Report from Killdeer Plains

Early December in Ohio can be quite picturesque -

Golden grasses on windswept plains

  Snow laden clouds hung above pools of waterfowl.

  

 Killdeer Plain's famous owl woods; we are searching for Long-eared Owls. 

 

 The best we could find was a sleepy Barred ( Bard?) Owl, perhaps with nom de plume Shakespeare, resting from his nightly work.

We had great company - Greg, Leslie Cornett and I ( not pictured) met up with Nina (the now near-famous salamander photographer and author) Harfmann and Tim Daniels, Division of Wildlife photographer.

The wet, open grass lands are excellent for Northern Harriers, once known as Marsh Hawks. 

We didn't stay late enough today to see the Short-eared Owls, but they are back.  This is one I photographed mid-day,  a few years back.

Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area lies south of Upper Sandusky, Ohio.  It is excellent for winter raptures, owls and migrating waterfowl.  For more information click- here.

Purple Sandpiper teaches lake ecology

Conneaut, Ohio.   The most north-east you can go in Ohio without leaving the state.  Sure, I could tell at least six different Conneaut jokes, as it has seen better days.  Those days were centered around rail transport and Conneaut was king.   Today, it remains a blue collar town with an active harbor. The only reason I could be persuaded to go to Conneaut (pronounced Konn-ee-ot' in Ohio) would be to see a good bird.

 Purple Sandpiper.  A good bird, in fact, a darn good bird for Ohio. 

Occasionally found along Ohio's Lake Erie break walls, Purple Sandpipers have a habit of showing up in the worst of winter's weather.  Usually snow is flying the break walls are sheeted with ice when these stout, short-legged birds come to call.  However, we were not disappointed to view this bird as the thermometer shot up to the 50's.  The hardy lakeshore-birding fanatics considered it light jacket weather!

A group of us passed a pleasurable 15 minutes or so, while the bird sorted through the piles of lake mussels at our feet.  Several times the bird was so close were unable to photograph it.  Such a problem.

Its bill opens slightly at the end for pinching out the collop of meat from the shell.

After a bit of thought, I wondered it the historical highs of zebra mussels (a non-native introduced by ships ballast water in the early 1980's) was impacting the number of  Purple Sandpipers being seen along our lake?  A quick "google" showed photo after photo of birds feeding on "Zebra mussels" and records indicate Ohio has recent reports of  wintering birds.  Not at all like the historical- "just passing through" behaviors of PUSA.

So could these mussels- an opportunity for easy food- be attracting or prolonging Purple Sandpiper's visits on our lake shore? 

• A.  If you are only interested in Purple Sandpipers...  you should skip on to the last photo.
• B.  If you are interested in lake ecology, you can continue to follow. Warning:  I am about to go "geek" on you.
  Now the news about non-native  invasive mussels in Lake Erie. Seems those mussels are not Zebra mussels after all!  Zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha  in Lake Erie have lost the battle- to Quagga mussels,Dreissena rostriformis bugensis.  A larger, but very similar species, which out performs the basic Zebra mussel in our cooler waters.

The following link is a fact sheet on Quaggas, the big winner in the lake invasion market.  At least the 'Pipers find them tasty.    http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?speciesid=95

The break wall at Conneaut, the scene of the "crime" so to speak.  Piles and piles of mussels shells could look mighty attractive to a Purple Sandpiper. 

Wintering Atlantic coastal Purple Sandpipers ( photo taken in Maryland in 2008.)

Purple Sandpipers are the hardiest of the shorebird types, wintering on rocky east coast shorelines and jetties.  I once witnessed a small wintering flock of 15 or so working the mossy rocks; they were giving no heed to humanoids nearby.  These 'pipers will wing off to the Canadian high Arctic to raise their young, and are not likely to encounter humans again until returning to their coastal wintering grounds. 

Great Lake Birding

Ashtabula, Ohio found on the banks of Lake Erie and the river the Iroquois named Ashtabula: "River of many fishes."  Industry has been a major component of this port since the city's beginning in 1803.  It is still a bustling harbor, complete with ships, trains and many tons of coal and slag.

Ashtabula Harbor.

But this winter it has had a new component: Birders.  Lots of and lots of birders have been making their way to key locations since mid November to view Ohio's rarest bird, the Black-tailed Gull. 

 The bird is in here- mixed in with about a bazillion other gulls.  Although, we did get decent looks at it today, it is devilish hard to photograph from these distances.  To learn more about this gull- pop over to  Jim McCormac's Blog to get the complete low down and a photo.

The train yard is where my friends and I spent a good deal of our time today.  There have been several reports of not one, but two Snowy Owls hanging about this area.  Snowy's have long been known to winter on the Cleveland Lakefront, so this did not come as a huge surprise.  Accustomed as they are to daytime feeding on lemmings, other mammals, and even birds, these grand creatures were seen early today hunting in the grassy area.  They also have an affinity for break walls and water edges, not surprising as fish could be in their diet, according to Kaufman's Lives of North American Birds.

By the time we arrived the trains had been moving about, most likely scaring the birds out of the open yard.  We relocated one on the break wall (circled in red).  It wasn't a bad view from a scope, and one of the best part of birding for me is allowing other folks enjoy good views from our equipment.  We met several nice people that would not have seen anything but that white dot- had they not looked through our scopes. 

Snowy Owls are rarely easy finds in Ohio.  Most are given to airport runways and other large open (tundra like?) areas where they are difficult to get to.  However, a couple years ago, on a BSBO pelagic tour- we got our eye full of owl!

This young Snowy Owl was perched out in the open on the back side of Burke Lakefront Airport.  We had spectacular views from the water.  Most often Snowy Owls seen in Ohio are females or juveniles- which have dark streaking.  Adult males have all white plumage, like the one we saw in the harbor today.

Birding an industrial sight always leaves me in wonderment.  How many more birds might there be if the lake front was still a pristine environment instead of a coal yard?  Moreover, why are these birds attracted to such high traffic areas as airports and city harbors?  Maybe if we keep birdwatching long enough, someday we'll figure that out.

Mohican's Lyons Falls

Mohican State Park could well be called the center of the universe- for a tree hugger in mid-Ohio. Within a 90 minute drive for over 7 million- yes, that is million- Ohioans, it is a verdant forest, boasting of an unglaciated gorge bisected by the Clear Fork River. Equal parts Canadian forest and high-and-dry oaks of a southern forest. The best of both worlds, hosting a multitude of breeding birds, including warblers, Bald Eagles and Osprey. Unusual plant communities include many species of ferns and several varieties of orchids.

Big Lyons Fall is accessed from the picturesque Covered Bridge trail.

It was a special treat to revisit this local landmark with a visiting friend from Belgium. We Americans tend to forget how truly extraordinary our State and National Parks are. For the first time in history land was set aside - for the pleasure of the common man- not kings or queens. It is our legacy and gift to preserve for future generations, and it is up to us to leave it unspoiled for those who follow.

Colm was appreciative of Little Lyons Falls as well. A steady stream of hikers passed through this area while we photographed the jagged rock and waterfall. One has to wonder if they know our Ohio state parks and forests are in danger of becoming industrial sites? How many fracking wells or timber sites will it take to mar the beauty and quietude of our pristine gorge?

It seems a poorly thought out plan to tout industry within a park to achieve finances for long deferred maintenance. Once the roads are over-burdened with semis hauling fracking fluid and timber, where will one go for the peace and sanctuary we have come to cherish? After all, who will want to visit our state parks? Will there be a need for improved lodging and facilities for anyone but the few gas workers and truck drivers?

Our natural areas are best kept natural. That gas has been in the ground for a long time now, and will keep for a few more years until we learn how to extract it safely without contaminating water and creating huge gas drilling "footprints" through out the park. If the state parks belong to the tax payers of Ohio, maybe some one should ask us how we feel about this plan.

Loons at Clearfork

Most people were focused on a turkey on Thanksgiving Day, and our family did indeed participate in a food fest. But some unexpected birds also arrived in time for Thanksgiving.

Common Loon. Photo by Colm Otten.

Our nearby Clearfork Reservoir had a "fall out" of loons! Over 200 loons were found floating about on the day before thanksgiving, and continued on for two days. But even more impressive, two of those loons were Pacific Loons- extremely rare visitors to the state of Ohio.

Our family made several trips to see them, but there were a bit out of our camera's range.

Birders at Mansfield sailing Club. Photo by Colm Otten

There was much excitement among the birders, as we set up our scopes in front of the Mansfield Sailing Club. It provides a good overlook of the lake, which is need to sort through 200 loons. The Pacific is bit smaller, and more delicate looking bird than the Common Loon, a heavy bodied water bird. Pacific also have a distinctive "collar"marking just below its head. Bonus birds were a female Long-tailed Duck and 30 or so Red-breasted Mergansers swimming in formation.

Cheryl Harner and JJ Soski. Photo By Colm Otten

My daughters are home for the holiday, and JJ is visiting from Philadelphia- where she works at Adventure Aquarium. She is way more interested in fish than birds, but she humored her ma and visited the Clearfork with me.

If you have an interest in swimming with the sharks at her aquarium, JJ can fix you right up. It is a bit of a strange job, but someone has to do it. (I guess...)

Later in the day we caught this fabulous sunset on a hike from the other side of the reservoir. I must say this is one of my favorite views in Richland County, and I never tire of sharing it with friends and family.

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!