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October 1998

The Akron Harris's Sparrow remains as of Sunday - Doug Overacker. Doug also reports 2 Least Sandpipers at C.J.Brown Reservoir (Clark Co.). Bill Jones reports 25+ Greater Yellowlegs from a Canfield (Mahoning Co.) area Fish Farm over the weekend; a good number for northern Ohio this late in the season. Lingering Semipalmated Plovers were noted Sunday with 2 at LaDue Reservoir (off Auburn Rd) - Larry Rosche and 1 yesterday at Conneaut harbor - Joe Hammond and Bill Whan. Joe also reports 7 Black-bellied Plover and 175 Dunlin, and 2 Greater Yellowlegs at Conneaut. A Horned Grebe there was just one of several individuals scattered across the Lake Erie shoreline and south to C.J.Brown Reservoir this weekend - m.obs. One Hudsonian Godwit remains at Mosquito Lake as of yesterday - Joe Hammond. Mild temps and an abundant food crop are lowering expectations at feeders. On Sunday the Pond 6 area of Killdeer Plains W.A. held at least 240 American Goldfinches foraging in the weedy fields. An American Tree Sparrow was near Pond 27 today - V.W.F.III. Northern Shrikes debuted this week with a bird yesterday at Big Island Wildlife Area (eastern dike along LaRue-Prospect Rd.) - John Rakestraw and another yesterday at Girdled Road Reservation (Concord Twp, Lake Co.) - John Pogacnik. John also reports a Rough-legged Hawk just south of Lakeshore Metropark yesterday. It's getting to be time for western songbird strays. A close examination of towhees in late fall and early winter may reveal the Spotted variety to be no more unusual than an "Oregon" junco. One of many questions in Ohio ornithology.

Birding Big Island W.A. : There is no waterfowl hunting pemitted Mon/Wed./Fri. and none after 12:00 noon

Piping Plover Alert! - The coming week represents about the latest that Piping Plover may reasonably occur within the Lake Erie basin - albeit rarely. That means the bulk of the year's migration has passed with no report of the species for Ohio reaching my desk. Should that hold true for the Ohio Cardinal reports at the end of the year this shall be the first year with nary a sighting. The middle of the end of Great Lakes Piping Plovers?

I was leaning toward Ringed Turtle--Dove regarding the bird below primarily on the paleness of the bird but paused on the question of how much the image may have been overexposed. Since then comments by Greg Links and Joe Hammond have pushed me off my fence squarely on the side of Ringed Turtle-Dove. Both Greg and Joe comment on the boxier nature of Eurasian Collared Dove, among other features, something I had not appreciated, but then my own Florida experience with the species is limited to telephone wire views. And they are both correct, I think, in that the bird is too small for Eurasian Collared Dove.

This dove appeared at a Carroll Co. feeder (vicinity of Sherrodsville) last June. You may recall my making some noises about the real possibility of a Eurasian Collared Dove visiting Ohio from its exploding Florida stronghold. Ohio is in an ever smaller minority of midwestern states without a record. After the spring question mark, this summer there was intriguing speculation from Nick Barber regarding a possible sighting, and now this photo. The original (of which I only received a color photocopy) is just as blurred as you see here. From what I can see, not enough detail exists to separate this bird from the Ringed Turtle-Dove, of which Ohio has a history of escapee/releases. Vocalizations and tail detail is required. Still, this should offer readers a more tangible reason to be aware this winter of some weird dove that your neighbor insists is at his/her feeder. Photo courtesy Ella Perkins.

The Akron Harris's Sparrow remains as of Saturday - Jenny Brumfield/Brad Bolton. The Mosquito Lake Hudsonian Godwit flock had diminished to 4 birds by Saturday - Jenny Brumfield with two remaining yesterday - Dave Hochadel. More from Jenny. Lake LaFarge (adjacent to Lake Rockwell, Portage Co.) hosted a Red-throated Loon on Thursday but was not relocated on Friday. - Larry Rosche and Craig Holt. A juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull was a highlight on Kelleys Island Saturday - John Pogacnik. John also reports flocks of Snow Buntings including 16 at Lakeshore MP on Friday. A concentration of 142 Great Egret seen last Tue. from a pulloff from Rt 53 at the mouth of Muddy Creek (Sandusky Co.). was notable for the date. This continues the decade's trend of more Great Egrets lingering later in the fall season. One Great Egret remains at Killdeer Plains W.A. yesterday. Killdeer Plains is very dry but still harbored 5 Common Snipe, 34 Long-billed Dowitcher, 43 Dunlin, and 65 Killdeer yetserday. 25 Oct. Conneaut notes from Nick Barber. Nick also reports 4 Stilt Sandipers from the Ohio side of the Pymatuning Reservoir causeway yesterday. Jason Larson reported 1 Greater Yellowlegs and 1 Black-bellied Plover for the Wilds last Wed.

The Akron Harris's Sparrow remains as of today - fide Seiberling Naturealm staff. The Shaker Lakes American White Pelican remains as of Wed. Six Hudsonian Godwits remain at Mosquito Lake, in the water just off the island Northeast of East Mahan Denman Road, yesterday - Nancy Brundage - down from Craig Holt's 7 on Sunday.

The Seiberling Nature Center Harris's Sparrow remains as of yesterday - Joe Hammond. The La Due Reservoir Sandhill Cranes remain as of Sunday - Don Burlett et al. A Magnificent Frigatebird was reported for Saturday by the ornithology class of Ohio University - Don Miles. The immature bird was apparently seen flying from Middle Harbor (Catawba Island) toward Port Clinton (Ottawa Co.). Of note, is a coincident report in Michigan last week. While the previous frigatebird records from Ohio have been assigned to this species, I believe most Michigan records are listed as frigatebird spp. given the difficulty in separating immatures.

Elsewhere : There were 43 Dunlin at the mudflat of Pond 27 Killdeer Plains W.A. yesterday. The recent rain has given new life to the shorebirding here. John Pogacnik reports an astounding (for October) flock of 6 Lesser Black-backed Gulls (4 ad. / 3 TY) at Lakeshore Metropark on Sunday. I commented on this species last year wherein I noted the Ohio presence of the species seems to have been stepped up a notch in the past 3-4 years. A late Bobolink was also reported at Lakeshore MP on Sunday. The pair of Snow Geese at "The Wilds" (Muskingum Co.) were still present as of Saturday. The area also hosted an adult Rough-legged Hawk - Jason Larson.

The Seiberling Nature Center Harris's Sparrow remains as of Friday - Haans Petruschke. Here are directions. The La Due Reservoir Sandhill Cranes remain as of yesterday afternoon - Nick Barber. It has been a Merlin kind of autumn this year. Latest sightings include two birds on Kelleys Island. An adult male which repeatedly dove on a Sharp-shinned Hawk for the 10 minutes we watched, and an immature female perched at the edge of a pond with a good view of all the Yellow-rumped Warblers coming in off the Lake from the north only the drop out of the sky all over the island. I think the Northern Mockingbird was a first for the 12 month old island census. - Tom Bartlett et al..

For the latest on rarities be sure to scroll down to Friday's listing. This entry catches up on the past week's migration. Also checkout the immature Harris's Sparrow I chased into a net last Saturday (at left). Note the extensive rufous across the breast, somewhat atypical. Compare this Nebraska bird (I was attending the Inland Bird Banding Association meeting) with the cooperative Akron bird.

1st OLD news: An unidentified female hummingbird visited the "Window on Wildlife" feeders (Toledo metroparks) 1 Oct. - Jerry Klug., shortly thereafter the feeders were taken down - sigh. On the other hand, "Back to the Wild" rehabber Mona Rutger is keeping the faith with her feeders still up. Mona passed along a report of a Rufous Hummingbird for "weeks" last fall into mid-November in the Toledo area before it was taken by a cat. No report of the species had come to light previously for last fall which would have been the first miss in 10 years. Unfortunately, the record must remain listed unverified without preserved remains. I mentioned Snowy Egrets at Pipe Creek W.A. back in August. At the time, I imagined they were from the West Sister I. colony (which reached 12 pairs last year). Mark Shieldcastle has informed me that Snowy Egrets nested for the first time in Ohio away from West Sister on Turning Pt. Island (home to the only Cattle Egret colony). This is only a couple of miles from Pipe Creek W.A. Mark further told me of a flock of SIX Ross's Geese this past winter in the southwest with no less than 4 of these birds collected. One or more of these are destined for the display at Magee Marsh W.A. This makes 7 birds taken in Ohio from amongst 10 individuals reported by hunters. Coupled with documented sight records roughly 17 birds in the past 10 years contrasts sharply with the 2 records prior to 1989 (first state record 1982). Their arctic breeding grounds have extended eastward rapidly and so has the flyway.

Back to the present: This Friday around 3:00 pm an adult Golden Eagle soared lazily over the RT 269/Rt 2 interchange at Medusa Marsh. Great views as this bird seem to butt up against the open water of the bay only to drift eastward toward Sandusky. Notable at Medusa Marsh were 2 Caspian Tern, while 63 Common Tern were still present at East Harbor State Park. The usual fall buildup of Mute Swan at East Harbor has reached 20 birds with another 4 across the bay at Medusa Marsh - V.W.F.III. Also on Friday, a Merlin and 2 Sandhill Crane were at LaDue Reservoir - Sean Zadar et al.. Apparently the cranes have been present two weeks according to a local park ranger. Merlin and Peregrine Falcon were among migrants noted Tue. at Headlands Beach S.P. - Larry Rosche. "The Wilds" have been hosting 2 Snow Geese from Saturday through Thur. - Scott Albaugh. On Wed. John Pogacnik reports a flyover Parasitic Jaeger at Chagrin River Park (Lake Co.) and a Surf Scoter on Lake Erie later that day in North Perry. On Tue. John further reports at Conneaut, a Sabine's Gull, and a variety of shorebirds including 2 Western Sandpipers, 1 Baird's Sandpiper, 1 Least Sandpiper, and 2 Semipalmated Plovers. Curiously, a similar mix of peep were had Thur. at Killdeer Plains. What appeared from the road to be a fairly dry Pond 27 proved to harbor 60 Pectoral Sandpiper, 1 Western Sandpiper, 1 Baird's Sandpiper, and a closely seen White-rumped Sandpiper - V.W.F.III. Also on Tue. John reports at Walnut Beach a Caspian Tern, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, and what seems to me a remarkably early Snow Bunting.

As of the 10th, the annual Ruddy Duck buildup at Metzger Reservoir (Lima, Allen Co.) has reached 170 birds - David Dister. Widely scattered reports of Black-throated Green and Nashville Warbler have accompanied the usual Yellow-rumps this past week. A Blackpoll Warbler was at Castalia yesterday - V.W.F.III. On the 11th, the Rusty Blackbird flock at Sheldon Marsh S.N.P. numbered 150, while 2 Barn Swallows and 6 Northern Rough-winged Swallow were in evidence - Mike Busam. October Yellow-billed Cuckoos continue to interest me. Jenny Brumfield's 11 Oct. bird at Seiberling Naturealm (Summit Co.) stands out as particularly late for the north. American Pipits are on the move as exemplified by a flock of 175 in a Paulding Co. field last Saturday. Elsewhere in the fields Doug and Micki Dunakin noted 60 American Golden Plover, and their first Lapland Longspur. Paulding Co. was visited by a Merlin on the 6th for a rare county record. That week, Short-eared Owls moved into Ohio with birds noted in separate locations in Lake Co. on the 7th and 9th - m.obs.

When is a Killdeer not crying wolf? Thursday I pulled away from Pond 27 at Killdeer Plains W.A. and headed homeward, vaguely aware of a Killdeer by the side of the road. A floppy-winged Killdeer . . . ?? broken-wing display in October! Back-the-truck-up as they say and so I did. Pulling even with the bird, I eagerly sought her brood in the ditch and beyond. After a good minute, I took a closer look at the Killdeer. That was one fine broken-wing display . . . what if ??? Well it took all of about 15 seconds to close in on the bird and pick it up - a clean break of the right wing near the shoulder joint. Yes indeed, one fine broken-wing display. The bird was in the care of "Back to the Wild" in Castalia a few hours later. - V.W.F.III

A Le Conte's Sparrow was found in a drainage ditch yesterday morning at Big Island. Park 1 mile west of RT 203 along Rt 95 (earth moving crew also parks here). Head west 150 yards to the ditch then move north checking out the sparrows. This bird pished for me and sat up for a 15 minute study as close as 15 ft. On a nearby dike sat an adult Peregrine Falcon (no bands); hours later seen slicing through a Red-winged Blackbird flock, effortless emerging the other side with a talon-full. - V.W.F.III

The winter adult Glossy Ibis at Shipman Pond (Headlands Beach State Park, Lake Co.) found Tue. by Ray Hannikman and Larry Rosche was still present Wed.

My last report for the Shaker Lakes American White Pelican was Sunday - John Pogacnik, and the AkronHarris's Sparrow Wednesday - Larry Rosche.

I'll get caught up with all the news of the past week later tonight.

The immature American White Pelican at Lower Shaker Lake has been entertaining passers by through this morning. From Larchmere Bridge immediately downstream from the Shaker Lakes Nature Center, the bird has been easily viewed preening on a mudflat generally within 30-40 meters of birders, joggers, and the like. See photo at left and below. Also the immature Harris's Sparrow was seen through the morning today at Seiberling Naturerealm in the Akron area. I had a 45 minute wait for it at midday finally making an appearance at 12:25 pm. The observation situation here is excellent and quite comfy. So if you have to wait the time passes quickly. Today, I spied an immature female Black-throated Blue Warbler of brilliant buff color attracted to the waterfall. - V.W.F.III

Many people were able to observe the Harris's Sparrow in Summit Co. through yesterday evening. - Larry Rosche.

An American White Pelican was present at Lower Shaker Lake (Cuyahoga County) on Sunday. - Bill Fissell. A few miles away in Mayfield Hts, Nick Barber located a Dickcissel at Landerhaven on Saturday. Subsequently verified by Kevin Metcalf. The day before, Nick reported an immature Peregrine Falcon nearby at Landerbrook. At Headlands Beach S.P. on Saturday Nick further adds a Sedge Wren and a 3-4th yr Lesser Black-backed Gull on Sunday, while Kevin Metcalf reports the first Surf Scoter there last Thursday. Kevin also updates the presence of the North Chagrin Merlin to be as recent as Friday evening. Another Merlin was a Sunday visitor to Headlands B.S.P. - Nick Barber.

Elsewhere: Two Franklin's Gulls were located "on the Maumee River rapids southwest of Toledo on Oct. 4: one at the Jerome Road rapids just west of Sidecut Park and one at Farnsworth Park, west of Waterville. Both of these locations are accessed from Rte. 24 west of I-475" - Tom Kemp.

And . . . . Sunday highlights from southern Lorain include 3 Orange-crowned Warblers, 1 Mourning Warbler, and 150 Double-crested Cormorants, and a single flock of 50 Chipping Sparrows - Craig Rieker. Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow continue in the news with a bird reported from Chagrin River Park in Willoughby, Lake County last Wed. - John Pogacnik. The species is being reported in higher than normal numbers in southern Ontario this fall. John also had Northern Mockingbird and a Yellow-breasted Chat at the park the same day. Numbers of Black-capped Chickadees (150+) reported from Kelleys Island Saturday suggest a major irruption - Tom Bartlett. Keep an eye out for reports of Boreal Chickadee later in the month from northern RBAs - the species comes south every 7-10 years during a Black-capped Chickadee irruption. Tom further noted large numbers of Ruby-crowned Kinglet (75+), a Merlin, and in the early morning light a dark jaeger. The adult Peregrine Falcon at Killdeer Plains W.A. was present at least through last Tue. - Rick Counts. Rick had 2 Buff-breasted Sandpipers that day on the mudflat that had almost entirely dried up. Rain over the weekend has provided some shorebird habitat as of Monday but little of note. The Long-billed Dowitcher number peaked last week with 26 - Kirk Alexander, and there had been as many as 3 Red-necked Phalaropes at one time - Rick. Rick also reports the first Pine Siskin yesterday. Check out the pages of the Avid Birders group for recent news of their bird outings. The Big Island W.A. survey Monday was unremarkable but for 2 Lapland Longspurs - V.W.F.III.

A Harris's Sparrow was discovered this afternoon by Woody Stover at Sieberling Naturealm (Summit Co.). The bird was subsequently confirmed by Bob Dispenza. Multiple observers including Dave and Jenny Brumfield have further documented the bird. Here are directions.

Blanket fog Tue. morning dampened the Killbuck Marsh W.A. census highlighted by good numbers of Lincoln's Sparrows and Rusty Blackbirds. In the face of 25 mph NNE winds, a 2 hr lake watch at Sherod Park (Lorain Co.) netted very little from 7:40 - 9:40 yesterday. A bit later, songbirds were active at Sheldon Marsh S.N.P. with 10 species of warbler and a Scarlet Tanager noted in the survey. Of particular interest were the 3 dozen or so Blackpoll Warblers gorging themselves on "Red Osier" dogwoods at the end of the walk lakeside. The stout bill of the Blackpoll was used to typically slice vertically down the middle of a berry (6-7 mm diameter) then munch the innards. On occasion birds would pierce the berry plucking it off the bush. With the berry stuck on the tip of the maxilla, each successive bite manipulated a small portion into the mouth. Seemingly a harder way of doing things (e.g., it took longer to devour, risk of dropping it) but then the prize was yours as opposed to merely opening up a berry just so a competitor a bit bigger than you could come in for the spoils. Although the comparably sized (structurally) Yellow-rumped Warbler was in the area in numbers none were within the 50 meter swath of dogwoods occupied by these Blackpolls. However, although similar in structure, the Blackpoll is dominant in bulk, as it is North America's only songbird which may nearly double its weight when fattening for the long fall migration. A fatless Blackpoll Warbler is around 12.7-13.5 g similar to that for a Yellow-rumped Warbler (based on personal autumnal banding records n=300+ / n=2400+ respectively). But where a Yellow-rump may bulk up to 16.5, Blackpolls routinely reach 21.5 and even 23.5 g; perhaps enabling the Blackpolls to boss Yellow-rumps around. The only other warbler to attempt the berries were 4 Cape May Warblers. In 18 attempts at vertical slices by one bird (a female) none were successful. It appeared as though the tomium would simply slide off the berry. I did observe two other Cape Mays (a female and adult male) situated in immediate proximity to concentrations of 2-3 Blackpolls, often only a couple of inches away. Once the Blackpoll had ceased to work a berry to move on to another, the Cape May moved in to clean off the dregs. I wondered at the tolerance of the Blackpolls towards the Cape Mays, but then it occurred to me that perhaps the smaller Cape Mays did not offer the threat of outright theft as would a larger Yellow-rump.

Shorebird habitat is excellent at Pipe Creek W.A. although just after a front the 8 species were in moderate numbers. More interesting was a very approachable 1st yr Lesser Black-backed Gull, and 70+ Forster's Tern. [Species List]. At all these locations and at Old Woman Creek S.N.P. 3-6 Northern Rough-winged Swallows were in evidence. Not a species I think of as moving in numbers in October.

In the southwest: Prairie Warbler is a good bird this late in the season with one seen Tue. at Englewood Reserve - Dayton RBA. The tape also reported a Northern Parula at Sugar Creek last Saturday.

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