This is not just about Franklin Co, but should be illustrative of
movements through early May across the state.
        New species added to our local county list in the first 2 1/2 days of
May are more warblers (bay-breasted, Cape May, Canada, Wilson's) and
flycatchers (Acadian, olive-sided, alder) giving us 220 species. We had
258 species in total for last year.
        There'll be a few more new flycatchers and warblers, some waders, a few
sparrows, and a fair number of shorebirds, along with some fall
occurrences of new migrant waterbirds, to come, but we had only 21 new
species total in the last six months of 2011 here. Many of the new
species to come will be in drabber plumages, and most will not be
singing, so beginners do not find them as interesting.
        On the other hand, a lot *more* birds will be moving through Ohio in
the second half of the year, including young of the year. Other than
routine returning migrants, they will include strayed young birds,
vagrants influenced by weather, etc. There are also a lot of
species--shorebirds, for example--that move north in spring via strict
and narrow migratory routes, but which move south in more flexible and
leisurely ways, bringing them to Ohio. In general, spring is time for
the routine, and later for the routine plus surprises. If you look for
birds only in spring migration, you're missing most of the scene.
Bill Whan
Columbus

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