Brad Sparks and I made a foray into northwestern and central
Ohio yesterday, April 14, looking for seasonal migrants.

Our first stop was the intersection of Range Line and Cygnet
Roads in Wood County, where we found the WESTERN MEADOWLARK
singing from a utility line as soon as we pulled up at 7:45 AM.

We then ventured eastward to Springville Marsh State Nature
Preserve in Seneca County. Tom Barlett was busily banding birds,
but he pointed us at a productive part of the marsh where we
were able to see and hear two VIRGINIA RAILS and one SORA. While
we  were there, we saw a fly-over OSPREY and saw multiple
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKERS and FOX SPARROWS in the hand or in
Tom’s nets. Tom reported that YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRDS had been
present earlier, but left when a mixed flock of some 1000
blackbirds left early in the morning.

We then spent some time looking at plashy fields in Wyandot
County north of Upper Sandusky. While we saw a great deal of
seemingly good-looking shorebird habitat, we found no
shorebirds. A flock of about 20 BONAPARTE’S GULLS feeding in a
newly plowed field was the best find.

Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area was our next stop. The ponds held
the expected waterfowl with nothing particularly notable except
about 1000 American Coots. Again there was seemingly good
shorebird habitat with no shorebirds. We finally found a flock
of about 200 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS along Morrel-Kilpatrick Rd
about one-half mile west of Washburn Rd. They were in a field
north of the road opposite the farmhouse. They were almost all
basic-plumaged birds with few showing any bright color. The very
opposite was the case with a flock of about 100 LAPLAND
LONGSPURS found along Washburn Rd; the males were almost all
fully in breeding plumage. We noted about 10 to 20 AMERICAN
PIPITS along the same road, but these drabber birds were
certainly undercounted.

Our last stop was the wetland along Panhandle Rd north of Main
Rd at Delaware State Park/Wildlife Area in Delaware County. We
relocated about a dozen GREAT EGRETS and about as many WILSON’S
SNIPE.

We finished the day with about 50 species and in spite of a poor
forecast, never got wet. However, we did manage to spend about
eight hours looking for shorebirds in mid-April and completely
missed both yellowlegs and pectoral sandpipers. I wouldn’t have
thought we could do that if we tried.

Highlights include:

Wood Co.
 Western Meadowlark

Seneca Co.
 Osprey
 Virginia Rail
 Sora
 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
 Fox Sparrow
 Yellow-headed Blackbird (reported by Tom Barlett)

Wyandot Co.
 Bald Eagle
 Bonaparte's Gull

Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area
 American Golden-Plover
 Red-headed Woodpecker
 American Pipit
 Lapland Longspur

Delaware SP/Wildlife Area
 Great Egret
 Wilson Snipe


Paul Gardner
Columbus, OH

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