Ohio 5/14-5/21 Links & Trip List

Click photo to read sign

We spent a week in Ohio, mostly around the Magee Marsh area with forays into Sandusky and Erie Counties. We found 150 species, smashing our record from two years ago and we did it without finding one pigeon! That seems almost impossible, especially since we spent a late afternoon/evening in Toledo. We added 30 species to the year list.

Magee Marsh is on the southern shore of Lake Erie and is the last stop for migrating birds who are reluctant to cross the lake to their breeding grounds in Canada. So they plunge down into the marsh, build up their food reserves (and perhaps courage) and while doing so, put on a show for the birders who flock with them to the boardwalk. The Biggest Week in American Birding Festival takes place during migration and the boardwalk is jammed. The day after the festival ends, the boardwalk is comparatively empty, yet the birds don't know the festival is over.

Maumee Bay SP 5/14--Cliff Swallow

Oak Openings 5/15--Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red-headed Woodpecker, Swainson's Thrush, Blue-winged, Nashville, Mourning, Chestnut-sided, Blackpoll, & Wilson's Warblers, Lark Sparrow, HENSLOW'S SPARROW, Scarlet Tanager

Magee Marsh Boardwalk 5/15--Cape May, Bay-breasted, & Blackburnian Warblers

Sandusky County 5/16--Alder Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher, Bobolink

Ottawa NWR Estuary Trail 5/16--Common Nighthawk, Gray-cheeked Thrush

Erie County 5/17--Least Flycatcher, Bank Swallow, Northern Waterthrush, Tennessee Warbler, Connecticut Warbler

Ottawa NWR Auto Tour 5/17--Common Gallinule, Sandhill Crane

Metzger Marsh 5/18--Eurasian Collared-Dove-like bird

Maumee Bay SP Boardwalk 5/20-- Virginia Rail

More Pix

The list: ALL CAPS=Life Bird; Bold Italics=Year Bird; Underline=Rare Bird

Species            First Sighting

Canada Goose     Oak Openings

Mute Swan     Pipe Creek

Trumpeter Swan     Arnold Marsh

Wood Duck     Oak Openings

Gadwall     Pipe Creek

American Wigeon     Pipe Creek

Mallard     McClure's Marsh

Blue-winged Teal     Pipe Creek

Northern Shoveler     Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area

Green-winged Teal     Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area

Redhead     Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area

Ruddy Duck     Pipe Creek

Common Loon     Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area

Pied-billed Grebe     Ottawa NWR Auto Tour

Double-crested Cormorant     McClure's Marsh

American White Pelican     Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area

Great Blue Heron     McClure's Marsh

Great Egret     Christy Farm

Green Heron     Magee Marsh

Black-crowned Night-Heron     Arnold Marsh

Glossy Ibis     Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area

Turkey Vulture     Oak Openings

Northern Harrier     McClure's Marsh

Cooper's Hawk     Pipe Creek

Bald Eagle     McClure's Marsh

Red-tailed Hawk     Oak Openings

Virginia Rail     Maumee Bay SP Boardwalk

Common Gallinule     Ottawa NWR Auto Tour

American Coot     Pipe Creek

Sandhill Crane     Ottawa NWR Auto Tour

Black-bellied Plover     Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area

Semipalmated Plover     Pearson Metropark

Killdeer     Magee Marsh Boardwalk

Spotted Sandpiper     Pipe Creek

Solitary Sandpiper     Pipe Creek

Greater Yellowlegs     Ottawa NWR--Boss Unit

Lesser Yellowlegs     Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area

Ruddy Turnstone     Ottawa NWR Estuary Trail

Dunlin     McClure's Marsh

Least Sandpiper     Pearson Metropark

Short-billed Dowitcher     Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area

American Woodcock     Magee Marsh Boardwalk

Ring-billed Gull     Ottawa NWR Estuary Trail

Herring Gull     Ottawa NWR Estuary Trail

Caspian Tern     McClure's Marsh

Common Tern     Ottawa NWR Estuary Trail

Eurasian Collared-Dove     Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area

Mourning Dove     Oak Openings

Yellow-billed Cuckoo     Oak Openings

Eastern Screech-Owl     Magee Marsh Boardwalk

Great Horned Owl     Secor Metropark

Common Nighthawk     Ottawa NWR Estuary Trail

Chimney Swift     Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area

Ruby-throated Hummingbird     Oak Openings

Red-headed Woodpecker     Oak Openings

Red-bellied Woodpecker     Oak Openings

Downy Woodpecker     Oak Openings

Hairy Woodpecker     Christy Farm

Northern Flicker     Oak Openings

Pileated Woodpecker     Irwin Prairie

American Kestrel     Jerusalem Rd

Merlin     Magee Marsh Boardwalk

Peregrine Falcon     Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area

Eastern Wood-Pewee     Oak Openings

Alder Flycatcher     McClure's Marsh

Willow Flycatcher     Christy Farm

Least Flycatcher     Pipe Creek

Eastern Phoebe     Oak Openings

Great Crested Flycatcher     Oak Openings

Eastern Kingbird     Oak Openings

White-eyed Vireo     Oak Openings

Yellow-throated Vireo     Oak Openings

Blue-headed Vireo     Pearson Metropark

Warbling Vireo     Oak Openings

Red-eyed Vireo     Oak Openings

Blue Jay     Oak Openings

American Crow     Oak Openings

Horned Lark     McClure's Marsh

Northern Rough-winged Swallow     Pipe Creek

Purple Martin     McClure's Marsh

Tree Swallow     Oak Openings

Bank Swallow     Pipe Creek

Barn Swallow     Oak Openings

Cliff Swallow     Maumee Bay SP

Black-capped Chickadee     Oak Openings

Tufted Titmouse     Oak Openings

White-breasted Nuthatch     Oak Openings

House Wren     Oak Openings

Marsh Wren     McClure's Marsh

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher     Oak Openings

Eastern Bluebird     Oak Openings

Veery     Oak Openings

Gray-cheeked Thrush     Ottawa NWR Estuary Trail

Swainson's Thrush     Oak Openings

Wood Thrush     Christy Farm

American Robin     Oak Openings

Gray Catbird     Oak Openings

Brown Thrasher     Oak Openings

Northern Mockingbird     Pipe Creek

European Starling     Oak Openings

Cedar Waxwing     Pipe Creek

Ovenbird     Oak Openings

Northern Waterthrush     Pipe Creek

Blue-winged Warbler     Oak Openings

Black-and-white Warbler     Oak Openings

Prothonotary Warbler     Magee Marsh Boardwalk

Tennessee Warbler     Sheldon Marsh

Nashville Warbler     Oak Openings

Connecticut Warbler     Sheldon Marsh

Mourning Warbler     Oak Openings

Common Yellowthroat     Oak Openings

Hooded Warbler     Secor Metropark

American Redstart     Oak Openings

Cape May Warbler     Magee Marsh Boardwalk

Northern Parula     Magee Marsh Boardwalk

Magnolia Warbler     Oak Openings

Bay-breasted Warbler     Magee Marsh Boardwalk

Blackburnian Warbler     Magee Marsh Boardwalk

Yellow Warbler     Oak Openings

Chestnut-sided Warbler     Oak Openings

Blackpoll Warbler     Oak Openings

Black-throated Blue Warbler     Magee Marsh Boardwalk

Yellow-rumped Warbler     Oak Openings

Black-throated Green Warbler     Magee Marsh Boardwalk

Canada Warbler     Oak Openings

Wilson's Warbler     Oak Openings

Eastern Towhee     Oak Openings

Chipping Sparrow     Oak Openings

Field Sparrow     Oak Openings

Lark Sparrow     Oak Openings

Savannah Sparrow     Christy Farm

Grasshopper Sparrow     Oak Openings

HENSLOW'S SPARROW     Oak Openings

Song Sparrow     Oak Openings

White-crowned Sparrow     Oak Openings

Scarlet Tanager     Oak Openings

Northern Cardinal     Oak Openings

Rose-breasted Grosbeak     Sheldon Marsh

Indigo Bunting     Oak Openings

Bobolink     Harder grasslands

Red-winged Blackbird     Oak Openings

Eastern Meadowlark     Oak Openings

Common Grackle     Oak Openings

Brown-headed Cowbird     Oak Openings

Orchard Oriole     Maumee Bay SP Boardwalk

Baltimore Oriole     Oak Openings

House Finch     Oak Openings

Pine Siskin     Oak Openings

American Goldfinch     Oak Openings

House Sparrow     McClure's Marsh