Life Bird Dance time!!

Just when I thought things were slowing up in middle of summer . . . a bird sighting comes along and pulls me back in!!  And where do you go in central Ohio to see a vase array of different birds?? Well the Battelle Darby Metro Park-- Teal Trail/Harrier Loop. This place can either be the death of you, or the life that pumps energy back into you. Why? Because you can go and walk the 1.5 mile loop and get zero, or you can go and get a wide variety of species. From sparrows to wrens to owls to waterfowl and shorebirds.  I've seen great ones at Battelle Darby like Blue Grosebeak, Buff-Breasted Sandpiper, Red Phalaorope, and Short-Eared Owls.

Your Tombstone

The early morning of August 6th, I arrived at the grain elevator parking lot, opened the doors, and heard the very distinct call of this . . . . Sedge Wren(ABA lifer #553)

A small, secretive wren that breeds in short grass and sedge marshes. Perhaps because of the highly transitory nature of its nesting habitats, the Sedge Wren moves around a great deal from year to year, not staying in one place for long.
The Sedge Wren is one of the most nomadic territorial birds in North America. On a given area, it may be present in numbers in one year, and be completely absent the next.

Opened the door with a smile, I hear you Sedge Wren Lifer!!

So when you go to the Teal Trail, the Sedge Wren is out in the open grass fields, right from the parking lot, you can hear and see this one. I walked the trail to left(backwards loop) and heard a second Sedge Wren calling between the west loop and the main road, looking at the entrance sign to the visitor center. Once I walked back towards the marsh areas on the loop, I heard and saw several Marsh Wrens, an FOY bird. Sorry no pictures of them, moving too fast for my camera focus.
With the Teal Trail done, I headed over to Kuhlwein Rd. south parking lot, and took out the mountain bike. Time for some biking for birds. I rode the Darby Creek metro trail north, crossed the road, turned right at the horse barns, and rode back the training loop. I needed to get two species of sparrows, both reported there, but no luck. On the ride back near the barn, guess who rests on the telephone wire???

Belted Kingfisher

Bigger are Barn Swallows, the smaller are

Bank Swallows!! FOY#300 bird

And since I took a picture of a RED bird(Summer Tanager), I had to take a picture of a BLUE bird . . .

Indigo Bunting

Notes or phrases are often repeated in pairs: "what! what! where? where? see it! see it!"

So that wrapped up a great Wednesday morning birding adventure. 33 total/3FOYs/1Life.

Next up: More Ohio FOYS please!!!