Spring Migration, Part Two

Welcome April… one step closer to that big time of year, the full-on neo-tropic migration north, when our shorelines will be flooded (hopefully) with warblers, vireos, thrushes, flycatchers, and everything else we’ve dreamed about over the past several months. Sadly, our most desired destinations will not be opened to us, but there are plenty of places along the Lake Erie shoreline to view the hoped-for onslaught.

Since I’m stuck at home for the most part, on COVID-19 lockdown like the rest of us, I thought I would post Part Two of my Spring Migration series. Today’s post will focus on the second half of April, the beginnings of big neo-tropical movement, marked by the first arrival for many migratory birds – warblers, vireos, orioles, herons, egrets, rails. Sharp-shinned and Broad-winged Hawks are moving, as well as Osprey, which actually are showing up everywhere now. Part of my theory, going on a tangent here, is that I truly believe that peak migratory periods will be about ten days to two weeks earlier than anticipated. Yes, this is likely due to Global Warming. And I think that we are all seeing this play out in the fields right now.

Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) data points to a series of three waves of migratory birds hitting our Lake Erie shores. According to BSBO, the first wave is anticipated around the 24th of the month, though I believe the first wave will likely hit sometime around the 14th of April. BSBO banding data for 2019 shows peak banding counts for the following: Eastern Phoebe on the 18th, Blue-gray Gnathatcher and Orange-crowned Warbler both on the 21st.

Eastern Phoebes right now are appearing in good numbers almost everywhere; I went out today to Mentor Marsh and observed four in a roughly quarter-mile radius. Ten were observed at Sandy Ridge Reservation and seven at Chagrin River Park this week, as reported by individual birders’ sessions on eBird. Though not in great numbers, Blue-gray Gnathatchers and Orange-crowned Warblers are starting to show up regularly in southern Ohio. And Great Egrets are now popping up in many marshes in northern Ohio.

Although we are all on “stay-in-place” per Governor DeWine, most of the best parks remain open and many of us are getting out to bird. Some of my friends are practicing “butt-birding,” or birding from the car without getting out. AS for me, I am still hitting up eBird Hotspots, though not as frequently, typically about two or three outings per week. But, if people continue to flock – pun intended – to parks on the weekends and gather en masse, it will doubtless not be long before the Governor is forced to close all public parks. For this reason, I will not bird on the weekends, at all.

Please be careful out there, please be safe and observe the social distancing rules. Enjoy the birds, they are a-coming! I will have my final installment of Spring Migration up shortly, and I hope that you enjoyed this. Please do leave comments for improvement or whatnot, and thank you!

Spring Migration, Part One

Preface
This post is the first part of what to anticipate during migration this spring here in northern Ohio. Everything presented is based on data that I acquired from the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO), and later on I’ll be presenting specific species to watch for, based on their peak banding counts by BSBO for last spring.

Part One covers what we have already observed over the past two weeks or so, and what to expect during the first half of April. Part Two will cover the second half of April, which comprises the first of three major migration waves expected to hit northern Ohio. Part Three will cover the month of May, when the second and third migratory waves are anticipated, and what to expect when, broken down by weeks and dates. I hope that you find this information useful, and remember, these are guidelines, not absolutes!

So, here we are at the end of March, and birds are moving. Meadowlarks, Grackles, Red-wing and Rusty Blackbirds, Tree Swallows, Eastern Phoebes, Kinglets, and other birds have rushed in. We are in the middle of waterfowl migration, likely at its peak right about now, with Loons showing up everywhere, Red-breasted Mergansers too numerous to count, and rarities like Long-tailed Ducks and Red-throated Loons making appearances. Blue-winged Teal are starting to pop everywhere, and Bonaparte’s Gulls have been showing up at many reservoirs and lakes.

Pre-breeding migration for Blue-winged Teal ~ Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Shorebirds like Pectoral Sandpipers, and Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs are popping in certain marshy areas. Coots have been reported in great numbers at many hotspots, and raptors are starting their migration as well. The coming week or so should see good movement of Red-shoulder Hawks, Bald Eagles, and the continued increased presence of Turkey Vultures.

Next Week ~ April
The first half of April promises to be busy, as migration ramps up toward its climax in mid-May. Waterfowl movement will remain heavy, gradually declining throughout April. The raptor migration will continue, as Red-shoulder and Rough-legged Hawks continue their movement north. Sadly, Hawk Mountain is closed to visitors due to COVID-19, but look toward the skies in other places and you might see Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned Hawks, perhaps even a Golden Eagle.

Early shorebird migration will continue and begin to ramp up as well, with American Golden Plovers on the move. Expect an influx of Flickers, Hermit Thrushes, Winter Wrens, Fox Sparrows, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Pine Warblers are also beginning to appear in the lower to mid-half of Ohio.

Black Swamp Bird Observatory Fundraiser

This is really important for bird research. Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) had to cancel their premier event, the Biggest Week in American Birding, due to COVID-19. This is resulting in significant loss of revenue, which goes to the general funding of BSBO for staff and research. So, my friends over at Rogue Birders are hosting a fundraiser for BSBO, explained below. Please buy a Tee or Sweatshirt – I did! – and support BSBO!!!


Fundraiser for Black Swamp Bird Observatory
and The Biggest Week in American Birding – (Link Below!)

BirdOn

As everyone now knows, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) has made the difficult decision to cancel The Biggest Week In American Birding for 2020. As Kimberly Kaufman has often said, while birds and birding are important to all of us, protecting people is paramount. It was a hard choice, I’m sure. But it was the right choice.

The cancellation of #BWIAB2020 affects so much more than our birding plans for spring. The planning, preparation, vendors, sponsors, BSBO staff, and all of the volunteers are greatly affected. The amount of money that will be lost by the communities in Northwest Ohio is staggering. And finally, the funding that BSBO needs to do all of the amazing conservation work that they are best known for has been catastrophically diminished.

The Rogue Birders have been part of Biggest Week in one way or another since 2013. Whether simply as participants in the early days, to being volunteer tour leaders and drivers for the past 5 years. We have made so many friends and created uncountable memories at the festival. And we have seen SO MANY BIRDS!

We felt we needed to do something to try to help. Working with Bruce Miller of the Ohio Ornithological Society (OOS) and Rob Ripma of Sabrewing Nature Tours (and Kimberly, of course!), we have put together this BSBO Shirt fundraiser. All proceeds from the shirts and sweatshirts will be donated to Black Swamp Bird Observatory via the OOS!

You can help, too! Buy a shirt for yourself, a friend, a neighbor, or a complete stranger! Or buy 2 – or 10! You can also donate on the page and all donations will go to Black Swamp Bird Observatory!

https://www.bonfire.com/store/roguebirders/

Stay Healthy! Stay Safe! and, as always, #BirdOn

  • Rogue Birders

Duck Duck Go…

Several reports came in to Ohio Chase Birds on Facebook about the appearance of Long-tailed Ducks, including LaDue Reservoir, SIppo Lake, and Alum Creek. I managed to tick five individuals, including the male above, at Sippo Lake in Stark County. This on the heels of great numbers of Red-breasted Mergansers observed yesterday, appearing almost everywhere. Spring waterfowl migration is in motion.

COVID-19 kills Birding Events

This past week, the Presque Isle Audubon Society canceled their annual Festival of Birds, scheduled for May 8-10. Today, the other shoe dropped, with the Black Swamp Bird Observatory canceling the Biggest Week in American Birding, scheduled for May 8-17. This all follows my last post (here) about other cancellations, and all in all it’s shaping up to be a forgettable year, for birding at least.

As I have stated in the past, this year was to be my very first in celebrating the Biggest Week; now I’ll have to wait for next year to experience that, but I will be seeing warblers for certain this spring. I have alternate plans for my spring birding, to be enjoyed with various comrades-in-arms, and I still look forward to ticking Golden-winged, Blue-winged and perhaps a Kirtland’s Warbler. Speaking of Kirtland’s, as of right now, Michigan Audubon advises that their nesting site tours are still a go for start on May 23rd. I am hopeful to attend this, likely in early June.

As of now, I am also scuttling my June trip to Maine; I have no idea how things will arc over the next several weeks, and I don’t want to get caught up in COVID casualties. I am now seriously considering a trip to Ecuador in 2021 with a private touring group.

I’ve managed to tick three first-of-year birds thus far this week: Common Loon, Bonaparte’s Gull, and Osprey. Hoping to possibly add an Eastern Phoebe and maybe some sandpipers later in the week. That’s about it for now, as I hunker down in place. Bird on!

Birding, depression and COVID-19

Time to be truthful: I suffer from major depressive disorder, I won’t go into specifics other than to say just that. It is estimated that 16.2 million Americans suffer like I do. Think of that for a minute… 16.2 million. That’s about 5% of the total American population as of 2018. And, this is just major depressive disorder, not taking into account other emotional health maladies like bipolar, postpartum or persistent depressive disorder for example.

There are numerous ways to treat depression, among them medication, which I take daily. But medication does not do the trick entirely, and finding the right combinations for individuals is still so much a crap shoot. Neuropsychology is still a budding science, an imperfect science, and this country severely lacks appropriate numbers of psychologists to treat all of those affected. Try to get an appointment, and prepare to wait several months or pay cash. Many cannot surmount the barrier to entry to see a proper psychiatrist to get any meds, let alone effective ones. Many suffer in silence without medical treatment at all.

Another way to treat depression is through changing personal behaviors by way of what is called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT for short. CBT teaches real-world coping skills to handle the day’s traumatic events, including altering the thought process and also physical processes. It includes things like diet and exercise, and daily routines. This is what I have tried to practice since my last partial hospitalization in 2015. I’ve ridden the emotional roller-coaster most of that time, and my keeping busy, keeping focused, is the best solution.

Last year, I decided to fully retire and tried to start my own business again, this time as a firearms instructor… I know, I know. It didn’t work out, and I spent the entire summer and fall, from June through November, couch-surfing and playing video games. I got back into more consistent counseling and joined a couple of therapy groups, which helped, but not so much.

Tonight, as I write this, I can say that I am both happy and glad to be alive. I can say with certainty that for the first time in my life, I don’t want to die. And what did that? Birding. Getting off my ass, out into the fields, and chasing birds. What is the most important treatment of my depression is also my rediscovered passion. And now, with the outbreak of COVID-19 and some advocating for strict house “arrest,” my very well-being, along with 16.2+ million others, is severely threatened.

I cannot stay indoors and not get into the wild. Many are of similar vein. We need to feel the rush of cold air on our faces, dirt beneath our feet, binoculars in hand or whatnot, chasing birds that we know and love. I, we, cannot sit on a couch all day long, in the house all day long… it threatens our very existence, perhaps even more so than the virus. Getting out and about is central to my handling my depression, which is with me each and every day. It never goes away, but is rather mitigated to some degree through activity. Activity I cannot, will not, surrender. Unless, of course, you’d rather have me die a different death.

And that is why, for me, i choose to adhere to Governor DeWine’s order; to get my outdoor exercise and fresh air and birds. He has stated that he wants people to visit parks, to be outdoors in natural surroundings, but also to be using social distancing, something that birding at Magee Boardwalk probably cannot provide unless in the middle of January, but being at Summit Lake or Mentor Lagoons on any give weekday can.

This is why I bridle at the suggestion, by others, that we fully quarantine ourselves, not going outside at all. I, and others, need to be out. And, if I am getting into my car in my garage, am not getting out anywhere except at a sanctuary or other natural environ, well then who am I harming? No one else. Telling people with major depression to stay indoors at all costs is just another death sentence for many, and I am going to be curious what the statistics will show following the pandemic. Demise by suicide and not by pandemic – there will be casualties, collateral damage. For us, it’s all just as dangerous. Please take that into consideration when pushing an agenda that, for many, does more harm than good. When thinking of people, please think of all people. There is more at play than just COVID-19 for many of us, there are no totally right answers, just as there are no absolutes.

For further consideration, please read this article. Thank your for listening. With consideration for all, we shall get through this, and be stronger because of it.

A Big Year…

Eastern Meadowlark, Chagrin River Park, 03/18/20

Well, this COVID-19 situation really sucks the life out of things, pun intended. We are now in the midst of parks being closed entirely to visitors, not just their nature centers and programs. Birding programs and festivals are being canceled left and right – the Shreve Spring Migration Sensation and most recently, the Ohio Ornithological Society’s Warblers and Wildflowers at Shawnee State Park are the latest victims. I’m waiting for the next shoe to drop – The Biggest Week and The Presque Isle Festival. If/when that occurs, that kills my festival plans entirely for the year. I am planning a trip to Maine in late June, and wonder if that will happen or not. I fully understand the reasoning behind these drastic measures, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy with them. 😉 If all the parks close, there will be no birding at all.

So in light of the 2020 spring migration basically being canceled, I’m now looking forward to 2021, and am announcing here that next year, I will be pursuing an eBird Big Year in Ohio. What is a Big Year? It’s an exercise to see how many individual species you can observe in a particular geographic region in a year, in this instance the State of Ohio. And I’ll be using eBird to record my sightings, hence an eBird Big Year.

Currently, the top two birders in Ohio have 144 individual species each on their lists. I currently have 104, and tomorrow when the new rankings come out, I should be ranked as tied for 66th. For perspective, as of 2018 there are 433 individual species recorded in the State, and as of today, 175 species have been recorded for the year. Even the top tier birders don’t have all the recorded species yet – geographic location plays a huge part, as does simple luck and being in the right place at the right time.

So why am I going to do this? Simple. Because I can. Because I would welcome some competition in a hobby I am passionate about. And because I want to rebuild my life list. I’m not doing it for ego – I will never be a “leet” birder, nor do I want to. I love to study the birds and their behaviors – all birds, Robins even – and I respect others too much to be an asshat birding, and I can’t stand those that are. I want to help others with this great hobby and to share the knowledge of finding unusual birds.

So that’s my announcement for today. Let’s get through this crisis, be safe, stay isolated, stay sane… go out and see some birds!

Birding Essentials: Map Book

If you are like me, there are numerous places that you like to frequent for birding. Almost all refuges, parks, nature centers and wildlife areas have maps these days. They are very helpful, displaying parking, trails, ponds/dikes, access points, off-limit areas, even restroom facilities.

No doubt you’ve printed a few. Anytime I bird a new spot, I check to see if there’s a map available, and I print out a copy. one thing that I’ve learned, early on, is to save these maps for future use. So I created my very own ‘Map Book.’

It’s a very simple book, consisting of a three-ring binder, plastic protective pages, and all of the maps and diagrams you would possibly desire. Anytime you wish to bird a particular hotspot, all you need to do is to remove that page from the book, and you’re set. you can even modify pages to show specific spots on the map where birds are likely, or other personal notes for your use.

I find it helpful to keep them organized by general region, for example Magee marsh with Ottawa NWR, or Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area with Funk Bottoms and Killbuck Marsh. It all depends on your personal preference.

Once I’ve put the Map Book together, I keep it in my car in the trunk, along with other birding essentials, which we’ll explore here over time.

Put together your own Map Book, it’s a great help and will assist you with remembering where all those great birds are! Plus, you’re not wasting paper in the process!

Best bird I’ve managed so far…

Female Painted Bunting

I was fortunate enough to view this little cutie at the home of a very generous Amish couple in north-central Ohio. They were kind enough to open their home to all us birders who came to venerate at their feeders, hoping for a glimpse of this beauty feeding among the corn. They had a guest book, and apparently I was #135 to sign, this being early last week!

She has been hanging out at their feeders now for a few weeks, and many people have been able to make the trip and observe her. The day I got there, I got lucky. Other birders were already there, having waited for over an hour, and the bird was out. My arrival unfortunately spooked her from the feeders, but less than 15 minutes later, there she was! Though not a male, the female Painted Bunting is beautiful nonetheless.