Hi Vince and all, Good question about the Bewick's Wren. The last confirmed nesting was from Brown County, in extreme southern Ohio along the Ohio River, in 1995. And there is only a smattering of nesting records in the two decades preceding that. I remember well going to see a pair that was nesting in a hanging geranium pot on the porch of a house in Pike County in the 1980's, that Dave Minney had found. An amazing disappearing act, considering this species formerly nested in every county in at least the southern two-thirds of Ohio, and was often locally common. It has essentially disappeared from the other states east of the Mississippi, too. Appalachian populations, including those in Ohio, have been described as Thryomanes bewickii subsp. altus, although there is some dispute about the legitimacy of recognizing that subspecies. But it fits a "boom and bust" pattern exhibited by other species like the Loggerhead Shrike and Bachman's Sparrow, both of which used to be widespread Ohio breeders. The first Bewick's Wren record in Ohio was in 1879, they peaked from the 1920's-40's, and are now gone. Prior to European settlement, when Ohio was cloaked with a 95% cover of mature forest, these species would have been absent, or at least quite rare and local. As settlers opened the landscape and created conditions favored by these species, they thrived, albeit briefly in the long-term scheme of things. While the reasons for each of these species decline may be slightly different, in general it has to do with ongoing landscape-level changes that now don't favor these birds, and increased competition from other species. In the case of Bewick's Wren, researchers that have studied it feel that the abundant and ubiquitous House Wren is a primary reason for the decline, as the latter can readily outcompete the former. If anyone manages to produce breeding Bewick's Wren during the course of the ongoing Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II, it would truly be a great find. Jim McCormac Jim McCormac Ohio Division of Wildlife 2045 Morse Rd., G-3 Columbus, Ohio 43229 614-265-6440 -----Original Message----- From: Ohio birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Vincent Lucas Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 8:07 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [Ohio-birds] Bewick's Wren In Ohio I remember back in the mid-90's when several of us (Rob Harlan, Ed Pierce and some others) went down to Brown County to see a nesting Bewick's Wren. This was part of a Kirtland Bird Club field trip I believe. My question is, when was the last report of Bewick's Wren nesting in Ohio? I'm sure Peterjohn addresses this but I do not have that source available at the moment. Is Bewick's Wren still being reported in Ohio at all? Here in Florida, they are rarely reported with a few reports coming out of the Florida Panhandle. I'd be so lucky to see one in this state! Cheers. Vince Vincent Lucas Naples, FL [log in to unmask] http://www.flickr.com/photos/leppyone/ http://www.caloosabirdclub.org ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]