MAY 8, 2011 A glorious sunlit Sunday greeted all those that stuck it out for the weekend, or, treated "MOTHER" on an outing to either the Magee Marsh Boardwalk, or, the auto-tour at Ottawa Wildlife Refuge which must be pointed out!! was especially kept open in commemoration of Mother's day. Although the winds were subdued and erratic in both strength and direction, what was left flirting about in the woods was good enough to please the crowds, and kept the buzz going throughout the day. Slow pace yet continuous birding characterized by those arm length sightings that both Magee Marsh and the Ottawa Wildlife Refuge woodlots are famously known for set the birding tone of the day. Crisp and bold Prothonotaries, ubiquitous throughout the day and along the boardwalk, klepto-parasitized gnats and other quarry from cobwebs to the delight of young birders, mothers and firing mobs of flashing "Pajarazzi" (as I like calling Bird Photographers back in Spain, where Pajaro stands for bird). Inordinate numbers of ground foraging Nashvilles rendered a unique chance to study and enjoy their delicate terracotta crowns. Yellowrumpeds were dominant by far, but a partial leucistic individual harnessed the crowds' interest for a while. Black-throated Greens and Chestnut-sided Warblers saw their numbers halved from days prior, but there were still several breathtaking males bringing a refreshing dash of colour to the willows and cottonwoods. Black beret Wilson's Warblers flitted briskly through the brush on several occasions leaving most in tow hungry and ready for seconds. Crowd magnets included several Tennessee, a few Orange-crowned, a single Pine Warbler, several Bay-breasted, a handful of Magnolias , leaf-litter lurking Ovenbirds, a few fleeting Canada Warblers and the always dazzling Blue-winged Warbler and energetic Blackpoll that were seen on the Ottawa Bus Trips only. All in all.... a very pleasant and productive day, that tallied no less than twenty four warblers. A seemingly resident family of American Woodcocks, has hung about for the last three days, and continued to deliver great views and heart warming moments as "mutha" Woodcock fed long juicy earthworms to her two woodcocklets. Another crowd pleaser was a carefree Virginia Rail, that had everyone hanging, sitting, lying, standing over and below the boardwalk rail, in what I thought was true "railing" fashion. A shy push of Veery and Swainson's thrush caught everyone's eye as they hopped and tossed leaves about in the undergrowth. Late in the day a flare of colour brought about by hulking Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and juicy tangerine Baltimore Orioles brought the canopies alive. An immature male Blue Grosbeak and a few Dark-eyed Juncos fed throughout the day along the beach next to the car park. The Ottawa Bus Tours yielded a smattering of enjoyable sightings that included both Red breasted and Hooded Merganser, handsome Bufflehead, smart Horned Grebe, elusive Least Bittern, Black-bellied and American Golden Plover, the always impressive Peregrine Falcon and dazzling Scarlet Tanagers to mention a few. With not many changes in weather patterns predicted over the next 48 hours, the pickings of the first wave are presumed to diminish significantly over Monday and Tuesday until Wednesday or Thursday when we hope to greet the first advances of the second wave. CHRISTIAN BOIX ______________________________________________________________________ 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]