I went out this morning hunting for a Bell's Vireo but found an even cooler lifer I wasn't expecting.
5/7/25
Birds:
138. Black Tern Chlidonias niger
139. Osprey Pandion haliaetus
Total species: 159
Birds: 139
Mammals: 14
Herptiles: 6
Just finished my time at the Biggest Week in American Birding Festival. I had a great time with many birds, including some unexpected ones. I saw 118 species, including 22 warblers and 14 lifers over 3 1/2 days.
5/9/25
I started my trip with a guided walk at Oak Openings Metropark. We didn't walk far down the path, but I still saw 45 species, including a
Yellow-breasted Chat. The chat has eluded me in Indiana the whole time I've been here. I always pick up their calls, but I could never find one. After the walk, I drove over to the Lark Sparrow spot and saw two of them very quickly. The night before, I was looking at what rare birds were reported in the area and saw there was a Eurasian Wigeon on the west side of Howard Marsh. I was looking right where it was, but I couldn't tell it apart from the nearby waterfowl. I then finished the day at Maumee Bay State Park, checking the area out, getting some merch, and listening to Kenn Kaufman's keynote speech.
Birds:
140. Olive-sided Flycatcher
Contopus cooperi
141.
White-eyed Vireo Vireo griseus
142.
Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens
143.
Blue-winged Warbler Vermivora cyanoptera
144.
Scarlet Tanager Piranga olivacea
145. Eastern Kingbird
Tyrannus tyrannus
146.
Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
147. Chimney Swift
Chaetura pelagica
148. Common Gallinule
Gallinula galeata
149. Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
150. Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
151.
Dunlin Calidris alpina
152. Least Sandpiper
Calidris minutilla
153. Bonaparte's Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
154. Caspian Tern
Hydroprogne caspia
155. Common Tern
Sterna hirundo
156. Purple Martin
Progne subis
157. American White Pelican
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
5/10/25
I tried to do a big day on Saturday, but things didn't go as planned. I started on the Magee Marsh Boardwalk right at sunset and saw a
Hooded Warbler and the infamous
Prothonotary Warblers doing what they do best. I was about to check out the estuary trail, but I got a tip on a Cerulean Warbler back at Maumee Bay SP. As soon as I got there, I heard another tip that a Kirtland's Warbler was on the estuary trail. I missed the cerulean, but I thankfully got a clear view of the Kirtland's Warbler, which was actually my top warbler to see on the trip, even though I know seeing them isn't guaranteed even at the boardwalk.
After lunch, I spotted an
Eastern Screech Owl not far from the Ottawa NWR visitor center. Other than the owl, midday birding was rough. Between the lack of hydration and poor sleep, I wasn't as motivated to go birding. I got a quarter-mile down the walking trails at Ottawa before I decided to head back to Howard Marsh instead. There was a
Neotropic Cormorant on the west side, which I was able to see, thankfully. I decided to call it a day after that. It wasn't a bad attempt at a Big Day with 72 species, but based on all the birds that were seen on the first day, I was hoping for more.
Birds:
158.
Prothonotary Warbler Protonotaria citrea
159.
Hooded Warbler Setophaga citrina
160.
Kirtland's Warbler Setophaga kirtlandii
161.
Blackpoll Warbler Setophaga striata
162.
Eastern Screech Owl Megascops asio
163. Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
164. Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
165. Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
166.
Neotropic Cormorant Nannopterum brasilianum
Herptiles:
7. Common watersnake
Nerodia sipedon
5/11/25
Yellow-headed Blackbirds were being seen at Metzger Marsh during the morning flight count, so I checked that out in the morning. I never saw one of the blackbirds, but a
Bobolink did fly over the dike. I wasn't focused much on chasing birds today, but rather on photographing them. Sony was letting people loan their cameras out for free. I'm a beginner when it comes to wildlife photography, so I struggled focusing on the birds, but I still managed to grab some photos I was happy about, especially with the Prothonotary Warblers. After I returned the camera, I went back to Howard Marsh again to see two
Wilson's Phalaropes that were hanging out on the side of the marsh.
Birds:
167.
Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus
168. Veery
Catharus fuscescens
169.
Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
Herptiles:
8. Common snapping turtle
Chelydra serpentina
5/12/25
Feeling drained from the weekend, I checked out the boardwalk one last time for the day before driving back to Indiana. I added a couple of new birds for my year and trip lists, but nothing too special.
Birds:
170. Philadelphia Vireo
Vireo philadelphicus
171. Swainson's Thrush
Catharus ustulatus
Total species: 193
Birds: 171
Mammals: 14
Herptiles: 8
