SMITH’S LONGSPURS, Mercer County, OH

DG and Lynn Gesualdo and I set off wicked early on Saturday (27th) morning, headed west to Mercer County, Ohio, bordering the state line with Indiana. Target: Smith’s Longspur. The past few years, intrigued and adventurous birders have followed Smith’s Longspur spring migration through their usual corridor –  Illinois and west-central Indiana – convinced that surely some of these incredibly striking birds move annually through the westernmost counties of Ohio. The past several years have proven, yes, indeed. In 2009, 30+ individuals were found on Manley Road in Mercer County, and in 2010, 13 were found as far east as Washburn Road in Killdeer Plains WMA (!) (Richard Crossley & Jen Brumfield).

We pinpointed Manley Road (closest town is Rockford) as the epicenter, while knowing that we’d likely have to do plenty of searching for the right type of Smith’s fields: cornstubble (around a foot high) with grass and weeds in-between the rows, and foxtail grass (key). There is plenty of turnover as far as field types, since farming practices change annually.

We arrived at Townline Road, off of 707, and immediately found a VAST and PERFECT field with all the right ingredients. 1100 Lapland Longspurs were wheeling around and dropping to the ground, wheeling some more, and calling, singing and putting on a show. After a bit, four SMITH’S flew directly over the road, calling, with two males showing white covert patches (they appear as circular white patches on the shoulder). They dropped to the east in another cornfield, too far to track down. We noted the location and pushed northwest towards Manley Road. The Manley fields were bare earth – no habitat. We looked to the north and saw a cornfield in the distance. Arriving on Hill Road, we hit the jackpot.

A vast cornfield with the PERFECT ingredients was immediately bordered to the south by a another large field – “shortgrass” winter wheat. Heaven. We asked the home/landowner for permission to walk the field. Immediately, 450 Laplands were bursting everywhere and wheeling around overhead, some as close as 10 feet away on the ground. Pressing on towards the middle of the cornfield, a male Smith’s burst in front of me and I screamed to DG to get on the bird. Then 6 more, then 14 more, then 24 more…then a total of 88, which is just mind-boggling. I nearly passed out standing up from sheer joy and shock. We spent 2 hours in the field, photo documenting as many as possible. Most of the Smith’s were seen in flight. Finding them on the ground takes great luck and much persistence and patience, and a very keen eye. Their flatter (then Lappie) calls alerted us to their presence and many males were in full song. They exhibited an incredible range of plumage, since nearly all were molting. Many astoundingly gorgeous males were seen/photographed.

This is a new recent record number for Smith’s in Ohio. Today (28th) Jerry Tallkington and Dave Slager scored around 40 Smith’s in the same field. Horned Larks, pipits, 500+ Laplands, and Vesper and Savannah Sparrows are present. Birders must be patient and highly alert and fast to get on birds in flight. It’s not a cakewalk.

Location: Hill Road (TR33B) and Rockford West Road (CR236). Hill Road makes a 90 degree bend shortly after the intersection. The road is VERY narrow, so park as best as you can at the bend or near it. The cornfield/winter wheat field lies to the east. Some Smith’s were coming in and out of the winter wheat field. *You CAN see some birds from the road, but entering the field will increase your chances greatly*

CLICK ON MAP & PHOTOS FOR LARGE VIEW

East 72nd gulls: photos & more photos

 

*CLICK ON PHOTOS TO VIEW LARGE

East 72nd street in Cleveland is absolutely incredible for gulls right now. That is an understatement. Lake Erie is frozen and Cleveland Public Powerplant is pumping warm water underneath I-90 and out into the lake, drawing thousands upon thousands upon thousands of gulls to East 55th and 72nd. Views are point-blank at the warm water outflow. East 72nd street is part of Cleveland Lakefront State Park. Access is easy and viewing is astounding. Upwards of 7 different Glaucous Gulls, 12 different Iceland Gulls, and 4 Thayer’s Gulls, amongst throngs of Herring, Great-black-backed and Ring-billed plus daily high-counts of 13 Lesser Black-backs are possible for birders. Most days see between 2 and 4 Iceland Gulls, between 2 and 6 Glaucous Gulls, 2 to 3 Thayer’s. Photo opportunities and prolonged studies are mind-blowing. Today a PURPLE SANDPIPER – exceptionally rare this time of the year, showed up (found by Steve Borgis) at 72nd and was seen to 5 feet away as it foraged along rocks and out along the ice floe. 72nd is the hottest spot in CLE now. Eastlake Power Plant is off and on fantastic as well but 72nd is really showing its colors.

Photos should be titled. First cycle Glaucous Gulls. First cycle Icelands. Adult Iceland. 2nd cycle Icelands. Second cycle Thayer’s – two individuals. And. Purple Sandpiper.

East 72nd is hot – Icelands and Glauc

A brief stop at East 72nd street warm water outflow turned up three Iceland Gulls – an adult and two 2nd-cycle birds, plus an adult Glaucous Gull, 6 Lesser Black-backs, a few dozen Great Black-backs, and thousands upon thousands of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls. An apparent adult Lesser Black-backed x Herring Gull hybrid was present. The ice shelf continues off of Cleveland, even with 55 degree temps and rain today. A cold snap should keep some of the ice present, which gives a good “arena” for watching gulls at the hot water spill. Views are incredible as birds are close in.

Photos below: 2nd-cycle “Kumlien’s” Iceland Gull

1/13 – Erie Co. highlights

There were A LOT of gulls along the lakefront, today - at Vermilion, Huron, and Lorain.  That being said, though large gulls seem to be increasing in numbers, white-wingers have been quite scarce locally this year.  I could not find anything out of the ordinary, save two ad. Lesser Black-backeds at Lorain.  Great Black-backeds seem to be around in moderate numbers, this year.

After leaving Huron, I drove the grounds of Sawmill Creek Golf Course/Resort, just east of Sheldon’s Marsh along US-6.  Here I found a gorgeous Merlin, along with six flyover redpolls and a siskin.  Great habitat here for wintering Merlin…there could be more than one bird using this large area.

I headed out this way today, partially because I wanted to check out the James A. McBride Arboretum.  This Erie Co. Metropark features a large crabapple collection, which ought to tempt hungry Bohemian Waxwings. While there were few birds today, this park is definitely worth checking, especially this year.  The arboretum borders the BGSU Firelands campus, which was teeming with geese, among them a single Cackling.

On the way home, I stopped at Lorain Harbor, arriving about 15 min after John’s post.  What a difference a day makes here.  I led a group from Western Cuyahoga Audubon here yesterday, and there were very few birds and only about ten Bonaparte’s Gulls.  Today, there were closer to 400, as John mentioned, and a good number of Herring Gulls.  All of the Bonaparte’s were just off the spit on the west side of the Black River, all within 75 yards of land.  At this close range it was easy to peruse through the birds, and I could discern no Black-headed among them, unfortunately.  As an aside, we did have a male Northern Harrier at the impoundment, yesterday.

1/6/13 – Grosbeaks, crossbill, Glaucous Gulls

p>A Sunday trek from Sheffield Lake to Mohican SP with Email Bacik featured some memorable highlights.  We arrived at Evening Grosbeak “ground zero” around 8 AM, and the first unusual finch we saw was a White-winged Crossbill teed-up.  Soon, a single grosbeak began calling incessantly, and we observed this lonely female for awhile, when the first small group arrived on the scene.  A bit later, a much larger, noisier flock joined the first and at this point there were 32 birds total J   They fed briefly, and eight siskins also arrived.  We left this area by 9:30 AM, and the homeowner mentioned that grosbeaks are usually gone for the day by 12-1 PM.  We also had a high-flying Black Vulture and Winter Wren in the Mohican area.

 

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The next stop was Findley SP – and it was painfully slow. Though, we eventually found 11 Yellow-rumped Warblers, but not a single Red-breasted Nuthatch was to be found, and chickadess were exceedingly scarce.

Wellington Reservoir showed a good variety of waterfowl for the date – including a number of shovelers and Ring-necks.

Oberlin Reservoir was a wonderful success, this afternoon. This inland gulling spot is extremely hit-or-miss, depending when gull flocks from the nearby landfill descend on the lake to rest. Today was great, as two adult Glaucous Gulls were easily picked out, as well as a first-yr. Nelson’s Gull (Herring X Glaucous hybrid). Also interesting was a intermediate, slender, long-billed gull hanging out near the Nelson’s, which showed some traits of first-cycle California Gull. Unfortunately the bird was too far off to call, and never seen well in flight, but I include some photos of both birds at northnw.wordpress.com for you to peruse. The mystery gull is the small, darker bird to the front, right of the big, light-colored “Nelson’s” Gull. Also nice to run into Vic Fazio at Oberlin – and two Tundra Swans descended here as we were all leaving.

Black-headed Gull Edgewater/Whiskey Island/Wendy

An adult BLACK-HEADED GULL was viewed for 20 minutes this late afternoon/evening from the Edgewater Marina pier looking east out over the Whiskey Island/Wendy Park harbor! 3,500 plus Bonaparte’s Gulls, 14,000 plus Ring-billed Gulls and 5,000 plus Herring Gulls (and scattered few Great Black-backed Gulls) were present in the immediate region and close to 50,000 gulls could be seen immediately further to the east and south.

Initially pulled in flight, the jet black under-primary flash (which at a distance resembles the same flash from adult Little Gull, yet is by no means as extensive) popped and the bird immediately dropped to sit on the water with a large mixed Ring-billed Gull/Bonaparte’s Gull flock. Digiscoped photos were attempted and some may reveal extremely poor but record shots. Jerry Talkington had the bird briefly on the water and in flight after he arrived from Mentor.

From Edgewater Marina pier and Wendy Park, thousands of gulls must be looked through. A massive number of Bonaparte’s are staging here and it simply (simply?) takes TIME to scour the mega flocks. On the water, Black-headed Gull resembles Bonaparte’s Gull but is in-between size of Bonie and Ring-billed. Shows a paler gray mantle then Bonaparte’s and a whiter neck, larger white head, limited dark around the “ear” and a longer, slightly more substantial dark red bill.

See map of access point locations:

VARIED THRUSH update 12/7

Jim McCarty received an email yesterday with several photos attached of a STUNNING adult male VARIED THRUSH in the backyard of a condo owner, Lynnette Stevens, in Avon Lake. I contacted Lynnette immediately to congratulate her on her incredible find, and excitedly and respectfully requested if the birding community could take part in sharing views of this stunning bird. Lynnette secured permission from the condo association owners to allow visits to the area. The bird has been present for “a few weeks” (working on nailing down a more precise date) and was still present throughout the day today (Friday) at: 401 Bounty Way #163 (and #166), Avon Lake. Kent Miller first re-found/reported the bird at dawn today (Friday) at #166. Throughout the day the bird was viewed at several immediate locations within the neighborhood, including atop a tall tree, then flying over the heads of birders to feed close by in a fruiting tree, then foraging on the ground under spruces. There were some substantial periods of time when the bird was not seen. Kay Launer reports: “still present at 4:00 p.m. today (Friday the 7th). We were looking for it for three hours. Many birders got great looks. It was found in a tall tree on Long Pointe Road.”

Kenn Kaufman offers these fantastic tips: “…don’t expect it to be like an American Robin. Despite the similarity in colors, it’s not a close relative and it doesn’t act like one. It’s quite different in shape: stout-bodied, short-tailed, thin-headed. It’s very secretive and furtive in its behavior. A Varied Thrush may come out in the open in the morning or late afternoon, but in the middle of the day it often will sit motionless in dense cover. It has soft callnotes, including a “chuck” like a Hermit Thrush and a soft burry whistle. Unless it’s visiting a fruiting tree or shrub, you’re likely to see it on the ground under thickets or close to cover. If you’re seeking a Varied Thrush, it’s best to move quietly and slowly, staying alert for any subtle movements or callnotes.”

PLEASE BE EXTRAORDINARILY RESPECTFUL of the residences and condo areas if you decide to search for this bird in the immediate region. BE SURE TO EXERCISE FULL respect during your visit. Do not approach too closely for photo opportunities. THINK about the bird’s secretive and wary nature (EVEN IF IT APPEARS “TAME”) and that other folks want to enjoy this sighting as well. Respect the neighborhood, residents, birders, and the bird. If you see someone behaving irrationally do not be afraid to call them out on poor birding etiquette and report them publicly. ENORMOUS thanks goes to Lynnette Stevens, the condo owner and spotter, for alerting Jim McCarty (thanks Jim!) and for contacting her condo association to allow dozens to hundreds of birders to visit.

This boy’s a true beaut. Hopefully many get to appreciate this incredible vagrant.

STUNNING photos (as per usual) by CHUCK SLUSARCZYK JR.