Some good late migrants

I hit Camp Berry, south of Findlay today (Sat the 17th). With this blast of cold, I figured that there would be a push of late Passerine migrants. I wasn't dissapointed.

Several of the migrants/ winter visitors seen:
Eastern Phoebe 2
Brown Creeper 3
Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglet about 20-30 each
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler 7 This seems like an awfully high number, but I got very good, clear, short views of six of these.
Yellow-rumped Warbler 34+
Palm Warbler
Purple Finch 4
Sparrows seen were American Tree (many), Savannah, Fox, Song, Lincoln's, White-throat (gobs), White-crowned (2 dozen+), Junco

A sad by-product to migration today.

I recieved a call from my mother today at lunch. About 7:30 this morning, she found an injured warbler that aparently had a head on collision with a door at St. Michael Church, near the corner of Tiffin and Bigelow Avenues in Findlay. She said the bird was in bad shape and may have two broken wings.
When I saw the bird, my heart sank. It was an immature Connecticut Warbler. Its wings weren't broken, but rather it appeared to have suffered a severe concussion. That it initially survived the hit at all is rather amazing.
The only thing one can do with a bird concussion is to put it in a dark, quiet place and hope for the best, and that's if the head injury isn't too bad. This bird was too far gone and died not long after I saw it.
Migration is a very risky venture for birds. Houses, windows, guide wires, cats, hawks, not to mention hunger and exhaustion all take their toll. It's little wonder that the average mortality in a given year for some of our songbirds can approach 80%.

Fall migrant wave today (Sept 12)

Jeff Loughman and I decided to hit Camp Berry at dawn Saturday to see what was coming through. Despite the birding starting off rather slow, it definately picked up once the sun burned the fog off.

Several of our migrating highlights:
1 Olive-sided Flycatcher -great view, by the main lodge
1 Winter Wren
2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets
Veery, Gray-cheeked, Swainson's Thrushes- one of each
Warblers
2 Tennessee
6 Chestnut-sided
5 Magnolia
1 Cape May
1 Black-throated Blue
1 Yellow-rumped
1 Yellow-throated- by one of the concrete cabins on the north east side
1 Pine- maybe more
3 Blackpoll
1 Black-and-White
3 American Redstart

Equally surprising was the almost total lack of sparrows. We had just one Chipping.

Tomorrow looks like it will be a carbon copy of today weather-wise.

Fall migrants

Yes, I've been away for too long. Haven't been able to keep this darn thing as updated as I'd like.
Anyway,
Yesterday (Sept 6) showed a minor movement of shorebirds at Fostoria's Lake Mosier. Several Dunlin, as well as a couple Pectoral Sandpipers, a Semipalmated Plover and a Caspian Tern were present. Of note were the Killdeer, or rather all 173 of them.
Today, I dodged the rain and mosquitos and went out to Riverbend Recreational Area. Warblers passing through were Tennessee, Wilson's, Magnolia, Black-and-White, American Redstart, Nashville, and Ovenbird. Also present were Yellow-bellied, Least, and Acadian Flycatchers, and well as several Empids.

Least Bittern

Around 12 noon today, I observed a single Least Bittern along Lye Creek in Findlay. The bird was sitting on a large, expose branch directly above a cattail patch.
I was on E. Sandusky Street when I saw the bird, and I was seen south of the road.

Eurasian Collared-Dove

This is a bit of a late post, but I heard a Eurasian Collared-Dove along the Blanchard River immediately east of the Findlay Reservoirs on Sunday.
Its song is quite distinctive; if you haven't heard it, go to www.allaboutbirds.org and search for Eurasian Collared-Dove.

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.