It was a chilly 33 degrees at 6 am when we left Columbus headed for Millersburg to look for the first Sage Thrasher ever seen in Ohio. Other birders were already gathering when we arrived. After a short wait, the thrasher popped up about 30 yards away. The Sage Thrasher is the smallest thrasher with the shortest bill. Over 900 people have viewed this bird during the week it has been delighting birders in Ohio. It was a life bird for six participants.
Encouraged by this success, we headed to the Family Dollar where a Western Meadowlark was seen. After a short wait, during which some participants bought warmer clothes, the bird flew into the tree line and perched at the top on a tree singing consistently. Just before we left it flew onto a lamp post in the parking lot calling loudly and providing even closer views.
The Harris’s Sparrow initially reported in November, but not reported for the last four days, was our final rarity in Coshocton County. We waited a half hour with no sign of the bird or the White crowned Sparrows with which it normally associates. An American Woodcock did its bobbing walk across the path. The original finder came by and laid down some cracked corn. He tried using a Screech Owl call, but the only birds trying to mob the “owl” was a flock of American Robins. Just as we were preparing to leave, the sparrows flew into the corn affording us a chance to see our third rarity of the day. The Harris’s Sparrow is a large Sparrow with a black crown, face and bib encircling a pink bill.
Having found all our targets, we headed to Funk Bottoms to look for waterfowl and shorebirds. The only shorebirds we found were Killdeer, but the ducks were plentiful. We enjoyed lunch while watching the water. We saw hundreds of Pintails, and lesser numbers of Northern Shovelers, Blue winged Teal, American Widgeon and Ring necked Ducks. As we were driving the road to the observation platform we heard and then saw Rusty Blackbirds.
We decided to stop at Panhandle/Delaware Wildlife Are to look for the Eurasian Widgeon, but this bird eluded us. Tree Swallows were back in numbers. An Osprey appeared to be claiming the cell phone tower for a nest site. Lesser Scaup and Bonaparte’s Gull were lounging on the water.
Avids March 2026 Trip List:
1. Canada Goose
2. Trumpeter Swan
3. Wood Duck
4. Blue-Winged Teal
5. Northern Shoveler
6. Gadwall
7. American Wigeon
8. Mallard
9. Black Duck
10. Northern Pintail
11. Green-Winged Teal
12. Redhead
13. Ring-Necked Duck
14. Lesser Scaup
15. Bufflehead
16. Common Merganser
17. Mourning Dove
18. Rock Dove
19. American Coot
20. Sandhill Crane
21. Killdeer
22. American woodcock
23. Bonaparte’s Gull
24. Ring-Billed Gull
25. Horned Grebe
26. Pied-billed Grebe
27. Double-crested Cormorant
28. Great Blue Heron
29. American Kestrel
30. Turkey Vulture
31. Osprey
32. Bald Eagle
33. Red-shouldered Hawk
34. Red-tailed Hawk
35. Red-headed Woodpecker
36. Red-bellied Woodpecker
37. Downy Woodpecker
38. Hairy Woodpecker
39. Northern Flicker
40. Eastern Phoebe
41. Blue Jay
42. American Crow
43. Carolina Chickadee
44. Tufted Titmouse
45. Horned Lark
46. Tree Swallow
47. White-breasted Nuthatch
48. Carolina Wren
49. European Starling
50. Sage Thrasher
51. Northern Mockingbird
52. Eastern Bluebird
53. American Robin
54. House Sparrow
55. House Finch
56. American Goldfinch
57. Field Sparrow
58. Song Sparrow
59. Dark-eyed Junco
60. White-crowned Sparrow
61. Harris’s Sparrow
62. Song Sparrow
63. Eastern Towhee
64. Western Meadowlark
65. Red-winged Blackbird
66. Rusty Blackbird
67. Common Grackle
68. Northern Cardinal