Spring migration is heating up
- Bruce Glick: Gone Birding
- April 19, 2019
- 1323
I’m writing this column on April 15, so the reports are through the 14th. There will undoubtedly be new birds arriving almost every day as we head into the last one-third of the month. It will depend in part on the weather. There was a bit of snow here in Goshen this morning, but warmer days are forecast for the week.
There are a lot of interesting reports from the week of April 7-14, and I’ll try to summarize them here. For up-to-date information, check the various Facebook pages (Bobolink Area, Birding Ohio and such) or call the Bobolink Area Bird Hotline at 574-642-1335. For information about Goshen, Indiana area birds, call the Michiana Bird Hotline at 574-642-1300 ext. 4098.
Local birders again found Smith’s longspurs in Mercer County. There were up to nine birds at this Western Ohio longspur hotspot on the 13th. Lapland longspurs also were seen and photographed at the same location. Clear Creek Reservoir hosted a surf scoter and an eared grebe for several days last week. At least one red-throated loon also was reported from Clear Creek.
Birders in Guernsey County found a very rare western tanager, but it didn’t stay long. Another rare bird, a northern goshawk, was well described by birders doing a sky watch. At a different site, 11 white pelicans flew over a group of birders, much to their surprise. Also reported were three long-tailed ducks at Pleasant Hill from April 9-11 and a fly-by golden eagle.
Broad-winged hawks put on an early show on April 12 when 69 were counted during the afternoon near Walnut Creek. The first upland sandpipers of the year were found at their expected location in Harrison County. Other early arrivals were chimney swifts and a green heron.
John Pogacnik, a long-time birder who lives close to Lake Erie east of Cleveland, had a great morning on April 12. He was at Erie Bluffs from 7-11 a.m., right before a storm blew through. His totals are amazing: 1,183 turkey vultures, 1,667 double-crested cormorants, 13,000 blackbirds including one male yellow-headed blackbird, 128 Caspian terns, 108 American kestrels, 672 tree swallows, 14 kingfishers, 252 northern flickers and one merlin.
Small numbers of warblers are arriving with reports of pine, yellow-throated, yellow-rumped, black-throated green, yellow and prairie (Newark area). Other warblers reported were northern parula and Louisiana waterthrush. I saw a black-and-white warbler near my place on April 11.
The first whip-poor-will was calling on the 12th in Butler County. Blue-headed and white-eyed vireos also have showed up in recent reports. The first house wrens also have been singing in Ohio and Indiana.
Kinglets, hermit thrushes and sapsuckers have been coming through the woods in Goshen with counts of 12 thrushes and 55 golden-crowned kinglets in one large woodlot on April 10-12. Only a few white-throated sparrows were counted that week, but I expect the woods to be full of them this week.
Hopefully you will be able to get out and enjoy the migration as April winds down with the crazy month of May coming up.
Good birding.
Email Bruce Glick at bglick2@gmail.com or call 330-317-7798.