I headed to the Shawnee SF today.  The bird life has progressed a bit since last week, but it's still about a week behind schedule. Basically I found today what I was expecting last week.  Highlights included :

59 Yellow-throated (Sycamore) Warblers
2 Black-thr Green Warblers
14 Black&white Warblers
1 Ovenbird
1 Broad-winged Hawk

There has obviously been a big push recently with the Sycamores.  They were singing well into the afternoon with very few females present. Once the females arrive and they stop singing as persistently, detectable numbers will seem to drop. Species that have been there and paired up for a while such as Blue-headed Vireo, Pine Warbler, and Louisiana Waterthrush weren't very vocal today.  I found only about 10 of each of those species today, and mostly in the morning only.  A few migrant Yellow-rumped Warblers rounded out the short list of warblers for the date. The vegetation didn't look very far along. The forwarded message by Bill Whan last week from the Michigan listserve by Julie (Last name?) pretty much sums up the situation. There were many trees with only brown withered budding leaves that haven't progressed from the warm weather at the beginning of April. There were zero blossomed redbuds anywhere.

The Scioto River was heavily flooded near its mouth.  The only good place I found to scope along the way was in northern Scioto County along Rt.104. In one field I saw ~35 each of both yellowlegs, ~10 Pectoral Sandpipers, and 50+ Wilson's Snipes. Those birds were probably only the tip of the iceberg for the extensive habitat that remained out of sight. Along Moore's Lane there were only a few Killdeer and a Solitary Sandpiper. Perhaps the channel at the southern end of that road will offer some good shorebirding once the water level drops. Cliff Swallows have not yet appeared at the bridge in Jasper.

Yesterday (April 16) I spent a couple hours in the morning at Scioto Trail SF. The wind was intense and very cold. I only found 4 warblers (2 Pine, 2 Louisiana), and was home before noon. My backyard Yellow-thr. Warbler (which returned on the 13th) was singing intermittently despite not finding any at all at Scioto Trail in the wind. The Watermark quarry along Rt. 33 in Columbus yesterday hosted a Chimney Swift and several each of Pied-billed and Horned Grebes and 2 Common Loons.

Bob Royse


Robert Royse
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www.roysephotos.com

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