Late season migrants

Thursday morning found me in Springville Marsh in SW Seneca County for bird banding. Eighteen species of warblers were seen, but the actuall total number of migrants was rather low. These were probably the late stragglers and I would guess migrants will be through by this time next week.

A few shorebirds

I was luckily able to visit Findlay Reservoir #1 today in the late morning. Overall, very quiet, but a handfull of migrant shorebirds were to be found:

1 Solitary Sandpiper
5 Spotted Sandpiper
2 Least Sandpipers
1 Sanderling
10 Dunlin

Also Jeff Loughman reported seeing 11 Dunlin in a flooded field just north of Oakwoods Nature Preserve, along TR 144, sw of FIndlay in Hancock County.

A sleeping Dunlin:

Shorebirds at the Findlay Reservoirs

The surest way to see birds is to leave your binoculars behind.
I took a walk around Findlay Reservoir #1 with a friend this afternoon (Sunday) Before, I concluded that there would be little more than gulls up on the water....

Shorebirds seen:
Spotted Sandp. 3
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Sanderling 2
Semipalmated Sandpiper 3
"Peeps" 15+
White-rumped Sandpiper 2 (almost stepped on one!)

Two loons still were to be found out on #2, and two Bobolinks were calling along the south end of the reservoirs.

Dunlin

I saw over 24 Dunlin Saturday immediately east of Findlay Reservoir #2 Saturday. They were in a small field that had some ponding. The field is between Res #2 and the Blanchard River, just of TR208, I believe, about 200 yards south of Riverbend Recreational Area.
Betty Hardesty reported a similar sized flock on Tuesday, barely 1/4mile east of here, so there's a decent bet that these are the same birds.
I've noticed this spring a drop-off in shorebird numbers in the usuall haunts this year, namely the Findlay Reservoirs. However, several area birders have seen decent numbers in at least three wetland that were put in late last year. I could be the sandpipers are going to gravitate towards better habitat.
They might be worth checking out for people:
1) East of Findlay Res#2 just east of the Blanchard River, "Younger's Wetlands". This is private property, but one of the ponds is in plain view from the road.
2) Just north of the corner or TR89 (River Road), and SR235. Once again, private property, but easily viewable from the road with a scope. Blanchard Landings park is immediately north of here for easy parking.
3) NE of the Hancock COunty Sanitary Landfill (sorry,no road numbers, I'll check on this). These are public access, but no trails, so be careful walking.

I know there must be others, I haven't spent much time looking for them. If anyone know of others, especially in Hancock or Putnam counties, I would be gratefull for the info.

P.S. The landfill site has some great grasslands around it. I counted at least 18 Grasshopper Sparrows the last time I was there.

Lazy- lazy

I appologize, I do not update this near enough. I been birding at nearly opporitunity that having two jobs allow. For a brief summary, birding around here from last Friday to this Friday (15th) has been pretty good, with the exception of Saturday the 9th which was just not ideal weather conditions. Nothing spectacuarly rare, with the highlight being a female Golden-winged Warbler on Saturday at Oakwoods Nature Preserve.
In a five day period from Friday May 8 thru Tuesday, May 12, I observed 126 species in the county, which is the exact same numer of species I saw in the same period last year. (119 in 2007).
I promise to post with more regularity, folks.

Big wave hit Friday (May 8)

Well, the title says it all.
I took the day off from work and hit Oakwoods Nature Preserve, SW of Findlay that morning. Pretty quiet for the first twenty minutes, then around 7:45am, it's like someone hit a switch. Neo-tropical migrants seemed to be falling out of the sky. At one point, I had 15 Black-throated Green Warblers. In one Buckeye tree. The sound was remarkeable; all 15 of them buggers doing their "zee-zee-zee zoo-zee!" call at the same time, along with several Nashvilles. Definately one of my better birding moments in a while. 74 species in 1 1/2 hrs, and the sun never came out from the clouds. I can only imagine what I would have been if it did.
Some highlights:
Warblers- Blue-winged, Tennessee (10+), Orange-crowned, Nashville (14), Parula, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green (20++), Blackburnian, Palm. Black-and-white, Redstart, Ovenbird, Worm-eating (good look), Common Yellowthroat.

Tomorrow (Saturday), should be good in the morning for those dumb or brave enough to go out. Naturally, I'm heading out. The cold from is suppose to hit late morning. It's possible this front might bring over some unusual migrants.