More fall bird migration updates
- Bruce Glick: Gone Birding
- September 21, 2018
- 1403
It’s been another interesting week for birders in our part of the country. There has been extended discussion about the large numbers of migrating Swainson’s hawks that have been heard during the night and early morning. Many birders know these migrating thrushes call as they fly over our area on their southward flights. The huge numbers last week caught the attention of birders in Ohio and Indiana.
There were very similar reports on the Bobolink Area Bird Hotline (574-642-1335) and the Michiana Bird Hotline (574-642-1300 ext. 4098). Both the Ohio and Indiana hotlines had reports of over 2,000 Swainson’s thrushes. At least one birder listened from 1-7 a.m. It seems there are more thrushes close to dawn, but probably the birds are flying higher during the night and coming down as it gets light, making them easier to hear.
Estimates of four calls per second were reported from both birding areas. Perry Miller suggested the four calls per second represents one bird calling four times as it passes overhead.
Eli Miller, the Bobolink hotline administrator, did some calculations, figuring if the thrushes are coming through all the way from Northern Indiana to the Bobolink area of Ohio, the total thrushes in one night could be as high as 800,000. Of course that’s a guess, and actual numbers could be higher or lower. At any rate it shows there are great numbers of thrushes nesting north of us.
It’s interesting that only small numbers of gray-cheeked thrushes and only a few veerys were heard on these days. That may be a timing question or may mean other thrushes are not as vocal or as easily heard.
I checked what Bruce Peterjohn had to say in “The Birds of Ohio,” second edition. Peterjohn said, “Swainson’s are regularly heard from dusk to dawn and counts of 100-300 per hour are regular in Central Ohio. The largest flights produce estimates of nearly 1,000 per hour.”
So these huge numbers of thrushes have been well documented.
Perry Miller wonders how these Ohio and Indiana numbers compare to what birders find in states to our east and west. I was not able to find any figures for Illinois or Pennsylvania in the short time I worked on this column.
Shorebirds are still moving through the area, although numbers seem to be down. One noteworthy report involves a group of 37 white-rumped sandpipers found along the Rails-to-Trails north of Millersburg. This is certainly one of the highest counts for this unusual shorebird in our area and probably for the entire state.
Hummingbirds are departing these days. Our feeders still have some activity but much less than a week ago. I am no longer hearing common nighthawks in the evening, although a lone nighthawk was reported in the Goshen area on Sept. 16. I will miss the nightly serenade, one of the best sounds of summer here in Goshen.
One last note for those of you that follow bird sightings online: Go to the American Birding Association site and check out the Birding News Mobile Edition. There you can click on a state and see all the latest postings.
Good birding!
Bruce Glick can be reached at bglick2@gmail.com or 330-317-7798.