Family Get-Together Trip Nets 4 Additions to my District of Columbia List, April 9-12, 2026

As an April 2026 family get-together in Maryland neared, of course I checked my eBird Needs Alerts in the area to see if there might be some state birding potential.  Lo and behold, my Virginia Alert revealed something even better: a Red-flanked Bluetail, first found on New Year’s Day, was still being seen.  A life bird is better than a state bird any day!  So I set up my flights and hotel to add an extra couple days to the trip to look for the Bluetail. 

Unfortunately, my key target was last seen a couple weeks before the trip.  (Why didn’t I go after it sooner?)  So, now my focus was back to possible state birds.  I grew up in the mid-Atlantic region so my Needs Alerts for states like MD, VA, DE, and PA had few likely targets.  But then I checked the Washington DC Alert and found several possibilities –

Wild Turkey – seen at several locations, especially Theodore Roosevelt Island

Golden-Plover – rarity found at the mouth of Four Mile Run

Blue-headed Vireo – a first few sightings of this early spring migrant

Common Raven – nests found in a couple locations, flybys seemingly everywhere

Cliff Swallow –just returning to their historical nesting sites

Vesper Sparrow – found at Kenilworth Park, though the records were getting old

Eastern Meadowlark – found at Kenilworth Park

With this many target species, it was obvious where I should focus my attention.  I was off to DC!

April 9 – Kenilworth Park

This park consists of about 55 acres of old soccer or football fields that basically look like a large pasture.  As a result, it is THE spot, in fact the only spot, to look for Meadowlarks in DC.  Though I’ve looked for them at Kenilworth numerous times over the decades without any luck. 

There were also a number of week-old sightings of Vesper Sparrow at the park.  With 2 key targets, I made this my first stop.  Within an hour of landing at BWI I was walking the Kenilworth fields hoping to flush a Vesper or a Meadowlark but to no avail.  Though I did find a couple flocks of Savannah Sparrows that kept me on my toes.

April 10 – Mouth of Four Mile Run

With excellent directions from a local birder, I was able to access the mouth of Four Mile Run to look for a rare American Golden-Plover reported there for several days.  Unfortunately, the only shorebird I found during my stop there at low tide was a Killdeer.  The Plover was last reported 2 days before my visit.

East Potomac Park – Hains Point

Targets reported recently at this park included Raven and Vesper Sparrow, and several older waterfowl sightings.  But once again I struck out.  The birding highlight was a flock of breeding plumage Bonaparte’s Gulls feeding near shore on the Potomac River.  And as a bonus, I was treated to some nice views of the blooming cherry trees.

Theodore Roosevelt Island

Wild Turkeys have recently colonized the greater DC area, and are perhaps most reliable on this island.  Plus Cliff Swallows were reported for the first time this spring the day before my visit – most likely the nesters returning to the footbridge to the island.  I spent quite a bit of time standing on the bridge hoping for a fly-by Swallow to no avail.  And I walked virtually all the trails on the island without finding a Turkey.  Though it was mid-day and there were lots of tourists there likely keeping the Turkeys well hidden.

C&O Canal – Chain Bridge

The attraction at this stop was a pair of Common Ravens likely nesting under the bridge.  This one sounded like a sure thing based on recent eBird reports – I was due (overdue?) for my luck to change!  It took a while to find where to park and how to access the area under the bridge, but I eventually made my way to the river below.  And once I got to the right area I quickly picked out a large corvid sitting under the bridge – it was indeed a Common Raven. 

Later a second adult flew in, and I also spotted this juvenile down below.

Luckily the Ravens chose to nest near the eastern end of the bridge, because the western end is actually in Virginia.  They were barely in DC – just 500 feet from the VA state line.  And about 2,000 feet from the MD state line.

My statebird map for Common Raven is inserted below.  The light blue states are those where I've seen this species in its regular range.  The one cross-hatched state (NJ) is the last one in its regular range where I've yet to see it.  And the 2 dark blue states are those where I've seen Common Raven as a rarity.

LBJ Memorial Grove – Columbia Island Marina

As I was heading back into DC on the George Washington Memorial Parkway I noticed a sign for the Columbia Island Marina.  I remembered that this was one of the spots where Cliff Swallows nested last year.  So on a lark I drove in and found the bridge where they likely nested. 

I stood at the edge of the bridge for a few minutes and as if on cue a Cliff Swallow flew by and disappeared under the bridge.  Now I had to figure out if I was still in DC or whether the Swallow was in VA airspace.  With a quick look on Google Maps I realized that the bird was indeed in DC, but just 50 ft from the VA state line. 

My statebird map for Cliff Swallow is now all filled in - except for Hawaii where Cliff Swallows are not expected.  

April 11 – Kenilworth Park

Now that my luck had improved I decided to go back to Kenilworth Park to make an early morning try for the Meadowlark.  I made a quick loop through the ballfields but came up empty.  Then I wondered about whether the adjacent running track and football field might be worth a try.  When I was there two days earlier there were many people walking and running around the track.  But now just after sunrise the track was empty.  Sure enough, as I neared the track I heard the characteristic song of an Eastern Meadowlark. 

I then followed the Meadowlark as it flew over to the soccer fields to get a better look.  And as I did I flushed a flock of sparrows feeding in the grasses.  All but 1 flew a short distance and dropped back in typical of Savannahs.  But the last bird departed from the flock and headed toward the neighboring brush.  As it did I noticed it had white outer tail feathers – I had a Vesper Sparrow!  And typical of Vespers, it landed on an elevated perch at the edge of the field instead of dropping back to the grasses.  Two new DC birds in the same field!

Later I took the trail to Kenilworth Gardens hoping to re-find a Blue-headed Vireo reported there the previous day.  The trail was quite birdy, including a singing Orange-crowned Warbler, but the Vireo was a no show.

April 12 – Theodore Roosevelt Island

Since my first trip to the island was midday with lots of noisy tourists, I decided to go back near sunrise to improve my chances of finding Turkeys.  Unfortunately, it didn’t make a difference as I struck out again.  Though another birder reported seeing a Turkey just an hour after I left.  A reason to go back I guess…

I added 4 birds to my Washington DC list, bringing my total to 188.  Not as good as getting a lifer, but still good results.

Kentucky Trip Nets 11 State Birds, Plus one in Indiana – August 20-23, 2024

My Kentucky list has been stuck at 204 since my last trip to the state in 2006.  So now that I’m living in the southeast I’ve been looking for an excuse to get back to KY to fill some gaps in my state list.  Then in late summer of 2023 I began to notice lots of good birds being reported at the Falls of the Ohio - a wetlands area in the Ohio River near Cincinnati.  At one point there were 8 species there that would have been new for my KY list.  I had my excuse to go birding in KY!   And although birding at the Falls could be my prime reason to return to KY, I could always try for other new state birds en route or nearby.  Plus while I’m in the area I could cross over into Ohio and bird the southwest part of that state as well.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get my plans together early enough to make the trip in 2023, but there was always next year.

As Summer 2024 progressed I started to plan my KY and OH trip in earnest.  First of all, I scheduled my trip for the third week of August which historically was the week with the greatest number of targets for me at the Falls of the Ohio (based on eBird bar charts).  Then I reached out to former KY birder Teresa Noel, whom I met this past year.  She gave me lots of advice for my targets, and also connected me with local KY birder Dave Svetich.  Dave was helpful as well, and in turn put me in touch with another local birder, Katey Buster, who gave me more tips.

With the help of all those local experts and lots of hours on eBird, I found 16 potential KY state birds in the region.  That included my nemesis bird for KY – House Wren.  (How could I have more than 200 species in KY and not have House Wren on my list?)  That was the good news.  The bad news was that, as the trip neared, only 2 realistic targets were being seen at the Falls of the Ohio – Peregrine Falcon and Neotropic Cormorant.  And they weren’t even being seen every day.  So even though birding at the Falls was the trigger for my trip, it looked like my potential targets there would be limited.  Plus, since most of my regional targets were local breeders, I worried that they may be difficult to find so late in the summer.  If I had known how slow it would be at the Falls I could have just made this year’s trip early in the summer for KY breeders.  And then come back another year in late summer to bird the Falls.  But when I was starting to plan the trip earlier in the summer I couldn’t have predicted how good (or not) birding at the Falls might be in late August. 

Things were looking so bleak the last couple days before the trip that I almost canceled.  But then I remembered hockey great Wayne Gretzky’s quote – “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”  In a twisted bit of logic I applied that quote to my trip saying that I certainly won’t get any new KY birds if I don’t go at all.  So I decided to go, and at the very least learn about the birding hotspots so I could come back and be successful on a future trip. 

It was pretty much the same story in southwestern OH.  My eBird research revealed 7 reasonable targets, 4 of which were late breeders, while the others were either waders or shorebirds.  But in order to pursue several of them I’d have to drive all the way north almost to Columbus, which was farther than my original plans. 

Despite the timing of the trip for the breeders, and the lack of rarities at the Falls, I still hoped for perhaps 9 new KY state birds.  Plus 3 new birds in OH.  Though perhaps I was being too optimistic.

This blog post summarizes the KY portion of my August 2024 trip, plus a little bit of Indiana.  My next post summarizes the OH part of the trip.

Day 1 – August 20

My plan for the first day of the trip was to leave late-morning to begin a 5-hour drive to the Red River Gorge area of central KY to look for Swainson’s Warbler.  My departure was delayed a bit to pursue a Western Kingbird in my home county in NC.  Luckily that was a successful search and made the delay worthwhile.  (See my previous post for the Western Kingbird summary.) 

While driving along through southeastern KY I spotted a large Corvid right over the road in front of me.  My first thought was that it could be big enough for a Raven, which would be quite a rarity for KY in general, and especially this far west.  As I got closer, I could see the large beak and wedge-shaped tail – it was indeed a Raven (KY state bird #1).  Then I spotted a second Raven flying along with the first one.  Luckily there was no traffic on this rural road, and I was able to pull over to watch this pair continue to fly along before disappearing behind a tree line.  I opened an eBird checklist and found that I was in Owsley County.  And this was the first Raven eBird record for that county.  That wasn’t a bird I had on my radar screen at all.  What a great start to the trip!

My state bird map for Common Raven is inserted below.  The blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range.  The cross-hatched state (NJ) is the last state in its regular range where I still need it.  The purple-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species as a rarity - KY is now the 4th state along with KS, DE, and RI.

My first planned birding stop of the day was at the Red River Gorge area for Swainson’s Warblers.  Although the most recent report in the area was in mid-July, I often hear singing Swainson’s singing into September back home in NC.  Plus I had heard a pair of birds just the week before back home responding to tape.  So I was hopeful I would be able to find them during my KY trip.  There were quite a number of sites in the area with Swainson’s reports in eBird earlier in the year, and I chose one key area, along Nada Tunnel Road, as my birding site for the evening.  When I got to the area I was greeted by these multi-story rock formations which were just spectacular.

But unfortunately, that was the only highlight.  Despite being in seemingly good Swainson’s habitat I couldn’t scare one up.  I made numerous stops covering several miles of the road, listening and playing some tape.  Several times I heard a series of sharp chip notes but they were always Hooded Warblers.  But I wasn’t too disappointed because I had planned stops in another part of Red River Gorge the next morning just in case I missed Swainson’s that evening.  Though I was still a bit concerned that it might be too late in the year for my target at least locally.

After dinner my last stop was a try for Whip-poor-wills at Koomer Ridge Campground.  Similar to the local Swainson’s story, the most recent local report for this species was in mid-July.  But there had been several reports of Whips at this campground this summer, so I was cautiously optimistic.  But I struck out yet again – despite stops at numerous spots around the campground, and playing some tape, there were no calling Whip-poor-wills.  Now I was really getting worried about the timing of my trip so late in the breeding season.  Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day.

Day 2 – August 21

I started the day at dawn back in Red River Gorge for yet another try for Swainson’s Warbler.  This time I birded the Rock Bridge Trail, starting my hike down the trail at dawn.  The first part of the trail was in nice mature deciduous woodlands but not quite Swainson’s habitat.  And once again I picked up several more calling Hooded Warblers along the way.  Then as I neared the junction with the Swift Camp Creek Trail I got into an area with steep slopes and a thick understory of rhododendron – perfect for Swainson’s.  Here’s a picture of the valley below me.

I turned onto the Swift Camp Creek Trail and continued my slow walk.  Just a couple hundred yards down the trail I heard a series of sharp chip notes that I instantly knew were coming from a Swainson’s and not the higher metallic notes of the common Hooded Warblers.  I even checked with Merlin and it agreed.  (KY state bird #2)  Maybe summer wasn’t quite over just yet after all.  Since I’ve moved to the southeast I’ve now picked-up Swainson’s Warbler in 4 states - NC, SC, TN, and now KY.  Still a few more to go though.

On my way back to the car I was serenaded by a Red-breasted Nuthatch, which turned out to be a rarity needing details in eBird.  This species is not normally a summering bird in that area.

Next I was on to the Haley Downs Road hotspot which is known in central KY for its grassland birds.  Within just a couple minutes of parking I walked towards a fallow grassy field and almost instantly had small groups of Bobolinks flying overhead (KY state bird #3).  That was easy! 

Now I focused on my 2 sparrow targets – Grasshopper and Henslow’s.  Grasshoppers were still singing now back home so I was hopeful on that one.  Henslow’s are normally reported at this hotspot most summers, but hadn’t been reported at Haley Downs this year so I wasn’t too optimistic about that one.  I listened and played tape at a number of grassy fields with no luck for either species.  Then I heard a soft call coming from a small patch of uncut taller grass that at first I didn’t recognize.  I focused my attention on the area where the call had come from and heard it again.  Was it the song of a Henslow’s?  I listened intently and heard it give 2 more of its insect-like songs – I indeed had a singing Henslow’s (KY state bird #4).  Maybe it was a pair having a late brood after a failed earlier nesting nearby.  But I had no luck with what should have been the more likely Grasshopper Sparrows.

While trying one more time for Grasshoppers I noticed a large pale bird perched in a distant tree.  A quick binocular view revealed that it was a Eurasian Collared-Dove.  It wasn’t new for my KY list, but it was a rarity for the area.  It stuck around for several days for Katey Buster and several other local birders to see.

And speaking of rarities, as I was leaving Haley Downs a Loggerhead Shrike flew over the road.  I didn’t realize it at the time but that was another rarity, with less than 20 county records, and luckily it too was re-found by another birder.  Though I would have traded both rarities for a Grasshopper Sparrow…

The next target as I continued my drive to the west toward Lexington was a Mute Swan reported from a private pond on Berea Rd in Fayette County.  The pond was a short distance off the road so access was a bit iffy, but once I figured out how to get a view of the pond the Mute Swan was quite obvious with binoculars (KY state bird #5).  The swan is circled in this cellphone picture without magnification.

The Pfeiffer Fish Hatchery northwest of Lexington was my next stop, where a Baird’s Sandpiper was found a few days earlier.  But since my drive took me through areas of grassy pastures I made several stops along the way hoping to run into Grasshopper Sparrows.  I was once again unsuccessful on all those stops.  But across the road from the field at one of those stops in Franklin County was a brushy area that looked good for Wrens.  I played a bit of House Wren calls and songs and almost instantly one responded, and then popped into the open (KY state bird #6).  Finally – House Wren in KY!  KY was the last state in the Lower 48 for me to see House Wren.  That is the 59th species that I’ve seen in all the Lower 48 states (plus DC).

Pfeiffer Fish Hatchery was full of Great Egrets and Great Blues, but the only shorebirds I could find were Killdeer.  And this long-staying Mute Swan was photogenic.

My next stop was another long shot – Peregrine Falcon in downtown Lexington.  The good news was that eBird reports gave the location of a nest box on the Central Bank building downtown.  The bad news was that there had been no sightings since June.  But I had some time, so why not give it a go.  I parked in a downtown parking lot with good views of the skyline.  I quickly found the nest box which was empty, and scanned the edges of the nearby buildings.  I only found a few Rock Pigeons which seemed to be totally at ease.  Oh well, it was worth the try.

After dinner I headed to Lexington Green Pond in the Lexington suburbs where 2 Mute Swans had been reported sporadically.  As I pulled up I saw the pair of Swans along with about 50 Mallards all being fed by shoppers.  Since the Swans are countable, they must be tame but not feral.  Interesting that Mute Swans around home in western NC that appear to be very wild are always considered to be escapees. 

The last target of the day was Common Nighthawk.  There were numerous recent Nighthawk reports throughout the central and western parts of the state as they were migrating through the region.  But there didn’t seem to be any particular spot where they might be seen reliably on any given evening.  So I decided to just find a large shopping center parking lot nearby that would provide me a full view of the sky.  And if I don’t see one passing by overhead maybe I’ll find one after dark eating the insects attracted to the parking lot lights.  I picked out a large parking lot for a grocery store a short distance from my Lexington hotel as a good candidate.  I parked in a quiet part of the lot about an hour before sunset and started my vigil.  After about 30 minutes of counting Crows, Starlings, and House Sparrows I spotted a candidate in the distance.  And with a binocular view I picked out not 1 but 2 Nighthawks flying by (KY state bird # 7).  A nice way to end the day.  I just need this species in 1 more state.

Day 3 – August 22

The first stop of the day was at the Talon Winery south of Lexington.  No, I wasn’t going there to attend a wine tasting event.  Instead, I was there to look for grassland species that regularly breed around the winery grounds.  Specifically, I was hoping to see Henslow’s Sparrows reported as recently as the previous afternoon, and to hope for Grasshopper Sparrows that bred there this year but hadn’t been seen for a couple weeks. 

When I arrived, I went right to the area of the uncut field where both sparrows were reported.  But I couldn’t find the field.  I rechecked with Katey Buster and I had the right spot.  It turns out the field had just been cut – literally in the last 18 hours since the eBird report the previous afternoon.  I could not find a single sparrow in the area, though there were at least 20 Meadowlarks walking through the now short vegetation, perhaps lamenting that they had lost their nests.  If only they had delayed cutting the field by a day.  Luckily, I had a Henslow’s the day before at my other stop, but Grasshopper Sparrow would have to go down as one I missed because my trip was so late in the summer.

Next I was off to Henderson County in western KY just across the river from Evansville, IN.  It was a long drive but I had 3 key targets there not easily found elsewhere in the state.  The first was a flock of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks that were being seen for some time at the Industrial Park Pond hotspot.  Some reports made it look like you would just drive up to the pond and they’d be right in front of you.  Then again there were other reports where the BBWDs were not found at all.  I was one of the luckier birders, because the instant I pulled up to the pond I could see a flock of brown ducks on the far bank – with a quick binocular view I confirmed I had 7 BBWDs (KY statebird #8).  I was just giving myself a high five when I noticed 2 sleeping BBWDs practically right in front of me.  Here are digi-bin pictures of both the distant flock and the pair right next to my car.

My next target was Bell’s Vireo, which is a regular nester in the area.  There had been several reports in the area recently, but the one that sounded most promising was at the Diamond Island Boat Ramp hotspot where 2 had been reported less than a week earlier.  When I arrived at the boat ramp I found a large brushy area near the water that seemed like the right habitat.  I played some tape at several stops before I caught a glimpse of a candidate low in the vegetation.  Eventually it popped out and gave good looks – it was indeed a Bell’s Vireo (KY state bird #9).  Little did I now that listening to recordings of its song would prove to be helpful the next day in the OH portion of my trip.  I just need this species in 4 more states in its regular range.

My last stop in the county was at the Horseshoe Road Slough where a Baird’s Sandpiper had been spotted recently, along with a Buff-breasted the week before, and always with a nice mix of other shorebirds and waders.  It took me a while, but I finally found the slough tucked into a sea of soybean plants.  I found lots of waders but the only shorebirds I found were 1 Killdeer and 2 Spotted’s.  Little did I know that a Red-necked Phalarope was found at a nearby slough that same day.  If only I had checked my KY Needs Alert before leaving the area…

My original plans included a nighttime stop to try for Chuck-will’s-widows and Whip-poor-wills south of Louisville.  But given all the driving I did that day, the lack of recent goatsucker reports, and my lack of success with Whips earlier in the trip, I decided to pass on these nocturnal birds.

Day 4 – August 23

I started Day 4 of the trip at Turkey Run Park in the Louisville suburbs in hopes of finding a Prothonotary Warbler.  This was another late summer breeder which initially I wasn’t too optimistic about, but it had been reported several times recently from the park so maybe I’d be successful after all.  My first stop was near the entrance where 1 had been reported earlier in the week.  I found some good riparian habitat along Turkey Run, but a calling Screech Owl and a perched adult Bald Eagle were the only notable birds.  Next, I headed to Squire Boone Bottoms where there had not only been a recent report, but also reports of a likely nesting pair earlier in the summer.  A mile and a half loop trail took me down through the bottoms area which had some excellent riparian habitat along the river.  It looked like a great spot for Prothonotary’s!  I slowly walked along the river playing some tape hoping for a response.  The area was quite birdy, but I couldn’t find my target.  But then finally I heard a Prothonotary sing, undoubtedly in response to my tape (KY state bird #10).  Just 2 more states to go in this species’ regular range.

The next stop was in a small residential neighborhood in Louisville to look for Yellow-Crowned Night Herons.  There had been several reports of 1 or maybe 2 nests in this area in the spring and early summer but I figured surely those birds would fledge and move on before my late August trip.  So this species wasn’t one of my initial targets.  But then there were a couple reports in early August from the same spot.  And again, a nest with juveniles was reported.  It must be a second brood – I didn’t know that YCNH’s have multiple broods.  With a bit of help from my KY contacts I found out that the nest was in a tree in front of the house at 3542 Ramona Ave.  As I pulled onto Ramona Ave. I saw very large deciduous trees planted in the front yards of each house.  I got to 3542 and stepped out of the car.  With a quick scan I found a dense area of twigs and sticks that must have been the nest.  And with a closer binocular view I could pick out at least 3 juveniles at the nest (KY state bird #11).    

That was 2 for 2 for the morning so far.  But now it was on to the Falls of the Ohio where my opportunities were likely to be pretty limited.  In the previous couple weeks there had been just 2 possible targets being seen there – a Peregrine reported on maybe a third of the checklists, and a long-staying Neotropic Cormorant.  But the Cormorant had not been seen for 2 days so maybe it had moved on.  Like I said, it was looking pretty bleak.

When I arrived at the hotspot I was truly taken aback by the scenery and the enormity of the site.  Here’s a scenery shot of the lower falls and fossil beds, taken from the observation deck at the Falls of the Ohio Foundation on the Indiana bank of the Ohio River.

And here’s a shot of the upper falls with a distant railroad trestle which was apparently the Peregrine’s favorite perch.

One of the first birds I saw when I got there was the long-staying American White Pelican, which unfortunately was not a new state bird for me in KY.  The bird was in flight over the Falls, and since basically the entire river and the Falls are in KY, the Pelican was squarely in KY airspace.  But as the bird circled it slowly drifted northward, and eventually it slipped out of sight into Indiana – a bonus Indiana state bird for me!  That was unexpected.  As shown in my White Pelican state bird map I’ve now seen this species as a rarity in 10 Midwest and northeast states.

Now it was time to get to work on my KY targets.  The Neotropic Cormorant liked to perch with Double-crested’s on a distant concrete wall nearly a half mile away.  But thanks to a 50X scope I could see the cormorant flock quite well.  Despite lots of searching, unfortunately I couldn’t pick out the diminutive southern cousin among the 85 Double-crested’s.  Here’s a shot of a portion of the flock.

Next I focused on the railroad trestle for the Peregrine.  But again I came up empty.  At one point a train went across the trestle and I hoped it might flush the raptor but to no avail.

Back to the Falls I was able to find Little Blue Herons and a Snowy Egret, both somewhat unusual for the site, but not new for my KY list.  Ironically, I need both of those species for my IN list, but these waders were definitely inside KY, albeit within a quarter mile of the state line.  I also scoured the wetlands and fossil beds for rarer shorebirds but just came up with 13 Killdeer.  A pair of Caspian Terns and a Black-crowned Night Heron were nice as well.  After about 2 and a half hours of scanning (and hoping) I decided to give up on the Falls of the Ohio and the KY leg of my trip, and head into OH. 

Ironically the key trigger for my trip, a visit to the Falls of the Ohio, didn’t yield any new KY state birds.  But if it hadn’t been for that hotspot, I wouldn’t have made the trip to KY at all, and wouldn’t have added 11 new birds to my KY state list.  That’s still a nice tally compared to my expectation of adding 9 new birds.  That brings my new KY total to 215.  And now I have good locations for Grasshopper Sparrow, Chuck-will’s widow, and Whip-poor-will should I come back on a future summer trip.  Plus I can’t forget the 1 new bird in IN which brings that state list to 233. 

And now a bit of a postscript regarding the significance of my 215 total in KY –

Early in my birding career I set a goal to see at least half of the birds on the official state lists of each state in the Lower 48 and DC.  The genesis of this goal comes from the American Birding Association (ABA).  Back in the day, the ABA would publish your state and Canadian province totals but only if you had observed at least half of the total ever recorded in that state/province.  So my goal was to be able to report my totals in each of the Lower 48 states and DC.  The ABA last published birders’ totals in this way in 2011.  Later they went to a digital format where all your totals would be published without any threshold.  And of course, eBird has taken that approach as well.  But my goal remained – to be able to meet the ABA reportable threshold in each state.  And in 2023, with a birding trip to Oregon, I reached my lifelong goal of being reportable in each of the Lower 48 states plus DC. 

As of 2011 the ABA reporting threshold for KY was 194, meaning the total state list was twice that total or 388.  I had 204 on my KY list at the time so I was safe at 10 over the threshold.  Or was I?  You see as new birds are added to a state list, the threshold increases as well.  As of January 2023 (the most recent update on the internet), the official KY statelist had increased to 396 (www.birdky.org/kbrc.php).  That means the threshold has increased to 198.  My new KY total of 215 is 17 over that new threshold – that should hold me for a while.

First Summer Trip to Northeast Georgia, June 23, 2021

When I moved to western NC I put together a list of potential new statebirds that could be feasible in the northeast corner of GA – generally within a 2 ½ hour drive of home.  Although my GA list was already pretty good at 233, there were still 39 possible targets that were regular in that part of the state.  Lots of potential – now I just needed to make it a priority to get there.

My first two trips to northeast GA since moving south were in winter, but both were brief and as a result netted just one new statebird - Red-breasted Nuthatch - despite having many possible targets.  I kept watching my Needs Alerts in spring but never found hotspots that seemed to be reliable for many of my target migrants.  Though again I didn’t look too hard – there were too many good birds in western NC to look for.

As the 2021 summer/breeding season approached I did some research from previous years’ reports and found 10 potential targets to hope for.  Three seemed to be rather reliable albeit local – Swainson’s and Canada Warblers, and Willow Flycatcher.  Three others were regular though not too reliable – Broad-winged Hawk, Raven, and Cerulean Warbler.  And three more that were seen only occasionally but were still possible – Ruffed Grouse, Brown Creeper, and Red Crossbill.  Finally, there was Whip-poor-that was reported occasionally as a nocturnal target.  I had hoped to get to GA in late May or early June at the latest but my plans never came together.  So finally, when a cold front was predicted to pass through on June 22 to cool things down a bit, I decided that this would be my opportunity.  With some last-minute planning I decided to head there on the 23rd. 

The majority of the reports of my targets were coming from Brasstown Bald.  Canada Warbler seemed regular there though details were a bit sketchy as to which trail(s) to take to look for them.  Broad-winged Hawk and Raven were reported on some lists.  And one person was lucky enough to run into a couple Grouse.  Willow Flycatcher was reported several times at Dillard Reservoir which is its regular nesting location.  But no one had seen them there since early June.  And there were just a couple reports of Swainson’s Warbler at Hale Ridge Road, though this hotspot is very underbirded and I assumed they would be regular there.  After spending some time mapping out possible routes I decided to start the morning at Brasstown Bald, then work my way east first stopping at Dillard Reservoir, and then on to Hale Ridge Rd.  I know that meant not getting to the Swainson’s spot till later in the day, but they are strong singers and I was still hopeful to hear them there that time of day.  I hoped to find maybe 2 of my targets (most likely the Canada and Swainson’s Warblers).  And if I missed some of my targets because they weren’t singing this late in the year, the trip would still give me a good introduction to the area.

I left the house bright and early at 6 AM, which had me rolling into the Brasstown Bald parking lot at 8:45.  Temps were in the 50s, with a thick fog and cool wind.  I had hoped to get there even earlier, but the morning birds should still be singing in these conditions.  And I was just about the only car in the parking lot, meaning I might be the first to walk some of the trails enhancing my chances for happening on a Grouse.  I decided to head to Jack’s Knob Trail first since this appeared to be the best spot for Canadas – one was reported near the picnic tables and one in the first stretch of the trail.  I first headed to the picnic tables but could only find a couple Juncos.  Then I started slowly walking the trail but had almost no song at all.  Was I too late in the year?  Though I was striking out on the Canada, I still hoped I’d run into a Grouse.  So I continued to walk about a mile of the trail before I turned around.  Right away my thoughts went to what other trails I could walk to try for my targets.  But then as I neared the car I heard the familiar chattering song of the Canada Warbler.  It eventually came quite close to me giving some good views.  I wonder where this bird was when I first walked that stretch of the trail.

My statebird map for Canada Warbler is inserted below.  I’ve now seen this species in most of its regular states in the east and Midwest (the blue-shaded states) but still need it in a number of states in the central US where it is a regular migrant (the cross-hatched states).  Years ago I also found a Canada Warbler as a rarity in Wyoming (the tan state).

Now that I had my most likely new statebird from this site under my belt, it was time to start focusing on the rarer ones.  Recent eBird checklists from the area sometimes included sightings of Broad-winged Hawk and Raven, though no specific trails have been mentioned.  I found a trail map at a kiosk and decided to try Wagon Train Trail that headed into a wilderness area.  This rustic sign seemed fitting. 

I had barely walked a hundred yards down the trail when I heard familiar “jip jip” calls of a flyover Red Crossbill – that was most unexpected.  I always feel incredibly lucky when I find Crossbills in the Appalachians.  Although they are certainly possible in these high elevation areas, you can go many trips without finding one.  GA is now my 4th southeastern state with Red Crossbill as a rarity.

I continued down the trail and soon heard a Canada Warbler singing in the distance.  Then a bit farther I heard some chipping and spotted a female Canada carrying food.  Then a little later came upon a fledgling being fed by one of its parents.  And then another family group.  All in all I had 7 Canadas on this section of the trail.  I guess I should have come to this trail first.

I decided to turn around after about a mile’s walk, very happy with my results.  But it wasn’t over yet.  As I headed back toward the parking lot I heard the high-pitched “pee-teee” call of a Broad-winged Hawk passing overhead.  Nice to be able to shade-in GA in my statebird map – that leaves just 5 more states to go where Broad-wings are regular.

My last key target for the area was Common Raven, so when I got back to the parking lot I decided to eat my lunch standing in the parking lot allowing me to scan the skies and nearby ridges hoping to see one passing by.  But no luck.  I assumed this one would have to wait for a later trip, though I kept my eyes open as I drove down the mountain.  I then noticed this nice overlook and pulled over to grab this picture.

Not quite ready to throw in the towel I scanned the distant ridges and noticed a couple soaring raptors.  Then I spotted a distant all dark soaring bird.  It was pretty far away but I could pick out the Corvid shape, eliminating a vulture.  And it was too large for a crow, and was mostly soaring.  I had myself a distant Raven!  That leaves just NJ as the last eastern state where I still need this species in its regular range.

Wow – 4 new statebirds at my first stop - two more than I hoped for in the entire day.  And 2 more stops still to go.

The next stop was the Dillard Reservoir area for Willow Flycatcher, which has bred in this area for a few years.  Though I wasn’t too optimistic since they hadn’t been seen there for a few weeks.  Not to mention that it was now early afternoon on this summer day.  I checked out the spots where they had been seen earlier but came up empty.  At least I’m now familiar with this site for my next trip.

My last stop was along Hale Ridge Road.  Posts from this hotspot over the last several years have included significant numbers of several local breeding warblers, including numerous Swainson’s and an occasional Cerulean.  It was now mid-afternoon so I knew that bird song would be limited, but I was still hopeful that I’d run into Swainson’s as they will sing well into the summer.  It took me a little while, but eventually found the perfect habitat for Swainson’s - large areas of thick rhododendron thickets on hillsides.  I drove through at least 2 miles of this habitat making frequent stops but unfortunately couldn’t come up with my target.  And even though few birds were singing, I did get an Ovenbird, Worm-eating, 7 Hoodeds, 2 Parulas, and a Black-throated Green in this 2 mile stretch.  Plus another calling Broad-winged Hawk.  Pretty birdy after all.  Just not my targets.

Although I missed my last couple targets, I’m still very happy to have added 4 birds to my GA statelist – 2 more than I expected.  That brings my list up to 238.  Next year I’ll have to schedule a trip to the area earlier in the breeding season.  Though not too early since Willow Flycatcher is typically late to arrive on its breeding grounds.  And now that I have the lay of the land, I’ll start in the morning at Hale Ridge Road and head right to the rhododendron area, followed by a drive to Dillard Reservoir.  Can’t wait…

4 New Statebirds in "Upstate" South Carolina, October 2019

The South Carolina/North Carolina line is within 30 minutes of home, so SC is definitely within reach for pursuing possible new statebirds.  Or perhaps I should say western SC is within reach – the coast is still more than 3 hours away.  So during October 2019 I made 2 trips to the western, or “upstate”, portion of SC as it’s called locally.  On these trips I birded with several birders active in the Greenville County Bird Club, who are excellent birders and really friendly folks to bird with.  Great to make these excellent connections and friendships.

10/14 – Conestee Park 

My first birding trip to western SC was to Lake Conestee Nature Park near Greenville where I hoped for a number of new statebirds, including some reasonably regular migrants.  When fellow Hendersonville birder Dave Minnich and I arrived we were greeted by quite a group of birders from the Greenville County club.  During introductions I realized there were a number of passerines in the nearby trees.  One of the local birders mentioned that they just had a Black-throated Green Warbler – one of my targets.  Luckily we were able to re-find it a couple minutes later as my first SC addition.  We continued along the trail and found a few migrants along the way, including another target - Bay-breasted Warbler.  We would end up seeing at least 3 more later on our trip.  Then later Dave suggested we take a short side-trail and we came upon a nice group of migrants, including the first of 3 Chestnut-sided Warblers we had that day – my 3rd new statebird of the day. 

Although each of these species is a regular migrant throughout much of the eastern US, they often pass through during a reasonably small window of time.  So you need to be birding in appropriate habitat during that window in order to try to check them off on those statelists.  Though it’s certainly easier to find them on their breeding grounds.  And that is the case for all 3 of my new SC statebirds.  Take Chestnut-sided for example.  In my statebird map below, the dark shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species; the cross-hatched states are those where it is regular but still missing from my lists.  I’ve seen Chestnut-sided in most every state where it nests in the northern parts of the eastern US.  But I still need it in quite a number of states where it is a regular migrant.  (I’ve also seen it as a rarity in CA.)

We spent much of the day in the park exploring a number of the trails through excellent and varied habitat.  And although I didn’t add any additional statebirds that day, it was a great introduction to the park for future trips.

10/21 – Tall Pines WMA

This site was opened to the public less than a year ago, and the local Greenville County birders have done a great job exploring it in that short period of time.  Habitats are excellent, including woodlands, ponds, and fields.  We spent much of the morning walking the trails, and although birding was pretty slow, it was an excellent introduction.  Later Dave Minnich and I headed up to Ceasars Head State Park to take a look at the hawk watch site, but it was socked in with fog with negligible visibility. 

My only statebird of the trip wasn’t actually at either spot.  On our drive down to Tall Pines Dave and I spotted a pair of Common Ravens flying overhead just after we crossed into SC.  Luckily it’s a species that easy to ID while you’re driving at 60 mph.  I only need Raven in a couple more states where it is regular.  Though this expanding species can be seen virtually anywhere across the country these days.

I ended October with 244 on my SC statelist.  There are still quite a number of pretty easy birds on my target list, not to mention those rarer species.  I’m looking forward to many future trips to the Upstate, and birding with my new friends from the Greenville County Bird Club.

4 Maryland and 4 Delaware Statebirds (Aren’t eBird Needs Alerts Great?), January 2017

I grew up in Maryland and during that time really focused on my MD statelist.  As a result I developed a pretty good list while living there, standing at 321 when I moved out of the state almost 30 years ago.  At the time it was my single largest statelist, and MD was my first ABA reportable state.  Since then my focus has turned to exceeding ABA thresholds in all states, so since then I haven’t gone out of my way to try to add birds to my MD list.  Not surprisingly, I have only added 5 new birds to my MD list since I left, mostly with some opportunistic birding while visiting relatives in the area. 

But now I set a new goal to get to 15,000 total ticks.  To reach that threshold I can’t turn down any new reasonably feasible statebird, even in states with my largest lists.  So with an upcoming trip to MD in January I set up an eBird Needs Alert to see if any new birds might be around.  To my surprise many species popped up, including several species that were now regular in MD but weren’t even on my radar screen back in the 80’s – like Cackling Goose, Ross’s Goose, and Trumpeter Swan.  But more importantly the alert included a reliable rarity – Black-throated Gray Warbler.  This bird had been seen since late November in the small Tydings Memorial Park in Havre de Grace.  I only had a few hours available on one early morning to give it a try, but if I got there at dawn I could give it a couple hours before I had to head out.  Plus there was a reliable Trumpeter Swan a short distance away at Perryville Community Park.  So ever the optimist, if I could get the Warbler quickly, I could even try for the Swan as well.

I arrived at Tydings Memorial Park a bit before dawn to pea soup fog, and temps in the 30s.  Given the cool conditions I had expected this insect-eating bird to get active when its food started to get active, most likely in the first trees to be illuminated by the rising sun.  Apparently its favorite trees were a row of 4 cedars planted atop a hill in the park (recent directions put them at the east end of the park but it only took me a few seconds to find them at the west end of the park).  These would be the first ones to be in sunlight at dawn so my logic was coming together.  But that morning the rising sun was obscured by fog, and dawn arrived without any sunlit trees anywhere in the park. 

After a few minutes of searching with no luck I noticed another birder had arrived.  Hoping that he might have better directions I went over to him to compare notes.  To my surprise it was Jim Stasz, a birder I spent many hours birding with in the 70s and 80s.  In fact he was my key birding mentor from my younger formative days.  Amazing coincidence!  He too thought that the cedars would be the best spot to check at dawn.  But the fog was spoiling our plans.  Jim also mentioned that the bird was sometimes seen in the suburban neighborhood just to the north of the park, so that might be an alternate location to try.

In the next hour at least 8 other birders arrived, and we all fanned out throughout the park.  But to no avail.  Eventually the sun did come out, and a few birds made their way to the cedars, but no one spotted our target bird.

It was now time for me to head out having missed the Warbler, not to mention not even having a chance to try for the Swan.  I said goodbye to Jim and drove out of the park.  As I passed by on the road skirting the northern edge of Tydings Park, I noticed the birders all scurrying over to the neighborhood, crossing the road in front of me.  I pulled over and got the news – a birder had just found the Warbler one block to the north.  Seconds later I was with that birder standing at the base of the large spruce tree where he had heard the bird a couple minutes earlier.  Within a minute I heard the bird’s characteristic chip note, sounding much like a Yellow-rumped.  We all tracked the bird as it passed through the neighborhood, getting several brief looks at the bird as it continued to call from the treetops.  Eventually it flew over to the park, seemingly heading to its favorite row of cedars.  If I had left just a minute earlier I would have missed it!

MD was my fourth state where I’ve seen Black-throated Gray Warbler as a rarity – along with MA, GA, and ND, plus I’ve seen it throughout its normal range out west (see my statebird map below).  And it was number 327 for my MD list.

But that was just 1 new MD statebird, and the title of this blog said I added 4 in MD.  The other 3 came on my next trip “back home”.  Energized by the success of using a Needs Alert on my first trip, I set up another alert for my second trip.  Once again Cackling Geese, Ross’s Geese, and Trumpeter Swans dominated the report.  And all 3 were being seen close to my home base in Baltimore.  Most recently a Ross’s Goose and 2 Cackling Geese were being seen in a flock of Canadas 45 minutes northwest at Study Road Pond in Carroll County.  This flock also had an immature Snow Goose and a couple White-fronts – good birds for the area but not new for my MD list.  As with my first trip I had just a few hours free for birding, but these birds looked to be pretty reliable so it seemed to be worth a try.  Plus if I got these birds quickly I could try for a Trumpeter Swan just discovered in a small pond on the southwest outskirts of Baltimore. 

After a short ride into northern Carroll County I turned onto Study Road, and quickly spotted the pond ahead of me, along with a flock of geese on the grassy field above it.  And a second later I picked out a small white goose.  Within seconds I had the Ross’s Goose in my scope, and got this distant phonescoped photo of this most cooperative bird.  Needless to say a white goose in a flock of Canadas feeding in a grassy field really stands out.

MD was my 30^th state for this expanding species.  And although I had seen Ross’s Goose in DE while I lived in the Mid-Atlantic, I don’t believe it was even on the MD statelist at the time.

Now I needed to search for the much less obvious Cackling Geese.  I quickly panned through the flock with my binocs and almost instantly picked out a group of 3 smaller geese feeding on the hill.  With the scope I could tell all 3 were much smaller than the Canadas, but they were facing away so I couldn’t see their bill and head shapes.  Eventually they turned and I could see all 3 had the stubbier bill, and more vertical forehead shape of a Cackling Goose.  But one was slightly larger – the rightmost bird of the trio in this photo.

And now in the middle in this photo.

Could the smaller birds be “Richardson’s” Cackling Geese and the larger one be a “Taverner’s” Cackling Goose?  Or maybe the larger bird is just the male of this potential family group, since males tend to be a little larger than females.  A bit later I found this other Goose that seemed small enough to be a Cackling, but its head/bill shape was more Canada like.  Not sure what to make of this one – maybe a small “Parvipes” Canada, or dare I say a hybrid?

Later I found the immature “Blue Phase” Snow Goose, but with a quick scan I couldn’t locate a White-front.  Although I thought about spending more time looking for that fifth goose species, since I got my target geese so quickly, I decided I should head out to make a very quick try for the Trumpeter Swan.  Luckily the Swan had been seen on a small pond, so it wouldn’t take long to either find it or realize the bird had moved on.  Maybe even easier than the Ross’s Goose.

Potentially a bigger issue with the Swan could be gaining access to the pond.  The bird was seen on the property of a gated retirement community, but one eBirder mentioned he just asked for permission at the gate and was given access.  So I wasn’t too worried when I drove up to the gate to ask as well.  However, the guard said she couldn’t let me on the property.  The pond was not visible from the road, so now what should I do?  I quickly pulled up the area on my map app in the satellite view, and could see the pond on the eastern edge of the retirement community property.  Maybe I could get a view of the pond from the back side of one of the businesses to the east.  I drove around to a couple spots and eventually found one that gave me a view to at least a portion of the pond.  And sure enough on my second stop there was the immature Trumpeter swimming down below.  Makes up for not being able to try for the Trumpeter on my first trip to MD.  I got this miserable shot of the bird by holding my phone up to my binocs.

MD is my second east coast state where I’ve counted the reintroduced Trumpeter Swans – luckily they have been accepted on the MD statelist. 

That gave me 4 new birds on my MD list in just 1 month, raising my total to 330.  After I entered all my sightings in eBird my MD Needs Alerts now only had a couple entries.  Though unfortunately none of the remaining birds were close enough to chase after, but I was very happy with adding 4 new birds in such limited birding time.

With so much success using a MD Needs Alert, I started to think about setting up Needs Alerts for nearby states.  Although my statelists in adjacent states were also pretty good, they weren’t as good as my MD list, so there would likely be several targets to pursue.  The problem was I didn’t have any more spare time while I was in Baltimore.  But I still had to drive back to MA at the end of the trip, so maybe there would be some statebirds I could pursue close to my planned route home with just some short side-trips.  I started with a Needs Alert in DE where my statelist stood at a very respectable 270.  My planned route would take me on I-95 through New Castle County in DE, and sure enough there were several potential targets in that northernmost DE county.  And with a bit of research I was able to find 4 reasonably likely targets to pursue close to my I-95 route – Ring-necked Duck and Common Merganser at the Newark Reservoir, Black-capped Chickadee at feeders at the Tri-State Bird Rescue, and Cackling Goose at Bellevue State Park.  Despite having to make stops at 3 different sites, my total additional drive time was just 45 minutes.  If I made short “tactical” birding stops at each location it would all be feasible - my plan was set.

After just an hour drive from Baltimore I neared the DE stateline and took the exit to head to the Newark Reservoir.  Several recent eBird reports had included small flocks of both Common Mergansers and Ring-necked Ducks there, including just 2 days before my visit.  (Not exactly sure why I still needed these quite common species in a state where I’ve done so much birding over the years…)  There were also a couple reports of Cackling Geese there a few weeks earlier, so another one to watch out for.  I needed a short walk uphill to gain access to the reservoir, but I hoped to be able to quickly check off both the Ring-neck and Merg once I got the reservoir in view.  As I headed up the path to the reservoir I saw a duck flying overhead – it was a male Common Merganser.  That was easy!  Now I just needed the Ring-necks to be as cooperative.  Unfortunately it wasn’t to be.  Although I had 9 Common Mergs on the water, I could not find any Ring-necked Ducks.  And there was only 1 Canada Goose – none of its smaller cousins were around. 

My statebird map for Common Merganser pretty closely matches it regular range, though I still need it in OH.  And as a postscript – if I had found a Ring-necked Duck I could have filled in DE in my statebird map as my last continental US state for that species.  (I’ve seen 26 species in every continental US state.)

Next I was off to nearby Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research, where a few eBird posts had reported a Black-capped Chickadee coming to their feeders.  The northern tip of DE is traditionally near the southern edge of the range of Black-caps, especially in winter when a few birds tend to move a bit south of their normal breeding ranges.  And many of these birds are reported from feeders, not surprisingly with several Carolinas, as was the case with the Tri-State feeders.  That brings up the challenge of identification of these 2 very similar species.  Luckily I’ve grown up near the edge of the Carolina/Black-capped ranges, so I’ve spent a lot of time with these 2 species.  To me, the biggest ID clue is the size difference, though interestingly that feature isn’t stressed in the field guides.  When I travel to MD and see a Carolina Chickadee, after spending years with Black-caps in New England, my first thought is how much smaller Carolinas are. 

With prior approval to bird at the Tri-State feeders, I arrived mid-morning and headed to a deck overlooking their feeding station.  I quickly found 4 Carolina Chickadees actively coming to the feeder to grab a sunflower seed.  They would then fly to a bush just a short distance away to open the seed.  They would chatter a bit, and then head back to the feeder to repeat their cycle.  Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t turn any of them into a Black-cap.  After 20 minutes I was starting to second-guess my efforts.  After all it had been more than a month since the last eBird report.  Then I spotted a different Chickadee fly in from the south.  I instantly thought that this bird was bigger.  And when it landed near the feeder I could see its whiter wings, rustier sides, and more ragged edge to the bib – a Black-capped Chickadee.  However my look was brief, as it stayed near the feeder for just 10 seconds, never actually stopped at the feeder, and then flew off to the north.  In other words it wasn’t even associating with the Carolinas that had taken up residence at the feeding station.  I’ve now seen Black-capped Chickadee in just about all its regular states, including down the spine of the Appalachians in VA, NC, and TN.

I was now quickly back on the road driving through some suburban streets headed off to my next stop.  As I neared a red light I could see a large flock of crows circling overhead.  I half-heartedly told myself to keep an eye open for Common Raven which had been occasionally reported from the general area.  As I sat at the light I noticed one more distant Corvid that seemed to be doing more soaring than flapping.  On a lark I picked up my binocs from the passenger seat, lowered my window, and focused my binocs on the bird in question – it had a wedge-shaped tail.  Amazingly, it was indeed a Raven!  I continued to watch it glide along the edge of the flock of Crows; that is until the light turned green.  Thank goodness for long red lights.  With the exception of NJ, I’ve seen this species in all its regular states and a few others as it continues to expand its range.

Next I was off to Bellevue State Park to try for Cackling Geese.  A flock of 5 had been reported there in early January, but that was now more than 2 weeks ago.  But I tried to remain optimistic.  Once I got to the park it was pretty easy to find the lake and adjoining fields where the mixed Canada and Cackling Goose flock had been reported.  And sure enough up ahead there was a small flock of about 200 geese grazing in the field.  A quick scan did not reveal any smaller geese.  So I got closer and with just a bit of searching found a flock of 5 smaller Cackling Geese feeding together.  Perhaps a family group?  Amazing that they have stayed in this park for so long.  I got this photo of the 5 Cackling Geese with 2 larger Canadas off to the side.

 

My Cackling Goose statebird map is less a reflection of the wintering range of this species than it is  indicative of the states in which I’ve birded in the proper season since Cackling Goose was split out as a separate species.

That gave me 4 new DE statebirds, bringing my list up to 274.  And along with my MD success, amazing to add 8 new birds to my already substantial Mid-Atlantic statelists despite making just 3 short birding trips.  As I continued my drive north up the NJ Turnpike I was half-tempted to pull over and set up a quick Needs Alert in NJ.  But that will have to wait for a future trip. 

I love Needs Alerts…