The early Columbus Audubon Mother's Day trip scoured this MetroPark for migrants with fairly good results.  Prairie Oaks is along Big Darby Creek, about 12 miles west of Columbus, and is where the riparian forest corridor of that creek narrows considerably, making it a decent migrant funnel.  We started at the Coneflower trail (west side of the creek), but later drove over to the Sycamore Plains trail (east side).  While the morning didn't produce any sizeable fallout, there was a steady flow of migrants to keep it interesting.  Highlights included:

Waterfowl - a few Wood Duck pairs along the creek, plus a late Ruddy Duck on Darby Bend Lakes, were the more interesting sightings

Raptors - a few resident Red-tails, plus some Turkey Vultures of uncertain destination

Cuckoos - only a single Yellow-billed heard

Woodpeckers - no migrant Red-headeds, but plenty of residents, including a likely Pileated nest

Flycatchers - good numbers of Pewees & Crested Flycathers, with fewer numbers of empidonax (1 Willow, 2+ Acadian).  Phoebes were around the new footbridge over the creek.

Swallows- resident Tree & Barn were joined by a few Banks over the small wetlands at Prairie View picnic area

Vireos - singing Red-eyed at several locations (especially the riparian forest of Sycamore Plains).  Warbling much less common, and no White-eyed at all (which is very surprising here).

Wrens, Kinglet - House Wrens abundant, but 1-2 pairs of Carolinas survived out here (where there are no feeders).  Another late Ruby-crowned was along the Coneflower trail.

Thrushes - good numbers of Swainsons & Wood Thrushes, indicating continued migration of these species.  Only heard 1 Veery call.

Mimids - Catbirds abundant (since the extensive edge here is perfect habitat), but Thrashers were unexpectedly absent

Warblers - modest numbers, but good diversity (18 sp) included  Nashville (3+), Tennessee, Yellow, Parula (2 on territory), Black-thr.Blue (3 males), Black-thr.Green (4+), Blackburnian, Yellow-throated, Magnolia, Chesnut-sided (8-10), Yellow-rumped (1), Palm, Blackpoll, Bay-breasted (3+), Amer.Redstart (4), Common Yellowthroat (10+), Wilson's, Yellow-br.Chat.  Oddly, no forest-floor warblers (ovenbird, waterthrushes, Hooded) were found despite carefully working through Sycamore Plains, a good trap for these migrants.

Tanagers - 2+ singing Scarlets included a nice distant view of one foraging in a sun-lit treetop

Grosbeaks, Buntings - 2 Rose-br.Grosbeaks was low, but 15+ Indigo Buntings was more typical

Sparrows - surprisingly few, with Field Sparrows and Song Sparrows the most common, but few migrants other than a small flock of White-throateds (7-8).  A single singing Grasshopper Sparrows was haunting the Prairie View picnic area, but the fields & meadows here usually have a much more diverse & conspicuous sparrow fauna.

Orioles - stars of the morning, with Baltimores abundant & conspicous at most locations.  2 Orchard orioles were singing around the Prairie View picnic area early.


Rob Thorn
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