OHIO-BIRDS Archives

May 2016

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From:
"J. Hochadel" <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
J. Hochadel
Date:
Tue, 17 May 2016 18:58:52 -0400
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Sorry for the late post - these sightings/notes are from yesterday's bird
walk on the bike trail.
The wind made it difficult to hear the birds singing, but many were
actively feeding in the cold early morning hours. My same five mile hike
produced 71 species total.

Highlights include:

   - There were 4 vireo species, with Red-eyed being most numerous (13).
   - There were 13 species of warblers, with Yellow (19), Blue-winged (7),
   Tennessee (15), Nashville (11), Common Yellowthroat (15) and American
   Redstart (27) all being very vocal. One Nashville started singing while
   perched in the open. His colors were stunning!
   - Baltimore Orioles (6) were singing, actively defending territories and
   gathering nesting material.
   - Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were gathering nesting materials.
   - Eight (8) Purple Martins flew over, chattering like crazy, while
   nearby a Tree Swallow was "claiming" and defending the newspaper
   compartment that was built into a mailbox.
   - Veery and Wood Thrush were not singing full songs - no doubt due to
   active nests being tended.
   - Eastern Towhee (14) were also being quieter than usual. A pair scolded
   me while I was watching a female American Redstart gather nesting material.
   She was stripping fine hairlike strands of wood from a downed branch. She
   made 5 trips while I was there. She flew far into the woods so I could not
   locate the nest, but the male was nearby keeping a watchful eye on me.
   - A flock of 18 Ring-billed Gulls and 2 Herring Gulls flew in while I
   was standing at a pond. They circled for about two minutes, calling
   constantly, then gradually drifted south.
   - A big surprise was two Hooded Mergansers that engaged in what appeared
   to be a mating ritual while swimming on a pond. They mirrored each other's
   behavior while rearing up, splashing water with their wings, diving while
   splashing water, and bobbing up and down while facing each other.
   Fascinating! I've never seen this behavior before.... But wait, there's
   more! They disappeared for a bit so I checked out the shorebirds (1
   Killdeer, 2 Spotted Sandpipers and 4 Least Sandpipers). When I searched for
   the Mergansers, I could only see one. It was the female with 8 newly
   fledged young swimming with her! They were very tiny and stayed close to
   their very protective momma. Seriously, folks, they were adorable. :)
   - About midway through my hike, I couldn't stop watching this one
   Red-bellied Woodpecker. It appeared to be extremely agitated as it kept
   aggressively poking into a wide crack in a tree. That really got my
   attention, so I stood still and waited. Suddenly, it poked faster and then
   "plucked" a Flying Squirrel from the crack in the tree and tossed it! A wad
   of the squirrel's fur went flying as well. The squirrel tumbled in midair
   then glided to another tree and scrambled inside another crack. The
   woodpecker pursued it but didn't see where the squirrel went in, so it kept
   listening to the tree. (It actually put the side of its head close to the
   tree several times in different spots.) Finally, it found the crack and
   kept looking inside. But the squirrel must have gone deep into the hole
   because the woodpecker didn't attack it again.

Judy Hochadel

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