Early southbound shorebirds showing up in Ohio

  • By Bruce Glick
  • July 9, 2014
  • 377
                        
Early southbound shorebirds showing up in Ohio Columnist Bruce Glick summarizes happenings in the local birding world. Bruce has just returned from a trip to Colorado. Read more in the "Gone Birding" column. We are now back in Goshen after a three-week Colorado trip. If you missed my column last week, it's because we were camping in the mountains where there was no internet connection and no way to send a column. However, the scenery was quite beautiful and there are always birds to find. July is the month when the nesting season is slowing down or over for many birds. The earliest fall migrants, shorebirds, have begun to show up, having hurriedly concluding their breeding season further north. Somehow they know where they are going. In some cases, their young have remained behind to follow later, finding their way to the right winter location. At Conneaut, along Lake Erie at the border of Pennsylvania, a Willet, several Least Sandpipers and a dowitcher made stops last week. On the east side of Cleveland at Euclid Beach, three American Avocets and a Willet were noted by Cleveland birders. At the west end of Lake Erie, Least and Solitary Sandpipers, both species of yellowlegs, and five Snowy Egrets were reported. If you have been wondering about the Black Rail (one or two?), as of last week observers still heard one calling at night. Evidently the bird has not called a lot, but the fact that it is still there many weeks after being discovered is indeed amazing. We may not ever know for sure what has been going on at the site near New Bedford. It is possible that a pair has actually been nesting, or that a single bird has just been staying around. Whatever the case, it is one of the most surprising birding events ever recorded in the area. We left Colorado last week after a very enjoyable weekend visiting with 100 other former volunteers with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). All of us had served in Bolivia at one time or the other. At least four of the men at the reunion were in Bolivia from 1963-65, working with an agriculture program headed up by Methodist and Mennonite mission agencies. Most of us were in Bolivia during the 1970s and 1980s, but the work is still continuing today. The reunion was held at Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp, located at 9,700 feet on the west side of Pikes Peak. Hermit Thrushes, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Cordilleran Flycatchers serenaded us outside the meeting rooms. When we headed home, our first night was spent along the South Platt River in the northeastern corner of Colorado. In the morning I had a chance to walk along the riparian corridor bordering the river. This is an area where eastern birds meet western birds. Both Eastern and Western Kingbirds were common. At one point I saw a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak and two male Black-headed Grosbeaks at the same place. Red-headed and Red-bellied Woodpeckers haunt the same area as Blue Jays, Western Wood Pewees and Yellow-breasted Chats. A Marsh Wren called from the dense cover near the river. Back home in Goshen, some of the breeding birds are still singing. We were very fortunate that the severe storm that did a lot of damage in Goshen while we were gone missed our part of town. A lot of clean-up is still going on. Tomorrow I plan to head out to a location just west of us where a Blue Grosbeak was reported to be singing on territory. Good birding! Bruce Glick birderbruce@yahoo.com 330-317-7798


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