Hi,

Good to see the reports of Louisiana Waterthrushes coming in from southern
Ohio.  They are among our earliest Warbler family (parulidae). We expect
them to return to northern Ohio around April 1, and have established
territories soon after regardless of weather.  Given their preference for
high quality running water as nesting habitat, the Louisiana Waterthush can
establish territory even though there may be snow, and the still waters
preferred by the Northern Waterthrush are still frozen over.

The shores of lake Erie are along the northern edge of the breeding range
for the Louisiana Waterthush, so expecting migrants in non running water
habitat later than the third week in April is not very realistic.  Given
the very similar and sometimes overlapping morphology of the 2 species, any
Waterthush species found along still waters on dates after about April 20
in Northern Ohio can very safely assumed to be Northern Waterthush unless
extraordinary observation proves otherwise.

While there are a few nesting sites along streams and creeks in NW Ohio,
Louisiana Waterthush are far more common nesters in the eastern part of the
state where the hills of the Allegheny plateau create their preferred
habitat.

Haans

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.


You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]