Kirtland's Warbler !!! local

Thanks again to http://birding.aba.org/maillist/OH another rare bird strikes again!! This time, it is locally here in Columbus, at the Highbanks Metro Park. Sunday morning, a local birder posted sighting of a Kirtland's Warbler. Can you believe it?? No, so let's jump in the car for a 20 min ride to tick this endangered warbler of the pine forests.

female KIWA

Black stripes down sides

Two white wingbars

White crescents above and below eye

A rare bird of the Michigan jack pine forests, the Kirtland's Warbler is dependant upon fire to provide the small trees and open areas that meet its rigid habitat requirements for nesting.




The Kirtland's Warbler requires areas with small jack pines for nesting. The jack pine requires fire to open its cones and spread its seeds. The warbler first appears in an area about six years after a fire when the new growth is dense and is about 5.0 to 6.5 feet high. After about 15 years, when the trees are  10.0 to 16.5 feet high, the warbler leaves the area.

Named after Jared P. Kirtland, an Ohio doctor and amateur naturalist. Nearly extinct just 50 years ago, it is well on its way to recovery. It requires large areas (> 160 acres) of dense young jack pine for its breeding habitat. This habitat was historically created by wildfire, but today is primarily created through the harvest of mature jack pine, and planting of jack pine seedlings.
Since the mid-19th century at least it has become a restricted-range endemic species. Almost the entire population spends the spring and summer in the northeastern Lower Peninsula of Michigan and winters in The Bahamas.

This unfortunately is not a life bird for me.  But the first time in a long time I've seen one. It is an Ohio life bird though. Reviewing my records, I first saw them June 1983 in Grayling, MI in their breeding habitat. Then again, a second viewing July 1, 1989 in Grayling again. And I remember that trip. My father Buddy first saw KIWA May 25, 1978 in Grayling and grandparents Red & Louise saw the bird many times too. We where all together, the Gambill family dynasty.

#24Hrs of Birding recap

We came, we saw, . . . we did OK?!?! A little friendly competition we started here three years ago.  You see, for the last couple of years, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has had a team that does a BIG DAY every year. In the name of conversation, a team of 5 members have raced around a 400-500 mile triangle in south eastern Texas to try and see as many species in 24 hours. Sun up to sun set. They have set some great records and seen some really neat birds during spring migration. In fact, they got 264 in 2011 and 294 total species in 2013--an all time best record. So it got me to thinking.

What if we had a team, that drove around like crazy, walked miles through parks and paths, and birded all day. And the idea was born.

24 hours of birding!! Last year, me and my friends Sam and JK went up to Magee Marsh during http://biggestweekinamericanbirding.com/ in May, and got a record setting 122 total species. We where known as Team Snow Blunting in 2014. This year, new name, new locations and new birds for Team Puffin Puffin  Passenger Pigeon(#T4P)!! We even had custom T-shirts made.
   Since we live in Columbus, we decided to start our 24 hour clock on Sunday May10th at 4pm, at Big Island Wildlife area, then north to Killdeer plains. We added great new birds this year at Big Island like Common Gallinule, Sora rail, Bald Eagle, Bobolink, Grasshopper Sparrow and Wild Turkey. At Killdeer we got Dunlin, Short-Billed Dowichter, Pectoral, Least, SemiPalm SPs, Trumpeter Swans, and of course Ring-necked Pheasant. We ended up with 63 total species for the first day, and headed to Freemont Days Inn to spend the night.

Herr Rd bikepath

Bobolink-- male

Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant

Big Island WR in Marion

We left Freemont at 6am after continental breakfast and headed up SR19 north to SR2. Once you see the sun come up and the nuclear cooling tower on the right, make a left on SR 2, and a couple miles done on your right is entrance to Magee Marsh. We always try to start at 7am in the west parking lot/entrance to the boardwalk. That is where the team picture was taken below. You just walk and take your time as you make your way across the boardwalk. It is truly a magical moment and deserves to be experienced at least once in your life. Magee Marsh is one of the best places to witness migration. The birds are so close to you, 10-30 feet away at most.

Magee Boardwalk

#T4P

Because of technology, it makes it even better and funner to attend the Biggest Week. On Twitter, just follow @biggestweek and @ONWRA and fellow birders tweet what bird they just saw, and what number on the boardwalk they saw it. So you can be at the beginning of the boardwalk at #1 and get a tweet that an Eastern Screech Owl is at #15 on the boardwalk. So you briskly walk down to #15, then there up in a tree . . .

Camouflage

Eastern-Screech Owl gray morph

#T4P actually had a couple of flycatchers  that day like Acadian, Willow, Least, Yellow-Belly, E. Wood Pewee, E Phoebe, Great Crested, and E. Kingbird.

We didn't get a lot of warbler pictures because the birds move so fast, and are too close at times. The team ended up with 17 warbler species, (less than the 21 in 2014) including good ones like Cape May, Blackburnian, Blackpoll,  Black & White, Prothonotary, and Canada warblers. We missed the following warblers--Orange Crowned, Mourning, Ovenbird--but they where reported, just couldn't get to them in time to ID.  Early in the week, a Golden-Winged warbler was at Magee, and later in the week both a female Kirtlands and Connecticut where in the areas. So it shows that you do need to stay a couple of days, and bird different spots to get them.

Drinks anyone??

We spotted other first of year(FOYs) birds at Magee, Ottawa NWR auto tour, and Metzger Marsh. Those birds included Black-bellied Plover and American Golden Plover(lifer for JK), American Woodcock, Marbled Godwit, Forster's Tern

At the end of 4pm on Monday, we where winding down and on the road back to Columbus, making our final tally. We realized that we missed Rock Dove(pigeon) and needed it for the trip. Luckily at the next freeway overpass, Boom!! Rock Doves.


Team Puffin Puffin Passenger Pigeon ended the 24 hours of Birding with 111 total species seen/heard by at least 2 members, from 4pm Sunday to 4pm Monday. Sam got 2 lifers on this trip, AMGP, MAGO. Now at the end of the day, we where exhausted.

Big Day totals:
2013--94
2014--122
2015--111

Misses:
Ducks, Osprey, Coopers, Black-necked Stilt, Snipe, both Cuckoos, Nighthawk, Olive-sided empidx, Horned lark, Chickadee, Titmouse, Nuthatch, Bluebird, Trasher, Pipit, Orange-crowned, BTBlue, BTGreen, Ovenbird, N waterthursh, Mourning, Wilson's warblers, Chipping, Lincolns, Swamp, White Crowned sparrows, Grosebeak, House Finch


Next Up:  ???

#24Hrs of Birding Pregame

Ladies and Gentlemen . . . start your binoculars!!! It's time for the annual Bird-a-thon here in the great state of Ohio.  The team is gathering, we are well seasoned and ready to #bird. This is the third year our team will attempt a bid day. Each of the last two years have been great. In 2013 we got 94 total species and 2014 was a record setting 122. All Day!! What will 2015 bring?!?

So the plan is this year to start on Sunday May 10th around 3-4pm and finish twenty-four hours later on Monday. The route will stay the same with Big Island, KillDeer Plains the first night, and daybreak at the Magee Boardwalk, followed by Ottawa NWR auto tour, Metzger Marsh and finish back at the east end of the boardwalk.

This year, our team name is Puffin Puffin Passenger Pigeon.   Follow us on twitter @ceogambill or #T4P for live updates.

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