Birding with the Amish

Christmas Bird Counts in Wayne and Holmes counties often include a large number of Amish birders, many of them teenagers.  I enjoy the eagerness in which they approach the subject.  Nothing gets past their keen eyes and ears. 

Last weekend this group of young men had an unusual find in the Secrest Aboretum.  A December White-eyed Vireo!  Vireos are insect eaters and the pickings are mighty slim by this time of year.  All of its relatives have long gone south; this little slow-poke is an amazing find!

White-eyed Vireo on a Christmas Bird Count

In fact, it was significant enough Roger Troutman ( our count compiler) wanted a photo to document the little birdie.  Since the Amish don't take photographs,  Ryan Steiner and I were asked to show up with our cameras at the arboretum.  Now this photo won't make it into National Geographic (or anywhere else for that matter) but it is diagnostic.  The boys got their bird, and I was happy to help the young men out.

If you would like to know more about the Amish or even a bit about our birding experiences, Amish Values for your Family is a nifty book written by my friend, Susan Woods Fisher.  Several chapters have back stories about birding with the Amish. Local birder, Bruce Glick is quoted regarding the Holmes County CBC. 

One of the keys to success" Bruce writes, "is the encouragement of young birders.  These youngsters can tag-along, gradually learning the birds, and eventually becoming leaders themselves.  On the most recent Millersburg Christmas Bird Count were 113 participants, of which thirty were eighteen or younger. Many of these young folks are amazingly good birders already, having learned from older siblings, friends, and parents." 

Tommorow is my last CBC for this year and we will likely get to see many fine young Amish birders in action once again. Wish us luck- and good weather!

Quote from Suzanne's book was with "Permission Granted by Revell Books"

Family Farm Field Day

Yesterday was much like an opportunity to visit times past, as this idyllic scene unfolded near Sugarcreek, Ohio.

Hundreds of horses rested in the shade, freed from their burden of buggy and riders. Pony carts, family buggies, work carts and a battalion of abandoned bicycles lined the farm lot in Amish country.

The excitement was almost palatable, as the families and older children raced to the tents. There would be food, exhibits and games. Speakers for the grown-ups. A live llama, chicks hatching from eggs, a leaf and seed collection, bird and bug displays... a world of excitement!

The big tents circled on an open field, with wooden playground equipment taking an honored spot in the center. I would love to show more pictures of the scene, but for today you must use your imagination. With somewhere around 1,500-2,000 Amish folks gathered, there was no way I could take photos without infringing on their hospitality. I was a guest, it would be beyond rude to take photos as if I would studying some alien species. It is not proper.

This gathering would be the equivalent to an Amish state fair, without competition. No ribbons, no dog and pony shows. These are simple, plain people after all. So imagine your county fair without the lights and rides, and add in nature displays and walks through a wetland. Yes, there was food, but the lines were too long to get to the pie. Fortunately, the tent with homemade ice cream made up for it.

Several things come to mind when I have spent an afternoon with this Amish community. Children seem to be well appreciated here- however they know their place. Children gather quietly and respectfully, and I have never seen pushing, shoving or angry words. Of course, there is a bit of shy curiosity, as we "English" are the strange ones in this gathering. These small children have grown up speaking "Dutch" and for the most part, only speak when they are spoken to.

We spent much of our time in the "Nature Tent" where people gathered for trips to the back lot trail through woods and wetland: Birding with Ed Schlabach, Nature with Guy Denny, Dragonflies with Ian Adams, Wetlands with Don Beam... to name a few.

It was my good fortune to be asked to tag along with Guy Denny's Nature walk. I made myself useful near the back of the walk, where I could talk to the women and children. Many of them enjoy watching birds at their feeders at home and growing plants in their yards and gardens. We had much in common to talk about.

Guy Denny, retired Director of Ohio Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, and Don Beam of Stucker Meadows Native Plants discuss the lay of the land and the sightings of the day. This was one of the few places I felt comfortable with my camera- in the nearly empty car parking area.

We also spent a bit of time with good friend Ian Adams, an amazing photographer with several books in print. Ian was leading the Dragonfly walks, as he is not only a gifted photographer but also an excellent birder, butterfly and dragonfly guide.

If you are not familiar with Ian's work- you should immediately go here to order your copy of his newest book. It is filled with lovely images of many of my favorite places in Ohio and tips for getting the photos in many of these locations.

I'll leave you with Ian's image of one of my favorite locations in the world: the Marblehead Lighthouse, and the good reasoning of a man who loves this book, even though he is not a photographer.

"A photographer's guide to Ohio is written to help photographers improve their camera skills, but I treasure it most for its beautiful illustrations. Typical Ian Adams- a superb book."

David Kline- editor of Farming magazine (and organizer of Family Farm Field Day.)

More from Magee

International Migratory Bird Day at Magee attracted a much thinner crowd this year, something about rainstorms and tornado warnings scared off some of the casual birders. But we serious "warbler madness" types were still out in good number.



This magnificent Prothonotary warbler is just one of the 20 odd reasons we are willing to risk lightening and funnel clouds. With a window period of two weeks for these neo-tropical jewels to pass through Ohio on their way to the breeding grounds in Canada, we know if we miss it now, we will have to wait another full year until warblers in breeding plumage pass through again. So timing is everything.

....... .... Photo by Larry Richardson

Timing- and location. Here is your blogger, the Weedpicker, perched on a railing trying to claim a view from behind the front row birders. Some folks attend hockey or football games, we're just rallying for the Golden-wings, warblers that is!

And by mid afternoon, the crowds were being thrilled with glimpses of Black-throated Greens, Bay-breasted Warblers, and the ever popular Golden-winged Warbler.

..................................................photo by Sue Evanoff

Friend Sue Evanoff fired off this shot of the elusive male warbler, with the iconic golden patch on its wing. Many tried, and most of us failed to focus on this little beauty as it flitted about the leaves in search of supper.

We found a second Golden-winged Warbler at Metzger Marsh, where we enjoyed birding with some of Holmes county's "plain" birders. Many of our area's Amish are excellent birders and whole families come out to see these colorful migrants. After one all-too-brief look, an elderly gentleman remarked, "Oh, it is pleasing to see, sure enough." And indeed, he is right.

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If you are interested in our Holmes County Amish, and wonder about birding in their midst, you may want to listen to a recent interview on Amish Wisdom, a radio show hosted by Author Suzanne Wood Fisher.