Brief update on the current situation in the migrant traps on the Lake Erie
shoreline in n.w. Ohio, specifically the area of Magee Marsh Wildlife Area /
Ottawa Natl Wildlife Refuge, as of early afternoon Saturday, May 22.  The
Kirtland's Warbler found on the east beach at Magee yesterday has not been
refound today.  (Incidentally, analysis of photos last night showed that the
May 21 bird was definitely a different individual from the one found on May
14.)  As of 2 p.m., there hasn't been a cooperative Connecticut Warbler in
the area either, but there have been brief looks at a couple of spots,
including near 20b and 24b on the Magee boardwalk (see the BSBO map of the
boardwalk  for specifics) and on the trail behind the Sportsmen's Migratory
Bird Center. There are probably multiple individuals in the area, so it's
just a matter of patient searching (and luck, of course).  The best habitat
is probably in the woods behind the visitors' center at Ottawa NWR.

Aside from these two specialty warblers, there has been a good movement of
migrants in general in the area, including good numbers of Empidonax
flycatchers and various late-season warblers.

Illustrating the perils of  trying to predict bird migration on the basis of
weather, none of the weather forecasts for the last two days have turned out
to be correct here in n.w. Ohio.  The heavy rains predicted for last night
failed to materialize, and right now the wind is from the west, even though
it was supposed to be out of the south all day.  So this should be taken
with a grain of salt ... but IF tonight's weather is as predicted, with
light winds from a southerly direction all night, there should be a good
arrival of birds on Sunday morning, May 23.

Incidentally, Jerry Jourdan saw a first-cycle Little Gull at Pt Mouillee in
s.e. Michigan this morning, and it was last seen flying east over Lake Erie.
If anyone is near the beach at Magee, Metzger, Maumee Bay S.P., etc., this
weekend, it would be worthwhile to take a second look at any gatherings of
gulls or terns.

Kenn Kaufman
Black Swamp Bird Observatory
Oak Harbor, Ohio

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.

You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]