Due to the lack of shorebird habitat in the state this year, the Avids decided to abbreviate what would normally be a very long day. Instead of driving outrageous distances in an effort to stare at mud and muck, they ventured slightly north to Killdeer Plains WA and Big Island WA. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend this excursion. According to reports, the day was characterized by commonality, with one exception. They began at Killdeer and spent the dawn hours seeing and presumably hearing many of the species one would expect there at this time of year. Highlights included an out-of-place gadwall, a northern harrier, sedge wrens, grasshopper sparrows, dickcissels, and bobolinks. In addition, they tallied two species compliments of the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s introduction programs–trumpeter swan and northern bobwhite. Following the early morning’s take, they then ventured to Big Island in the hopes of rousting some shorebirds out of what little habitat is offered to them in the interior of the state. Here, they did manage to find a few shorebirds in the form of greater and lesser yellowlegs, plus solitary, spotted, semipalmated, least, and pectoral sandpipers. Unexpected birds included northern shoveler, sharp-shinned hawk, and the controversial bird of the day–lark sparrow. Apparently, a few members of a side group spotted it, but efforts to relocate it failed. In the words of Dave Horn, it “either buggered off or [was] swallowed up by the earth.”
All in all it was a fairly productive day with little to no woodlands investigated. The group tallied 79 real species, plus two introduced. I’m still wondering why mourning dove wasn’t on their list.
Total Species = 79 + 2 introduced
A = Killdeer Plains WA
B = Big Island WA
Introduced species are noted with an asterisk.
