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Godwits, Knots, and Warblers...Oh My!: 8 September, 2007 by Brad Sparks September is always a great month to be birding in Ohio: shorebirds are reaching the peak of their southward migration and the neo-tropical migrants are starting to arrive from their northern breeding grounds. Trips in September often exceed 100 species. After many emails and a phone call or two the Avid leadership decided that we would start the morning at Sheldon’s Marsh, then explore some areas along the lake looking for shorebird habitat. So, with a plan in place and great expectations, seven of us departed the Worthington Square Mall under overcast skies on Saturday morning. Throughout the trip to Huron, the skies threatened rain but none ever materialized. At Sheldon’s Marsh we began to find warblers and vireos soon after we started walking into the preserve. Warbler diversity and numbers were good and we ended up with 12 species of warbler, though none of the rarer species were found. I certainly prefer looking for these birds in the spring when their plumages are garish and their voices are full of song! After a successful start to the day at Sheldon’s Marsh we drove across the Cedar Point Chausee to see if any birds were present. A large flock of peeps with a few larger shorebirds mixed in convinced us that it was worth the long walk out to identify these birds. The large shorebirds turned out to be eight Hudsonian Godwits! Also in the flock was a nice basic plumaged Red Knot. The flock of peeps contained an astounding 25 Western Sandpipers and at least one Baird’s Sandpiper. There was also a small grebe in the area that, after a lot of discussion, was determined to be an early Eared Grebe. The next two stops at Willow Point Wildlife Area and Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area turned out to be complete busts with no shorebird habitat at all. After this disappointment we decided to head south to stop at the mudflats at Hoover Reservoir. This area had been hosting a nice variety of shorebirds and continued to do so for us. The mudflats along the boardwalk produced an American Golden Plover and a lot of peeps that were beyond the limits of conjecture. We made the area north of Pelican Island our next stop and were rewarded with nine Buff-breasted Sandpipers and all four species of terns loafing on one sandbar. Rumbles of thunder and darkening skies convinced us that it was time to call it a day. Some Common Nighthawks circling above the cars turned out to be our 98th and last species for the day. Participants: Brad Sparks, Bill Heck, Doreene Linzell, Gretchen Fluke, Andy Sewell, Janet Duerr, Steve Schaefer Species List: Canada Goose Mute Swan Wood Duck American Black Duck Mallard Blue-winged Teal Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Pied-billed Grebe Eared Grebe Double-crested Cormorant Great Blue Heron Great Egret Snowy Egret Green Heron Turkey Vulture Bald Eagle Cooper's Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel American Golden-Plover Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Spotted Sandpiper Hudsonian Godwit Red Knot Semipalmated Sandpiper Western Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Buff-breasted Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Bonaparte's Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Caspian Tern Common Tern Forster's Tern Black Tern Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Yellow-billed Cuckoo Common Nighthawk Chimney Swift Belted Kingfisher Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Eastern Wood-Pewee Eastern Phoebe Yellow-throated Vireo Blue-headed Vireo Warbling Vireo Philadelphia Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Purple Martin Tree Swallow Bank Swallow Cliff Swallow Barn Swallow Carolina Chickadee Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren Swainson's Thrush Wood Thrush American Robin Gray Catbird European Starling Cedar Waxwing Tennessee Warbler Nashville Warbler Magnolia Warbler Cape May Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Bay-breasted Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Black-and-white Warbler American Redstart Common Yellowthroat Song Sparrow Northern Cardinal Red-winged Blackbird Common Grackle Baltimore Oriole American Goldfinch House Sparrow |
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