A Pandemic Salute to BWIAB

Because we will not be hosting tours as part of the Biggest Week in American Birding again this year due to the pandemic, I wanted to at least honor this remarkable event (which starts today) with some striking visuals, captured on the southern shore of our beloved Lake Erie by friend and renowned photographer Art Weber. 

Thank you, Art, for your friendship, your enduring mentorship, your unwavering support of our mission, and for gracious access to your unbelievable skills at capturing nature through your imagery. I light up literally every time I see your work!

An almost electric prothonotary warbler (one of my personal favorites) contemplates its next move
to take down an immobilized Bombus (would need help to ID to species).

The tail-wagging palm warbler is a welcomed guest to Standing Rush each spring.

An alert Swainson's thrush proves one does not need to be bright to be beautiful.

Green herons are common nesters at the marsh (and now that we've moved, in my backyard) and I enjoy seeing -- and hearing -- them,
particularly under the low-light of dawn and dusk.

May 2020: Still About the Birds

Highlights from this month included the following -- if you look back at the month of May historically at Standing Rush, it has been dominated by birds; 2020 was no exception . . .

I am always struck at how slowly coastal wetlands transition to green in the spring. But don't let
the drab tans and browns fool you: there is a mind-boggling pulse of new life and nearly constant change in the marsh -- particularly this time of year.

If eagles nesting on or adjacent to Standing Rush are "our eagles," than this is a pair of "our swans" from 2020, just setting up fresh quarters for a new brood.

Roy was embarrassed by his use of a Gatorade bottle for scale,
but it demonstrates the point: those are five big trumpeter eggs
that hopefully fledged as five more healthy cygnets.
The ecological success story continues at Standing Rush.

Another regular in springtime at Standing Rush:
a Bonaparte's Gull.

This juvenile seems content to be taking in some
welcomed sun & warmth.

Chalk another one up to the motion cameras . . .
The following are excerpts from literally dozens of trail camera images taken over an eight day
period on the southern fringe of the West Marsh. The mother Great Horned Owl (above)
accompanied what seemed to be three owlets individually on regular test flights -- day and night --
to a nearby, downed willow branch.

The last day on camera, the owlets were taking their test flights together.
Based on the timing of these repeated short flights, it is
likely the eggs were laid in early to mid-February
and the owlets were born in mid-March.

Despite the unprecedented cancellation of The Biggest Week in American Birding, and even 
amidst a global pandemic, the neotropical birds still made their annual pilgrimage.
Sadly, there were just precious few birders on site to observe their passage in 2020.

A warm May thunderstorm atop a fertile wetland is the recipe to fully break the bottled-up
relative dormancy of spring and launch into the lush green of summer.

One BIG Week

Green heron in full spring splendor
(just outside our field office)

As our official involvement in this year's Biggest Week in American Birding draws to a close, I'd like to again thank the Black Swamp Bird Observatory for its tireless energy and passion, remarkable organizational skills and event choreography, and general professionalism. What has been built in the last ten years is truly something remarkable, and the benefits extend WAY beyond just our feathered friends (not just to other groups of animals [including humans] but to the root of conservation itself).

I'd also like to thank all those who attended Standing Rush's presentation at Maumee Bay State Park and those who took the time to come see us in person. Guests this year again represented a staggering spread geographically (Michigan, Indiana, Louisiana, Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Colorado, and even Ecuador -- just to name some off the top of my head). It was also really gratifying to have a decent number of true locals join our tours this year. As we've experienced in the past, it is a real shot in the arm to realize that people are paying attention to our efforts and that people are genuinely thrilled to see the progress first-hand.

We also received some satisfying confirmation that at least some people find our online ramblings to be not just informative but entertaining. In fact, I was introduced to the term "binge reading" as it relates to this online journal. Again, this is both flattering and a motivation to keep up the good fight.

One of our furthest human "migrants" to visit Standing Rush this week (from Ecuador), chasing swallows on the wing
with his camera when he wasn't helping to guide the group

In our interaction with Biggest Week, tour participants are highly motivated to visit Standing Rush for a unique encounter that's a little different than the traditional bird watching tour: to learn from on-the-ground restoration by experiencing it first-hand. That said it never hurts to have some decent bird activity. Yesterday, in particular, offered that perfect combination. Participants were very much engaged in the restoration stories, but they were equally enthralled by a stunning variety of birds brought in by Wednesday night's south wind (a rare occurrence thus far this spring).

I haven't seen the final list, but our talented guides tallied somewhere on the order of eighty (that's 8-0!) species of birds on the property in under four hours of touring. They were quick to underscore that "it's not about the numbers," but at the same time, we were all in awe that we surpassed 20 species before we even left the area around our field office. If you do the math, a handful of birders witnessed a new species about every 3 minutes for the entire morning on the property. I'll try to post more specifics at some point, but here are some of the highlights that I was able to capture with my own camera. I'm really hoping our guests contribute some of their favorites from their own cameras so that I can share those, too.

Yesterday marked the first time this year that we witnessed the striking Blackburnian warbler; the first three we saw eluded
my camera, but I caught this one, the fourth -- literally minutes before I left for the day (and the rains came)

This northern parula (another warbler) seemed as happy as we were to be out of the wind and in the sun;
I love photographing in soft willows and newly budding trees this time of year

White-crowned sparrows were a dime a dozen, particularly along stone-covered paths yesterday; but it's still pretty
hard to take this elegant "little brown bird" for granted when you get him magnified and in focus

This blue-gray gnatcatcher literally refused to sit still long enough to pose for the camera; we just lucked out and
captured perpetual motion in this fun still

Yellow warblers remain the dominant warbler species on the property (we literally witnessed hundreds yesterday alone),
but this singing female made for a pose I couldn't resist

Speaking of poses, this American tree swallow sat with a companion bird (on the dead-fall in the background) and
just waited for us to get our fill with our cameras

For every one decent image, there were probably a dozen subjects that just never cooperated, as this black-and-white warbler
demonstrates (that said sometimes out of focus can still make for a neat shot)

Sora, typically pretty secretive rails, have been both very reliable to find on and around our southern boundary and
quite cooperative in posing for the camera these last few days

This single row of dogwoods and willows could have kept us entertained all day

Standing Rush on display at Maumee Bay State Park -- thanks, as always, to the growing list of individuals
who are helping to support our mission

P.S. Just because the festival is wrapping up this weekend, the spring migration is FAR from over. In fact, with all the wind and cool weather we've had over the last several weeks, the best could still be yet to come! If you can't get out right away, make sure you check out the newly released documentary on the importance of our region and the coastal marshes along Lake Erie as they relate to bird migrations. As of this morning, it is now available any time from just about anywhere (free) at https://www.wgte.org/tv/programs/flight-path-world-migratory-birds-0. Thank you public media!

BSBO and the Biggest Week in American Birding

Special thanks to BSBO staff, leaders, volunteers, and guests for two enjoyable mornings
afield this past week at Standing Rush

With 1,100 trees now planted, 200+ pike to attend to, 140 tree tubes installed, nearly 100 bird species identified, 2 guided birding walks completed in collaboration with the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO), and 1 student from St. John's Jesuit HS shadowing me, (in addition to the routine happenings of a typical week at work,) this truly was a "Biggest Week."

One of literally dozens of species of warblers, small 
migratory songbirds that draw birdwatchers to our area 
by the tens of thousands each year
(Yellow-rumped Warbler)

This weekend marks the official end to BSBO's Biggest Week in American Birding festival -- an annual ten day celebration highlighting NW Ohio's significance in a transcontinental migration that pulls hundreds of bird species . . . and now 100,000+ birdwatchers . . . to and through our area. Lake Erie (and all the Great Lakes, for that matter) present quite an impediment for our winged guests, who -- in springtime -- are flying back north from the southern U.S. and even Central and South America to find suitable nesting and summering habitat further north. So our south shore becomes a magnet for large concentrations of all things birding -- birds and people. And as an oasis of food and shelter, the marshes of the Western Basin of Lake Erie become the epicenter.

As readers of this blog may recall, last fall we were the lone recipient of BSBO's conservation fund, an inspiring reinvestment in local, grassroots efforts to protect and improve local habitats that benefit resident and migrant bird populations -- along with the broader ecosystem. These funds come $5 at a time from "Biggest Week" registrations. So again, we say thank you.

Lighting was poor, but it was still exciting to
see this Sandhill Crane -- only the second
we've seen on the ground since we took
possession of the property

This was our first spring as an official participant in a logistical marvel. Dozens and dozens of guided trips are offered to dozens and dozens of diverse locations from Oak Openings to Erie County. Federal and State properties absorb tremendous numbers of birders, but this is also an opportunity for enthusiasts to tour private properties, like ours, that have limited or no access any other time of year.

Photos probably summarize our two morning walks better than my words can. But essentially, the goal was to open the floor to the main attraction -- the birds -- while sprinkling in some of the history and promise that makes our property unique. There was definitely a genuine interest in our restoration activities, and I have to admit, it was a shot in the arm to hear people from all over the country enthusiastically endorse what we are undertaking.

Birders are a rare breed, from my experience. Most revel in the detail and the diversity of their most highly prized subjects, but most also appreciate that they are part of a broader ecosystem. It's pretty tough to have one without the other, so our growing collaboration with BSBO makes a lot of sense. Sure, our guests loved compiling their "list" of nearly 100 bird species seen on the property (not bad for ~10 hours of walking and observing over two spring mornings), but they also appreciated hearing where the land has been and where we hope to take it into the future.

Thursday's group in action -- participants came from as far afield as Texas and North Carolina; in fact, I would say
we had as many guests from out of state (and considerably so) than we did from Ohio

I lucked into some pretty cool composition with this photo; I love the unique bend of the log beneath the on-legged perch
of a bird that is typically most at home standing in mud
(I'm not confident with my shorebirds, but I'm pretty confident that this is a Solitary Sandpiper)

We pulled water off our 40-acre Rest Pond over the last week in the hopes of drawing some shorebird diversity;
these Short-Billed Dowitchers (along with a dozen-plus other species of long-legged guests) didn't disappoint

This Palm Warber winters in Central America or the Caribbean, but it contributes not only to Northwest Ohio's
designation as the "Warbler Capital of the World" but also to stiff necks (see below)

A familiar scene -- not only at our property, but all over the region as spring migrants push north

For those interested in a comprehensive list, here are the 80 species of birds we collectively observed and recorded on one of the two (~5 hour) walks at Standing Rush this past week. I haven't seen the list for the other outing yet, but it was amazing to me how certain species made their presence known one day but not the other. I guess it's a testament to the logic of a biggest week. Truth is, there have been migrants flying through our region for months now, and their will be for another couple months. And just as one thinks migrations north are all wrapped up, birds begin passing back through on their way back to wintering grounds. Upshot is: keep the binoculars and handy.

P.S. Parts of our property were part of what was referred to historically as "Medusa Marsh" (because of the influence of the Medusa Portland Cement Company's plant physically located just to our north at the unincorporated community of Bay Bridge -- just east of Bay View). We aren't even sure what marked the boundaries associated with this name, but for most birders, Medusa Marsh is anything loosely located around our highway exit. People are almost apologetic to use this name for the property; I like it -- it's part of the heritage and history of the land.

The Warblers Are Coming! (and so are some other cool birds)

Yellow-rumped or Myrtle Warbler in dogwoods -- April 21, 2017

As anticipated, lots has changed since I left northwest Ohio just over a week ago. Native trees and shrubs are starting to leaf out in earnest and especially for those who fertilize, the lawn mowers have been asked to come out of hibernation, too. I've yet to make my first cut, but there is no question that spring has sprung in northern Ohio!

From what I hear, last week's weather along the Lake was a classic seesaw: one day of bright sunshine reminded untested skin that it's getting to be sunscreen season, and then the next day it was time to scramble for a winter hat. But there has been enough sustained wind from the south to start ushering in the often colorful and always inspiring neotropical migrants. Warblers are the stars of the show, but dozens and dozens of bird species make their way from southern reaches often amazingly far afield (think Central and even South America). Individuals may only rest over for hours or days as they push on into Canada, but the bi-annual (spring and fall) phenomenon is just getting going and collectively should last for weeks.

I would anticipate I'll be writing plenty more on guests such as the Yellow-rumped Warbler in the lead-up to and even following The Biggest Week in American Birding. For those unfamiliar, this is no publicity stunt. This is another example of a Northwest Ohio treasure that often goes unnoticed or at the very least wildly underappreciated locally while it has become must-see entertainment for a regional, national, and even international audience. (The Oak Openings region and Lake Erie in general could be put into a similar category.)

At any rate for now, here are a few other cool images Roy collected while I was away. I'll be playing catch up with some others over the coming days.

Tree Swallow (with an itch)

Great Egret (apparently in the midst of a staring contest)

Wood Ducks in millet (hen in front, drake in rear)

Dunlin (non-breeding)