Hi, all

While working the Battelle Darby area this morning, we found a singing
Bell's Vireo at the Wet Prairie parking area.  It was in the group of
mature deciduous trees along Darby Creek Rd. at the point of entering the
Wet Prairie pull off.   The Bell's (as expected, nominate belli) was
detected due to its repeated, persistent singing, a fairly short harsh
anxious phrase usually with a questioning end. But often in sliding down
inflection.   The Bell's occupied the mid to upper level (30 + ft) in the
outer limbs, usually singing from within or hidden by a clump of leaves.
 Of the three large deciduous trees here it occupied the one at the edge of
the pull off,.  It was very inconspicuous, secretive and took us a while
but we finally did locate it, and had good views as it foraged (between
songs), sometime hover gleaning and often pumped its tail (occasionally
combining a wing flick with the tail pumping), a behavior characteristic of
nominate Bell's.

The bird had disappeared and/or become silent after 30 min.  And a follow
up visit after visiting the park and overlook trails failed as well.  This
location is consistent with a migrant but with apparent suitable habitat
nearby (in and around the Nature Center grounds) it may still be in the
area.  Foraging 30 + ft. above ground, near tree top canopy, seems
unusually for Bell's, I have seen migrants even higher and know of other
birders seeing them foraging above 60 ft.   The few I've seen in OH
(Franklin) have all been much lower, perhaps 5 - 10 ft., in dense
vegetation in areas of shrub–stage successional habitats with a variety of
small trees, typical of breeding habitat.

-- 
Patty and David Tan
Columbus
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