Ohio Big Day

At 1:00 AM, May 17, 2016, our alarms sounded. Our team, the Benannaquits, sleepily, yet excitedly, dressed and headed to the already packed car. Ben, my mother, Julie and I were off on our Big Day birdathon for the Columbus Audubon! By 1:52, we had our first species of the day: the night flight call of a Swainson's Thrush. Decided to start our day north. We drove first to Oak Openings Preserve Metropark, usually one of my favorite birding locations. The weather wasn't great and in the mist of the night, a single close Grasshopper Sparrow sang, and in the distance, another replied. We listened carefully to pick out even the quietest of calls from any other species, and besides crickets, the night was silent. We still had a few hours before sunrise so we opted to go to Irwin Prairie and return to Oak Openings later, for a hopefully better start. As we arrived at Irwin Prairie, the birds started to awaken. American Woodcocks "peented" before the first Field Sparrow began singing. A distant rooster seemed to wake the Song Sparrows, American Robins, Common Yellowthroats, and Swamp Sparrows. After tallying 16 more species before 6AM, we went back to Oak Openings, hoping for the specialty birds there. The second attempt was more what we were hoping for! Orchard and Baltimore Orioles, Scarlet and Summer Tanagers, Acadian and Willow Flycatchers, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Lark Sparrows, Blue-winged Warblers and more. We were finally off to a decent start!

Oak Openings. A reliable area for Lark Sparrow, Red-headed Woodpeckers, and Summer Tanager. 

Our next stop was for some shorebirds. We knew the Curlew Sandpiper we saw last week was gone, but the habitat was still good so we wanted to check the location. We successfully tallied 9 species of shorebirds, American Pipit and all the expected swallows. The most exciting bird for me, was one of several White-rumped Sandpipers! The first I have ever seen during spring migration! White-rumped Sandpiper was a bit of a nemesis for me, until I finally got it, then I seemed to see them every time I went birding last fall.

White-rumped Sandpiper. Phone-scoped photo by Ben Warner.

As I walked along the dike, hoping to stumble upon the Least Bittern that was hanging out during The Biggest Week, I almost literally stumbled upon a Purple Martin. I looked down, and there it was, 3 inches from my boot. I reached down slowly to pick it up, and the poor bird didn't even have the energy to try to get away. I gently picked him up, as I had been trained to during avian rehab and bird banding internships. I quickly walked back to my mom and Ben who were still scanning the mudflats for shorebirds. I said "I have a Purple Martin!" and they replied, "you HAVE one?" I held it up and explained how I found it. I peeked in the scope to see the last few shorebirds so we could add them to our list and I looked p the phone number for a nearby wildlife rehab facility. Of course they were still closed, it wasn't even 9AM yet. I contacted several friends in NE Ohio to see if they could help or had ideas of another place we could take the bird. Kimberly Kaufman almost immediately responded saying that she would care for the martin if we could bring it over to BSBO. BSBO/Magee Marsh wasn't scheduled until later in the day but we reversed our plans to get the bird to her asap! Of course it was great to take a minute to see my Bird-mom and get a hug before we rushed back to our Big Day!

Up next was the Magee Marsh causeway, boardwalk and beach. The birds weren't overly numerous, as they often are, but we slowed our pace to get spectacular views of warblers, such as this Northern Parula that was waist-level, literally 3ft from us! Ben took this photo with his PHONE! No adapters.

Northern Parula. Magee Marsh Boardwalk. Photo by Ben Warner.

We also got great looks at Philadelphia Vireos, Blackburnian Warblers, Canada Warblers, Black-throated Blue Warblers, and a lovely perched Ruby-throated Hummingbird! After we walked the boardwalk, we headed towards the beach to scan for terns and shorebirds. On our way, a small group had gathered where some had been seeing a Connecticut Warbler. We scanned the beach with little success and then returned to the CONW spot. By then, several others had joined in, including a group from Cleveland led by Jen Brumfield. Jen pretty quickly refound the bird and got nearly everyone on it! I was able to see it for a few seconds as it walked along foraging! Thanks Jen! That was only the second Connecticut Warbler I've seen, and the first, 2 years ago, was only about 20 meters away from this one!

Jen also gave us a tip of some Wilson's Phalaropes being seen at the Benton-Carroll Rd Boss Unit, which was already our next stop anyway. In addition to the Wilson's Phalarope, we added several birds to our day list: Green-winged Teal, Short-billed Dowitcher, Greater Yellowlegs and a Red-tailed Hawk.

We continued west along the lake to Metzger Marsh. By now, it was nearly 3:30pm. As we drove along the causeway, a small brown bird darted next to the road into a pile of logs and branches. I quick glimpse of the bird indicated a new species for the day: Lincoln's Sparrow! As we watched for a closer look, several Marsh Wrens sang away in the marsh! Another new bird! We arrived at the parking lot and decided to walk along the lake to scan for gulls and terns. As we walked, we saw some birds moving in a tall tree. Two Nashville Warblers foraged in the foliage. Another new bird for the day! It was interesting how a so abundant in the days and weeks prior seemed to be totally gone from the area with the change in weather, but thankfully at least these two were still around! Common and Caspian Terns were added and we were off to Maumee Bay State Park.

One of our main targets at MBSP were the Eastern Screech Owls that nest in boxes along the boardwalk. Unfortunately, the cooler weather must have had the babies huddled together inside and no one was peeking out of either box. There were no signs of fledged babies or parents hanging around in the trees nearby either. Oh well, we didn't have time to spend searching, so we continued along. We made it to the marsh at the end of the cabin camping area. One of the first birds we heard was an American Bittern! Shortly after, we spotted a Common Gallinule. Two new species! After spending some time waiting for a Mourning Warbler to pop out from behind a log with several other birders that had seen it a while before or had also not yet seen it, we decided we should probably keep moving without it. A stop at the beach yielded one additional new bird for the year... a single Ruddy Turnstone. At just after 6pm, standing at 135 for the day, we knew we had a long drive to our final destination before dark and we weren't sure we would reach our goal of 140.

We arrived at Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area at 7:51pm. Our first stop wasn't promising. There were no waterfowl on the water, but as we headed back to the car, we heard a Sandhill Crane calling! We finally found some waterfowl and added Mute Swan, American Wigeon, Hooded Merganser, and Ruddy Duck. As we were birding we heard a Ring-necked Pheasant calling from a field! We've seen pheasants at KPWA before, but it definitely wasn't a bird I was expecting that evening so it was a very pleasant surprise! As we drove to look for shorebirds, we were commenting about seeing TONS of Gray Catbirds all day, several Brown Thrashers, but not a single mockingbird. After another catbird flew across the road, we joked about just counting it as a mockingbird. Just then, I saw something in a tree and told Ben, who was driving at the time, to stop a reverse a bit. There in a tree, 8 feet off the ground and right along the roadside was our Northern Mockingbird for the day! We all cheered and went along on our search for more shorebirds or waterfowl. We pulled up to an area that is often good for shorebirds, but there wasn't much out there. A few Killdeer and yellowlegs walked through the shallow water. Then Ben found them, probably the best birds of the day, and definitely the least expected birds of the day: a pair of Black-necked Stilts! We figured these would be the last birds of the daylight, and we had already surpassed our goal, so we all enjoyed these birds. We watched them through our binoculars and took turns looking through the scopes at these two tall, beautiful birds. Ben and I were even able to get a few shots with our phones, handheld through the scope. Here's Ben's:

Black-necked Stilts at KPWA

Our last efforts to see waterfowl before dark were at the reservoir. As we scanned across the water with our scopes, I saw a duck quickly move behind an island. I couldn't immediately tell what it was in the low light and with such a brief view, but I thought it was a scaup. This was good because we didn't have either scaup for the day so either way it was an additional species! Ben confirmed that it was a Greater Scaup, which isn't typical for this time of year. After we watched it to get an ID, Ben was able to get this photo of our last bird of the day.

Greater Scaup in the last light of the day. KPWA.

It was a fun day to spend together and out birding, but it was for a cause. Our day was to support the Columbus Audubon's efforts of educating the public, supporting local conservation, and funding the Ohio Young Birders, a great group that gets kids out birding and learning about the environment! Please consider supporting Columbus Audubon and our team, the Benannaquits, by following this link to donate: Donate Here!

Thank you for reading about our day and donating! 

My mom and me birding during our Big Day! 

Here's a complete list of our 144 species:

1. Canada Goose
2. Mute Swan
3. Trumpeter Swan
4. Wood Duck
5. American Wigeon
6. Mallard
7. Blue-winged Teal
8. Green-winged Teal
9. Greater Scaup
10. Hooded Merganser
11. Ruddy Duck
12. Ring-necked Pheasant 
13. Pied-billed Grebe
14. Double-crested Cormorant
15. American Bittern
16. Great Blue Heron
17. Great Egret
18. Snowy Egret
19. Green Heron
20. Turkey Vulture
21. Bald Eagle
22. Red-tailed Hawk
23. Sora
24. Common Gallinule
25. American Coot
26. Sandhill Crane
27. Black-necked Stilt
28. Semipalmated Plover
29. Killdeer
30. Spotted Sandpiper
31. Solitary Sandpiper
32. Greater Yellowlegs
33. Lesser Yellowlegs
34. Ruddy Turnstone
35. Dunlin
36. Least Sandpiper
37. White-rumped Sandpiper
38. Semipalmated Sandpiper
39. Short-billed Dowitcher
40. American Woodcock
41. Wilson's Phalarope
42. Ring-billed Gull
43. Herring Gull
44. Caspian Tern
45. Common Tern
46. Rock Pigeon
47. Mourning Dove
48. Common Nighthawk
49. Chimney Swift
50. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
51. Red-headed Woodpecker
52. Red-bellied Woodpecker
53. Downy Woodpecker
54. Hairy Woodpecker
55. Yellow-shafted Flicker
56. American Kestrel
57. Eastern Wood-Pewee
58. Acadian Flycatcher
59. Willow Flycatcher
60. Least Flycatcher
61. Eastern Phoebe
62. Great Crested Flycatcher
63. Eastern Kingbird
64. White-eyed Vireo
65. Yellow-throated Vireo
66. Blue-headed Vireo
67. Warbling Vireo
68. Philadelphia Vireo
69. Red-eyed Vireo
70. Blue Jay
71. American Crow
72. Horned Lark
73. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
74. Purple Martin
75. Tree Swallow
76. Bank Swallow
77. Barn Swallow
78. Cliff Swallow
79. Black-capped Chickadee
80. Tufted Titmouse
81. White-breasted Nuthatch
82. House Wren
83. Marsh Wren
84. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
85. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
86. Eastern Bluebird 
87. Veery
88. Gray-cheeked Thrush
89. Swainson's Thrush
90. Wood Thrush
91. American Robin
92. Gray Catbird
93. Brown Thrasher
94. Northern Mockingbird
95. European Starling
96. American Pipit
97. Ovenbird
98. Northern Waterthrush
99. Blue-winged Warbler
100. Black-and-white Warbler
101. Prothonotary Warbler
102. Tennessee Warbler
103. Nashville Warbler
104. Connecticut Warbler
105. Common Yellowthroat
106. American Redstart
107. Cape May Warbler
108. Northern Parula
109. Magnolia Warbler
110. Bay-breasted Warbler
111. Blackburnian Warbler
112. Yellow Warbler
113. Chestnut-sided Warbler
114. Blackpoll Warbler
115. Black-throated Blue Warbler
116. Palm Warbler
117. Myrtle Warbler
118. Black-throated Green Warbler
119. Canada Warbler
120. Wilson's Warbler
121. Grasshopper Sparrow
122. Chipping Sparrow
123. Field Sparrow 
124. Lark Sparrow
125. White-crowned Sparrow
126. White-throated Sparrow 
127. Savannah Sparrow
128. Song Sparrow
129. Lincoln's Sparrow
130. Swamp Sparrow
131. Eastern Towhee
132. Summer Tanager
133. Scarlet Tanager
134. Northern Cardinal
135. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
136. Indigo Bunting
137. Red-winged Blackbird
138. Eastern Meadowlark
139. Common Grackle
140. Brown-headed Cowbird
141. Orchard Oriole
142. Baltimore Oriole
143. American Goldfinch
144. House Sparrow