Hello all,
This morning I was joined by Tom Bain, Kevin Shepherd, Jed and Pam Burtt,
Marcia, and a few others whose names I've forgotten (sorry!). Several
birders were lucky enough to get fleeting glimpses today of the Nelson's
Sparrows inhabiting Snipe Marsh. We had at least FOUR NELSON'S SPARROWS in
the marsh this morning, with several other secretive sparrows that were left
unidentified. To get there, read Ben Warner's (GentleBen) wonderfully
detailed post from yesterday. We know there were four because we saw two
pair simultaneously fly in opposite directions! The best time for them has
been 7:30-9:00am, with the best activity around 8:15 when the sun starts to
creep deeper into the marsh.
So far I have gained ~30 locations of birders across the state willing to
participate. Map again here- http://tinyurl.com/27qs4k7
I'd like to say that this project is not mine. I may have sparked it, but
it's YOU who are participating! This project is owned, organized, and
succeeding due to YOU. This project will only succeed if the Ohio birders
are willing to help. My goal is to have 100 locations across the state
willing to attract a vagrant hummingbird.
NOTE: This project has been undertaken by the state of Louisiana, and was a
WILD success!
Several years ago, Van Remsen, professor of Louisiana State University, was
able to convince his neighbors, fellow birders, etc. across the state to
leave their feeders up after the Ruby-throats had left. The result?
HUMMINGBIRD BONANZA! It's not uncommon for some homes to host over 30
individual western hummingbirds! In addition to all of Ohio's hummingbirds,
LA's state list includes:
Green-breasted Mango
Broad-billed Hummingbird
Buff-bellied Hummingbird
Blue-throated Hummingbird
Magnificent Hummingbird (missed this one on the last email)
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Admittedly, Louisiana has a more suitable climate to hummingbirds, but that
does not necessarily mean that they don't visit Ohio either. Isn't it very
possible that the White-eared Hummingbird in MI last year came through Ohio?
What about the dozens of records of Black-chinned Hummingbirds (would-be 1st
state record) on the east coast? They're HERE!! We only need to put the
effort forward. Also, it's common belief that leaving your feeders up will
not "stop" Ruby-throateds on migration, so if you're worried about that
please don't worry.
Here's a page everyone should at least skim by Louisiana Bird Records
Committee members:
http://losbird.org/los_news_196_01dec3.htm#10
Again, join me in OUR effort! Visit the map and add your location-
http://tinyurl.com/27qs4k7
Or email me your location (can be labeled anonymously). See my post from
Monday if you aren't familiar with this project.
Good birding,
Sean
---
Sean Williams, '11
Undergraduate of Ornithology of Dr. Jed Burtt
Ohio Wesleyan University
HWCC 724
Delaware, OH 43015
617-470-4094
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