I had a great time at the OOS annual meeting in Perrysburg last weekend. Despite no organized fields trips on this truncated meeting, I had a total of 106.5 species in 3 days of birding, including 22 species of warblers and two Life Birds.
Saturday, I was able to bird with Jim McCormac, Bill Thomson III, Cheryl Harner, Peter King, and several other OOS members. We spent most of our time on the boardwalk at Magee Marsh, with a brief run to Metzger Marsh in the early afternoon. Bill got me a Life Philadelphia Vireo on the boardwalk, but I missed Jim's Orange-crowned Warbler. The rumored Connecticut never appeared, to my knowledge.
Sunday morning, I hung out with Tom Bartlett and his crazy group of banders at Springfield Marsh. It is too bad that not many people availed themselves of this unique opportunity to see many of our migrants and residents in hand. I learned a lot, including getting a handle on the song of the Nashville Warbler. (Thanks, Tom!)
I visited Kitty Todd Preserve in the late morning (no Karner Blue Butterflies but plenty of Wild Blue Lupine) and Oak Openings in the afternoon, where I got the Lark Sparrows and Red-headed Woodpeckers which were my primary goal. I whiffed on the Summer Tanager and wasn't lucky enough for Red Crossbills (three strikes on Lifers this weekend.)
Monday, I went back to the boardwalk. Things were a little slow in the early morning (7:30-8:30am) but as the temps warmed up, the birding improved. I bagged a couple of birds I had missed on Sat, including the world's most cooperative Prothonotary Wabler (great photos!), and a sweet Lincoln's Sparrow.
I had intended to leave at 1pm, but the bird guides reported that the Kirtland's Warbler had been seen behind the Sportman's Center about 90 minutes earlier. I arrived at the bird trail behind the center and only had to wait 15 minutes before the K-bird appeared. LIFER!
The following birds were seen/heard at various spots around Magee Marsh on Sat and/or Mon:
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Little Blue Heron (first Ohio sighting)
Green Heron
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Mallard
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Killdeer
Least Sandpiper
Dunlin
American Woodcock
Ring-billed Gull
Common Tern
Mourning Dove
Eastern Screech-owl
Common Nighthawk (perched in tree by parking lot)
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-peewee
willow/alder flycatcher - bird in hand, BSBO banding demo.  (This is my "1/2" species.)
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Blue Jay
House Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Gray Catbird
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Warbling Vireo
*PHILADELPHIA VIREO
Red-eyed Vireo
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
*KIRTLAND'S WARBLER
Palm Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Canada Warbler
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Eastern Towhee (heard only)
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
At Metzger and near-by, I added:
Pied-billed Grebe
Mute Swan
Common Moorhen
Spotted Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Black Tern
Bank Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Barn Swallow
Kitty Todd/Oak Openings additions:
Black-billed Cuckoo (heard only)
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe (heard only)
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Field Sparrow (heard only)
Lark Sparrow
Brown-headed Cowbird
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
at Springfield Marsh:
Great-creasted Flycatcher (heard only)
Nashville Warbler (heard only)
Brown Thrasher (bird in hand)
Wood Thrush (in hand)
Tennessee Wabler (in hand)
Swamp Sparrow (in hand)
and along my driving routes:
Rock Pigeon
House Sparrow
My thanks to the expert birders who allowed me to tag along with them on Sat morning, to Tom Barlett and crew for putting up with me and my camera on Sunday, and to Sam Woods and all the Tropical Birding guides who worked their butts off all weekend long. When they weren't leading tours, they were hanging around the west entrance to the boardwalk, doling out advice and news, and helping many people at the Center find the Kirtland's Warbler. And then, they go home and write it all up for this list. Great job, guys!
~Kathi
http://katdocsworld.blogspot.com/
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