Monday, May 2, 2011

Western Meadowlark, Findlay Reservors

UPDATE:  As of May 5, 2011 at about 8PM, there were at least two Western Meadowlarks on oposite side the #2 boat launch. One where I previously decribed and another singing about 100ft south of the launch.

Typically I don't try to bird the exact same location multiple days in a row, but to be honest, the birding has been way too good to ignore.
Jeff Loughman and I headed out to the Reservoirs to try to relocate the Marbled Godwits.  We could not, and it appears that most of the ducks on the Findlay Reservoirs also moved on.  That's not to say we didn't get anything worthwhile.
On SR568, in a flooded field just west of the Blanchard River we observed 2 Willets and a Greater Yellowlegs, as well as three or four dozen Bonaparte's Gulls.  These are apparently the same two Willets that Jill Taber observed earlier in the day.
At the parking lot to #2 (the large reservoir), we heard the very distinctive song of a Western Meadowlark.  Upon searching, we found a probable second memeber of this species.  Breeding??
From the parking lot, the bird was found along the dike roughly thirty yards to the north.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Marbled Godwits, Findlay Reservoir #1

At about 6:20 PM on Sunday evening, I heard and saw two Marbled Godwits calling in flooded field west of Findlay Res #1 parking lot.  They were still present a little before 9PM

Great day, Saturday April 30, 2011 (worth reading)

Title says it all.  The Hancock County Naturalist had a birding field trip in Oakwoods Nature Preserve on Saturday morning.  While the sun refused to cooperate, the birds did!  In summary, we had at least 54 species, which is decent considering it was still April and it stayed cloudy and blah weather-wise.  Here are some good migrants we observed:
Spotted Sandpiper 2 (Shank Lake)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird chasing a Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Almost too cute and funny to watch!)
Winter Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 20+
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
Northern Parula 3-4 (We never saw any of them, despite wasting a lot of time trying to)
Yellow Warbler 6+
Yelow-rumped Warbler 42
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER 1 (Fishing Pavilion at Shank Lake)
PRAIRIE WARBLER (same spot)

Palm Warbler 13
Blackpoll Warbler 1
Black-and-White Warbler 1

After the hike, I had to get to work at the parks, which to be honest quickly went to me looking for more birds.
Off of SR568 by the Blanchard River in a flooded field was three or four Greater Yellowlegs and two Willets.  One of the Willets flew while I watched to make i.d. nice and easy. Thank you, Mr. Willet.
Also present was a sizeable flock of Bonaparte's Gulls and one adult LAUGHING GULL.
I have no picture of the Laugher, but it was considerably larger, stouter and darker-backed than the Bonnies present.  Nearly Ring-billed sized (also present).  Wing-tips were solid black, no white as what one would see on a Franklin's Gull.

At the Findlay Reservoirs, the ubiquitous Coots and Lesser Scaup were present in numbers.
Also observed were a few Greater Scaup, Pied-billed Grebes, and these two birds:



Correct me if I'm wrong, but on the right a female Surf Scoter, and the left a female Long-tailed Duck.  Always cool.

Finally I stopped by Litzenberg Memorial Woods west of Findlay and walked parts of the south section.  There I saw Kingbirds, Common Yellowthroat, Louisianna Waterthrush and Swamp Sparrow.

I have yet to do a complete list, but I believe I ended the day in the low eighties for species seen.