Spring migration over, nesting season is here
- Bruce Glick: Gone Birding
- June 1, 2022
- 660
The month of May never seems to last long enough. It feels like we need at least four weeks of prime mid-May migration — more time to see the warblers and enjoy all the other birds that pass through this part of the country every spring. There have been some unusual bird sightings as of May 31. Most of this information comes from area hotlines and Facebook postings.
Whimbrel sightings are always exciting. These large shorebirds tend to show up around the end of May. This year there were at least 11 whimbrels reported at Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area on May 26 and 27. I’m not sure if they were seen after that. A year ago an amazing count of around 200 whimbrels came from the same area and about the same time of the month.
Most of the other reports are of nesting birds. A pair of purple finches have been coming to a feeder in Richland County. This probably is a nesting pair, although time will tell. Purple finches do nest in our area sometimes, but nesting pairs are always unusual and should be checked carefully.
The Greater Mohican Audubon Society will hold its Bobolinks and Butterflies Festival on June 25 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This event will be held at Byers Woods in Ashland County.
At the traditional hotspot north of Sugarcreek in Tuscarawas County, both blue grosbeaks and lark sparrows have been sighted again this year. Near the intersection of Copperhead and Leihley Hill is a good place to look for these unusual nesting species.
This morning, May 31, I received a call about a chuck-will’s-widow that was calling near a home between Shipshewana and Lagrange, Indiana, about 40 minutes east of Goshen where we live. This is a very rare occurrence in Northern Indiana. Hopefully, it called again tonight, although I couldn’t get away to listen for it. We did have one that stayed around for some time a few years ago. That one was at the Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area, the same location where whip-poor-wills nest annually.
The three-month spring birding contest here in Northern Indiana came to an end tonight. Our team of four birders found just over 200 species this year. Because we had totals in the 220s and 230s the last three years, we were not in the running to compete with some of the other teams. However, it was a lot of fun and gave us a reason to get out and enjoy the birds during March, April and May.
Sometime soon I want to write more about the Merlin app many birders are now using. The identification of singing birds is amazingly accurate. I talked to a young person last week who has just gotten interested in birding. The leaves were already out on many of the trees, so the birds were hard to see. By using Merlin, this person was able to identify most of the singing birds, a process that can be difficult, not only for beginners. More about that another time.
Good birding.
Bruce Glick can be emailed at bglick2@gmail.com.