Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park--Grain Elevator Wetlands, Franklin
Aug 18, 2012 6:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Comments: Good company w/ Patty Tan, Butch Rockwell and Doreene Linzell,
spent the morning watching shorebirds and other migrants in and around the
wetlands incl. short grass areas, extensive dense cattail spots, wet
meadows, and overgrown weedy feilds. A good assortment of shorebirds
gathered in the large (drying) pond. Highlights included (besides the
shorebirds) the first evidence of southbound Sora's, YELLOW-HEADED
BLACKBIRD, Henslow's Sparrows and more. Early arrival of several duck
species.
55 species (+1 other taxa)
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 100 Overnighted in the wetlands, all
dispersed within an hour of dawn.
Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) 23
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 44
Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors) 12
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) 20
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) 5
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 8
Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis) 1
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 2
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 3
Red-tailed Hawk (Eastern) (Buteo jamaicensis borealis) 1
Sora (Porzana carolina) 9 While persuing the Yellow-headed Blackbird
in the extensive cattails opposite the wetlands, we flushed these, all
adults.
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata) 1
American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica) 4 Butch spotted these adults,
one in near prestine breeding plumage
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 50 juv. are rapidly
increasing, at least a third of which were
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 280
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) 12
Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) 40
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca) 1
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) 150
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) 45
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) 70
peep sp. (Calidris sp. (peep sp.)) 22
Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) 90
Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus) 36
Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis) 1 juv. ph.
Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) 2 juv.
Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata) 3
American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) 3
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 55
Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) 1
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) 12
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 2
Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) 35
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 50
Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) 6
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 20
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) 3
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 4
Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus) 1
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) 11
Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) 1
Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) 9 Several well seen juv. plus
several well worn confounding individuals. Several showed merely a ghostly
look on an otherwise pale head, with unpatterned red mantle and wings.
They have large long pointed bills; gray. Good study of rare species.
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 4
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) 1 immature
Dickcissel (Spiza americana) 7 flybys, singles or twos
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) 12
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 14
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) 6 meadowlark, sp? no calls,
pale, less then expected white in tail
Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) 1 As we
approached the first part of the wetlands along the grassy trail, a
imm/imm. f. Yellow-headed Blackbird took perch along margin of the dense
cattails, good views at close range, < 3 min. After it dropped off into
the marsh, we persued it (flushing Sora's), twice more getting looks, but
poor flight views. During intial views, within 50 ft., we noted a
blackbird, heavy body, short blunt tail. Bill pointed, straight edged,
length = base to rear of eye. Head dirty yellow with browner areas,
throat pale, center of breast largely yellow, lower edge ragged with
white/brown streaks. Remainder of underparts from dark brown to black as
well as the wings, upper body and tail. Dingy brown crown and auriculars
and lores in stark contrast to yellow supercilium, submustacial which
formed a a broad row, curling up to cover nape and behind auriculars.
Throat pale, incircling a large yellow breast, with ragged lower edge,
quickly turning solid dark brown. While patches of the head were dirty
brown the solid yellow facial markings and large area of breast,
contrasting to solid blackish-brown body eliminates anything other than
Yellow-headed Blackbird in my mind. Typically, this is an early fall
vagrant to east coast, and mid Aug. fits vagrancy pattern well.
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) 8
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 12
Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius) 3 f. in cattails, imm. m. in Sycamore
at parking area. It normally stages in July and Aug. and leaves this
latitude by the end of Aug., Labor Day at latest. Early southbound migrant.
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 2
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 33
Good Birding!
David Tan
Columbus
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