OHIO-BIRDS Archives

June 2007

OHIO-BIRDS@LISTSERV.MIAMIOH.EDU

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From:
Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:10:49 -0400
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        I was able to participate in a very enjoyable and productive
block-busting weekend in and around Lawrence County, courtesy of
regional OBBA coordinator Brad Sparks (I'd spent the previous weekend in
an equally satisfying trip to atlas in Meigs Co, courtesy of Janet
DCuerr and Steve Shafer). Ten of us tallied close to a hundred breeding
species. Our best find had to be four adult yellow-crowned night-herons
at a Gallia County pond, found by Margaret Bowman and Liz Clingman;
nesting is of course suspected, and Brad is coordinating a search.
        Other interesting news comes from OBBA atlasers. Two nests of Bell's
vireos discovered in Pickaway County make one wonder how many there may
be elsewhere, in addition to the Columbus pair. Troy Shively confirmed
another inland-nesting great egret at Indian Lake in Logan Co recently
(and there may be more), and a flock of egrets in Union Co is being
tracked in case they too are local breeders. Marcia Brehmer's two pairs
of great egrets in Franklin Co have returned to nest, and investigations
will take place to see if there are additional egrets there, including
suspected double-crested cormorants.
        Such news furnishes a reminder to search heron rookeries with great
care. Yes, they are hard to survey, and they reek, but odd nesting
species are to be found there. This knowledge is important, too. I'll be
reporting soon--few others will, I suspect--on the second year of
cormorant 'culling' in the state. It may be only a body count, but maybe
some evaluation will be included. In the state of Delaware--where it is
too simple, but nonetheless tempting, to regard the controversy as one
of fishers vs. birds--it's now OK to resume killing horseshoe crabs
because it allegedly won't harm red knots:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070609/ap_on_re_us/horseshoe_crabs;_ylt=A0WTUdZQrGxGHYgAoRas0NUE
        On the rarity front--and watch the Ohio RBA for more on these--a
credible report of a scissor-tailed flycatcher came from Hardin County 8
June, but as usual this rarity promptly vanished from the scene.  I
mentioned the possible Mississipi kite in Hocking County, but news comes
of another last week at Point Pelee. Ontario authorities tell me that
Point Pelee has nearly three times as many records of this species as
the whole state of Ohio (!), and that they regard most of these birds,
like last week's, as *southbound*. Go figger. In Dayton, confirmed new
nesting site reports for lark sparrows are very encouraging.
        The number of reports on this forum has plummeted with spring
migration's end. While it's always interesting to hear what's showing up
at someone's feeder, or long lists from the Magee Marsh bird trail in
May, remember nesting is the only reason for migration. This is what
birds live for, and why they undertake these long and perilous journeys.
Reports like those above are the icing on the cake, but we need to learn
about the reproductive success of even the most common species, and the
Atlas is how we do it. Please try to volunteer some time to help to this
statewide effort: see OOS web pages at http://www.ohiobirds.org/obba2/
Bill Whan
Columbus








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