I headed to Shawnee on the 14th (Sunday) and again today (Tuesday). On Sunday I spent the whole day in the northern half, and today was all in the south. What a difference. The good news is that Shawnee is still a great place for birds even if it isn't the same ratio and mix that were there 15 to 20 years ago. The bad news is that the clear cutting is continuing at a high rate and logging trucks are noisy and all over the place in the south and it is supremely ugly. 20 years ago if you went to Shawnee you could spend a whole day within its borders and not hear a single Prairie Warbler all day.  That required a special trip afterwards to Adams County to find them among the cedars. Today Prairie Warbler very well may be the most common bird in the southern half of Shawnee. I know that there was the ice storm a dozen years ago, and large fires more recently, but a lot more is being cut down that seems necessary. I have talked to locals in the area and there is real concern there, but to quote one logger I talked to, "The state is broke and needs money." So get used to it. At the rate they're going the whole southern part of Shawnee will be just a bunch of saplings in a few years and they'll probably do the same to the north. Although I'm no expert, it doesn't look like the trees they're removing a large enough to be that valuable for anything more than paper, and this is coming at a time in history when were becoming less and less dependant on the stuff. It's all very disturbing to me. Anyway, enough of the rant and now the birds :

Species present in large numbers in suitable habitat with males at least mostly all back :

Yellow-throated Warbler
Prairie Warbler (southern half)
Pine Warbler (localized, more in N nowadays)
Black-and-white Warbler 
Louisiana Waterthrush
Blue-headed Vireo (very localized, mostly in N nowadays)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Brown Thrasher
Eastern Towhee
Eastern Phoebe

Species that are present in growing numbers, are fairly widespread in suitable habitat, but still nowhere close to max. numbers :

Blue-winged Warbler
Northern Parula
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Yellow Warbler (in marina area)

Species present in low numbers and are just starting to trickle in :

Yellow-throated Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Wood Thrush
Cerulean Warbler
Hooded Warbler

Two other species worth mentioning that were present today, but I don't currently know their breeding status for sure:

Black-throated Green Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler

Back in the "good old days" there were reliable places in the southern part of Shawnee where B-t Greens almost certainly nested, and they possibly still do in the area somewhere, but the scene has changed there so much in recent years I just don't know where that is anymore. There were very definite migrants of any species around all day today. I didn't encounter a single Ruby-cr Kinglet or Yellow-rump all day. As far as the Blackburnians go, they arrive around this time in the same place every year along the Lower Twin Creek. I have know idea if they were ever confirmed as nesters there for the OOBA II, but at this point I would be very surprised if they don't nest there at least some years. For the past 20 years they have been showing up in the same place weeks before the bulk of northern migrants pass through. I took my mid-day nap in that spot and two males that sure seemed territorial to me duetted the whole time.

One positive note that I found VERY surprising coming from ODNR is that one of the logging roads in the south is now open to vehicles with 4 wheel drive. Those of you who have driven roads like French Joe Canyon or Chino Canyon in Arizona will see this road like floating on cotton balls, but it could get slick when wet and higher than normal ground clearance would be welcomed by most I think. My Subaru Forester handled it effortlessly. For another popular AZ comparison, it would be similar to the Upper Garden Canyon Road in the Huachucas without the rocks.


Bob Royse





Robert Royse
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www.roysephotos.com


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