#620 Swainson's Warbler in O-H-I-O

"Hang on Sloopy, Sloopy hang on
Hang on Sloopy, Sloopy hang on
Sloopy lives in a very bad part of town
And everybody yeah, tries to put my Sloopy down
Sloopy I don't care, what your daddy do
Cause you know Sloopy, girl, I'm in love with you
 And so I sing out" -- The McCoys, 1965

My Sloopy bird for the year finally showed up here in Ohio. After birding most my entire life, I've seen a lot of birds. Almost every year, I can count on Ohio bringing a life bird my way. What a great state!!

2018--Iceland Gull 2017--Calliope Hummer & Long-tailed Jeager  2016--Curlew Sandpiper  2015--Brambling & Black-headed Gull  2014--Northern Wheater


so now was does 2019 have for me?!?

Swainson's Warbler, male

#620

Limnothlypis swainsonii













A heavyset warbler of southern swamps and forested ravines, the Swainson’s Warbler has a bold, ringing song but tends to remain frustratingly hidden in the understory. This brownish songbird isn’t as brilliantly colored as other warblers, but males have a subtle chestnut tone in the crown and sometimes a lemon-yellow wash below. The species forages mostly in dense vegetation on or near the ground, where it uses its hefty bill to turn over leaves in search of insects and spiders.


Back on May 13th, a local birder in the Dayton area was checking the Tecumseh trail in New Carlisle, OH . . and heard the very distinct call of a Swainsons' https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Swainsons_Warbler/sounds

This young male has set up shop and the entire state of Ohio and birders afar have come to hear this bird first, then see slight glimpses, then maybe get great pictures like these. Bird was last reported June 18th, even after the Dayton Tornados on May 27th . . it survived.

7th Ohio bird reported ever on Ebird archives?  GreenLawn Cemetery 1985.

Rare for Ohio

Family history

Buddy Gambill--saw it after 1981, no exact record
Red & Louise--#650 in 1983, 85', 87'

Wow, mine was #620 and R&L was so close at #650

      

Party?

Mr. 620 Birds & 510 HP XKR Jaguar

Question:
So now that I'm at 620 ABA traditional area for life birds. What to do from here? Where to go from here?

Next Update: Plan of Bird Action to #700⇺🐦🐦

Arizona Birds +3 lifers & 99 degrees hot

In the week after Easter, my family had not rented their villa in Scottsdale, AZ. so we decided to travel for some hot sun weather . . . and of course birds!!  Actually, this trip was a quick three day lay at the pool everyday trip.  But with the west coast time change, early to bed early to rise . . . on the road at dark, making it to Cave Creek park at sunrise for this

In the Light, Led Zeppelin

safe Selfie time

I  was at Cave Creek looking for the Bendire's Thrasher, the last of the thrashers for me. Ebird reports where three weeks old.  I did hike some trails, not to far thou. Lack of water and equipment, but two hours and I found some good Arizona birds and many first of years!!

Cave Creek Parkway/Marriott birds:
Gambels' Quail--common on grounds
Swainson's Hawk--road back CC, perched
Harris Hawk--over pool, harassed by black birds
White-winged dove
Rosy faced Lovebirds--now living at Marriott
Costa Hummer
Gila wp
Say's Phobe
Ash-throated Empdix
Verdin
Curved-billed thrasher--no Bendy's
Hooded Oriole--orange and singing
Rufus-crowned sp
Abert's Towhee--at golf course

Lovebirds

Abert's Towhee

Mt. Ord & Lake Saguaro birds:
Pied-billed Grebe
Zone-tailed Hawk--look thru the buzzards, to get a Zone-tailed!!
Spotted sp
Willet
Eurasian-collard Dove
Bells Vireo
Gray Vireo--Lifer #618
Woodhouse Scrub-Jay
N. Rough-wing Swallow
Lucy's Warber--at the lake, life bird #579 seen again!
Canyon Towhee--heard only 😹
 Black-chinned Sparrow--Lifer #617
Scott's Oriole--wow, what a pretty bird and song of the mountains.

Black-chinned sparrow #617

Gray Vireo #618

 If you hear a ping-pong ball bouncing around rugged and rocky hillsides of the Southwest, look for a Black-chinned Sparrow. These small, long-tailed sparrows are gray with a pink bill and brown wings. Only the male sports the namesake black chin. They forage on the ground in chaparral and desert scrub, but they don't stay out in the open for long. They spend winters in Mexico.

Scott's Oriole

 A small, drab bird of desert scrub, the Gray Vireo shows only faint traces of the typical vireo spectacles and wingbars. Song is a halting series of 2 to 3 note phrases with a burry quality.

Zone-tailed Hawk

Woodhouse Scrub-Jay

Buckeye, AZ-- 27033 W. Harzen Rd. birds:
Inca ground dove
Common ground dove
Ruddy ground dove--Lifer #619
20 Peacocks--exotic, non-countable, just loud
Western Kingbird

Which one is Ruddy? #619

4 species in photo, w Lifer!!

Very common in the tropics, this little dove ranges north to northern Mexico, and recently it has been showing up increasingly often in our Southwest. Ruddy Ground-Doves are appropriately named after the bright ruddy-colored plumage of the male, which makes them distinctive from males of other ground-doves.

20 or more Peacocks . . .very loud

Me down the lane getting RUGR

 For not being a birding trip, boy did I bird!!! Thank you mom for the week of sun and fun. We really enjoyed it. How about my Nissan Murano/National Car rental and prepaid gas, one full tank, back on empty, 332 miles

57 species
+3 Lifers
32 FOYS

next up: Life bird in OHIO strikes again . . . I love this state