Ohio
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Birding News
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The unusual situation of so much open water along with the observation of hundreds of Mallards moving N on Sunday into the Sandusky Bay led me to check out Killdeer Plains this afternoon. Upon arrival at 3:30pm I had dozens of flocks of Mallards moving NW at altitude. Over the next hour I counted
11,000 Mallard
400 Am. Black Duck
48 N. Pintail
28 N. Shoveler
How long had they been moving prior to my arrival? I later learned that Steve Barry , the wildlife manager at KPWA, heard a strange din Monday evening outside the office. He opened the door to the cacophony of what must have been many thousands of Mallards quacking in the distance on
Pond 27. Today I saw next to nothing on any of the KPWA ponds and only a pair of Common Mergansers on the reservoir. One Long-eared Owl was located in the fading light within the
usual pinery locale.
From the Toledo RBA tape: A 1st winter Thayer's Gull was located yesterday along the Maumee R. in Toledo first near Acme Power Plant flying along to International Park just beyond the Cherry St. bridge. The Maumee Bay S. P. Snowy Owl was seen as recently as the 24th. A Peregrine Falcon was sighted at Ottawa N. W. R. last week. Also I have a report of 300 Tundra Swan from Ottawa N.W.R. last week.
Some signs of the mildness of the season here in the NW: I covered a portion of the Fremont CBC in Sandusky Co. today between the Sandusky River and Pickerel Creek W.A. {but not including Pickerel Creek W.A.}. Highlights included 32 Great Blue Herons, 8 Tundra Swan, 5 Bald Eagle, 10 Carolina Wren, 1 Winter Wren, 1 Common Yellowthroat, 28 White-crowned Sparrow, 284 Red-winged Blackbirds, 80 cowbirds, and a few grackle. An imm. Mute Swan was present at Racoon Reservoir in Clyde. I had my second Sharp-shinned Hawk in a week. Many have noted the increase in Cooper's Hawk the past 15 years and so I had passed off a coincident increase in SSHA on CBC's , in part, as misidentified COHA. After spotting 13 SSHA across 7 NW counties last winter, I am more open to the suggestion that a greater number of Sharp-shinned Hawks are wintering in Ohio.
Some news from the Lake this past weekend: Snowy Owls remain at Bayshore Power Plant and Maumee Bay S. P. in the Toledo area while others are still at Burke Airport in Cleveland, at Lorain and Mentor Headlands. Have not heard of the Huron bird in a about two weeks now. Lesser Black-backed Gulls were located at the Acme Power Plant and Bayshore Power Plants in the Toledo area and another at Eastlake P.P. near Cleveland. Also at Eastlake an immature Glaucous Gull and a dark Pomarine Jaeger. Pippin Lake near L. Rockwell held 3 Tundra Swan. A Northern Shrike was found at Cedar Point N.W.R. on the Toledo CBC.
A bit of news in regards to the "Asian or Long-billed" Marbled Murrelet viewed by more than 300 last month at Beaver Creek Res. In the November 1996 Condor 98(4) 681-690, V. L. Friesen, J.F. Piatt, and A.J. Baker report on "Evidence from Cytochrome b Sequences and Allozymes for a 'New' Species of Alcid: the Long-billed Murrelet (Brachyramphus perdix)". Boils down to
"All analyses indicated that North American and Asian Marbled Murrelets are genetically distinct . . . . [and] Long-billed and North American Marbled Murrelets clearly represent distinct species by any definition . . . ".
There is a likelihood that they will be recognized as such by the A.O.U. in the not too distant future.
Arthur Osborn (Toledo) reports a Snowy Owl at Maumee Bay State Park; West of the Main Lodge from the East end of the lakefront parking lot. The bird was quite active at 5:00 PM.
Hopeful this cold snap may have induced some change, I visited the lakeshore today. Huron held a few more Ring-billed Gull {50,000} and fewer Bonaparte's Gull {8-9000} and a few sundry Herring Gull {4000 or so}. Still add three 1st year Bald Eagles to the mix and you have a whole lotta gulls taking up horizon space. I failed to locate any more notable species in the fray. The general vicinity did see something of a Mallard/Black Duck movement; about 750 of the former and 300 of the latter. Common Mergansers, scaup, Redhead, Bufflehead, and a Pied-billed Grebe were off Old Woman Creek. Vermilion was little different just fewer numbers of Ring-billed Gull and Bonaparte's Gull. Lorain was moderately active with 30-34,000 Ring-billed Gulls. Only about 10-12,000 Bonaparte's Gull; wheeling about they put on a show - during which an adult Little Gull revealed itself in the distance. Avon was poor in gull numbers but the proportion of larger species was up. The 3000 Herring Gull nearly matched the 4000 Ring-billed Gull while the beach was studded with 160 Great Black-backed Gulls. An adult Lesser Black-backed Gull lazed in the surf near the park. Only drove by E. 55th marina in Cleveland glancing over to spot 30, give or take, Double-crested Cormorant slowly gaining ground against a stiffening westerly. A bit later in the afternoon, I had my 4th Bald Eagle, a 2nd year bird sailing overhead as I sat in line for a turnpike ticket at the I480 interchange. Despite some area temps of -4 last night in NW Ohio - a lot of inland water is still open - unusual this late.
Continued westerlies after frontal passage can bring waterfowl south. At this late date I do not normally expect much along Lake Erie . . . but it has been a bit mild lately. I did not get to Huron until late (9:00 am) - very late for picking up on peak movements of loon and cormorant an such so counting 17 of the former and 49 of the latter over the next 2 hrs was a surprise. Also on the move, 2000 scaup and 500+ CAGO. Gull numbers were no more than noted last week but the small BOGU flock at the end of the pier held an adult Little Gull which repeatedly fed within 10 meters. - V.W.F. III
Scanning gull flocks continues to prove rewarding for some. Bernie Masters et al. managed a Thayer's Gull at Lorain on the 7th, while Avon produced a Lesser Black-backed Gull and Black-legged Kittiwake. FIVE Lesser Black-backed Gulls were spotted by Tom Bartlett at Eastlake today and another at Lorain. A Glaucous Gull has been widely viewed Sat. and Sun. at Eastlake. Rob Harlan reports 110 Hooded Merganserand 12 Mute Swans at L. Rockwell yesterday. The Snowy Owls remain at Lorain and Headlands today. - V.W.F. III
Some old news just filtering my way recently. Two Greater White-fronted Geese at Maumee Bay SP on the 24th Nov., 19 Tundra Swan at Hoover Res. on the 28th, a male Indigo Bunting at a Parma Hts? feeder the 28th-29th Nov., Ad. Little Gulls at Lorain the 29th and Headlands BSP the 30th Nov. Another Snowy Owl at Headlands also on the 30th Nov. - V.W.F. III
Reports suggest that Wed.'s complement of birds at Huron was largely present Friday - although I have mixed reports of one or two kittiwakes there on Friday. I visited Huron this morning. Neither myself nor Rob Harlan who was there when I arrived had much luck with many of the unusual species reported in recent days. Apparently, the strong southerly winds ahead of intense rain only proved useful in scouring out the area with regard to gulls and their attendant jaegers. The Snowy Owl and the male Oldsquaw were present when I left at 10:45 am. Paul Shubert of Erie Metroparks relates that the Con AG building (across from the Huron pier) hosted two Merlins on Friday (29 Nov). In addition to the notes below, Rob Harlan reports a Pomarine J. flyby at Sherod Park (Erie Co.) and a flyby Parasitic J. at Lorain. on the 27th. - V.W.F. III