SECRET BIRD MIGRATION

Today is International Migratory Bird Day, held annually on the second Saturday in May.  Not very well known, or even important, to most people...but a miracle none the less!  Each spring, billions of birds (neo-tropicals) who have spent our winter in Central or South America, begin a very long, and sometimes treacherous, trek to familiar breeding grounds in the U.S. and Canada.  Generally, they migrate at night, stopping for periods of time along the way to feed, rest and brush up on their mating songs.  If you are not looking for them or paying attention to the change in bird songs filling the air, you will miss this Great Migration!  And these are of some of the most beautiful birds in North America!

My birdwatching perch on the ridge

The Audubon Society has designated several Ohio Important Bird Areas (IBA's).  These are specific habitats able to provide premium food and nesting resources for land and water birds.  Prairie Pond Woods is located smack-dab in the middle of two of them, Shawnee State Forest and The Edge of Appalachia Preserve. While taking a retreat at Prairie Pond Woods in late April and early May, I was able to spot over 25 of these migrating species.  Some will be staying at the retreat to raise a brood or two, some will move on to more northern states and provinces and some will head to the Boreal Forest Region in Canada.  This is an extremely long journey and I am humbled each year when they return, and honored to be able to provide what they need in the prairie, on the pond or in the woods!

Below are a few stock photos of some of the warblers and other birds that grace the property each year.  Most are not mine, as I don't possess the camera or inclination to get these great close-ups.  Enjoy the beauty and wonder!

 Black & White Warbler...hard to spot as it tends to crawl along trunks and branches...but easy to hear.

 Black-throated Green Warbler...heard (and barely seen high in the canopy) on the day before I left the retreat.

 Blue-winged warbler...we play a game of hide and seek in the cedars...I usually lose.

 Hooded Warbler...just a lovely bird that hangs low down by the spring making him easy to see.

 Yellow-rumped Warbler...acutally had one of these stick around this winter...acting like he owned the maple tree where the feeder hangs

 Pine Warbler...not all that flashy...but one of the first to show up and now nesting in a pine tree by the deck!

 The ubiquitous Prairie Warbler...King and Queen of the Prairie. 

One is nesting in this small cedar tree.

 Wilsons Warbler

The Scarlet Tanager...kept hearing his Robin-like song up in the canopy...then after 3 days I finally spotted it 

near the retreat house!

Bluebird Babies!

 Song Sparrow nest in Cedar next to garage

Phoebe nest above garage on the motion detector light

MAGGEE MARSH BOARDWALK...

You can view the web album for our trip to Maggee Marsh
HERE

In mid-May, for the first time since 2003, I went north again to a wonderful place near Sandusky, Ohio called Maggee Marsh, for some of the best birdwatching in North America. Right on Lake Erie, this area (and the surrounding Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge) is a bottleneck for warblers and other migrants heading to their breeding grounds in Canada. While some will stay and breed, many make a pit stop in the resource-lush wetland habitat to gorge on emerging caterpillars, spiders and other creepy-crawleys, before crossing the large body of water.

The weather the night before was ominous...lots of rain and strong winds (later we found out there had been tornado warnings)...and I wasn't sure setting the clock for 6:30 am was really a good idea. But watching out the back window of the camper van in the morning, the storm gradually settled down to a windy, overcast day, and off we went.

We could not have asked for a better day! The storm left the air clear, and the gusty winds kept the birds low in the trees, rather than up in the crown. We saw or heard a total of 66 species in over a day and a half. It was amazing!

The boardwalk makes birdwatching an easy hobby for bird enthusiasts, as well as photographers and those with disabilities. Capturing a warbler with a camera is no small feat...they move fast and often only stay within viewing a brief moment. We did our best...enjoy!

You can view the web album for our trip to Maggee Marsh at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/artbynaturecindy/LakeErieBirdwatching?authkey=Gv1sRgCPXVmvSNsPS44gE&feat=directlink

I TOOK A WALK TODAY...

...THEN PRACTICED THE ART OF SITTING IN ONE PLACE!



On the way up to my favorite ridge for morning birding, I caught a glimpse of movement high in a tree and fairly far away. Usually I don't bother when something is that far off in the distance, but I had gotten a late start, so I wasn't going to be choosy. I'm glad I looked, because I faintly made out a male and female Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Two days before she had visited the feeder, and he, just yesterday, when I snapped a few photos of the handsome and colorful dude.



Also, on the way up, I heard a Yellow-billed Cuckoo (yes we have this exotically named bird), a Red-eyed Vireo, Hooded Warblers, Ovenbirds, Wood Thrushes and a Wild Turkey. By 9:30 most of the action had ceased, but I decided that maybe I should just sit for another half-hour. Maybe with all the chatter and fluttering over, something singularly interesting might happen...and it did. 

Sitting on the same spongy log I perched on last year...when two fawns sauntered by and we exchanged glances...two yearlings walked by again. Did I have my camera? No. But the scene replayed itself. They stopped, looked at me (or towards me), browsed some vegetation and moved on down the well-worn path. I could have stood up, walked three steps, and petted them.



What I love about nature is its rhythms and predictability...and also the occasional unpredictable anomaly. While I'm not overly sentimental about deer (i.e., hunting them), any face to face with a wild creature does stir the heart and soul. But this encounter, while rare, is not all that strange. Like most animals, deer have certain territories and ways of getting around those territories for resources and refuge. So if I went up to the ridge every week and sat on my cushy log, odds are I would encounter the same two deer on a regular basis.

I've already been fantasizing about putting a camouflaged swivel chair up there to take in all 360 degrees of bird songs and sightings...so those deer and I may become well acquainted by the end of summer.

WHAT A WEEKEND FOR WILDTHINGS!!

When I arrived at Prairie Pond Woods on Thursday morning, I walked the Refresher Course and heard or saw the usual, over-wintering suspects, plus some recent, mid-April visitors...Tree Swallow (in pic), Brown Thrasher, Ruby Crowned Kinglet and Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher. I even noticed an Eastern Bluebird pair darting in and out of an old nesting box (Evidently, we put the new ones up too late or they just don't like the decor).



Then, during the night, late summer arrived on a very warm front up from the south. We went from 60's to 80's overnight. But what also arrived Friday morning, no doubt helped by that warm wind at their backs, were about 9 species of neo-tropical birds! I made note of Blue-winged, Prairie, Hooded and Black & Whitle warblers, and spotted several Ovenbirds in the woods, along with the ever-lovely Scarlet Tanager and Indigo Bunting. Then I topped it all off hearing the unique songs of the Wood Thrush, White-eyed Vireo and Yellow-breasted Chat! As I was leaving on Sun, I'm pretty sure I heard a Common Yellow-throat, too.



It made me happy that these migrants had a good tail wind on at least part of their return from South or Central America to my own little plot of land just a few miles, "as the warbler flies," from the Ohio River. I'm filled with awe that they arrive just when the caterpillars and other insects emerge from various egg casings and other winter confinements.



We should all be filled with gratitude for the way they help balance the bug population! The week before, just after dawn and an overnight rain, I took a walk in the woods. Scattered all over the forest floor were thousands of white spider webs showing up against the rain-darkened leaf litter.



The picture just doesn't do it justice because they were in every direction and far as I could see. Now that's a smorgasbord just waiting for Ovenbirds, Towhees and the Wood Trush!



Next Post: All the Wildflowers seen, smelled, touched and enjoyed!!!