Regional Overview The first strong migration up the East Coast in quite a while, last night should have brought a significant turnover in species to areas that have been severely lacking in spring migrants. The flight was strongest right up the coast while inland it was not quite as strong through the entire night. Diversity should be high at spring … Read More
Prothonotaries!
President Harry Truman once said that “prothonotary” was the most impressive-sounding political title in the U.S. and in our opinion, the Prothonotary Warbler may just be one of the most impressive sounding and looking warblers that we encountered at ‘The Biggest Week in American Birding‘. Certainly one of the most cooperative birds to see/photograph at ‘The Biggest Week’ were the … Read More
Oak Openings– one crazy habitat
[dc]O[/dc]n our second full day in Ohio, we decided to head to Oak Openings Metropark, a spot west of Toledo with a unique set of habitats and associated birds. The combination of sand dunes, prairie and savannahs provide suitable breeding habitat for Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeak, Red-headed Woodpecker, and our target– the Lark Sparrows. We had barely entered the park … Read More
How we missed the Kirtland’s Warbler
[dc]W[/dc]hen we registered for The Biggest Week, Drew and I excitedly looked through the workshop and field trip offerings to pick something special to add to our week of birding. There was a long list of great field trips to area hotspots, expert keynote speakers, and birding workshops on the docket, but we found one thing that we knew we … Read More
Sora and other non-warblers at the Biggest Week!
There is a lot more than just warblers at the Biggest Week, and we have been lucky enough to come across quite a few pretty cool things! When we first got into town on Sunday night our first stop was Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. We wanted to be able to take advantage of the auto tour loop being open to … Read More
Rain Birding at the Biggest Week
[dc]M[/dc]onday morning was rainier than we expected, so we ended up parking at the west end of the Magee Marsh boardwalk and birded from the inside the car while the rain poured down, waiting for it to clear up enough for us to be able to walk around the boardwalk. Despite the heavy rain, warblers were moving eastward past us, … Read More
Moderate migration on less than ideal winds
Regional Overview Last night migration was widespread despite some north and east winds. Some storms were moving eastward across the region in front of a low pressure system that may cause some localized fallout conditions. Migration was definitely heavier across Ohio than Pennsylvania and New York but birds did seem to be moving everywhere. Pennsylvania Click on the thumbnail to … Read More
And migration continues on with heavy migration east of the Rockies
Regional Overview And migration continues at a breakneck pace. The entire region saw moderate to heavy migration with conducive winds and mostly clear skies. Actually the entire country east of the Rockies was pushing through birds at an incredible rate as they all rush back to breeding grounds to claim territories. It’s May 4, so you should probably get some … Read More
Biggest Week anticipation – Where should we go?
Alex, Anna, Justine and I are starting to get really pumped up about the Biggest Week but we haven’t birded Ohio before and are taking suggestions. We would love some suggestions on where we should go, and tactics to use. Should we be somewhere before dawn to listen for birds arriving? Are there certain areas we should hit in the … Read More