With no overly exciting reports for the week, the Avids were planning to start their day on October 5 at Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve. But when a Groove-billed Ani was seen at Avon Lake the day before, the first for Ohio in over 40 years, we naturally changed course and headed straight to the Ani stakeout.
Upon arrival we encountered a large group of birders waiting patiently (or perhaps impatiently) across the street from where the bird was last seen the previous evening. Understanding that the Ani was apparently a no-show (which ultimately proved to be the case), we carried on promptly to our next destination, the nearby Lorain Impoundment.
At Lorain, our main target was the Nelson’s Sparrows that were being seen in the grassy area near the parking lot. However, we dipped on those as well – the strong winds were probably keeping them hidden in the grass. We did see a nice assortment of birds, including four Yellowlegs. We deliberated at length on their identification, ultimately deciding on three Greater and one Lesser.
From Lorain we continued to our original destination, Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve. On arrival at the parking lot, we heard what we thought was a Red-shouldered Hawk, only to look up and see a Red-tailed Hawk soaring to our west. But wait, there’s a Red-shouldered soaring with it! Right past the gate, we were welcomed by a nice variety of birds, including both kinglets and at least six species of warblers. Walking the trails around the preserve, we saw lots of birds, with the vast majority either Yellow-rumped Warblers or White-throated Sparrows.
Despite our early dips, four Avids had an enjoyable day with a respectable list of 45 species, nice weather, and great company. Here’s our list of species for the day:
Canada Goose
Mallard
Pied-billed Grebe
Rock Dove
Mourning Dove
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Ring-billed gull
Herring Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Belted Kingfisher
Downy Woodpecker
American Crow
Blue Jay
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Field Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Palm Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal
House Sparrow