My first bird watching outing.

[Tom Montgomery]

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A first cousin has been in town from South Carolina and staying with my sister for the last 5 days. She was attending her Oberlin College reunion. Carol is a bird watcher and asked my sister and me to visit Magee Marsh Wildlife Area with her today. The wildlife area is on the shore of Lake Erie midway between Sandusky and Toledo.

We had a blast! I think I have discovered a new hobby!

Here is a list of what we saw today:

Mallard
Canada Goose
Killdeer
Virginia Rail (two adults and seven downy black chicks)
American Redstart
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (in its nest)
Black-capped Chickadee
Red-Winged Blackbird
Blackbird
Crow
Yellow Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Indigo Bunting
Gray Catbird
American Robin
European Starling
Common Yellowthroat
House Wren
Carolina Wren
Tree Swallow
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Blue Heron
Green Heron (in its nest)
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch
Eastern Kingbird
Northern Cardinal
Baltimore Oriole
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Mourning Dove
Least Flycatcher
Bald Eagle (adult)
Bald Eagle (juvenile)


Eastern Painted Turtle
Blanding’s Turtle

[Keith Wilson]

Re: My first bird watching outing.

Fun. My wife recently discovered an Android app from the Cornell ornithology lab which identifies birds by their calls. Maybe that's cheating, but it's fun to play with. Info here.

[McMike]

Re: My first bird watching outing.

Sounds like fun. We want to get into it, lots of different, to us, birds up here.

[CWSmith]

Re: My first bird watching outing.

I am jealous. I grew up in Baltimore and I don't know if I've ever seen a Baltimore Oriole (except at the ball field).

[TerryLL]

Re: My first bird watching outing.

When in AK we always did the Christmas bird count. Since we lived offshore on an island we always rocked the marine birds in massive numbers. Not unusual to see surf scoters in gaggles of hundreds at a time. Puffins, Harlequin ducks, Auklets, Mergansers. I do miss it all.

[Mrleft88]

Re: My first bird watching outing.

WOW! Indigo Bunting! I've only seen one once. The most intense iridescent blue I think I've ever seen.
Now, go take a shower, and count the ticks you find....

[Canoeyawl]

Re: My first bird watching outing.

I am jealous. I grew up in Baltimore and I don't know if I've ever seen a Baltimore Oriole (except at the ball field).

When I was a boy I think every shade tree on our street had an Oriole nest hanging in it. The grand old Elms and Chestnuts were mostly gone by then, leaving Maples or Oaks. And then the town started systematic spraying/fumigation of DDT up into the canopy on each side of every street.

My mother made me come indoors when the truck went by the house, but immediately after the truck went by I was allowed out again and remember marveling at all the butterflies and dragonflies lying on the ground seemingly suffocating. Slowly fluttering, no longer able to fly with only the tiniest drop of white liquid on each of them.
The Oriole nests disappeared a year or two later.

[CWSmith]

Re: My first bird watching outing.

^ Sobering story. I did see the osprey come back on The Bay once DDT stopped being used, but I never thought about the Orioles and butterflies.

[Canoeyawl]

Re: My first bird watching outing.

My childhood memories have seriously tainted any thoughts I may have today on corporate America.
Including remembrances of friends lost to agent orange

Edit to add: the same town (including our house) had lead water supply pipes, It's amazing I am still here and can remember anything...

[Keith Wilson]

Re: My first bird watching outing.

I did see the osprey come back on The Bay once DDT stopped being used . . .

I never saw bald eagles growing up, and now the things are just about like pigeons. You see them in the city all the time, and more outside. Some progress, anyway..

[leikec]

Re: My first bird watching outing.

We get Baltimore Orioles for maybe a week in the spring and then they’re gone…

Jeff C

[JayInOz]

Re: My first bird watching outing.

My friend Phil and I were talking at my front gate a couple of days ago. He was looking over my shoulder and said "The little birds in your yard- it's almost a plague!" A slight exaggeration but there are a lot. JayInOz

[ron ll]

Re: My first bird watching outing.

I have the Cornell bird app. Love it. And wasn’t there a recent movie like, My Big Year or something like that about bird watching?

[David G]

Re: My first bird watching outing.

I can see the attraction. An excuse to get out. The excitement of the hunt. A bit of competition if you like. I have a couple of friends who are serious about it, and it's their excuse for exotic trips.

[Jimmy W]

Re: My first bird watching outing.

Some hummingbirds, but mostly Baltimore Orioles have been emptying this feeder daily.

male Baltimore oriole 5-13-2023.jpg