September is always a great month to be birding in Ohio: shorebirds are reaching the peak of their southward migration and the neo-tropical migrants are starting to arrive from their northern breeding grounds. Trips in September often exceed 100 species. After many emails and a phone call or two the Avid leadership decided that we would start the morning at Sheldon’s Marsh, then explore some areas along the lake looking for shorebird habitat.
So, with a plan in place and great expectations, seven of us departed the Worthington Square Mall under overcast skies on Saturday morning. Throughout the trip to Huron, the skies threatened rain but none ever materialized. At Sheldon’s Marsh we began to find warblers and vireos soon after we started walking into the preserve. Warbler diversity and numbers were good and we ended up with 12 species of warbler, though none of the rarer species were found. I certainly prefer looking for these birds in the spring when their plumages are garish and their voices are full of song! After a successful start to the day at Sheldon’s Marsh we drove across the Cedar Point Chausee to see if any birds were present. A large flock of peeps with a few larger shorebirds mixed in convinced us that it was worth the long walk out to identify these birds. The large shorebirds turned out to be eight Hudsonian Godwits! Also in the flock was a nice basic plumaged Red Knot. The flock of peeps contained an astounding 25 Western Sandpipers and at least one Baird’s Sandpiper. There was also a small grebe in the area that, after a lot of discussion, was determined to be an early Eared Grebe.
The next two stops at Willow Point Wildlife Area and Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area turned out to be complete busts with no shorebird habitat at all. After this disappointment we decided to head south to stop at the mudflats at Hoover Reservoir. This area had been hosting a nice variety of shorebirds and continued to do so for us. The mudflats along the boardwalk produced an American Golden Plover and a lot of peeps that were beyond the limits of conjecture. We made the area north of Pelican Island our next stop and were rewarded with nine Buff-breasted Sandpipers and all four species of terns loafing on one sandbar. Rumbles of thunder and darkening skies convinced us that it was time to call it a day. Some Common Nighthawks circling above the cars turned out to be our 98th and last species for the day.
Participants: Brad Sparks, Bill Heck, Doreene Linzell, Gretchen Fluke, Andy Sewell, Janet Duerr, Steve Schaefer
Species List:
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Wood Duck
American Black Duck
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
American Golden-Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Spotted Sandpiper
Hudsonian Godwit
Red Knot
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Baird’s Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Bonaparte’s Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Forster’s Tern
Black Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Common Nighthawk
Chimney Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Swainson’s Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Common Yellowthroat
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow