Six intrepid birders decided to forgo watching the OSU-Texas football game in order to join the August Avids trip. It’s not that we aren’t loyal Buckeye fans (well, some of us anyway), but August in Ohio is shorebird season. Birders gotta do what birders gotta do, so off we headed to Northwest Ohio.
Back in the early days of Avid Birding, August was known as the month of the “Ottawa Death March”. It seemed that every August trip was on one of those late summer dog days with heat and humidity that made the walk out to the ponds and marshes of the Ottawa NWR a real slog. Well, this time it was more like a puppy day, with low 70s, a cool breeze, and brilliant sunshine. What a relief!
But would the birds cooperate? We weren’t too sure at first. Yes, our walk along a path through scrubby lakeside forest turned up several of those confusing fall warblers, including Cape May and Magnolia, as well as good numbers of Grey Catbirds and even a Swainson’s Thrush. For the next half hour or so, we waled along a canal looking for otters, but they must have been taking the day off. Meanwhile it was slim pickings in the bird department.
Our spirits rose when we saw a Peregrine Falcon which was polite enough to remain perched on a branch as we got good looks in the scopes. (Interestingly, one of our number remembered seeing a Peregrine at that exact location back in May!) As we walked along, we also heard – and within a few minutes saw – Sandhill Cranes, including several flying overhead, an impressive sight. But things quieted down again as we walked further north toward the lake.
Then came the bonanza! We found small ponds where we began to rack up the shorebirds. A Black-necked Stilt, possibly one from the nests at Howard Marsh, poked around at one edge. Two Wilson’s Phalaropes were feeding directly in front of us, and several Short-billed Dowitchers were just behind them. We saw a few of the usual Lesser Yellowlegs along with one of their less usual Greater Yellowlegs cousins, as well as the even more common Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers. Finally, there was plenty of excitement when we found a White-rumped Sandpiper and a couple of Baird’s Sandpipers; both species are difficult to find in Ohio.
Looking in the opposite direction, we saw another pond farther off. The distance and the direction of the sun made for difficult identifications, but conditions were good enough to recognize a Marbled Godwit, another major prize for the day.
After eating our packed lunches while relaxing on benches in the shade behind the Nature Center at Ottawa, we decided to drive the auto tour. Along the way, we had several nice views of more cranes, But the big find was about 150 American White Pelicans, a species rarely encountered in Ohio mere decades ago.
We had planned to visit Magee Marsh next, but an Internet alert informed us of a Red Knot – one of our main targets for the day – at Maumee Bay State Park. So off we went to the west rather than the east.
Our arrival at the park began with disappointment: the Knot had been reported at the “inland beach” surrounding a pond, but only a mixed flock of Ring-billed Gulls and Caspian and Common Terns remained. Sure, the terns were nice but gee, we really wanted to see that Knot! Still, we sucked it up: we’re the Avid Birders and we don’t give up that easily! With help from another birder on the same quest, we searched the Lake Erie Beach and did spot the Knot, along with a few Baird’s Sandpipers. A moment of frustration when these birds nervously flew changed to joy when they settled in again close by. We enjoyed truly magical moments as we watched at very close range while these beautiful birds moved about, probing in the sand in the afternoon sun. Nothing could top all this, so we follow the birds’ example and headed south, fully satisfied with a wonderful day of birding.
Here’s our list of species for the day:
Canada Goose
Trumpeter Swan
Wood Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Mallard
Chimney Swift
Sandhill Crane
Black-necked Stilt
Killdeer
Semipalmated Plover
Marbled Godwit
Short-billed Dowitcher
Wilson’s Phalarope
Solitary Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Red Knot
Stilt Sandpiper
Sanderling
Baird’s Sandpiper
White-rumped Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
American Herring Gull
Caspian Tern
Forster’s Tern
Common Tern
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
American White Pelican
Turkey Vulture
Red-tailed Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
Blue Jay
Tree Swallow
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
Northern House Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Swainson’s Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
American Goldfinch
Song Sparrow
Baltimore Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Common Yellowthroat
Cape May Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting