A large group of avid birders met in Columbus at 5:30am and joined with more birders already down in Scioto County for some birding. Many first of the year birds were had. The night before Brad Sparks, Doreen Linzell and others were treated to close up experiences with Whip-poor-wills. Grouse were reported drumming earlier in the day but we didn't find any even as Dan Sanders and I stayed later and cruised the forest roads we couldn't find any. About 20 species of Warblers were sighted by most in our group for the day plus 4 species of Vireo, and other neo-trop migrants. The highlight for me was getting to hear and see a brief fluttering silhouette of the Chuck-will's-widow, a new state bird for me. We heard 3 of them (no whips) at about 9:00pm in the traditional spot in Adams County on Copas Road from across the bridge right off of Waggoner Riffle Rd. One was very close on the hillside behind us as we faced the river and the others were near the river. Rob Lowry, Larry Richards and others were present for the experience. The home owner along that road came out to see what we were doing there, but she was very friendly, she said the Chuck's have been back a week now. There was so much birdsong pretty much the entire day that I was still hearing Cerulean's and Ovenbirds in my sleep. Below is a list of hightlight birds with apprx. numbers but I may forget some:



List:

Am. Redstart - many

Blackburnian Warbler - 4

Prairie Warbler - 20+

Cerulean Warbler - 20+

Ovenbird - 20+

Worm-eating Warbler - 4+

Pine Warbler - 5+

Hooded Warbler - 10+

Black and White Warb. - many heard and seen

Yellow Warbler - 5+

Black-throated Green - 5+

Chestnut-sided Warbler - 1 seen

Yellow-throated Warbler - 5+

Louisianna Waterthrush - 3 heard

Common Yellow-throat - 5+

Yellow-rumped Warbler - 20

Blue-winged Warbler - 10+

Palm Warlber - several

Kentucky Warbler - 10

N. Parula  - 10+

Yellow-breasted Chat - 5+

Black-throated Blue - I know I heard one but we couldn't find it

Blackpoll Warbler - 1 was heard by Rob Lowry but not seen

White-eyed Vireo - singing all over it seemed

Red-eyed Vireo - 10+

Warbling Vireo - 3

Yellow-throated Vireo - 5+

Blu-gray Gnatcatcher - many seen and heard and 3 nests found

Rose-breasted Grossbeak - 10+

Indigo Bunting - 10+

Scarlet tanager - 20+

E. Blue-birds

Wood Thrush - 20+

Gray Catbird - 3

Brown-Thrasher - 5+

Great Crested Flycatcher - 3

E. Kingbird - 1 (in adams co.)

E. Phoebes

Red-breasted Nuthatch - 1

White-throated Sparrows - many

Field Sparrows

possible Henslow's Sparrows - a field in Adams Co, we'd flush them but they wouldn't tee up. 

Purple Martins

N. Roughwinged Swallows

Cliff Swallows - hundred or more at a bridge on the way down to Shawnee

Tree Swallows

Barn Swallows

Baltimore Oriole- 2

Orchard Oriole - 1 at marina near Shawnee

E. Meadowlark - 4+

Pileated Woodpeckr

Red-headed Woodpecker - 1

Green Heron - 1 at marina FOY

Broad-winged Hawk - 4

Red-shouldered Hawk - 1

Cooper's Hawk - 1

Black Vulture - 4 here and there with the T.V.'s

Barred Owl - 1 adams co. at night

Chuck-will's-Widow - 3  

Ruby-throated Humming Bird - 4, one male doing a nice U shaped display




        The flowers and trees are looking pretty good in Shawnee and I saw many Zebra and Tiger Swallowtails as well as Duskywing butterflies sp. There were a few dragonflies seen 1 I concluded was a Common Baskettail, and the other was some kind of white-striped gomphid but I'm not sure. I also caught several E. Fence Lizards and a nice Black Racer that bit me a few times for the entertainment of the group. A wonderful but tireing day, I got back home at 1:00am. so that is 20+ hours I was awake. Ouch.

        - Ben Warner

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