Biggest Week of American Birding Opens

Spring has finally arrived.  Migration is on, both for birds and birders.

Great Egret strikes a pose for adoring fans.

 The Biggest Week in America Birding is now happening on the shores of Lake Erie, near Oak Harbor, Ohio.  While many believe this event is all about migratory birds, like this stunning Great Egret or the charming neo-tropical wood warblers (which are much harder to photograph), I submit they are wrong.

Day one of the BWIAB, field trip to South Sandusky Bay.

 The Biggest Week in American Birding is actually about people.  We are connecting people to nature and to other people.  Everywhere you look people are helping each other find and identify birds.  Some of us like to discover how birds relate within habitats and more about their life histories.

We learn so much from other birders! Getting to meet people from all walks of life and connecting them with other conservation minded people is my greatest joy.

Ken and Amanda (mostly obscured) Duren and Kenn and Kim Kaufman

 It is rewarding to welcome the new guard like Ken and Amanda Duren, who both have interests and vocations in nature and birding.  It is also a pleasure to spend time with old friends like Kenn and Kim Kaufman and learn of their latest adventures.  FYI: Just published a great book called, Kaufman Field Guide to the Nature of the Midwest.

Kim Kaufman received the prestigious Chan Robinson Award from ABA's Jeff Gordon.

 Part of the opening festivities included American Birding Association's Jeff Gordon awarding Kim Kaufman with the Chandler Robinson Award.  It was an excellent kick off for this event and another reminder- it is all about education and people.  A love of birds just happens to be the medium that pulls us all together!

R. Bruce.  He is not really right, but he is ours.

 Last but not least, a concert by my dear friend R. Bruce.  Bruce has a comedy act which happens to incorporate some pretty catchy music.  He wowed the crowd with favorites like, " A Shark Ate my Baby Brother, " and "Too Much Butt (for One Pair of Jeans)".

Yes, he is not right, but this ADD Cowboy is all ours and a ton of fun to boot.

Raymond Van Buskirk, Jeff Gordon, R. Bruce and Bill Sain

The curtain call (if only there were curtains) brought down the house.  R. Bruce got his fellow "Kilted Birders" to join him on stage for a rousing chorus of "We are the Kilted Birders" and they wore their kilts with pride.

Just when you thought birding events had maxed their holding capacity for fun, R Bruce hits the scene.  The Maumee Bay Lodge may never be the same.

SO, if you're not having enough fun in life, hustle right up to Maumee Bay Lodge and Magee Marsh in Oak Harbor, Ohio.  We have about 6 more days of flat out birding and craziness planned!

Shreve Migration Sensation

One of Ohio's earliest spring birding festivals, the Shreve Migration Sensation is a fun family event.  Over a thousand people attend annually, with attendance peaking on warm years. Sometimes we have ice and snow, occasionally it is warm and sunny.  This year we had early morning fog, 



With prices like this, it is still a bargain!

...but the people packed in.  Many of them chose to stay in for the programs rather than brave the elements.

A wide assortment of programs are offered each year.  It was quite an honor for me to be included in this stellar line-up: Chuck Jakubchab, Judy Semroc, Jim McCormac and both Kim and Kenn Kaufman.  No wonder I never made it outside!



Sue Olive works the Greater Mohican Audubon booth.


There were plenty of vendors, displays, yummy food and hands-on learning stations for the kids.







It is a great place to catch up with friends.
Jan Kennedy (center) Jim McCormac and Guy Denny





The bird sightings were texted to your blogger and charted on the board.

Shreve is now 4-G!  This event is totally up to speed, thanks to Scott Hannan's suggestion for texting in the bird sightings. Once the fog lifted enough for Scott to see the eagle on its nest, he reported in! We are getting all modern here in Shreve. Who knows? Next year we may add Twitter feeds! 



Carbon- or methane-  off-set?

We didn't have a carbon offset project, but then again, a third of the crowd arrives by buggy. Maybe we should consider a methane off-set project.

Kenn Kaufman had a hard act to follow- Kimberly Kaufman!

The auditorium was packed for all the programs.  By the late afternoon, the heavy hitters had standing room only!  Kenn Kaufman ended  the day with "The Magic of Bird Flight."

Jim McCormac and Mary Ann Barrett

The quaint town of Shreve must feel the influx of all these birders. We love to patronize the local businesses and enjoy having lunch at Des Dutch Essenhaus.  They even have a website!

The only birds I got to see were the ones from the Medina Raptor Center, but it was still an amazing day spent with good friends and a wonderful town full of kind-hearted people ready to welcome us in!

Thank you to everyone who donated their time and talents to this event, and to all the attendees.  Shreve Migration Sensation is a perfect example of how eco-tourism works to help promote natural areas and wildlife. 

More Meadowbrook

 More Meadowbrook.  Let's face it, the world would be a better place if there were "more Meadowbrooks."

Great Egrets lined up at Meadowbrook Marsh

Meadowbrook Marsh is a park in Danbury Township on the Marblehead peninsula of Ohio.  It was set aside for nature and recreation through some great community efforts, and some statewide birding projects are helping to conserve even more of the wetland.

It was the first ever Carbon Offset Bird Project- rolled out at the Midwest Birding Symposium 2011.

A towering Bur Oak.

In addition to the wonderful wetlands, you'll find woods, fields and the most incredible oak tree that dwarfs mere humans.

Julie Davis, Kim and Kenn Kaufman, Jen Sauter, and Cheryl Harner hope you will bird at Meadowbrook.

Two of Ohio's largest bird organizations, BSBO and OOS are working together to protect and preserve this area which provides excellent bird habitat.

I hope you will join us on Sept 28-30 in Lakeside for the OOS Conference... and join a field trip to Meadowbrook Marsh to see what all the fuss is about!

Birding Ohio at Pipe Creek

Social Media meet birding, in a big way.  All across Ohio birders came out to share their interests and learn from one another. We made new friends, promoted birds and birding with "the Pledge to Fledge."  

OOS had a group meeting up at Hoover Reservoir and a bumper crop of Buff-breasted Sandpipers. Toledo Naturalists' Association, Ottawa Refuge and Magee Marsh Wildlife also had fabulous events to encourage new birders and old birders who love to bird!  Don't you love it when a plan comes together?  

 The Birding Ohio Facebook group gathered at Pipe Creek in Sandusky, Ohio. We met up at McDonald's (join Facebook page  here to see the photo of the full group.)

Greg Miller (center).

I came along for the ride with my buddy Greg Miller. He is a wonderful bird mentor and a great friend.  Yes, I knew Greg (in the pre-Jack Black days) before he was rich and famous... well, OK, famous.  He is a great guy and we love talking politics. We may see things from different perspectives, but we have intelligent conversation- which puts us way ahead of either of our political parties!

Kim and Kenn Kaufman ready to BIRD!

The Birding Ohio group arranged several great guides for this trip, including Kim and Kenn Kaufman. Kim was quick to claim she is no shorebird pro, but Kenn has it covered.  Kenn is a wonderfully patient teacher and if you weren't able to join us on this trip, I encourage you to buy the Kaufman Field Guide to Advanced Birding.  Carry Kenn in your pocket!  Or better yet, pull him out of your pocket and read the chapter on shorebirds.  He will help you make sense of these madly, confusing birds.  He generously allows that shorebirds- with all of their various plumages- are a challenge!

So the beginners got to see their first Dowitchers, and we intermediates felt better about not knowing if they were Long-bill or Short-billed Dowitchers.  Greg led us through the process of looking at their back-ends for the barred feather patterns.

We were working it!  Photographers, birders and general naturalists were on a Pipe Creek free-for all.

If you are like me and the intense study of plumage is not your main interest, the beauty of this wetland provided many other opportunities for enjoyment. Numerous Great Blue Herons and a two Little Blue Herons worked the shoreline next to a Snowy Egret. A Great Egret and Red-necked Phalaropes also put on quite the show.  That white speck in the center of the photo is a female Phal in outstanding plumage.  These birds who feed by swimming in crazy, erratic circles are standouts among the shorebirds and easy to share with beginners.

Habitat wise, the flowering Purple Loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, is an invasive species which degrades wetlands, but it was handy for the butterflies and pollinators utilizing it.  Scanning across the wetlands with binoculars provided an endless supply of dragonflies, bees, and butterflies to discover.

How can we tell this is a Bull Frog?

Wetlands and frogs, beautiful things.  Frogs make tasty food for the herons, who don't even care if this is a bull frog or green frog.  However, we know it is a bull frog because it lacks the dorsal lateral folds on its back.  See that smooth back- no lines?  That is a bull frog my friend.   Or shall I say, "That is a bull frog, my friend!"?

Thanks again to the Birding Ohio folks and all the friends who made this day special!  

Shreve Migration- Sensational!

Welcome to the 12th Annual Shreve Spring Migration Sensation!

 The official door greeter, a Peregrine Falcon took his job very seriously.

 "This ain't no Walmart, Mister."

 The Medina Raptor Center provides live birds for the event. It is a rare opportunity for many kids to see a magnificent bird of prey eye-to-eye.

 The vendor booths are always popular, but something extra special must have been going on at "Time and Optics".  Maybe our friend Robert Hershberger was telling one of his famous birding stories?

Holy Salamanders!  Nina Harfmann, the winner of the DOW Diversity Stamp photo contest was also on hand!  A lot of folks got their  Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamps signed by Nina.  If you haven't bought one yet, be sure to pick one up at Black Swamp Bird Observatory this spring.  That $15.00 stamp promotes wildife diversity throughout Ohio.

Your Blogger caught up with the now-famous Ryan Steiner while birding at Cemetery Road.  Ryan is a fantastic birder, who has amazing abilities and writes articles for the Greater Mohican Audubon Newsletter!  One of my favorite partners for Christmas Bird Counts, this young man has a wealth of birding information which he eagerly shares!

It is his latest find that was probably all the talk at that Time and Optic booth. Ryan tooks some youngsters out to bird at Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area and turned up a Neslon's Sparrow!  UNHEARD of in March in Ohio.  This is big birding news folks!

Nelson's Sparrow, photo by Ryan Steiner

 Not only did Ryan find the bird, he got a very good photo to document it!   We'll get Ryan (the birding rockstar!) to tell us the whole story in a future GMAS newsletter.

The soggy trail at Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area where the Nelson's Sparrow was found.  A second Nelson's was also seen at this location during the Shreve Sensation.

Kenn Kaufman was our keynote speaker at Shreve. We took copious notes and photos as it is always an honor to learn from Kenn.  His "Spectacular Sparrows" was the perfect program for the Year of the Nelson's Sparrow.  Usually we are all about waterfowl at this early migration event, but 2012 took a whole new turn!

Kim and Kenn Kaufman greeted the crowds after their programs.  Kenn, almost passing for Amish, still had on his Ammodramus sparrow hat.

All the speakers were well attended and provided an interesting selection of topics.  Thanks to the committee who runs the Migration Sensation and the many volunteers who make it happen:  The school staff, the many volunteers -especially the ones providing educational opportunies for kids, and our Greater Mohican Auduboners who help in the field.  Thank you to the people who make this event continue to attract over 1,000 people each year! 

While Shreve is normally considered a waterfowl/ wetland event, it was my honor to present the first ever Shreve Migration program on butterflies.  It was a wonderful opportunity to talk about butterflies that migrate, and others who emigrate. Who knew the temperatures would already be in the high 60's with numerous species flying in March? Studying about butterfly migrations was unique opportunity for me to learn so much more about the insects that interest me so. 

A special thanks goes out to the wonderful friends who provided information and books about butterflies; I couldn't have done it without you.

Hope to see you all again next year at this family friendly event!