OHIO-BIRDS Archives

May 2016

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From:
robert lane <[log in to unmask]>
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robert lane <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 17 May 2016 02:50:45 +0000
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The following is a 2016 modified version of a post I did in 2010. The "Biggest Week In American Birding", I believe, has to be the largest and most attended, birding social event, anywhere. A tour thru the parking lot at the Magee Boardwalk area is like visiting an art festival in my opinion. Vanity license plates representing states from all over America and several Canadian provinces can be found. It is always exciting visiting with so many present birding friends and meeting so many new ones! It is definitely the ultimate birder gathering. This year my wife Denise and I attended the event for the entire duration, from Thursday night May 5th thru Monday morning May 16th. It was worth it! During this period we recorded over 180 bird species, which included  31 warbler species. The sightings were at locations in Ottawa and Lucas County. We stayed in our motorhome at Turtle Creek Marina and Campground with our seven Sun Conure parrots. 78 species of birds were recorded just at the campground, including Black-crowned Night-Herons, Pine Siskins, and Orchard Orioles. The obvious #1 highlight of the period was the Curlew Sandpiper on Thursday May 12, followed by the #2 Kirtland's Warbler at the east end of The Boardwalk on the return later in the day. #3 was a flock of six Lapland Longspurs, two being males in breeding plumage, at Howard Farms on Monday morning May 9. It's hard to say what was more exciting, seeing a Life Bird like the Curlew Sandpiper, or witnessing the hour pilgrimage west of birders sacrificing their chance for a Kirtland's sighting, for this once in a life-time chance for the Curlew Sandpiper. Stories could be told of the many plan changing happenings related to the Curlew Sandpiper. Having to be in my opinion the most altering event, would be that of the Holmes County based Amish group doing an Ohio Big Day, already twelve hours into their pursuit, they started at midnight, almost to the Kirtland's site, aborting and scrapping the remainder of their Big Day, to go back, they had been at Oak Openings

earlier in the day, and see the probable once in a life-time in Ohio sighting. The biggest advantage of staying thru the entire festivities is being able to have time to visit new locations, and revisit on a daily basis, the local hotspots, which had an ever changing variety of birds. A not to be forgotten way for us to end the good times, was having fourteen species of warblers late yesterday afternoon, Sunday, on the dike at the end of the road to the cabins, at Maumee State Park.  Bonus birds here were Golden-winged, Mourning, Orange-crowned, Canada, and Blue-winged. We will do it again next year!!! Actually we plan to be back later this week thru the weekend, in hopes of finding a Connecticut Warbler, and looking forward to more memorable moments.

Bob Lane / Mahoning County - Ohio

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