I made a loop southward over the past few days. I especially needed to work on my photos of Acadian Flycatchers and Yellow-billed Cuckoos. Acadian Flycatchers were generally scarce and/or silent until I hit the jackpot today at Cooper's Hollow, possibly due to the cold temperatures. Cuckoos are scarce everywhere in the state this year with only single Yellow-billeds heard at Scioto Trail and Shawnee. I heard no Black-billeds anywhere. Few tent caterpillars were also noted so maybe that is no coincidence. I haven't been to the southern counties this late into May in a few years mostly due to lack of time or travel out of the state, but there is certainly plenty of great birding down there still and hopefully I can get down there again next week.

I started out on Monday morning at Scioto Trail State Forest and passed through there again at mid-day today. Scioto Trail was one of the most birded and studied forests in the 90's and early 00's, but seems to get next to zero attention anymore. That's a real pity, because it remains one of the biggest migrant traps in the state in mid-May. Monday morning caught the peak of it all it seems and was one of the best days I can remember there. Tennessee Warblers were in the hundreds and just about everywhere in the forest. On either ridge or in the valley a half dozen were probably in earshot. Blackpolls were also especially abundant as were Bay-breasteds, Blackburnians, B-t Greens, Magnolias, Nashvilles, and yes, Yellow-rumps too. I wasn't counting or listing, but just soaking in the incredible experience. Everywhere you could go was like being in giant aviary. You listers and northerners can have your Magee Marsh, but I'll take Scioto Trail any day, thanks. Despite the exhilaration of the experience it slowly dawned on me that one species was conspicuously scare, Cerulean Warblers. I had last been to Scioto Trail on April 30th and did notice that there were only a few Ceruleans around on the North Ridge. At that point I attributed that to the fact that they were just probably late. On my visits this week I encountered no additional birds anywhere at all. I know of only four males on the N Ridge and none anywhere else in the forest this year. 10 -20 years ago daily tallies at Scioto Trail would typically number 50-60 singing males in mid-May for Cerulean, with roughly the same number also produced for Kentucky and Hooded Warblers. Those numbers could easily be found for Kentucky and Hooded should anyone want to count, but where are the Ceruleans? Of all the state forests, Scioto Trails looks to have changed the least over the past decade. The habitat is still there. We all hear about the rapid decline in their population. Maybe there just aren't as many of them to make it that far north any more. Who knows? It was a disturbing part of an otherwise great morning.

On Monday afternoon I headed to Shawnee and stayed through Tues. morning. Even though it was very windy and cold when I arrived at Shawnee, Ceruleans were singing. Despite so much habitat removal there, their numbers seem to holding up. If the southern ridges have less habitat for them they seem to be more numerous nowadays along the creeks. There were really no big surprises at Shawnee and generally few migrants around in the northern part of the forest. On Tuesday morning I checked out some of the clear cuts in the south hoping to find territorial Chestnut-sideds. There were a lot of migrants around, so it is still way too early to tell. There is lots of good habitat for them right now along Forest Road 2. Despite the fact that I heard no Acadian Flycatchers anywhere, an migrant Olive-sided was a nice find in one of the clear cuts. It looked right at home atop a burned snag.

On Tuesday afternoon I headed to the wonderful Crown City Wildlife Area. With many new fresh burns it was as beautiful as ever. Unfortunately it was very windy, and wind isn't your friend there! This seems to be a good year for Henslow's Sparrows there, and for the first time in maybe ten years or so they seem to outnumber the Grasshopper Sparrows.  While there were congregations of them in many usual spots, one or two individuals also were heard hunkered down in many areas where I haven't found them in a while. It also seems like a good year for Blue Grosbeaks too. They weren't singing at all in the wind, but I did manage to see 5 different adult males by listening for their metallic chip notes. I definitely want to get back there again on a nice warm calm day.

This morning I stopped at Cooper's Hollow in Jackson County, one of my favorite places to photograph birds in Ohio because of its mix of habitats and better light into May than dense forests. Acadian Flycatchers were singing up a storm and all seems well there with all the regulars on territory in expected numbers with some migrants present as well. But there were no Ceruleans there at all either. 10 years ago or so they seemed to be regulars along the creek there at least in small numbers, but I haven't heard one there in many years now. If they are still present at all, they aren't audible from any road.

Bob Royse


Robert Royse
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www.roysephotos.com

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