Columbus Audubon has resumed field trips, albeit in with Covid-19 restrictions. Here’s a report from James Muller for the Warbler Walk at Blendon Woods MP on September 19th.
Once all the participants arrived and masked up, our trip began right in the parking lot. Two Bay-breasted Warblers and a Magnolia Warbler allowed close views while they fed on poison ivy berries, and a Lincoln’s Sparrow darted into view for a moment as well. We moved onto the Goldenrod Trail to continue the walk. The morning was a little chilly and kept some of the warblers quiet for the first hour, but we were able to find several of our year-round favorites like chickadees and a surprising number of Northern Flickers, enough that we suspected a small fallout must have occurred.
Once the sun came out the warblers showed up in force. Multiple Nashville Warblers and Common Yellowthroats flew in to feed on the weeds near the path while Chestnut-sided and Tennessee Warblers worked the treetops. Other migrants like Yellow-throated Vireos and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks rounded out our trip list. The flurry of activity was enough to make it difficult for everyone to get focused on every bird, but the excitement of the numbers made up for it.
Toward the end of the trip the wind started to pick up, which made it more difficult to find warblers. We were able to locate a roosting Barred Owl though, and we added Blackpoll Warblers to our total for the day. Rather than circling up at the end of our time, some participants opted to leave while others enjoyed the weather and walked the trail again. We ended the day with 49 species.
You can see a full list of species on the eBird trip report.