Big Darby Creek, 8/29 and 8/30
6 a.m around Big Darby Creek area, covering the same route each
morning..At the Wet Prairie, we walked the bridle path abound Teal and
south nearly to Harrier area finding the interior viewing from the
paths impossible because the rushes/prairie grass was too high and
thick, as Rob implied. On Friday we entered to the interior and waded
to several areas but it was a struggle (I don't recommend that).

Hot and humid both mornings but found several active flocks of
nontropical migrants at each stop. This surprised me.  These included:
the tall cluster of deciduous trees at the small parking space for the
Wet Prairies; the overgrown shrub/broad leaf/grassy edge and fence row
to bison pen near Nature Center; and open deciduous woodlands
woody/vine thicket understory near the roundbarn on the Greenways
trail followed by another episode in the mixed spruce/deciduous trees
with mostly open ground or tall grasses with a nice boarder of
shrub/thickets along the trail by the straw barn.  There is an open
area here with a tucked in grassy pool, surrounded by extensive
sedge/tall grass/brushy flora.  The pool is often used by shorebirds
when conditions are good, which they aren't.

Some true surprises!  Flycatchers, especially empidonax were in good
showing both days, especially the last spot where there are numerous
twiggy snags high and low of all sized, Warblers around too, moderate
variety.

The rundown:

FRI, 8/29
ducks:  numerous small flocks of Mallards and Wood Ducks flying out of
the prairies at dawn.  Still no AMBD, usually here by now.  First
Gadwall and AMWI, each a small flock flushed.  BWTE.Ad. f. Hooded
Merganser with her two full grown young in Teal.

grebe -- a HORNED GREBE in full breeding plumage was on an open pond
well inside the marsh E of Teal.  A small bird, it swam along, never
diving, alertly flapping  and excited swam as I moved off, but didn't
fly or go into rushes.  Golden fan still full, flaring behind ear;
neck distinctly deep chestnut; definitely Horned not Eared.

Bitterns/herons:  A single AMBI, flushed from marsh, and 5 LEBI.  LEBI
bred here this year, at least two juv. seen late JUL-early AUG.  A
Yellow-crowned Nightheron, flying over in predawn light, going to
roost after nightly foraging (I suppose).  I think they breed in the
Darby watershed as several were seen like this over the summer
including a juv. 8/3.  But both bitterns and herons increase here in
late summer through dispersal.

Rails:  flushed a large excited King tall grasses/tussocks well into
the marsh, east of Teal;  flushed two VARA from dense veg. along
bridle path.  Heard three others and two Soras. While in the marsh
waste deep in water at Teal, was 1 Common Gallinue, an ad. It swam
further along the dense edge followed by its two juv!  The 2nd Aug. in
a row.

Shorebirds:  BBPL calling, flyover, predawn.  Two SOSA.  Six ad. LBDO
along a pool edge, in water leg deep.  They flushed in a flurry of
high notes, calling as the gained altitude and disappeared  AMWO -- 4,
singles, fly by, pre dawn, apparently retuning to its day roost.

Black-billed Cuckoo - 2, saw one, heard another along fenced area near
Nature Center.

Hummingbirds - 4, 2 investigating canopy of a tree WP parking; 2 same,
but near ground checking a cattail tussock near straw barn.

Flycatchers - 16 EWPE including a very dark heavily vested one near
barn.  YBFL - 5, two in broadleaf canopy at WP parking, 3 near barn;
YB/LF - 2 near barn (these are probably ad. YB that have 0faded to
nearly white below; narrow eyering and vest should exclude LEFL but
not seen well enough; I have this category since past banding life on
mid Atlantic and south Atlantic coast. By early Sept. YB ad. are often
gray with white underparts.  We, including some far more knowledgeable
than I, needed to key them to ID); ACFL - 2, juv. Getting late for
this sp.  ALFL - 6, probably in their peak period; 2, in dry mid level
deciduous trees at WP parking; 1 near Nature Center; 3, at the barn
site.  Calls (like a sharp DOWO or HAWO).  WIFL - 2, preferring areas
near ground, cattails.  Calls.  AL/WI - 5, probably ALDER  but no
calls, prolonged views/ LEFL - 8.  I love these flycatchers, all of
them?

Wrens,Gnatcatchers -  Sedge 2; Marsh Wrens 5 along the Teal Trail;
BGGN -- 2 straw barn

Vireos - Warbling scattered thruout; 1 YTVI in a shrub near roundbarn;
1 juv. White-eyed.

Cedar Waxwings - one still nest sitting near roundbarn.

Warblers - several species present at each site including; one m.
BLWW; 6 TEWA; 8 NASH (incl. two in wetland thicket near Teal; 2
Chestnut-sided, 7 Blackburnian, 2 Cerulean (imm. m.),, 3
Yellow-throated, 1 Prairie (m; a rarity for me here, along Greenway),
8 Bay-breasted, 1 Worm eating (investigating a vine covered thicket,
fence post near Nature Center); 8 NOWA; 2 MOWA (both along Greenways
incl. an immature male working the broadleaf tip of a mature hardwood
at mid level, I've seen them at heights before - once a spring m.
nearly 50 ft. up in the canopy along a wooded ravine - but its always
neat. It is on the down side of MOWA peak; being an early arrival in
fall, barely overlaps with the mid Sept. arrival of COWA, as banding
studies support; 34 Common Yellowthroats ( mostly in the prairie
marshes); 4 WIWA (males).  I still have not seen a YBCH in BD region
this year......

Sparrows - 10 Field; 2 juv. Vesper (that would not leave the short
grass path near Harrier); 5 Grass; 10 Henslow's (2 ad. and 8 juv.; 7
working the short grass in well spaced spots along the bridle path);
50 SONG (juv. Greenways); 21 Swamp (incl. 12 juv. in prairies).

Buntings/Grosbeaks/Icterids - 30 INBU (including several males); 2
Blue Grosbeak (the first I've seen that are likely true migrants,
rather than family groups which were daily at several places to mid
AUG); 11 DICK (in blackbird roost in cattails Teal); 210 Bobolink, in
blackbird roost; 28 E.Meadowlark flying into Greenways overgrown
pastures near roundbarn; RWBB 7000 (roosting in cattails Teal, an
annual event).; COGR 2000; 6 Orchard Orioles (prob. the last).

Sat. 8/30
ducks:  small parties of Wood Ducks, Mallards.

Bitterns/herons: 2 LEBI. 1 YCNH

Northern Harrier -- 1 juv. (very orange) gliding past Teal

Rails: 2 VARA; 8 Sora.Teal; flushed a juv. VARA from the edge of the
wetlands near straw barn

Shorebirds:  AMGP -- 28, a loose strung out flock flying low over
Greenways; they looked to be descending and heading toward the bare
earth behind Darby House off Darby Creek Rd.; this bare field had over
50 a week a go;
Wilson's Snipe -- 2 snipe flushed as we neared Teal; not that unusual,
I see a few each summer
AMWO -- 1 fly by, pre dawn
Red necked Phalorope -- 1 juv.; near the Straw Barn in the wetland
pool (north end of Greenways)

GHOW -- 2. calling before light, in distant west

Whp poor will -- flying low, then higher, near canopy height, passed
Teal in the growing light before dawn.

Flycatchers -
EWPE 9
YBFL - 3
ALFL - 3
"Traill's" -- 10, probably ALDER
LEFL - 11
EAKI - 12, Teal

Swallows - Teal, for a few minutes at first light
Cliff 15
Barn 10

Wrens  -  Carolina, House, Sedge and Marsh Wrens

Vireos - 1 BEVI, began scolding along fence row near Nature Center,
came into viiew and gave us good looks.  We followed it.  Finally,
worked its way near BDC Rd. and flew into trees at WP parking.  (maybe
the same bird we found singing in this very tree back on May 17); 3
YTV and 3 Warbling

Thrushes - 6 Swainson's and a single fly over Robin

Warblers -
GWWA 4, all males, mid morning, mid to upper level mature woodlands,
with dense margins of succession's growth
TENW - 5
NOPA - 2
YEWA - 1, late, prob. last
MAGW - 9
CMWA - 11
5 Blackburnian,, 3 Yellow-throated, 1 Pine (these three sp. in same
edge as GWWA
Bay-breasted 11
B&W, AMRE
PROW  2
NOWA 4
Common Yellowthroat - 12
HOWA - 3 (2 ad. m., 1 f. type)

Sparrows -
Field 1
Henslow's 1
Song --10
Swamp 11

Buntings//Icterids -
INBU 3
Bobolink 320
RWBB 9,000+
COGR 2000
BAOR -- 2


--
David Tan
Columbus
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