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Date: | Thu, 19 Oct 2006 15:18:34 -0400 |
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Last night before sunset I visited Miami Whitewater Wetlands (aka Shaker
Trace Wetlands), arriving at about 6:15 pm and leaving by about 7:15 pm.
Lots of Song Sparrows and Swamp Sparrows actively calling and some Song
Sparrows still singing when I left at dusk. I briefly looked for Nelson's
Sharp-tailed and LeConte's Sparrows without success. I just read with
great interest the discussions on Ohio Birds about how and where to find
these sparrows. Particularly, the discussion about finding LeConte's in
similar habitat to that used by Sedge Wren's.
Last night, just as I was leaving, I walked the mowed path used for
banding this fall by David Russell of Miami University Ohio. This path
goes south from the Farm Road along the eastern edge of the wetland. I
heard two Sedge Wrens calling on the west side of this path, between the
path and the wetland. The call note is one or two short sharp "chip"
notes, almost exactly like the introductory notes of the song. These
introductory notes sound to me like, "Tick Tick" which are followed by
the rapid and lower pitched chattering notes. The first bird was about
50-75 feet south of the Farm Road and the other was right by the
intersection of this banding path and the Farm Road. Sedge Wrens were
also present in late summer this year in this slighter higher elevation
area of grassland east of the wetland. Given the discussion about finding
LeConte's in Sedge Wren habitat, this looks like a good place to look for
LeConte's this weekend. I plan to do so.
Also present last night were 3 Greater Yellowlegs in the growing puddle in
the north end of the wetland. This area could also produce Long-billed
Dowitcher as has occurred in past fall seasons here. I flushed one
Wilson's Snipe along the Farm Road, but there should be more as reported
on the Cincinnati Bird Club Field Trip last weekend.
NOTE: This wetland has undergone some management activities to reduce the
invasive cattails and willows, The willows have been removed and the
cattails have been mowed. This will actually improve shorebird habitat
for next spring by creating more edge, as has occurred in the past when
this management was completed. However, none of this activity has chased
away the Sedge Wrens. In past years there was a lot of smartweeds in the
wetland. However, I did not see any in my brief visit.
Jay
Jay G. Lehman
Cincinnati, OH
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