Horton Plains National Park

We took a bus, an overcrowded train, and another bus on a day-and-a-half long journey from home to Nuwara Eliya last week. Leaving temperatures in the low-90s in Anuradhapura, we arrived on a misty and cool 58-degree evening in the mountains. 

A view from the bus as we passed through the mountains and tea plantations

We showered and layered on the clothing we brought and settled into our hotel room for the night. In the morning we would be leaving at 4:45AM to head to Horton Plains National Park… another hour away by tuk-tuk. The morning was misty and rainy, windy, and downright cold as we made our way to the park. Upon arrival, and seemingly on cue, the rain let up, and the wind settled. Making our way to the trail head, we met Lillie, a fellow birder from the United States.

Birding Horton Plains! - Photo by NS Dissanayaka

Horton Plains is a vast and unique park with open grasslands flanked by rainforest, high in the mountains. It’s the home to Leopards, the regionally endemic Bear Leaf-monkey, a subspecies or the Purple-faced Leaf-monkey, Sambar Deer, many regionally endemic birds, and several endemic lizards, including my favorite Rhino-horned Lizard. The climate, montane habitat, and wildlife are unlike anywhere else in Sri Lanka.

We started our nearly 6-mile trek through the grasslands to the famous Baker’s Falls, through the jungle, and on to the End of the World overlook. It didn’t take very long until Saranga pointed out a Blyth’s Pipit… a life bird! It’s #916 for the world, and #222 for Sri Lanka! Here’s a short photo-tour of Horton Plains National Park…

Sambar Deer - Photo by NS Dissanayaka

Tricolored Munia (Lonchura malacca)

Baker's Falls

Yellow-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus penicillatus)
a Sri Lanka endemic - Photo by NS Dissanayaka

Cinereous Tit (Parus cinereus) - Photo by NS Dissanayaka

Saranga and me at the World's End overlook - Photo by L. Kline

World's End

Dark-fronted Babbler (Rhopocichla atriceps) - Photo by NS Dissanayaka

Photo by NS Dissanayaka

If you like what you see, join Saranga and I at Horton Plains as part of our Ultimate Island Safari trip in March 2020! 

Saranga and me at Baker's Falls - Photo by K. Wijesinghe

All photos in this post are mine unless noted otherwise :) Thanks for reading! 

-Anna 

Birds of Mohican State Park

Last Monday, I led the Birds of Mohican field trip for Columbus Audubon. The 5,635 acres of Mohican State Park and Mohican State Forest are the nesting grounds for nearly 20 species of warblers, and several other more northern nesters like Winter Wren, Hermit Thrush, and Blue-headed Vireo.

We arrived at Mohican's Covered Bridge around 8 AM and immediately started hearing several of our target birds: Cerulean Warbler and Louisiana Waterthrush! It was a beautiful cool spring morning as we started off along the river. It wasn't long before we heard a Canada Warbler. We waited around and got a few brief glimpses, but he wasn't very cooperative. We decided to move on as we heard several Cerulean Warblers and Veerys singing all around us! Before long, we spotted a Louisana Waterthrush along the river bank. As we watched it bobbing its tail and fee ding, we heard a Hooded Warbler. We looked up to see him perched right out in the open about 15 feet above the trail! We all had incredible looks at this gorgeous male warbler as he sang and sang to attract a mate and let others know that the territory was occupied. It wasn't long into our walk when road construction drowned out the bird songs and literally blocked our path so we turned around and opted to hike the trail to Lyons Falls.

Scanning the river for birds, trout, and softshell turtles

The trail to Lyons Falls is stunning, ascending along the bank of the river and winding into the forest. As if the hike alone isn't worth it, the birds really treated us well. Throughout the hike we had great comparison views of Acadian Flycatchers, Eastern Wood-Pewees, and Eastern Phoebes. We watched the interactions between a pair of Cerulean Warblers, and spotted a beautiful Yellow-throated Warbler high in an American Sycamore tree.

The trail to Lyons Falls

As we moved along the stream running from the falls, a Louisiana Waterthrush sang as we flipped some rocks to discover a variety of beautiful salamanders including an adult and two juvenile Northern Spring Salamanders, several Two-lined Salamanders, and several Dusky Salamanders, including a couple in their larval state!

Northern Two-lined Salamander 

Northern Spring Salamander

Lyons Falls

After admiring Lyons Falls and the sandstone structure, we hiked back down the trail and had even more spectacular bird encounters. At one point, we spotted a Veery and a Gray-cheeked Thrush in the trail ahead. As everyone tried to get on the birds, they flew off. As we approached slowly, the Veery was sitting just off trail. We watched it at eye-level just 10 feet off the trail as it softly whispered its song and did its "veer" call. I had spent a while enjoying the Veery when something caught my eye on the opposite side of the trail. Right in front of us was a gorgeous Blue-headed Vireo. Just as close and low to the ground as the Veery! We lucked out with more up-close looks at an incredible bird.

A view of the Sandstone cliffs at Mohican State Park

As we finished our hike back at the covered bridge, a few of us decided to hit the restrooms before we headed out for our picnic lunch. On the way, we spotted a Yellow-billed Cuckoo just off the path... a life bird for some and great views for all! We decided to have lunch at the Discovery Forest to get away from the road construction noise at the covered bridge. It was nice that we did because we were able to add Ovenbird and Blackburnian Warbler to our trip list. We also got to share the lunch space with three baby Eastern Phoebes whose nest was built in the picnic shelter!

Eastern Phoebe nestlings

In all, it was a wonderful trip! I hope you'll have an opportunity to visit this incredible Ohio park.

View our species checklist, by clicking here.

Exploring the stream
Photo by Sheila M. Fagan. 

Red River Gorge

Wildcat Creek

This weekend, Ben and I decided to head south for a quick adventure of early spring migration birding, hiking, a bit of rock climbing, and our first camping of the year! The Red River Gorge in Kentucky is one of Ben's favorite climbing areas and the forest is beautiful so I always enjoy going. Before we left, I found a book of hikes in the region and picked one that was a decent distance and provided good habitat for the birds I wanted to see.

As soon as we arrived in the familiar area of the Red, we stopped for a restroom break. Immediately upon opening the car doors, we heard a Louisiana Waterthrush! Then a Hooded Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Northern Parula, and a Black-and-white Warbler! I forgot all about the restroom and walked along the edge parking lot bordering a wooded ravine. Two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds fought over a branch just feet away from me as I listened to a Brown Thrasher singing away and even including an Eastern Bluebird chortle in his repertoire! In 15 minutes, I had added 5 new species to my year list!

We finished the drive to the trailhead of our selected hike: The Swift Camp Creek--Wildcat Loop. The supposed 5.3 mile hike (which turned out to be 7 miles) led us through deciduous and pine forest, along rocky cliffs and into the ravine to a stream, over a 456 ft. elevation change. Warblers were abundant! I could hardly keep a count of the numbers of Black-throated Green Warblers, Black-and-white Warblers, and Northern Parulas we saw and heard along the way! After about a mile and a half of hiking, we found ourselves on a trail between a rocky wall and a ravine full of rhododendrons when Ben heard a Swainson's Warbler!

We waited and listened as he got closer, further away, then nearly beside us! He jumped out on a branch right in front of me and I got an exceptional look at him for maybe 3 full seconds before he was gone again, deep within the brush. We waited around to see if we could get another look but he seemed to be hiding for good.

Along the way, the wildflowers were fantastic! Red Trillium, Rue Anemone, Wild Blue Phlox, Halberd-leaf Yellow Violet, Wild Geranium, Dwarf Iris, and more!  If I would have stopped to get photos of all of the beautiful and unique flowers we saw, it may have taken us twice as long to finish our hike! But some, I just couldn't resist! Here are a few of my favorites:

Red Trillium 

Foam Flower

 As we hiked on, several species of birds seemed curious and watched us from the edge of the trail. We had stellar looks at a Hooded Warbler, several Black-and-white Warblers and a Blue-headed Vireo! Around the 5th mile, we heard another Swainson's Warbler and this time we both got to see it!

We finished our hike before sunset and headed to Miguel's for dinner and to camp for the night. We ordered our favorite pizza with black beans, mango salsa, green peppers and spinach before selecting a spot to set up our tent. Along the way we heard Pickerel Frogs, a Bullfrog and quite a few Spring Peepers calling. Exhausted from the hike, I fell asleep quickly.  At 6 AM, I awoke to a familiar and exciting sound. an Eastern Whip-poor-will calling from the dark skies above our tent! I tried to fall asleep again as the Chipping Sparrows, Northern Parulas, American Robins, White-throated Sparrows, Red-headed Woodpeckers, and Brown Thrashers all began to wake up around us.


Our plans for our second day in the gorge were a bit different than the first. While we were still hoping to see more migrant birds, our goal for the day was to get in some rock climbing! Ben is a skilled climber and really enjoys getting outdoors to climb. I, on the other hand, have a slight fear of heights, and get anxious while climbing. I still enjoy the hikes to the crags, the wildlife we see along the way, the peacefulness of the forest, and the view from the top! My favorite thing is to get to the top of a route and look down over the valley and hope to see a Turkey Vulture or a Black Vulture!

The weather for our weekend getaway was perfect and I felt rejuvenated and ready to start back into the work week. For me, hiking 7 miles and birding is much more relaxing than lounging around at home.

In all, we saw 13 new year birds on our trip! Broad-winged Hawk, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Worm-eating Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Parula, Hooded Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, Ovenbird, Swainson's Warbler, Eastern Whip-poor-will, Yellow-throated Vireo, Scarlet Tanager, and White-eyed Vireo!

A few more pictures from the weekend:

My favorite wildflower: Wild Columbine

Pleasing Fungus Beetle

Red Eft

After climbing!

My lovely husband watching a Blue-headed Vireo on the Wildcat Trail

Rainy Day Birding

This week, Ben and I only had one day off together and it happened to be a day of 100% chance of rain... all day. We were excited to get out and find some warblers so we didn't let the rain slow us down! Well, it may have slowed us down a little. We relaxed inside with our kitty, Max, most of the morning and headed out just after lunch to Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio. Last week we saw our first-of-year Pine Siskins, Hermit Thrush, Brown Thrashers, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, in addition to TONS of Yellow-shafted Flickers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Fox Sparrows, Eastern Towhees and other great birds! This week we were hoping for a returned warbler. I would've been happy with even a Yellow-rumped. Ben was hoping for a Pine Warbler; but we really both wanted a Yellow-throated Warbler! I drove south in the rain, wondering why I had even agreed to leave the house. It was cold, and wet and I was grumpy. I didn't want to get out and bird in the rain (even though I wanted to see the birds!) but I also knew I had to go to Green Lawn to get a better idea of the layout so I wouldn't get lost in the loops of roads during my first field trip this Saturday with Wild Birds Unlimited! I'm really excited to be able to lead bird walks as part of my new job, so I definitely don't want to get lost on my first one and I want to be well prepared and scout out some good areas and birds!

As we pulled into the cemetery's main drive, the rain slowed to a light sprinkle! I found the meeting area and the two areas I want to take people for birding on Saturday, with no problems. Yay! Then we decided to take a walk while the rain was nearly stopped. We walked along a little gravel trail and the birds were enjoying this break in the rain too! We were delighted to find American Robins and Yellow-shafted Flickers foraging all over the grassy areas and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Carolina Chickadees lining the trees! As we noticed some leaves rustling on the ground we found Fox Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, Brown Thrashers and Eastern Towhees tossing leaves to dig up some delicious bugs. "Fee-bee" called his name from a bridge and some Northern Cardinals seemed to be very upset and scolding... some sparrows? No! An Eastern Whip-poor-will!!! I jumped up and down, somehow never taking my binoculars off the bird, saying, "Oh wow, look over here! Look over here!!!" Never actually saying what I was seeing because in my excitement, I actually forgot the name of the bird, or any other bird! Ben quickly figured out where I was looking, despite my lack of describing the bird or where it was! He had thought maybe the birds were scolding a small owl, but perhaps they had noticed this life-like bump on the branch and confused it for an owl. Why else would a group of song birds be mobbing a little bird who flies around catching insects out of the moonlit skies?

Eastern Whip-poor-will in Columbus, Ohio 4.11.16

We never made it beyond the bridge before I spotted the Whip-poor-will, so we barely noticed when the rain started picking up again, until the wind started lowing the water droplets onto our scope, binoculars and phones (since we had to other cameras with us!) Then we  were stuck. Under the bridge with nothing to look at besides the cutest little bird, perched up on a branch like he was a part of it. Every so often he would sway as though the wind were blowing him around like a leaf... keeping up his disguise even though the rest of the birds were out of sight, seeking shelter from the downpour. While we were waiting under the bridge for the rain to let up, I posted my exciting find on Facebook. I had used my new cell phone to take a picture through Ben's scope and I was very pleased with the results! More than just a diagnostic photo, I had a nice portrait of this bird in his habitat! Within minutes, I had several local friends asking where we were and if we'd help them find the bird! We were just standing around waiting on the rain anyway so we agreed to stay until they could arrive. We stayed, the bird stayed, and several friends were able to add an Eastern Whip-poor-will to their lists of county or state birds or to their lists of birds seen at all! This was a new county and year bird for me, but a more exciting achievement, this is the first Eastern Whip-poor-will I have ever found on my own!! The others I have seen before were spotted by someone else, and others would either point it out to me, or I would at least know the general area to look for it. I've always wanted to find one and now I'll never forget this one!!

A very wet Eastern Whip-poor-will

Ben and I walked back to my car, deciding what to do next. We were excited about the whip and still hadn't seen any warblers so we determined that a trip south was in order. Rain or no rain, we were heading to Clear Creek Metropark in Hocking County! We thought the rain might not be as bad further south but as we headed the hour south, the rain never let up. By that time, we had three hours until sunset and we had driven all that way we made the decision to "go for it!" Ben picked a trail that he wanted to hike and we made a plan. You can either hike the Hemlock trail from the road in, and have to turn around, or you could take another trail to it, hike the Hemlock trail, and loop back to the car. I suggested the loop so we wouldn't have to backtrack and Ben agreed. Little did we know that the starting trail and Hemlock trail were quite narrow and steep, uphill, and downhill and uphill and uphill some more. All during a steady, heavy rain. These were absolutely beautiful trails with the wet weather enhancing the contrast between the wintery brown trees and the lively, green, spring wildflowers blooming on the hillsides. The fog sat low in the hills over the meandering steams and the flute-like songs of a Hermit Thrush echoed across the trail. We had very few birds (and still no warblers) during our two-hour hike, but the scenery made up for it! Before our hike ended, we caught a glimpse of a Pileated Woodpecker flying in the distance. From under a piece of fallen bark, a tiny species of shrew ran and as we looked for it again, we saw a Red-backed Salamander!

The end of our hike at Clear Creek Metropark

In all it was a lovely rainy day exploring central Ohio with my husband! I am still very excited about the Whip-poor-will, and after seeing this eBird map of this year's sightings, you can probably see why! 

Map from 2016 eBird.org data, copied by J. Muller

That's my bird! The lone red dot in the middle of Ohio!! Poor bird is probably wondering WHY it decided to make the trek to Ohio on such a cold rainy weekend, but at least the weather is warmer today! Hopefully it has a safe journey to wherever it is heading this spring!

"Leaning Lena" on the way out of Clear Creek Metropark

If you are interested in joining me this Saturday, April 16 at Green Lawn Cemetery, please meet at the Huntington Chapel at 9am. If you follow the main road in, and take a right at the first fork in the road, Huntington Chapel is the biggest building you can see right in the middle. 

For more information regarding the 2016 WBU Nature Hike Series, visit our website, here. Keep your eye out for more dates being added soon, including a hike in May at Clear Creek Metropark!