Hoping for a migrant fallout from the changing weather, I spent 3 hours around the south end of this reservoir north of Columbus. I stopped at New Galena, the east Dam walkway, the beach & visitors center, and the old Lewis Center road spur. Despite clouds & occasional rain squalls, fallout was minor, with few clusters of migrants. Early goose season discouraged most of the waterbirds, except for a Pied-billed Grebe and some Mallards. Other notables included:
Osprey - 1 was fishing off the New Galena boat launch
Gulls - the beach flock was 300 Ring-bills, with nothing else mixed in
Shorebirds - plenty of Kildeer and a few Spotted Sandpipers, but no other species
Hummers - only 2, in two different locations
Swifts - small flocks of 4-8 moving south at several locations
Swallows - not a single one
Flycatchers - plenty of Pewees, with 2-3 at every stop. A Phoebe was along Lewis Center spur, but no Kingbirds could be found.
Vireos - 4 Warbling were singing and chasing in the cottonwood groves near the Visitors center. Elsewhere, Red-eyed were the norm, with 1-2 at every stop.
Wrens,Gnatcatchers - fair #s of House Wrens, with 3-4 at most areas. Single gnatcatchers were at the Visitors Center and the old Lewis Center road
Thrushes - lots of small Robin flocks at each stop. The Visitors Center and New Galena had calling Swainson's Thrushes
Mimids - Catbirds were the most common migrant, with 80+ scattered over the 4 sites. Mockingbirds were below the dam and in the Visitors Center fields. No Thrashers.
Cedar Waxwings - 25 went by New Galena boat launch, with smaller flocks at the other stops. They seem to be roaming for fruits now.
Warblers - little fallout, with no spot with more than 4 individuals. Species included Tennessee (2), Magnolia (3), Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Chesnut-sided, Redstart (2), and Wilson's
Grosbeak,Buntings - a single Rose-br.Grosbeak was along the east Dam footpath, but I couldn't locate any Indigo Buntings despite being in good habitat much of the time.
Sparrows - nothing unusual yet, but small flocks of Field and Chipping have already accumulated in the fields near the Visitor's Center
Blackbirds - small flocks of Redwings at several spots, plus a long, ragged flock of 400+ grackles headed east from the dam early.
______________________________________________________________________
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]
|