Southern Ohio Trip Nets 7 State Birds - August 23-25, 2024

Since moving to the southeast I’ve been looking for an excuse to get back to Kentucky 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.  I finally 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.  I last birded in OH in 2017 and that state total was at 228.  That meant I had lots of gaps in that state list too.  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 with the help of several local KY experts and lots of hours on eBird, I found 16 potential KY state birds in the region.  My eBird research revealed 7 reasonable targets on OH, 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 almost all the way north to Columbus, which was farther than my original plans. 

Planning the trip around the late summer peak times at the Falls of the Ohio meant that local breeders might be difficult to find so late in the breeding season.  But with recent reports for most of the breeders, I tried to stay optimistic. 

Given the timing of the trip for the breeders, I hoped for perhaps 9 new KY state birds plus 3 new birds in OH.  Though maybe I was being too optimistic.

This blog post summarizes the OH portion of my August 2024 trip, starting with Day 4 of the trip.  My previous post summarized the KY part of the trip.

Day 4 – August 23

I started the day birding in Louisville, KY, with my last stop being the Falls of the Ohio.  But since the Falls were quite slow, I didn’t stay there long and as a result, I finished the KY portion of my day earlier than expected.  So with extra time on my hands, I changed my strategy for that afternoon to bird a couple spots on tomorrow’s OH itinerary.  If I was able to find my targets, that would give me more time tomorrow for other stops.  And if I missed those target birds today, I could always come back for a second try tomorrow.

My first OH stop of the day was the GilmoreMetroPark in the northern Cincinnati suburbs where an adult and 2 juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Herons had been reported for some time.  Plus just the day before an Olive-sided Flycatcher was reported at the park, giving me a second target to pursue.  I arrived at the park mid-afternoon and after a short walk reached the overlook at the South Pond where the Herons were most often reported.  I had a Green Heron there on the far side of the pond, but no Night Herons.  I birded along nearly the entire edge of the pond finding 4 more Green Herons, but not my target.  I guess I’d have to come back the next day for a second try for this one.

Next I headed to nearby Cattail Marsh at the park to try for yesterday’s Olive-sided.  On my way I passed by an extensive brushy area that was bathed in the hot afternoon sun so I quickly made my way through the area.  That is until I heard a song that I instantly recognized as one I had played the previous day in KY – Bell’s Vireo.  That’s a really rare bird in OH, and one that had not popped up on any of my OH Needs Alerts.  The bird kept singing so I taped it for ID purposes using the Merlin app.  However, Merlin was calling it a Blue Grosbeak.  I know Blue Grosbeak songs well and this bird wasn’t a Blue Grosbeak.  Perhaps since Merlin knew my location it wasn’t even considering Bell’s Vireo as an option since it would be a rarity.  My tape of the bird in question is in my Bird checklist here –   ebird.org/checklist/S192514134    I was certain of my ID and very excited to have found a rarity.  Here’s a picture of the extensive brushy area where the Bell’s Vireo was calling from.

After hearing the Bell’s Vireo for several minutes I moved onto Cattail Marsh to look for the Olive-sided.  There were lots of tall dead trees and snags surrounding the marsh but unfortunately no perched Olive-sided.  I then turned my attention to the marsh which was nearly dry, exposing a broad mud flat that looked great for species like Baird’s and Buff-breasted Sandpipers.  I tallied 54 Killdeer, plus some Leasts and one Semi Sand, but nothing better.  Although I missed my 2 targets for the park, at least I found a Bell’s Vireo.

Next it was off to Ceasar Creek State Park in the southeast suburbs of Dayton where a Little Blue Heron had been reported for a couple weeks.  And to sweeten the pot, a Snowy Egret was found at the same spot the day before.  The birds were being seen from 2 different sides of Ceasar Creek - from Young Road which ends at a boat ramp to the west, and Mound Road to the east.  They seemed to be more easily seen from Young Road so I decided to go there first.

As I pulled up to the Young Road boat ramp I saw a couple birders with their scope trained on the wetlands to the north.  I scurried on over to them hoping that they had my targets but no such luck – they too were looking for those white waders unsuccessfully so far.  But then one birder mentioned that the eBird hotspot was not at the boat ramp but a short distance to the south.  Maybe we needed to search from there.  I found a trail through the woods and took a short walk to the south where the trail ended at the waters edge.  And due east, about a quarter mile across the river, was a small marsh and mudflat that appeared to be the Mound Road hotspot. 

I started to scan the area and quickly spotted a medium-sized white wader.  Even at that distance I could see the all dark bill, dark legs, and yellow feet of a Snowy Egret (OH state bird #1).  It’s barely visible on the left of the above picture.  And with a bit more scanning I noticed another white wader, a bit slighter than the Snowy.  And with a dark-tipped pale bill and green legs I confirmed it as a Little Blue Heron (OH statebird #2).

My state bird maps for Snowy Egret and Little Blue Heron are inserted below.  The blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen these species in their regular range.  The cross-hatched states are those in their regular ranges where I’ve yet to see them.  The purple-shaded states are those where I’ve seen these species as a rarity.

 

Just before leaving the site we found a Philadelphia Vireo foraging in the brush.  A nice bird but not a new one for OH.

That evening I checked on eBird and found to my surprise that my sighting and ID of the Bell’s Vireo had been quickly accepted - based solely on the song.  (Boy was Merlin wrong!)  Not only that, but it was reported from the same spot earlier in the day.  And with a bit more research I found that 1 or 2 Bell’s Vireos had actually been at this same location since May.  Although I wasn’t the first person to find it, at least it would be an unexpected new bird for my OH list.  But then I started to wonder why it hadn’t popped up on any of my OH Needs Alerts.  A couple clicks later I found out that I actually already had Bell’s Vireo on my OH list from a sighting back in June 2011.  It was still exciting to almost discover it that day.

Day 5 – August 24, 2024

My first stop of the day was at the Huffman Prairie Flying Field at the edge of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton.  This field was used by the Wright brothers in the early 1900’s to perfect their flying machine.  A portion of this field is now managed as a natural prairie, and was home for 2 of my targets – Sedge Wren and Henslow’s Sparrow.  I reached out to local birder Steve Bell who had recently posted observations of both breeding species on eBird to get some advice for finding my targets.  Steve provided great tips on birding the site and excellent maps where he had seen them recently.  So although it was getting late in the year, now with Steve’s help, I was optimistic I’d be able to find my targets. 

Here’s a shot of the prairie when I arrived with the sun rising over the foggy fields.  The one-mile loop trail I would take through the prairie is barely visible in this shot beyond the information kiosk. 

Soon thereafter the fog lifted revealing this lush prairie vegetation.

A short distance down the trail I reached one of the locations Steve had recommended for Sedge Wren.  I stopped and listened for these typically vocal birds, and soon heard a set of chattering calls I didn’t quite recognize.  Merlin identified it as Sedge Wren.  Never one to rely on Merlin, especially given the Blue Grosbeak/Bell’s Vireo issue the day before, I waited a bit longer and one bird eventually came in close to me.  Finally, I had visuals of a Sedge Wren (OH state bird #3). 

I continued around the loop now especially listening for Henslow’s Sparrow.  Along the way I had single Sedge Wrens at two other spots in the prairie, again giving those chatter calls that I don’t think I’ve ever heard from Sedge Wrens.  A couple times I spished up single Savannah Sparrows that briefly got me excited, but they were just Savannahs.  Then finally I heard several “songs” of a Henslow’s not too far from one of the spots Steve had had them (OH state bird #4).  Although I’m happy to now have Henslow’s in 14 states, I still have a long way to go to find this elusive and declining species throughout its regular range.

I had several other possible stops for Sedge Wren nearby, but since I was successful with them at Huffman Prairie I could skip those other stops.  And that gave me extra time to head to the hotspot named “Battelle Darby Creek – Wet Prairie Restoration” close to Columbus.  Although there were no likely new state birds for me there now, the spot formerly had several that would have been new for me, like Common Gallinule, American Bittern, and Buff-breasted Sandpiper.  Maybe I’d get lucky with one of these or find something else.  Again, I reached out to Steve Bell for advice on this new spot, and once again his advice was most detailed and proved to be very helpful.

After a 40-minute drive I reached the parking lot for this hotspot and took the short walk to the wetlands.  It was a nice mudflat surrounded by cattails, and it was full of shorebirds.  There was a nice mix of the regular species there, but no rarities.  I had just found one in the distance that I was trying to make into a Baird’s when all the shorebirds took off.  I looked up and there was a Peregrine passing by.  I waited a while for the shorebirds to return but after 10 minutes the mudflats were still bare.  It was time to move on.  It was a nice stop, but as expected, nothing new.

Next I turned to searches for Eurasian Collared-Doves.  I had 2 possible stops for this species, and even though the reports at both sites weren’t very recent, I was still optimistic.  In my experience with ECDs, once they are discovered at a given location they often stick around for quite a while.  My first stop was in South Charleston where they were reported at grain elevators at the south end of town.  I’ve often found ECDs at grain elevators, so I liked my chances at this spot.

I drove up to the area of the most recent report and found several sets of grain elevators.  Where to start?  

I pulled into the parking lot between two sets of silos and immediately flushed a Collared-Dove from the lot (OH state bird #5).  That was easy.  I’ve seen this species throughout its regular range, and now OH is the 8th Midwest and northeast state where I’ve seen it as a rarity.

My look at the bird as it flushed was pretty brief, so I was hoping to get some better views.  I parked along Woodward Street which ran along the north side of the industrial complex and had numerous shade trees that looked like good perches for the Doves.  Within a few minutes another ECD flew up from the parking lot and landed in one of the tall trees.  But it disappeared in the leaves.  Just then I heard a Dove singing, and eventually located it perched on top of a nearby telephone pole.  Here's a couple digi-binned shots of this cooperative bird.

My last stop of the day was back at Gilmore MetroPark for a second try at the Yellow-crowned Night Herons.  After my failed attempt the previous afternoon (in the heat), I did some more research on eBird and noticed that most of the recent reports were either in the early morning or late evening.  So I checked into my hotel early that afternoon and delayed my try for the Herons till after dinner. 

I had a nice picnic dinner at a shaded picnic table at the park, then started my walk to South Pond at 6:15.  As I got to the overlook I noticed a wader perched on the far side.  Did I have my bird, or was it another Green Heron?  Then with a quick binocular view it was easy to see I had the adult YCNH.  Delaying my search until late in the day must have done the trick.  Check out the Wood Ducks photo-bombing this shot of the Heron.

Day 6 – August 25, 2024

I had just one target for the last day of the trip – Broad-winged Hawk.  There were reports of nesting Broad-wings at numerous sites around greater Cincinnati earlier in the summer, though in most locations there were just one or two sightings.  The exception seemed to be an area in the southwest corner of OH called Shawnee Overlook, where there were numerous reports going back to the spring at a couple trails.  I chose to hike the Little Turtle Trail since it had the most July and and August reports this year.  Though with just 3 reports the last 2 months you couldn’t exactly say that Broad-wings were common there.  Ironically, during my working days, I had a project site just a couple miles from Shawnee Overlook which I visited many times though didn’t bird at the Overlook.

The Little Turtle Trail made a 2-mile loop through nice mature deciduous woodlands.  About a mile along the trail I very fittingly found this little (box) turtle crossing the path. 

Another half mile along I started to hear a number of species typical of dense deciduous forests including Pileated Woodpecker, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and multiple Acadian Flycatchers.  I said to myself that the only species I was missing was the Broad-wing.  And just a couple minutes later I heard the first of several high-pitched calls of a Broad-winged Hawk (OH state bird #7).  I just need this species in 4 more states in its regular range.

It’s always great to end your trip by finding your last target!

That gave me 7 new OH state birds – an excellent result given that I expected just 3.  And that brings my OH total to 235.   

Now a bit of a postscript regarding the significance and context of my OH total –

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 totals but only if you had observed at least half of the total ever recorded in that state.  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 OH was 211, meaning the total state list was twice that total or 422.  I had 228 on my OH list at the time so I was safe at 17 over the threshold.  Or was I?  You see as new birds are added to a state list, the threshold increases as well.  As of December 2023 (the most recent update on the internet), the official OH state list had increased by a whopping 28 birds in just 12 years, bringing the total now to 450 (http://ohiobirds.org/resources/official-ohio-ornithological-society-bird-checklist/).  Though it’s not clear if that total includes hypothetical species that are typically excluded from these calculations.  That means the threshold has increased by 14 to 225.  And before this year’s trip I had dropped to being just 3 over the new threshold.  At least my new OH total of 235 is now 10 over that latest threshold.  Though if OH continues to add new birds at their recent pace that may not keep me above threshold for long. 

Coastal VA and NC Trip Nets 11 New Statebirds, December 9-13, 2021, Part 1 of 2

I attended a Carolina Bird Club trip to the Outer Banks of NC in mid-December 2021.  And along with extensions into coastal VA, plus 2 travel days, I made it into a 5-day weekend.  It had been more than 20 years since I birded southeastern VA, and I had quite a number of possible new statebirds.  First, several target species like Lesser Black-backed Gull and White Ibis are more numerous there now.  Plus my VA statelist was only at 250 so there were a number of gaps in general I could fill.  On the downside, my last trip was before 9/11 when I was still able to bird on the islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT) – locations which are no longer accessible due to possible terrorist concerns.  As for NC, even though it had been nearly 3 decades (ouch) since I birded the Outer Banks, my potential targets in NC were pretty limited.  Most importantly I was banking on a couple long-staying rarities, Eurasian Wigeon and Hudsonian Godwit, which were rather reliable.  All told I hoped for 5 or 6 new statebirds in VA and 3 in NC.  And I was looking forward to reacquainting myself with some of the top hotspots on the NC and VA coasts.

This is my summary of the first half of the trip; see my next post for the latter half of the trip.

December 9 – 0 for 3 for the Travel Day to the Coast

I had 3 targets for my day heading to the coast – Say’s Phoebe near Greensboro, NC, Heermann’s Gull in Hopewell, VA, and Red-cockaded Woodpecker in Sussex County, VA.  Even with lots of hours on the road, I had plenty of time to be able to check off all 3.  That is if the birds were reasonably cooperative. 

The Say’s Phoebe had been coming to a complex of farmfields and related buildings in Guilford County since mid-October.  Earlier in its stay it was quite reliable, with most birders finding the bird rather quickly.  But lately, many reports included several hours of wait time.  Though all birders were apparently eventually seeing the Phoebe.  That is except for a visit 3 days before my trip which came up empty.  In any case, I remained optimistic and allotted myself at least an hour and a half to find my target.

I got out of the house 30 minutes earlier than expected, and the early morning traffic was light, so I had even more time to find the Phoebe.  Within minutes I had picked out most of the perches where the bird had been photographed – wooden fence posts along the pond, fencing surrounding the corral, concertina wire around the former penitentiary, and roofs of old farm buildings.  But by 11:45, my planned time to depart this spot, 2 hours of searching still hadn’t produced the Phoebe.  I could stay longer in the hope that it would still show up, but that could reduce my chances of finding my later targets.  I decided I could give it another 30 minutes and still have enough time to get my last 2 targets, though just barely.  But it was not to be.  After 2 ½ hours I still didn’t have the bird, and I wondered if the cold, raw, overcast weather was minimizing the activity of the Phoebe’s insect food.  I decided to call it quits, since I could always give it another try on my way back home on Monday.  That is if it was still being seen.

Next it was on to the Hopewell, VA City Marina where an immature Heermann’s Gull had been overwintering since late October.  Not only was it long-staying, but it was also very reliable.  Many birders reported seeing it within minutes of arriving, often as it begged for food at the marina.  If the bird was just as cooperative for me I could be in and out in just a few minutes and still have time to try for the Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, my third target of the day.  I pulled in just after 3 PM and saw a few Ring-bills and Laughings in the parking lot, but no Heermann’s.  I was already past my allotted time when I noticed large gull flocks on the 2 marina roofs, but only found the regular Herrings, Laughings, and Ring-bills.  There were a couple reports of the bird perched under the adjacent bridge, but with a quick look again I came up empty.  Quite a number of gulls were now coming into roost on the buildings, so I tried to check out each bird as it arrived.  Still no luck.  After more than an hour I decided that my target bird just wasn’t around.  And not only had I missed the Heermann’s, but I also no longer had enough time to try for the woodpeckers. 

That left me 0 for 3 for my targets for the day.  Not the best way to start the trip.  And my results, or I should say lack of results, really put a monkey-wrench in my plans.  I could always try for all 3 after my trip to the Outer Banks, but that would probably require me to cut the NC portion of my trip short.  I’d definitely have to be flexible.

December 10 – Successful Day in Eastern VA

The plan for the 10th was to visit several hotspots in Northampton and Virginia Beach Counties in eastern VA.  I was in search of as many as 7 targets, though all but one, Lesser Black-backed Gull, were long shots.  Most were not reported recently, and/or could have just been passing through.  I started to brace myself for another less than successful day, maybe with just one new statebird.  Then again, after yesterday’s results, my luck had to improve, right?

Then just before the trip another target popped up on the radar screen – a Western Kingbird was found in Virginia Beach on the 9th.  If it was spotted again on the 10th I would revise my itinerary to chase after this rarity.  I would just have to check my Needs Alert during the day to see if it was re-found.

First I was off to Northampton County, with a first stop at the Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR.  Specifically. I was heading to the salt marshes at the end of Ramp Road where I hoped for Nelson’s Sparrow and Sedge Wren that had been reported there sporadically.  My route to the refuge took me across the CBBT which yielded lots of gull and cormorant flybys, though nothing of interest (stopping on the islands is no longer allowed).  Soon I was at the first boat ramp at the edge of a large expanse of Spartina marsh.  And it didn’t take long before I had a couple inquisitive Nelson’s Sparrows (VA statebird #1). 

My statebird map for Nelson’s Sparrow is inserted below.  The blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range; the cross-hatched states are those where I still need it as a regular species.  The 2 tan states (WV and VT) are locations where I’ve seen it as a rarity.  I still need it in several coastal states as a wintering bird and throughout its migration and breeding range in the Midwest.

I spent another half hour or so trudging through the marsh and adjacent brush trying for Sedge Wrens but with no luck.  But I had another spot to try for them so I hadn’t given up hope.

Next I was off to Sunset Beach where 4 Eurasian Collared-Doves had been reported a month earlier.  With no details on the location of the sighting, I wasn’t sure exactly where to look, so I took a 30-minute stroll around the beach area and adjoining campground and hotel.  No luck again.  I had 2 other spots to try for ECDs so wasn’t stressing too much.  I got back to my car and began to plan my next stop when I looked out my passenger window and noticed this Sapsucker not 10 feet away.  Nice cooperative bird.

 Then I headed to Magotha Road a few miles away which passes through ag fields and associated farm houses, and then ends in saltmarsh habitat similar to Ramp Road at the refuge.  Over the years there had been a fair number of ECD reports along Magotha Road, including 2 a month earlier at 5037 Magotha.  I started driving slowly along the road looking for doves perched nearby.  And when I got to #5037 slowed down to a crawl (I was a bit hesitant to park on the road opposite the house).  There were a couple feeders and some House Finches nearby but no doves so I just continued driving along.  I got to the end of the road without seeing any doves, so turned around to try again.  This time I went by 5037 even slower and spotted a large pale bird perched on the roof.  I came to a quick stop and put my binocs on it – it was indeed a Eurasian Collared-Dove (statebird #2).  Since I was already stopped, I scanned the rest of the area in more detail and found 2 more ECDs.  And no homeowners even came out to complain.

My statebird map pretty well matches the range of this species.  After first appearing in FL, Eurasian Collared-Doves expanded their range to the north and west throughout those parts of the US and southwestern Canada.  And for the most part they have avoided the northeast, though they are known for their vagrancy – I’ve now seen ECDs as a rarity in 7 northeast states.

With ECD nicely checked off, I headed to the salt marshes at the end of Magotha Road in hopes of finding a Sedge Wren.  Certainly lots of excellent habitat to search through.

 I walked along the road and played a bit of tape near some low brush – instantly I spotted movement of two birds skulking low in the brush.  Eventually 1 bird popped into the open giving me nice views of a Sedge Wren (statebird #3).  Later a third bird called spontaneously a short distant down the road.  As I was heading back to the car I noticed a number of waterfowl in the bay – there were Buffleheads everywhere.  I estimated at least 500 birds.  And the cherry on top was a flyby Peregrine.  

My next stop was at the southern end of the CBBT back in Virginia Beach County on Guy Avenue where there were two recent reports of Common Eiders.  The reports included large numbers of Surf Scoters, though there was no mention if the Eiders were in with the scoters or elsewhere.  After a few lefts and rights in a residential neighborhood I arrived at the viewing spot and quickly spotted the large flock of Surf Scoters – I counted 190 Surfs, and with careful searching found 4 White-wings and 1 Black.  But couldn’t come up with an Eider despite searches of the entire area.

When I got back to the car I checked my Needs Alert to see if the Western Kingbird was seen again that morning.  But there were no reports from that day so no need to make a diversion to look for it. 

Back on my original route my next stop was Rudee Inlet.  This location appeared to be THE spot for seawatches in Virginia Beach, plus featured occasional sightings of rarities on the jetties like Brown Booby and Heermann’s Gull.  Not to mention it would give me my first chance for Lesser Black-backed Gull which has become quite common on the coast.  The visit started well enough – a boat was dredging the channel, and the stirred-up sediments attracted a nice flock of gulls.  Here’s a pic of the dredge and the south jetty in the distance.

But the gulls at the dredge were all Laughers.  And the birds on the south jetty were just Pelicans and Great Black-backs.  Then I spent more than an hour doing a Seawatch, but the only thing that was notable was a nice flight or Red-throated Loons.  Though I did have one Long-tailed Duck flyby – I need that one in NC though not in VA.  At least there were several Lesser Black-backed Gulls loafing on the beaches nearby (statebird #4).

I’ve now seen this expanding species in most of its regular eastern states, and have seen it in 9 states across the country as a rarity.  And to think this was quite a rare species throughout the US not too many years ago.

The last stop of the day was at Little Island Park with its fishing pier - another good spot for a seawatch.  I spent about 90 minutes watching the ocean from the end of the pier, but had even less than at Rudee Inlet.

As I got back to the car I felt pretty happy with 4 new VA statebirds on the day.  That is until I checked my VA Needs Alert once again – the Western Kingbird was indeed seen again that day.  It was too late to give it a try now.  If only I had checked it before I left Rudee Inlet I would have gone after the Kingbird instead of going to Little Island Park.  Then again if it’s still being seen through Saturday I could give it a try on Sunday.  Yet another miss that I would need to try for later in the weekend.

December 11 – Outer Banks, NC

This was my first day to bird with the CBC group covering portions of Pea Island and Bodie Island.  Unfortunately, my limited list of NC statebird targets got even shorter by the time of the trip since the Hudsonian Godwit was last seen on the 7th.  Plus the long-staying Eurasian Wigeon had not been reported for several days, and American Wigeon numbers had dropped.  I started the NC portion of my trip with a realistic expectation that I might not get any new NC statebirds.  But I still looked forward to birding this area which is one of the best birding spots in the country. 

We started the day in the middle of Pea Island with our first stop targeting the maritime sparrows.  Here we had great looks at Nelson’s and Saltmarsh Sparrows (I missed the Seaside) and Marsh Wrens, and had a calling Virginia Rail.  Next we moved north to Pea Island NWR seeing excellent numbers of waterfowl such as 600 Snow Geese, 1400 Tundra Swans, 450 Gadwall, 900 Pintail, and 5000 Redheads.  Anyone for a few Redheads at North Pond?

Then there were the American Wigeon.  There was a smattering of Wigeon in South Pond and New Field Pond, and I looked at each of them in hopes of finding their red-headed cousin.  Then when we got to North Pond there were several hundred Wigeon scattered through the pond.  Certainly critical mass for a Eurasian.  Since that was quite possibly my only realistic target for the day, I focused on trying to pick out a Eurasian in the flock.  Most of the Wigeon were at the far western side of the pond which was more than 2,000 ft away.  But despite watering eyes and the great distance, I finally found a Eurasian Wigeon, pointing it out to everyone in the group.  At least I got 1 new NC statebird.  The Wigeon are in the far back portion of the impoundment in this picture.

Later we took a trail along the southern end of North Pond and got closer looks.  Here’s a closer phonescoped pic of the Eurasian.

One of our other stops was the observation platform at the north end of South Pond where the Hudsonian Godwit had been for about a week.  But it had been almost a week since it was last seen and we came up empty.  Though I still looked for the Godwit at each of our stops in the vicinity.

After lunch we headed to Oregon Inlet finding several nice birds, like a pair of Purple Sandpipers and a Great Cormorant near the bridge.  We also saw the spot where the Snow Bunting foraged for about a week earlier in the month – long gone of course.  A long walk to the jetty at the inlet didn’t yield much, but it was great to understand how to bird another hotspot in the area. 

The last stop of the day was at Jennette’s Pier, a long fishing pier that extends nearly 1,000 feet out into the ocean.  We had good numbers of birds passing by especially Brown Pelicans and Gannets.  And as we approached sunset a nice flock of gulls accumulated on the water in front of us, including a few Lessers and 1 Bonaparte’s.  We were excited for a while as a couple fishing boats passed by with large clouds of birds behind them, but we couldn’t pick out anything unusual.

I ended the day with 71 species.  And even though I only added 1 NC statebird, I had a great time re-learning many of those great local birding hotspots.

See my next post for a summary of the latter half of my birding trip. 

Bullock’s Oriole - After a Bit of Prodding, Mecklenburg County, NC, February 12, 2021

This winter there have been no less than 3 Bullock’s Orioles in NC.  Each has been a long-staying feeder bird which eventually became quite reliable.  But the closest was nearly a 2-hour drive away near Charlotte.  Couldn’t quite justify the long ride and standing out in the cold staring at a feeder.  I’ve had a lot of experience looking for rarities at feeders and have decided it’s typically my least favorite type of birding.  Often you have to spend an extended amount of time staring at a boring feeder looking at chickadees and titmice.  And even if the target does show up, it’s not like the bird is unexpected.  Not to mention your emotions if the bird doesn’t show up.  For example, twice I’ve spent an entire day unsuccessfully looking for a Bullock’s Oriole at a feeder (in NH and ME.)  It’s a no-win kind of situation. 

But then again, as hockey great Wayne Gretzky once said – “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”.  Or if Wayne Gretzky was a birder he might have said – “You miss 100% of the birds you don’t chase after”.  Despite the Great One's advice, I decided I’d just wait for one to show up somewhere closer.

But then on February 11 Simon Thompson posted an excellent picture of a Bullock’s Oriole in Mecklenburg County saying “this fellow is super reliable”.  If I were to chase after it I’d have to figure out how to look for the bird.  With some quick eBird research I found that the bird was at an eBird hotspot very nicely titled – “stakeout Bullock's Oriole, Huntersville (2020-2021) Call or text 704-578-4671 for Permission”.  I texted the homeowner to get permission, and found out that the feeders were visible from outside – no need to enter their house during these Covid times.  And I noticed that my birding friend Bill Hooker had just seen the bird as well.  Bill had been trying to talk me into go after an earlier Bullock's, and said this bird was truly quite reliable.  I finally had exceeded the “activation energy” needed to chase after the bird. 

I was out of the house early on the 12th and pulled into the stakeout spot by 8 AM.  I drove around back and was greeted by a large flock of least 75 Pine Siskins at the feeders.  Pretty impressive!  The Oriole was being seen feeding on an orange attached to one of the feeder poles, and sometimes seen perched in trees nearby.  It was raining a bit so luckily I could see the feeders right from the driver’s seat in the dry and warm car.  I positioned my car to see the orange feeder as well as all the rest of the feeding station to begin my vigil.  With no Oriole at the feeder, I scanned the trees, but with no luck.  Then I looked back at the orange and there was the male Bullock’s Oriole chowing down.  I only had to wait 5 minutes before the bird arrived.  It stayed there for several minutes before it flew off around the corner of the house.  Talk about being reliable…

Bullock’s Oriole was #311 for my NC statelist.  In my statebird map below the blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range.  And NC is now my 6th eastern state where I’ve seen it as a rarity (the tan states).

 After spending more time watching the Siskins, including finding a Purple Finch mixed in, I contacted Bill Hooker and met up with him for some quick birding in Rutherford County on the way home.  We are both working on our county lists there, and picked up 2 rare Eurasian Collared-Doves in “downtown” Ellenboro, and Coot and Ruddy Duck at the lake at Isothermal Community College.  A nice ending to a very nice morning.

126 Statebirds and Reportable in North Dakota, Including Maybe a Mega-Rarity, May 2014, Part 1 of 2

Each year I take an extended birding vacation somewhere to work on my various statelists, and hopefully move a step closer to my lifelong goal of reaching the old ABA reportable goals in each of the lower 48 states and DC (“lower 49”).  This year it was to the Great Plains in North Dakota, Montana and South Dakota.  This entry to my blog summarizes the results of the ND part of the trip; other posts discuss MT and SD.

ND was one of 2 last states where I had very small lists – with just 78 I would have lots of statebirding potential.  So I started to put a plan together to bird as many habitats as possible in central and western ND.  I spent quite a bit of time reviewing a relatively recent birdfinding guide for ND, got some excellent input from local birders, and also gathered some information from e-bird.  I eventually set up an itinerary with 4 days in western and central ND, with an optimistic goal of adding at least 100 statebirds, especially concentrating on those birds most likely to be in the western part of the state.  Since the old ABA reporting threshold is 199, I would likely come up a bit short of threshold (or so I thought).  So I would eventually need to come back to ND, likely to look for the species more typical of the eastern US.  As for target species, I didn’t have any likely lifebird targets.  But I was hoping to see Baird’s Sparrow, which is on my lifelist but based on just one sighting in January 1994 in AZ, which I’m now unsure of.

Day 1 – Fly to Bismarck and Drive to Bottineau

After a long day of flying, and miserable connecting times, I finally landed in Bismarck just before dinner.  Because I needed to make a long 3 ½ hour drive to Bottineau which was my starting point for the next day, I was planning to make only one brief birding stop that day at the Minot sewage lagoon.  As I drove through Bismarck I realized the foliage on the trees was typical of mid-May back home when migrant passerines were at their peak.  So I was hopeful that I had timed the trip to coincide with some good migration.  I felt even better about my timing when I heard a singing Tennessee Warbler as I drove through a suburban part of Bismarck.  But just a few miles north of Bismarck I realized that there were now few leaves on the trees.  And within an hour north of Bismarck there were almost no leaves visible on any bush or tree.  Was I too early?  Would I miss many of my hoped-for migrants?  As I continued my drive I started to think that I would never reach my goal of 100 new birds.  But maybe I would have a better shot at some of the late wintering birds, like some waterfowl and sparrows.  In any case, it was pretty disappointing as I realized the vegetation looked more like early April than mid-May. 

When I arrived in Minot I made the short 10-minute side trip to the Minot sewage lagoons which had had some pretty good birds recently.  But there were only a few Lesser Scaup, Eared Grebes, and some dabblers on the water, and almost no shorebirds along the edges.  I did pick up Spotted Sandpiper there – notable only because ND was my last of the lower 49 for this species.  I also had a couple Wilson’s Phalaropes and a Least Sandpiper, but otherwise it was really slow.  

The trip finally started to pick up north of Minot when I realized that many of the flooded fields along the highway had at least a few shorebirds.  At one stop while looking at several peep species, a breeding plumaged American Golden Plover passed through my binocular field.  Striking bird!  There were 6 birds in this small flock, which were the only ones for my trip.  A little farther along while on SR5 I passed through Clark Salyer NWR and I noticed some white geese on the shoreline.  With a quick stop I found a flock of 15 Snow Geese, along with 1 White-fronted Goose.  I’ve found quite a number of out-of-season summering White-fronted Geese across the country, and I’ve now seen this species in quite a number of states.

About half of these birds had broken wings, likely injured during the past hunting season and destined to spend the rest of their lives at the refuge.  By the time I rolled into my hotel in Bottineau I realized that there were no leaves anywhere – ugh.  I ended the day with 12 new statebirds which was a pretty nice start all things considered.

Day 2 – Passerine and Shorebird Fallout in North-Central ND, And a Visit to Manitoba

I planned to spend much of this day in the Turtle Mountains just a few miles south of the US-Canada border in north-central ND.  This area has nice woodlands, and I was hoping for some good passerine migrants, especially eastern ones.  But not only did the Turtle Mountains look like April, but it felt like April – it was 45 degrees, low overcast, breezy, and drizzly.  En route to my first stop at Wakopa WMA I had a couple good birds – a pair of Ravens were nice, as was a flyby Peregrine Falcon (my only one of the trip).

When I arrived at Wakopa just after dawn my expectations for migrants were low.  But as soon as I opened my car door at my first stop I heard numerous warbler chips – mostly Yellow-rumps.  I was on the western edge of a large lake, and there was a constant stream of birds moving south down the western edge of the lake.  And with no leaves anywhere, they sure were easy to see.  I spent at least 3 hours at Wakopa and was amazed at not only the number of passerines, but also the diversity.  And I got most of my key eastern targets.  The numerous Yellow-rumps were joined by Black-and-whites, Palms, Orange-crowns, Yellows, Blackpolls, Redstarts, and Ovenbirds, along with a Nashville, a Chestnut-sided, and numerous Northern Waterthrushes likely on territory.  There were many Swainson’s Thushes – at least 50 - and several Veerys.  Vireos included several Warbling’s and Philadelphia’s, and a couple Blue-headeds.  Flycatchers were mostly Leasts, with one Yellow-bellied and one Eastern Pewee.  Larger migrants included several Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Baltimore Orioles.  A sole Ruby-throated Hummingbird and a couple Broad-winged Hawks were cooperative key targets near the western edge of their US breeding range.  Sparrows included several late White-throats and Lincoln’s.  It was quite a show!  Though I felt sorry for these passerines who couldn’t be finding many insects to eat.  As the morning progressed most were feeding on or near the ground which likely was a bit warmer and had a few more insects.  As for waterfowl, most lakes had singing Common Loons, and each lake had exactly one pair of Red-necked Grebes.  I left the area feeling very good about my results.

Next stop was at the International Peace Gardens, which is another wooded area, half in ND and half in Manitoba.  One of my key areas of interest there was a grove of planted conifers.  A quick walk around the firs yielded one male Cape May and one male Bay-breasted, along with an immature male Purple Finch – exactly the kinds of birds I was hoping for there.  Other new birds were Magpies, and my only Eastern Phoebe and Merlin of the trip.  I’ve now seen Eastern Phoebe in most all states where it is a regular nester. 

Since it was only around noon and I was running ahead of schedule, I decided to make a short foray into Manitoba.  Since that was my first time ever in that province, every bird was new.  I spent just an hour in the Manitoba portion of the International Peace Gardens and picked up 40 species.  At one point I was just 100 yards north of the border when I watched a flock of Franklin’s Gull fly overhead to the south – adding them both to my Manitoba and ND lists.  Most MB species were similar to the ones I had earlier, except for the Gray-cheeked Thrush which was my only one for the trip.

After coming back through the US immigration checkpoint, I worked my way to the west to Willow Lake for some water and marsh birds.  But as I arrived at a marsh which was supposed to have Nelson’s and LeConte’s Sparrows, I noticed numerous small passerines feeding low right along the edge of the marsh.  They turned out to be warblers – I estimated 100 Yellows and 50 Yellow-rumps.  Most were oblivious to me as I walked up to within 10 feet of the activity.  These birds too must have been having troubles finding insects in the cold weather, so this slightly warmer perimeter of the marsh must have had a few more insects.  As I stood there watching the activity a different species popped into the open – it was an Oporornis with white arcs above and below the eye.  A MacGillivray’s Warbler – a good bird for ND!  I’ve seen MacGillivray’s in most states in its regular range, and now also in ND and MA as a rarity.

And the marsh was full of marshbirds too – Soras were calling constantly greatly outnumbering the pair or Virginia Rails, and Sedge Wrens everywhere in the wet grasses.  But no Nelson’s or LeConte’s.

A bit farther along I got to a place with a distant view of the island way out in the lake with a number of nesting species.  I picked out both Forster’s and Common Terns, my first California Gulls and Avocets, along with many Cormorant nests.  I also had a small flock of Bonaparte’s Gulls which were the only ones for my trip.  And the lake had my first Horned Grebes in with the numerous Eared and Western Grebes.  Another nice stop!

It was now late afternoon and time to make my 2+ hour drive west to Kenmare, ND to prepare for the next day.  Soon after I started the drive I realized that not only was there a big passerine fallout occurring in the area, but there was a big fallout of shorebirds as well.  Every flooded farmer’s field (and there were many of them) had at least a few shorebirds, and there were numerous shorebirds in the air.  I made many stops along the way picking up good numbers of the regular species like White-rumps, Baird’s, and Stilt Sands, and Avocets, along with a few Pectorals, Dunlin, and Long-billed Dowitchers.  I also had a flock of 11 Hudsonian Godwits and a flyover flock of 4 Long-billed Curlews.  Although curlews are regular in all western states, I still need this species in a number of different states.

As I continued west I neared a concrete culvert over a grass-lined stream running north-south.  Up ahead I could see 3 mid-sized shorebirds (that I thought were likely yellowlegs) flying northbound low along the stream.  I continued to watch these birds as they gained a bit of altitude just enough to pass up and over the culvert.  They passed over the culvert just as I reached the culvert such that I was looking at them directly out my driver’s window.  I got a close look at one of the birds, and my initial thought was that this wasn’t one of the shorebirds I was tracking because it was completely black below.  My initial split second thought was that maybe it was a blackbird.  But then I noticed it had a long dark bill and long pointed wings, and realized it was indeed a shorebird, and it was one of the 3 I initially watched from a distance fly up the creek.  This bird was basically flying along with me for maybe 3 seconds, before it continued to fly north and I lost it.  I quickly reached the conclusion that a shorebird that was all black below and long bill could be a Spotted Redshank!  I pulled off the road just to the west and spent the next 30 minutes scanning the creek below, both to the north and to the south, but found no shorebirds at all.  One that got away!

A bit farther along I got to the Clark Salyer NWR where I had had the Snow and White-fronted Geese yesterday.  There were now close to 100 white geese, so I decided to check for a late Ross’.  And sure enough, there was one in with the Snows.  Another of my targets was Eurasian Collared Doves, and as I continued to drive west I was surprised that I hadn’t seen any yet.  So as I drove through the net ND town I made a small detour and instantly saw several ECDs – my 38th state for this species.  And as I finally pulled into Kenmare it was almost dark, but I had some Purple Martins at a box right next to the motel.  A very nice way to end the day.  I ended up with 139 species and an amazing 72 new birds for my ND statelist.

Day 3 – Lostwood NWR and Stops in Northwestern ND – Plus a Stop in Saskatchewan

Lostwood NWR was well-advertised, in fact famous, for being the spot in ND to see Baird’s Sparrow, Sprague’s Pipit, Piping Plover, and Nelson’s and LeConte’s.  Though I had heard it hadn’t been as good for Baird’s in recent years.  So I planned to spend much of the day at the refuge for these and lots of other marsh and grassland targets.  I left my hotel pre-dawn, and as I walked to the car I heard a calling American Bittern – not a typical bird for the middle of a small town but this was very close to marshes of Des Lacs NWR.  Later that morning I would have numerous calling Bitterns at Lostwood.  This bird hasn’t been as cooperative for me in many other states as shown by all the gaps in my statebird map below.

The route to Lostwood was in the heart of heavy fracking activity in the Bakken shale.  As I drove along in the darkness the flares burning off the gases lit up the area and were visible for a considerable distance on this morning with a new moon.  At one point I counted 8 flares visible just directly ahead of me (who knows how many there would have been if I had scanned the entire horizon).   Later I came to some road construction, or should I say de-construction.  The paved road was gone, and the “road” was nothing but loose soil, undoubtedly a project to replace roads destroyed by all the heavy truck traffic.  In the pitch black I wasn’t sure where the road ended and the adjacent prairie started.  Little did I know that these several miles of what was supposed to be paved road would turn out to be my worst road conditions of the trip.

When I finally made it to Lostwood the skies were getting light, and there was a very heavy fog making viewing distances extremely limited.  Plus the car thermometer said it was just 30 degrees. 

As the sun began to rise I saw this rainbow caused by the fog – pretty cool.

My first stop was at the Sharp-tailed Grouse lek which I was told was the best spot in the refuge for Baird’s Sparrow.  The good news was that I counted 18 grouse still displaying on the lek although this was now late May.  The bad news was that despite over an hour of trying there were no Baird’s Sparrows.  I then doubled back to “the” location in the refuge for Sprague’s Pipit (the tower seen in the distance in the fog picture above).  But just like the Baird’s attempt – no luck.  At the end of my trip I talked to one of the refuge employees about missing the Baird’s and Sprague’s and he told me that the refuge is no longer managing the prairie for these species.  Both require recently grazed or burned prairie, and throughout the refuge all I saw was lush, tall vegetation.  Makes one wonder how the refuge is managing the prairie for in the first place.  Maybe it’s for all the Clay-colored and Vesper Sparrows which were abundant throughout the prairie.

There were some positive highlights to this stop though.  First, I saw at least 3 Short-eared Owls flying over the prairie in the early morning.  And I also heard 2 LeConte’s Sparrows in wet grassy areas accompanied by numerous Sedge Wrens.  I also saw 4 Piping Plovers including 2 in courtship at the alkaline ponds where they nest.  The water levels in these ponds were generally too high for shorebirds, though I did find 2 very distant Red-necked Phalaropes at one spot.  Plus one sparrow flock along the road that I ran into consisted of 6 White-crowns and 1 Harris’ – all very late.  Otherwise the refuge was pretty quiet.

As I exited the refuge I made a quick tour around the refuge buildings where there are a number of planted bushes and trees, hoping for migrants.  There were a few flycatchers and warblers here and there, but not much.  That is until I reached the end of my loop around the buildings when a small bird flew by me and landed just 15 feet away from me – a male Black-throated Gray Warbler.  Quite a rarity for ND!  I’ve now seen this species as a rarity in MA, GA, and ND, along with all the states in its regular range.

Since I struck out on Baird’s Sparrow at Lostwood, I headed west to 3 other locations where Baird’s had been reported in the past, or were mentioned in birdfinding guides.  The first was at Smishek Lake, though I never found any worthwhile habitat.  Next was Alkali Lake, where again prairie grasses were too tall and lush for Baird’s.  Though a male Cinnamon Teal was a nice find here.  Next was Lake Zahl where again the prairie grass was tall.  But I decided to walk along a 2-track between the prairie and a farmer’s field, where I finally found the first Chestnut-collared Longspurs for ND.  On a lark I tried playing some Baird’s Sparrow tape while looking at my map to figure out my next stop.  When I looked up there was a Baird’s perched on a barbed wire fence just 20 feet away providing great views of what turned out to be the first of many for the trip. 

My next planned stop was west into Westby, MT, but since I was running a bit ahead of schedule I wondered if there was another stop nearby.  Then I looked at the map to realized not only was I again close to the Canadian border, but this time it was Saskatchewan – another province I had never been to.  So after another 1-hour trip into Canada I had 48 species as a start to my SK province list.

Just after crossing back into ND I noticed a bare tree with a nest containing large Great Horned Owl babies.  Another target crossed off.  I was now starting to realize I was doing really well toward my goal of 100 new birds in ND.  Though I only got 13 new birds on Day 3, I now had 97 new species for ND, and portions of 4 more days of ND birding to go.  I needed 24 more to get to the reportable threshold.  Could I get enough to be reportable in ND?  I made a list of my remaining targets, and began to change my strategy from birding general locations or habitats, to instead focusing on finding specific species.