar, Brian Barchus, and Ted Gilliland, and many others.. Considering there is no standing water/marsh for waterfowl/shorebirds in the interior (North Pond is completely dry and overgrown) that is an amazing number for October. Throw in Sheldon Marsh and 105-110 species would have been a breeze for Erie County today. In Erie County, at Medusa Marsh yesterday afternoon, were two Buff-breasted Sandpiper - V.W.F.III.

Migration progress: Fox Sparrows arrived Thursday with birds at Sheldon Marsh SNP - Joe Hammond and Dan Sanders and Whiskey I. Marina - Paula Lozano and Frank Greenland. Joe and Dan still had Wood Thrushes at Lorain and Sheldon Marsh SNP on Thursday. Philadelphia Vireos were present at Sheldon Marsh SNP yesterday - fide V.W.F.III and today at Kelleys Island - Pat Hayes. A Mourning Warbler was banded at Long Point on Kelleys Island today - Tom Bartlett and an Eastern Wood-Pewee was near the Glacial Grooves - Sean Zadar et al. Yellow-breasted Chats have been reported lately but I thought a bird in full song as the sun set over Killbuck Marsh W.A. this evening was still odd - V.W.F.III. Fallout conditions were so perfect at Kelleys Island this morning (a cold front backing north as a warm front giving nocturnal migrants a headwind) that we witnessed Red-breasted Nuthatches making landfall. At least 30 were tallied on the island this morning.

Feathers & Foliage Festival is this Saturday on Kelleys Island. Check this reference for more details. Also this day on Kelleys Island will the dedication of two new state natural areas. A good turn out would give a real boost to locale conservation efforts.

John Pogacnik reports a Parasitic Jaeger past his lake watch this morning from Lakeside Metropark (Lake Co.). Nick Barber discovered a Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow at Edgewater Park (in Cleveland) yesterday. That same morning John Pogacnik found an immature Dickcissel at Chagrin River Park (Lake Co.). Based on reports from Cincinnati to Akron, there was a notable flight of Common Nighthawk Tuesday night across the state. While individuals are known to regularly linger through the first week of October, to have such a flight this late in the season is not the norm. Shorebirding at Killdeer Plains W.A. on Tuesday produced 2 more Buff-breasted Sandpiper for Joe Hammond and Dan Sanders. Meanwhile Tuesday at Ferguson Reservoir (Allen CO.) Jon Ruidisueli did well to find a resting Black Vulture.

A dark Plegadis ibis was observed flying west over the Lorain impoundment on Sunday - Ted Gilliland et al. The day before Sean Zadar reported 9 Red Crossbills in the vegetation within the impoundment.Additional evidence of a finch flight can be seen in the flock of 8 Evening Grosbeaks in Lake Co. Sunday morning - John Pogacnik

Cape May Warblers are being reported in double-digits for the first time in several fall migrations. Only a couple of years ago two dozen was a seasonal total for the state.

Shorebirds at Sheldon Marsh yesterday included 6 Stilt Sandpipers - V.W.F.III.

The traditional peak passage for Merlin and Peregrine Falcons is within a few days either side of 5 October within the Lake Erie Basin. The progression of this fall migration hints that the next cold front will afford optimal conditions for this season's peak passage; Thursday - Sunday (even if, or especially if, raining). If the trend of the past couple of seasons continues, inland locations will fare as well as the usual lakefront sites. Favored areas included the large reservoirs (e.g. C.J.Brown, Berlin, Mosquito, Hoover) as well as shorebird concentrations (e.g. Killdeer Plains). Given the proclivity for either species to cross open water, Kevin Metcalf's Sunday hawk-watch on Kelleys Island should prove interesting.

John Pogacnik reports a juvenile Sabine's Gull at the mouth of Conneaut Harbor yesterday afternoon.

Mid-week birders were out in force yesterday. Shorebirding in central stepped up a notch with the appearance of exposed mud at Pond 27 at Killdeer Plains W.A. Bill Whan and Bob Conlon report a number of species including 5 Baird's Sandpiper, 7 White-rumped Sandpipers, 11 Stilt Sandpiper, and about 60 Pectoral Sandpiper. A long, muddy walk out on the Hoover reservoir mudflats yielded 10 shorebird species for Joe Hammond and Steve Landes highlighted by 2 Dunlin and a White-rumped Sandpiper. At Conneaut Harbor yesterday, John Pogacnik had 14 species of shorebird including a Western Sandpiper, and a White-rumped Sandpiper. Nearby Walnut Beach held a Red-necked Phalarope. Another Red-necked Phalarope was seen at Berlin Reservoir last Friday - Craig Holt. Meanwhile shorebirding at Huron and Sheldon Marsh SNP remained weak - Joe Hammond.

Joe Hammond and Dan Sanders did discover a Clay-colored Sparrow along the Huron pier on Wednesday as well as contributing the first report of Rusty Blackbirds. At Sheldon Marsh a wide variety of warblers was led by a Yellow-breasted Chat; likely the same bird first noted last Friday. Also last Friday John Games reports an Evening Grosbeak at the Magee Marsh Bird Trail.Yesterday morning John Rakestraw censused a Connecticut Warbler in Fairborne(Greene Co.). I forgot to mention that American Pipits have been on the scene since the 7th at Big Island W.A. - Charlie Bombaci and a half-dozen at Medusa Marsh last Friday - V.W.F.III. They have since been reported from across the state.

A Red-necked Phalarope was present along Clark Rd. in Killbuck Marsh W.A. as of 5:00 pm yesterday - Su Snyder.

The word up north is that of a very poor cone crop. The expectation is for a strong winter finch irruption. Some hints of that have been given by the sporadic reports of early Red Crossbills, and this week a probable Evening Grosbeak. Observers should be especially keen on their feeders. During irruptions, the timing, geography, and species composition, often appears to defy logic, as northerners frequently may be first reported well south in the state. Favored first sites include the tri-county region of Hocking/Vinton/Athens counties, the Youngstown/Warren area, the high country immediately east of Cleveland (and as diurnal flybys along the nearby lakeshore), the coniferous enclaves of Mohican State Forest, Findley State Park and Hinckley Reservation (in the adjoining counties of Ashland, Lorain, and Medina), and the Oak Openings Metropark.

The big news this weekend was the widespread arrival of most of our temperate migrants. These included Dark-eyed Junco, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrushes, Winter Wren, and numerous White-throated Sparrows (After the first on the 16th in Paulding Co. - Doug & Micki Dunakin). Ruby-crowned Kinglets were numerous after first reported from the southwest on the 16th at Miami-Whitewater Forest - Lester Peyton. Purple Finches were on Kelleys Island and at Magee Marsh. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, first noted the 11th at Euclid Beach (Cuyahoga Co.) - Rob Harlan, had reached the southeast (Athens Co.) by Saturday - Dave St. John, and the southwest by Sunday (at Spring Grove Cemetery - Neill Cade). Dave's counts in Zaleski State Forest last week yielded 49 Swainson's Thrushes on Tuesday and 53 Tennessee Warblers on Wednesday making them the dominant migrants for the week. Clearly one need not be at a Lake Erie "hotspot" to enjoy significant songbird fallouts in autumn. A tough bird for the heavily forested counties of the southeast, a Lincoln's Sparrow was detected by Dave in Vinton County on Sunday. Local residents Yellow-throated Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, and Worm-eating Warbler still remain in Vinton. A migrant Yellow-breasted Chat was detected at Sheldon Marsh SNP on Friday - m.obs. Gene Wright's group found a Connecticut Warbler at Old Woman Creek SNP the same day. Another Connecticut Warbler was found by Paula Lozano and Bob Finkelstein on Saturday at the Villa Angela area of Cleveland Lakefront State Park.

Several more Golden-winged Warblers have come to light recently. A female/immature at Euclid Beach S.P. on the 11th, a male at Rocky River MP the 14th (both Rob Harlan), and on the Magee Marsh Bird Trail the 15th - Dan Sanders.

Sheldon Marsh SNP mudflats now equal the exposure seen last December when a surprising array of shorebirds were first noticed there.Virtually nothing was present yesterday after the cold front but in the days before highlights included up to 45 Sanderlings last Wednesday - Dan Sanders. Dan had 3 Red-necked Phalaropes on the nearby Huron River mudflats the same day. Medusa Marsh seems to have been overlooked lately. Despite only a small pool of water it held 5 Baird's Sandpipers, and 1 White-rumped Sandpiper on Thursday - V.W.F.III. The former species continue to be regularly reported from most shorebird concentration sites. That it is so widespread can be seen in reports from Catawba Island (Ottawa Co.) and Mud Creek (just north of Fremont) on Friday - V.W.F.III. The latter site, visible from Rt 53, is of only recent exposure and further held 80 Killdeer, 75 Lesser Yellowlegs, 15 Pectoral Sandpipers, and a Stilt Sandpiper in a very small area. Observers should be aware of similar new habitat along Lake Erie estuaries as lake levels continue to drop.

Congratulations to Bill Thompson III for putting on a terrific birding symposium this weekend at Lakeside, Ottawa County. It takes a great deal of organization and energy and from what I saw of Bill, I wondered whether he ever had a quiet moment to enjoy the fruits of his labors. I was not there for the final tally, but Glen Bernhardt's list for the symposium numbered 175 of the less controversial species by Saturday afternoon.

If you put nearly 1000 birders in a discrete area for a few days, one can anticipate some interesting bird reports. Illinois and Indiana birders independently reported a sickly/injured Least Tern along the Port Clinton Esplanade for Thursday and Friday, however I could never verify this. I did count 1270 Common Tern and 420 Forster's Tern on the exposed sandbars. If you are wondering whereof I speak, simply drive into Port Clinton (Ottawa Co.) along Rt 163. From the east, stop first at the Burger King. You can then travel almost a mile to a parking area adjacent to the express ferry to Put-in-Bay. A city park half-way along on the south side of the road also allows access to the esplanade. I call it the esplanade after its similarity to the Cairn's esplanade in Queensland, Australia.

Kevin Cook, an invited speaker from Colorado, reported a Mew Gull from the pier right in Lakeside, but again this remains unverified. That same Saturday morning on a jetty immediately across from Lakeside on Kelleys Island, I did see a very dark mantled bird among Ring-bills that I now regret not examining closer.

Paul Sherwood had two juvenile Ruff at Ottawa N.W.R. on Saturday. These birds were on the thin flats favored by the area terns just west of the American White Pelican lounging area. An American Avocet was seen nearby Friday and Saturday - m.obs.

I fear I may be losing track of all these Buff-breasted Sandpiper reports (I was hearing about them all weekend). I recall the two at Sheldon marsh SNP on Saturday - Brian Barchus and Grant Rettig, 1 at Conneaut Harbor - Bob Barrett, and 1 at Ottawa N.W.R. - Jeff McCoy. Dave Dister emailed me about his 4 birds on the causeway between Metzger and Ferguson reservoirs in Lima (Allen Co.) on Sunday.With all these reports of Buff-breasted Sandpipers from across the state, it is surprising not to have heard from the traditional stop-over site for the species, Burke-Lakefront Airport in Cleveland.

A Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow was present along the "fisherman's trail" at Headlands Beach State Park yesterday - Larry Rosche and Ray Hannikman. Ray later discovered a Buff-breasted Sandpiper along the Grand River across from the Uniroyal plant.The Marbled Godwit remains along the Old Cedar Point causeway as of yesterday - Zac Baker. Zac also had 2 Peregrines and a Merlin. Monday, walking along Hardin Creek (at Paint Creek W.A, Ross Co.), Ron Kolde et al. report 2 Sedge Wrens and a Lark Sparrow. Three American Avocet at Englewood Metropark back on the 7th was coincident with the departure of three birds from the Sheldon Marsh area a couple of days earlier - Dayton RBA.

The pair of American White Pelicans remain at Ottawa N.W.R. as of Saturday - Jeff McCoy, Brad Etter, et al. Jeff's group from Indiana did well at Sheldon Marsh SNP with 19 species of shorebirds along the Old Cedar Point causeway. Highlights included a Marbled Godwit, 6 Buff-breasted Sandpipers, a Western sandpiper, 3 White-rumped Sandpiper, and 9 Baird's Sandpiper. Five phalaropes were too far off for positive ID. Back at Ottawa they added 2 American Avocets an another Baird's Sandpiper. A banded Tundrius Peregrine Falcon was also an interesting local find.

Shorebirds were definitely the focus of birder's attention this past week. At Berlin Reservoir, one Buff-breasted Sandpiper remained through Saturday - Bob Barret. Bob also noted Baird's and White-rumped Sandpipers. On Thursday, Ben Morrison had detected 24 White-rumped Sandpipers for an impressive inland fall count. At Hoover Reservoir, the Peregrine Falcon of the past week remains through the weekend, joined there Saturday by a Merlin - Rob Thorn/ Shorebirds of interest for Rob included 3 Baird's and 4 Stilt Sandpipers.The prize for most peculiar shorebird localities was a toss-up between the Buff-breasted Sandpiper on the west campus (Parma) of the Cuyahoga County Community College Saturday - Nick Barber, and the 23 Willets along the Grand River at Hidden Valley Park (Lake Co.) on Friday - John Pogacnik. Through the 9th, a single Willet remained at Conneaut Harbor in the company of 3 White-rumped Sandpipers and 1 Stilt Sandpiper - Haans Petruschke.

Songbird migration progresses with fair numbers of warblers and thrushes noted through the weekend. New arrivals included White-crowned and Lincon's Sparrows.

A Piping Plover was present on the Huron River mudflat (as seen from River Rd.) Sunday afternoon - V.W.F.III. An immature American Avocet was present this morning at Pond 27 (west end) of Killdeer Plains W.A. - Dave St. John. Another American Avocet was present yesterday at Conneaut harbor - John Pogacnik. The day before, Walnut Beach (Ashtabula Co.) hosted a Willet - Bill Jones.

All-in-all, the week of 29 August - 4 September saw 30 species of shorebirds reported in Ohio (with the avocets and Piping Plover just missing the cut).

The pair of American White Pelicans remain through the weekend - m.obs.

The Buff-breasted Sandpiper on the beach at Buck Creek State Park last Friday was joined by another there on Sunday - Doug Overacker. Remarkably, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper was found on the beach at Lake Seneca (Williams Co.) on Saturday - Jeff Grabmeier. A Buff-breasted Sandpiper was widely observed over the weekend at Conneaut harbor - m.obs. Another Buff-breasted Sandpiperfound yesterday at Berlin Reservoir - Kent Miller was still present today - Ben Morrison. Additional shorebirds of interest there yesterday included 4 American Golden-Plover, 5 White-rumped Sandpipers. Ben had 4 Baird's last Friday and again this morning accompanied by 11 Stilt and 9 White-rumped Sandpipers. Hoover Reservoir is once again active with highlights yesterday including 4 Baird's, 1 White-rumped, and 5 Stilt Sandpipers - Adam Goloda.Peter Gottschling adds 2 Long-billed Dowitchers for the afternoon but no sign of Adam's Peregrine Falcon. At least two Peregrine's straffed Ottawa N.W.R. on Sunday - Ed Pierce et al.. American Golden-Plover reports are on the rise with two on Sunday on the Huron River flats - V.W.F.III and 1 yesterday at Conneaut. Additional highlights from Conneaut yesterday include 1 Stilt, 1 Baird's, 1 Western, and 4 White-rumped Sandpipers - John Pogacnik. John also reports 4 Red Knots at Conneaut on Saturday. Jay Lehman detected 2 Red Knots along the Old Cedar Pt causeway last Friday. Also present was an American Golden-Plover and a White-rumped Sandpiper while later at Ottawa N.W.R. Jay observed a Western Sandpiper.

Conneaut is hot and Sheldon Marsh is not. Monday, Mike Stasko and Dave LeGallee had 14 species of shorebird at Conneaut Harbor. The highlight was a pair of White-rumped Sandpipers still present yesterday - Jim Heflich. Jim also reports a Merlin at the same time. Also yesterday, Gary Meszaros was most fortunate to have a Whimbrel land within 20 feet of his camera. A Baird's Sandpiper has also been among the variety at Conneaut.

An adult Red-necked Grebe off North Perry on Lake Erie yesterday morning is not entirely unexpected with the species now nesting within the western basin of Lake Ontario - John Pogacnik. Sandhill Cranes returned to La Due Reservoir (Geauga Co.) last Friday. Three birds remain through Tuesday - Duane Ferris.

Migration progress: The thin fall migration of Golden-winged Warblers through Ohio is often difficult to detect so two reports in the past week were notable. Steve Landes and Bob Royse had a female at Batelle Darby Metropark (Columbus) yesterday. Tuesday Lester Peyton had one among a host of warblers at Miami-Whitewater Forest (Hamilton Co.). Lester's other highlights include Blackpoll an Bay-breasted Warblers. At Shawnee Lookout County Park he also had Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrush. Passing through the Navarre Marsh recently have been Mourning Warbler (Sat.), Connecticut Warbler (Sun.), Veery (Monday), while Tuesday saw another early Philadelphia Vireo and a locally uncommon Yellow-throated Vireo - Mark Shieldcastle. Mark reports the Black Swamp Bird Observatory surveyed 22 warbler species before September. Monday Rob Harlan made a stab at that figure for the day as he had 16 species of warbler on Johnson Island (Ottawa Co.). Rob also reports a Merlin Saturday at The Wilds.Tuesday I was surprised to find the Sheldon Marsh SNP White-eyed Vireo still in song. The cormorants over Big Island W.A. Sunday morning numbered 3860 in the 1 hr passage - V.W.F.III. When no Tree Swallows were seen migrating in the area on Sunday and Monday, I sought out a roosting site and found 2200 birds at Pond 27 of Killdeer Plains W.A. on Monday. While there 3 Dunlin flew overhead.

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