I spent the day birding around the Magee/Ottawa region for my 
Hi all,

I spent the day birding around the Magee/Ottawa region for my birthday. I first checked the expansive mudflats along Turtle Creek (Duff Washa/Lemon Rd. junction), which are hosting good numbers of the expected species including a half-dozen STILT SANDPIPERS. There is a nice pull-off along Lemon Road and just north of there; a decent vantage point looks over the mudflats to the east. I continued checking various spots including the Magee beaches, Metzger and the trails near the old Ottawa NWR parking lot. At the latter, I was surprised to run into a BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER - something I wasn’t expecting. This made me decide to head back to Magee and check out the boardwalk. After a quick walkthrough, I finished with seven species of warblers: BLACKBURNIAN, BLACK-AND-WHITE x3, YELLOW, YELLOW-RUMPED (early female), AMERICAN REDSTART (female), COMMON YELLOWTHROAT and a family of PROTHONOTARYS. Not bad for August 11th at Magee!

I proceeded to the Crane Creek Estuary via the Crane Creek Estuary Trail. Mudflats were still present with a dozen or so species present including SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS, good numbers of STILT SANDPIPERS and others. A scope is definitely needed. A PEREGRINE FALCON zipped by along the beach.

A quick stop at Maumee Bay State Park yielded nothing besides dozens of picnickers, dog walkers, kite flyers, kite boarders etc. With the winds and temps in the 60’s, I wasn’t expecting so many people…

Final stop of the day was a second trip to Metzger. I drove the road all the way to the beach and back and came up with nothing excited. I decided to check the heavily over-grown trail (just past the first turn). After bush-wacking about halfway out into the marsh, I came up to a nice flock of 16 SNOWY EGRETS and two immature LITTLE BLUE HERONS. I knew something of interest would be lurking back there somewhere.  

Good birding,
Ethan Kistler


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