July can be another challenging month for birders, and the Avid Birders are no exception. Local birds are fledging their young and are not inclinded to show themselves. Even the latest northward migrants have long since cleared out, and most southbound migrants have yet to start back through our area. Heat, thunderstorms, and other unpredictable acts of nature can complicate things, and the all too predictable forces of highway construction can make travel chancy. Fortunately, one group of birds is ready to help us out: shorebird migration begins in July.
So we started off from Worthington on a quest to find early migrating shorebirds. Conneaut has traditionally been a great spot for shorebirds, so that was our initial destination, especially as the unusually wet weather of the past few months had flooded many of the usual mudflats. Also, with heat advisories in Columbus it made sense to travel north to the relatively cooler lake front and its gentle breezes. Conneaut often hosts rarities, and as Jen Brumfield says, “We like our birds rare.”
On arrival at the Conneaut beach, we found that the rainfall mentioned above had not completely spared the lakefront. The famous Conneaut “sandspit” was partially submerged, and the usual more extensive mudflats were nowhere to be seen. A local birder told us that the water level was 18 inches or so above average, and we believed it. Still, much of the sandspit was exposed, and the high waters discouraged dog walkers and others who often scare off the birds.
We walked out the boardwalk, observing large flocks of Ring-billed Gulls and a smaller flock of Herring Gulls. Then we spotted three small shorebirds. The birds were not moving about, and it took us a few minutes to realize they were Sanderlings. We next spotted a few Semipalmated Sandpipers, a single Least Sandpiper, a couple Spotted Sandpipers, and finally a few Semipalmated Plovers. We climbed onto the observation deck where we quickly saw a few Bald Eagles flying overhead. As we left, an Osprey passed over, providing Disney looks.
Since a local birder had alerted us to a colony of Bank Swallows, we proceeded to the mountains of gravel near the Marina, discovering hundreds of Bank Swallows resting on the gravel and a few immature Bald Eagles on top of the mounds. Although the huge number of Barn Swallows was an impressive sit, we did not find any rarities.
Our next stop was the Wilderness Center in Stark county, which proved very difficult to locate. (Hint: the Center’s Web site says that Google Maps locates it correctly, but Google Maps seems to have forgotten where it is.) Anyway, locate it we did, and then spent some enjoyable time in the air conditioning, observing birds at the feeders including Eastern Towhees, Mourning Doves, White-breasted Nuthatches, and Indigo Buntings. There was no sign of the White-winged Dove reported a day or two before. Several Avids took a break from birding as they stopped in the large gift shop, then we walked out to the nearby pond, which was devoid of birds. While things were rather slow, the day was sunny and warm, a welcome break from the recent rains.
We proceeded to the flooded fields in Wayne County off Rt 95 near Funk. The shorebirds there were distant, but we were able to identify Short-billed Dowitchers, Pectoral Sandpipers, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, and Sandhill Cranes. After sweating in the sun on the mudflats, we drove over to Wilderness Road, where the water levels again were high. We did find about a dozen Sandhill Cranes, including several colts, in the high grasses. A Belted Kingfisher posed on the utility wire, with numerous swallows in attendance, and Purple Martins were observed in the martin houses near the road as well.
Satisifed with our haul for the day, we elected to head back to Central Ohio, making it home well before dark with a species list of 60 birds.
Canada Goose
Mallard
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Sandhill Crane
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Sanderling
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
American Kestrel
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird
Blue Jay
American Crow
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Carolina/Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat warbler
Red Eyed Vireo
Eastern Towhee
Savannah Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
House wren
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow