The Land by the Lake

One of the (many) great things about Magee Marsh and the western shores of Lake Erie is the diversity of the habitats. First and foremost, you have the marsh, of course, with its many herons, egrets and waterfowl. There are also lots and lots of muskrats and their cabins scattered throughout the marsh. Apparently, beavers have lodges; muskrats, being less worldly, have cabins.

Can you spot the muskrat cabin?

There is also scrub habitat, like this birding trail behind the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, just inside the entrance to Magee Marsh.


Here, I found plenty of Yellow Warblers, and their nests,


tree swallows, including a couple who kept dive bombing me,


and this bunny, who mildly disapproved of being photographed.


Of course, there is the lake, with gulls, terns, shorebirds and other unidentifiable avian species. Here, Susan scans for yet another dead animal to be photographed with.


And, you have the wooded boardwalk, with a vast number of neotropical migrants recharging their batteries for the rest of their long migration.


This was the boardwalk on Friday morning. On Saturday, it was so jammed packed with people, and especially people with GIGANTIC, ENORMOUS camera lenses and spotting scopes, you could barely turn around. Why do you need scopes when the birds are sitting right over your head?

Of course, because I don't own a GIGANTIC, ENORMOUS camera lens, or even a nice, decent camera like Susan's, my bird photos will be limited. Still, I did catch a couple of things to share with you, like the greatest success story of Magee Marsh. Years ago, they decided to put out nesting platforms to help an endangered waterfowl species reproduce. Here is the result:

Thanks for the Canada Goose population explosion!

What A Trip!!

Whoo-hoo! I'm back from Magee Marsh and tired as can be. I've picked up my dogs from the kennel at work, unpacked the car and started laundry, checked on the birds - Tree Swallow nest progressing nicely, new starling nest with one egg (discarded) in the gourd which was supposed to be for swallows (trap to be set later), fed and watered the horses and the cats (still have to do litter-box patrol ... UGH!) and read Susan's blog. Only part of what she says about me is true, the rest is made up. (I'll let you guess which is which.)

No time tonight to sort through my photos, let alone fight with my dial-up connection to post them, so I will leave you with my trip list and a teaser: I have photo documentation of a Great Blue Heron behavior that amazed everybody I told about it. More in a later post:

TRIP LIST:
(BOLD CAPS = Life Bird, HO = Heard Only,
N = Nest or nesting behavior seen)

Pied-billed Grebe
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck (3 seen in trees: 1 M:F pair, 1 M)
Gadwall
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Double-crested Cormorant
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron (cool story later!)

Great Egret
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle (2 adults, 1 carrying food; 1 imm.)
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Sora (HO)
Common Moorhen
American Coot
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs (and maybe Lesser, but not sure)

Spotted Sandpiper
Ruddy Turnstone
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Dunlin
American Woodcock (N)
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe

Eastern Kingbird
Warbling Vireo
American Crow
Purple Martin (N)
Tree Swallow (N)
Barn Swallow (N)
Black-capped Chickadee (N)
Red-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren (N)
SEDGE WREN (HO)

Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Veery
GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin (N)
Gray Catbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling

Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler (N)
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler (1 w/ white head!)
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler (HO)

Blackburnian Warbler
Palm Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler

Eastern Towhee (HO)
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow (HO)
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow (N)

88 species, 20 warblers, 2 Life Birds and I added woodcock and Black-capped Chickadee to my "Nest List," which currently stands at 40 species.

We had one UFO tern, which I think was Common Tern, but not certain. Notable misses: Red-necked Phalarope, Least Bittern, White-faced Ibis, King Rail, and Orange-crowned Warbler, all of which were reported and would have been Lifers for me, and the Blackpoll Warbler, which would have been my first in spring plumage. "Duh" moments: Not turning around in time for the Carolina Wren, Red-tailed Hawk and White-breasted Nuthatch because "I'll see another one later. (Not!)

More later!

Last Post for a Few Days

For the first morning since I don't know when, I didn't have to be up and out of the house by 7am. I had a grand old time puttering around outside in my "comfy clothes," feeding and watering my horses, sitting in the grass with my dogs, and checking on my birds.

Count the martins in this photo.

Purple Martins are back in force. I counted at least 19 individuals today, squabbling over the 12 gourds I have up. If I had an equal mix of girls and boys, there would be plenty of space, but I fear that there are more males, so there are plenty of territorial deputes, which makes for an enjoyable show. There are four more compartments available in the aluminum house next door, but everybody wants a big gourd. I do have space for four more gourds on this rack, and 8 natural gourds waiting modification. I guess when I get back from Magee Marsh I will have to put down the pottery projects long enough to finish four of them. The SY (Second Year, or juvenile) martins aren't even back yet. Sheesh! I guess the saying is true: "If you build it, they will come." After so many years of struggling to get martins, now I have too many.

The Tree Swallows are finally settling in. Tree Swallows were the bane of my existence when I began martineering. They come back before the juvenile Purple Martins (which are what you need to start a new colony) and they compete with them for housing. One pair of TS is more than a match for an inexperienced juvenile PM, who lacks the confidence to stand up for himself. Time and time again, I would watch an SY male martin try to claim a gourd, only to be run off by a tough Tree Swallow. I love these bad children, but they drove me crazy for years.

Tree Swallow from a previous summer

This year for the first time, I had a returning colony. The adult martins were back before the swallows, and did those little guys get a shock! After they recovered from having their tails kicked when they tried to move into martin territory, they decided they wanted the bluebird box, despite the fact that I had provided a gourd in their traditional location. Although the bluebird clutch had just fledged, I know that the BB will be back later for another nesting attempt, so I plugged up the entry hole to the nest box to protect it from TS invasion. Stymied, the TS pair sat on the feeder between my BB box and my trap box, debating the issue. Today, I find the nest in --- the trap box. Sigh. Trouble-makers!


Sometimes the beginning of a Tree Swallow nest can be misleading. The neat cup of dried grass can look a lot like an Eastern Bluebird nest. The addition of feathers makes you suspect it might be a HOSP, except it's not as messy. The best way to tell for sure is to sit back and watch. Sure enough, I saw Mrs. TS picking up dried grass from the yard and taking it into the box while Mr. perched on the feeder box, supervising.

I am off for the big birding weekend at Magee Marsh, and hope to return home with plenty of tales and lots of photos to make you all extremely jealous. As well as birding the Magee Marsh boardwalk, I also plan to take the driving tour of Ottawa NWR, to see the bird banding demonstration at Black Swamp Bird Observatory, to cruise the country roads searching the fields for shorebirds (most of which will probably remain unidentified) and to visit the many other demonstrations and exhibits.

I also hope to see lots and lots of birders, including the famous ones, like Kenn and Kim Kaufman, Hugh and Judy Kolo-Rose [famous among OOS members], and Susan Williams [famous among the blog-grrls] and the not-so-famous thousands who will be there.

Even if you can't hit a birding hot spot this weekend, do yourself a favor and spend some time bird watching on International Migratory Bird Day.

Practicing for the big weekend

Next weekend is the biggest birding weekend of the year for me. It is International Migratory Bird Day (Weekend) and any birder who's anybody is in Ohio for birding at Magee Marsh and the surrounding area of north-west Ohio, along the Lake Erie shore.

Today, I celebrated the beginning of IMBD (week) by attending an early morning bird walk at East Fork Lake State Park. The trip was led by ranger/naturalist Linda, and the 8am walk was only attended by 4 early birds - Linda, myself, and a husband/wife couple. We got some terrific birds and never left sight of the visitor center.

My Trip List for the 90 minute walk:

Double-crested Cormorant (2 fly-over)
Turkey Vulture
Mourning Dove
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Eastern Kingbird
Tree Swallow (tons!)
Blue Jay
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse (HO = Heard Only)
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher (HO)
Cedar Waxwing (1; very odd not to see a flock)
European Starling
Red-eyed Vireo (HO)
Northern Parula (HO)
Yellow Warbler (HO)
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Pine Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Eastern Towhee (HO)
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow (HO)
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole (2 building nests)
House Finch (HO)
American Goldfinch

32 total species

I also had a nice chat with Linda and was able to share some trivia and birding tips with the other couple. It was fun being the acknowledged "expert" of the walk, although I was quick to point out that, while I think I have finally broken into the Intermediate level of birding, I don't consider myself an expert by any means.

The Great Black Swamp

What is (or was) the "Great Black Swamp" of Ohio?

[from Wikipedia] Originally a glacially-created wetland in NW Ohio, the Great Black Swamp was not continuous swampland, but comprised a variety of habitats. The lowest areas, constantly flooded, consisted of deciduous swamp woods, including ash, cottonwood and sycamore trees. Higher ground, with better drainage, sported beech, maples, basswood and tulip trees. There were some high ridges, moraines created by debris left behind by the glaciers, where oak/hickory woods dominated. The non-forested areas were marshes and wet prairies.

Settlement of this area in the early 19th century was complicated by endemic malaria and by the difficulty of traveling through the wetlands. A corduroy road was constructed in 1825, and was paved with gravel in 1838, but travel between Fremont and Perrysburg could still take days or weeks during the rainy season. During the "Toledo War" (1835-36) the militias of Michigan and Ohio couldn't even find each other in the swamp to fight. (To this day, a battle occurs between Ohio and Michigan every November, in honor of the war. Of course, Ohio [State] is always the victor!) Beginning in the 1850's and continuing for 40 years, the swamp was drained for agriculture and to promote travel, especially building the railways.

[from Ohio DNR literature] The Lake Erie marshes were famed for waterfowl hunting since the late 1800's, and wealthy landowners operated the region primarily as private shooting clubs. Beginning in the 1950's, ownership of much of the original 30,000 acres of private property has come under the management of the Ohio Division of Wildlife, Ohio Dept of Natural Resources, and is managed not only for the "hook and gun club," but also for birders.

Crane Creek, Magee Marsh, Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge - all of these names are part and parcel of the original Great Black Swamp and are the Mecca for birders in spring migration. In particular, the Magee Marsh boardwalk (originally known as the Crane Creek bird trail) is a major birding hot spot from late April through May. More than 150 species of returning migrant songbirds, including 38 species of warblers, stop here to rest and refuel before attempting the long crossing over Lake Erie. The remaining 7 acres of forested beach habitat is the perfect migrant trap, and the boardwalk elevates the viewer so the tired birds are right at eye level.

For Kenn Kaufman's notes and daily updates on the birding at Magee Marsh, as well as maps, places to stay or eat, visit the Black Swamp Bird Observatory's web site here:

http://www.bsbobird.org/birding/

Baby Bluebirds Have Fledged

And here's what's left in the nest box after the young ones take wing...

Ugh! This is what greeted me when I opened the bluebird box on Thursday. Hard to reconcile this messy debris with the beautiful nest full of babies that we last saw. I need to scrape out all this old nest material, brush the walls and floor down with a wire brush, and pour boiling water through the box to clean and sanitize it for the next clutch.

This is what happens when you neglect your trap box for too long:



A House Sparrow builds her nest and lays her eggs. Horse hair, plastic trash, baler twine, dried and fresh grasses, and these spotted eggs are classic. After trapping and removing the female, I removed the eggs and nest, too.

Next nests to monitor will be Purple Martins and Tree Swallows. Updates soon.

Newly returning migrants: Barn Swallows came back this week.

Ohio is THE place to be in May

Need a reason to visit Magee Marsh and other birding "hot spots" along the western Lake Erie shore for International Migratory Bird Day (May 9-11)? How about this trip list, reported to the Ohio Birds listserv this morning. All these birds were observed yesterday, April 30:

* * *

Wildlife Observation Tower

1. American White Pelican - flyover
2. Bald Eagle
3. Sharp-shinned Hawk
4. Broad-winged Hawk
5. Red-tailed Hawk
6. Turkey Vulture

Boardwalk & Nature Center

1. Blue-winged Warbler
2. Yellow Warbler
3. Cape May Warbler
4. Black-throated Blue Warbler
5. Yellow-rumped Warbler
6. Black-throated Green Warbler
7. W. Palm Warbler
8. Blackpoll
9. Black & White Warbler
10. Worm-eating Warbler - 3
11. Northern Waterthrush
12. Common Yellowthroat
13. Hooded Warbler
14. Yellow-breasted Chat
15. Warbling Vireo
16. Red-eyed Vireo
17. Veery
18. Swainson's Thrush
19. Hermit Thrush
20. Wood Thrush
21. American Robin
22. Chipping Sparrow
23. Lincoln's Sparrow
24. White-throated Sparrow
25. White-crowned Sparrow
26. Swamp Sparrow
27. Song Sparrow
28. Northern Cardinal
29. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
30. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
31. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
32. Gray Catbird
33. House Wren
34. Carolina Wren
35. Winter Wren
36. Eastern Phoebe
37. Blue Jay
38. Purple Martin
39. Tree Swallow
40. Barn Swallow
41. Black-capped Chickadee
42. Downy Woodpecker
43. Northern Flicker
44. Red-winged Blackbird
45. Common Grackle
46. Brown-headed Cowbird
47. Mourning Dove
48. American Goldfinch
49. House Sparrow

Causeway & Beach

1. Great Blue Heron
2. Green Heron
3. Great Egret
3. Mallard
4. Blue-winged Teal
5. Wood Duck
6. Canada Goose
7. American Coot
8. Double-crested Cormorant
9. Killdeer
10. C. Tern
11. Ring-billed Gull
12. Herring Gull


reported by
Mary L. Warren
Wildlife Communications Specialist
Magee Marsh Wildlife Area

* * *

If those 67 birds aren't enough, here's one more reason. Susan and I will be there! Hope to see you,too!