I’ve heard from several that folks not on social media who would appreciatehearing the story I shared on Facebook. Two warnings: This was written about1:00AM after a long, long day. And though it can take a bit to prime my verbalpump, give me a keyboard and a good story and I can talk (write) your ear off. Soconsider yourself warned and enjoy if you wish. Well, 9/16/17 was another memorable, satisfying, enjoyable, andultimately thrilling day of birding this year’s Bobolink county, Tuscarawas.Jon Cefus  & I picked up Ed Schlabachand son and went to see migration unfold and see if we could pick up any birdswe still needed for our year in Tuscarawas. We were targeting ConnecticutWarbler, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Golden Plover, and jokingly (sort of)mentioned our ongoing hope of adding Ohio to the list of states recording SootyTern in the last week.The morning was cloaked in heavy fog but having Ed along provides ananswer to almost every strategy scenario and he brilliantly suggested hisfavorite elevated migration honey hole and it didn’t disappoint. We talliednearly 70 species and most of the day’s 17 warbler species on top of thatlittle mountain above the fog with warblers passing almost constantly overhead.We scored double digit numbers each of Magnolia, Cape May, Bay-breasted,Blackburnian, and Black-throated Green, and added Pine, Wilson’s, severalPhiladelphia Vireos, a couple Yellow-bellied Flycatchers and more, all with theglorious first sunlight at our backs warming the first meal of the day for themigrants and putting them in perfect light for us.On our way down the hill we stumbled into an out of place GrasshopperSparrow on the road away from any fields and shortly after I picked out a teedup Olive-sided Flycatcher, my 218th species in Tuscarawas this yearand one I had searched intently for. As is often the case, the frenzy of the first several morning hoursgave way to quiet woods so we moved onto checking water features primarily forshorebirds. The Screech Owl continued at Zoar, the Baird’s Sandpiper was stillat Beach City. And by the time we left Beach City dam to take Ed home we saw wehad 95 species all in Tuscarawas and figured we may as well get 100. Ed pickedout the Gallinule at Beach City Wildlife Area and our first pigeons made 97. Edhad a spot for Swamp Sparrow leaving us 2 more for 100. Winklepleck Road gaveus Snipe & Pectoral Sandpiper and a Meadowlark to spare and we headed toEd’s house with 101 birds on a delightful day in Tuscarawas.After dropping Ed off I took Jon back to his car and he said, I’d haveto do a write-up about our day for the Bobolink page. I said I would and toldhim I was going to stop at the Bair Road gravel pit to look for a Golden Ploveron my way home, “Do you want to follow me over there?” I asked. Jon said no, hewould head on to Atwood, and I should just call him if I found something new.Well, I ended up calling him.As I pulled off on Bair Road I saw a fairly large bird disappear behindthe pipeline that cuts across the middle of the quarry. It was just a splitsecond, maybe a Great Blue I thought. I started to scope through the shorebirdhabitat on the far side of the lake and was disappointed to not see a singleKilldeer. In fact, I didn’t see a single bird to even start an eBird list.Then a tern flew into my scope field of view. It was headed straightfor me so all I could see was its white head with a black crown and nape. Ithought “Common Tern” a bird I have searched for diligently and still neededfor my Tuscarawas year. Then the bird banked and I saw a completely black topside on the bird. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sooty Tern my brain exploded.Photo/text/post raced through my head as adrenaline fogged all my rationale. Igrabbed my camera which is a super zoom and tried to get a shot which is agreat challenge on an erratically flying bird. I fired twice and missed twiceand the bird careened out of my view finder. I reached for my binoculars andthe bird was gone. I scanned the whole lake which is not large, maybe 10 to 20acres. No bird. I called Jon & Ben and told them I had just seen a SootyTern but no longer had it. They headed my way, Ben 45 minutes away posting forme while his wife drove; Jon 5 minutes away and closing fast. Jon arrived and we proceeded to scan the entire shoreline from everyangle for the next 20 minutes no bird. I’m the only one who’s seen it and zerophotos. Not good at all. Jon & I talk through the options. Maybe the birdis sitting somewhere out of view; terns can stay perched for a long time. Butmaybe I saw the bird just as it arrived at this small lake; a quick surveyshowed the bird it didn’t hold the necessary food and it moved on to greenerpastures. What to do. We decided one should stay the other go check nearbywater: The Tuscarawas River, Atwood, etc.Jon says I should stay and he’ll go search . I say, “I already saw thebird, you pick the option you feel gives you the best chance to see it.” “I’llgo to Atwood”, he says. He throws his scope in the car, hops behind the wheeland suddenly I see the Sooty blasting right out over the middle of the lake.“SOOTY TERN FLYING JON!!!!! GET YOUR CAMERA!!!!!”Jon hops out and we both get great looks and some photos of thisstunning hurricane survivor treating our little Tuscarawas gravel pit like it’sthe tropical waters around the Dry Tortugas.Less frenzied posts and calls are made letting all know the bird isback and settling into a routine of leaving the giant tires every 15 minutes orso to feed before returning to the tires.Many local birders arrive breathlessly for the next 2 ½ hours allsoaking in the views of this dazzling visitor. Unfortunately, the clock didn’t allow for anyone to travel from anydistance to beat nightfall. Hopefully tomorrow morning the fog will stay awayand many will enjoy the rare treat of seeing this sleek black & whitebeauty right here in Ohio.You can never go wrong taking a close look at your local patch. In 2005my dad & I made the LONG trip to see the Sooty Tern that had spent the last6 days at East Fork. We were a day late.Today we were at the right place at the right time. Ben made it in timeto add it to his Ohio life list. Dad’s coming tomorrow. Ed Schlabach made itback to see the tern and picked out 2 Spotted Sandpipers & a flyoverSavannah Sparrow to be added to the tern and Palm Warbler I’d seen pumping itstail behind the tern to bring us to 106 species seen on a memorable Septemberday in Tuscarawas County.  I think I’llremember  #102 for quite a while.
Kent Miller

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