I've had a chance to check out many of my favorite forest locations in the past week. I went to Zaleski and Vinton Furnace last weekend, The Utah Ridge/Big Bailey area of the Wayne NF on Monday, and Scioto Trail and Shawnee yesterday and today. In general birds were similar everywhere and everything is about a week to 10 days late. Shawnee, especially, is very quiet and disappointing.

Here's where things are about now :

VIREOS : White-eyeds and Yellow-throateds are back in expected numbers everywhere. Besides the resident Blue-headeds at Shawnee, probable migrants can be found widely in small numbers as well. Red-eyeds are very scarce everywhere. I have only heard two, one at Scioto Trail yesterday with another at Shawnee this morning.

Wood Thrushes have been back for a while everywhere, but again in very small numbers. They seem to be more common in Athens County than the other forests now and very scarce at Shawnee.

Scarlet Tanagers, also slowly returning in very small numbers. I had 2 on Utah Ridge on Monday, a few at Scioto Trail and a couple at Shawnee. Several Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were also singing at Scioto Trail yesterday.

Besides the widespread E Phoebes, the only other flycatcher I have seen was an E Kingbird at Zaleski last Saturday.

Pine Warblers, Lousianas, Yellow-throated Warblers, and B&W Warblers have all been back for a while, but they don't all sing very persistently even though they all don't seemed to be paired up yet. Same with N Parulas too probably.

Am Redstarts are fairly common at Shawnee only (the only bird you can say that about). I saw one each last weekend at Zaleski and Vinton Furnace, and one each at Scioto Trail and Big Bailey.

Hoodeds are surprisingly scarce at Shawnee and are present in far greater densities at all the other forests mentioned. Ovenbirds seem to be at about the same pace with them although Shawnee may have slightly more Ovenbirds right now.

Cerulean and Worm-eating are also present in all the forests in equally very small numbers and widely scattered.

Blue-wingeds are surprisingly scarce for the date. They're widely scattered in the valleys at Shawnee and to a lesser extent in the clear cuts. Elsewhere they have only been noted in upland areas. They were present on clear cuts only (in small numbers) last weekend at Zaleski and Vinton Furmace. The Big Bailey area has possibly the densest population of them in the state, but I only found them on Utah Ridge.

Prairies are widespread in suitable habitat and one of the few birds that regularly is singing in the afternoons now. They seem to reach their highest densities in clear cuts that are about 5 or 6 years old. They're absolutely jam packed in the clear cut on the N side of the Long Ridge at Zaleski. In other areas where they were once as common such as the west side of the Long Ridge their numbers have thinned down a bit. They're also quite numerous right now on parts of the FR2 clear cut at Shawnee. Even though no Blue-winged had arrived yet along Big Bailey, there were plenty of Prairies present.

Blackburnians have returned to their traditional Appalachian outpost spot at Shawnee. No others have been seen or heard as migrants.

Black-throated Greens are also widely scattered everywhere and it can be difficult sometimes to always know if they're on territory or are migrants. The biggest numbers right now are at Scioto Trail where most, if not all are migrants. Migrating Yellow-rumps are also few are far between, but again Scioto Trail has by far the biggest densities of them too.


While the forest creeks have little vegetation along them, the same can't be said for the Scioto River. Species such as Warbling Vireo, House Wren, Yellow Warbler, Baltimore Oriole, and Gray Catbird can be found in many locations from Lake White southward. All 5 were singing outside my motel room in Portsmouth this morning.

I have yet to see or hear a KY Warbler, Y-b chat, Indigo Bunting, Orchard Oriole, or Summer Tanager.

I know there is an OOS gathering at Shawnee this weekend, but if you're not planning on attending, I would say that it's probably not worth the long drive there from the north. With all the clear cuts at Shawnee, the habitat is so fragmented and unsightly that it really is no longer the great place that it once was IMHO. Scioto Trail and the Big Bailey/Utah Ridge area offer pretty much the same birds right now. With the Nelsonville bypass finally finished it makes getting to Big Bailey in Athens County from Columbus much quicker and easier.

Bob Royse

Robert Royse
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www.roysephotos.com

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