Date: 11/1/24 9:56 pm From: Robert Thorn <robthorn6...> Subject: [Ohio-birds] Inland rare Birds, Oct 26 - Nov 1
Welcome to real Autumn in the Midwest: weird temperature swings, blustery
weather changes, leaves blown down (except for exotics & invasives).
Neotropical migrants have largely vanished, but temperate migrants will
often linger up through the New Year. This is the time for waterfowl,
gulls, and western strays.
Brant – 1 of these Atlantic beauties reached Presque Isle St.Park PA 10-26
Snow Goose – still multiple records around Chicago and downstate IL, along
with the western basin of Lake Erie. Eastern strays were at New Albany IN
10-24, Adams Lake St.Park OH 10-26 thru 11-01, Killbuck Swamp OH 10-30
Ross’s Goose – the Yorkville IL bird hung around thru 10-31, while another
was at Lincoln Park (Chicago) 10-29 & 30. No eastern strays reported this
cycle.
Gr.White-fronted Goose – lots of records in IL and western KY, but very few
east of central IN: Summit Lake IN 10-26, Lake Cumberland (near Pulaski) KY
10-25, Lost Creek Reservoir (Lima) OH 10-28&29, and near Mansfield OH
10-27&28
Black-bellied Whistling Ducks – one of the Wooster OH flocks continued to
be seen thru 10-25 (Prairie Lane wetlands). Goose Pond FWA IN had 1-2
lingering thru 10-27, while another 1 popped up south of Columbus OH 10-27
thru 30
*Mottled Duck* – the bird at Lake Springfield IL was still being found thru
10-30.
Surf Scoter – multiple birds along the Lake Michigan and Lake Erie shores;
southern Lake Michigan had multiple sites reporting birds 10-26, as did the
central basin of Lake Erie. Inland, strays reached Ceasar Creek Lake 10-30
and the Allegheny River N of Pittsburgh 10-27
White-winged Scoter – Lake Erie had birds at Headlands Beach OH 10-27 and
Presque Isle St.park PA thru 10-31; nothing on southern lake Michigan this
week. Inland, a bird reached Mosquito Lake OH 10-26. Many sightings north
and east of us.
Black Scoter – the Chicago lakeshore had 1 on 10-26, while Lake Erie had
multiple sightings: Cleveland lakeshore thru 10-30, Headlands Beach 10-27,
and Presque Isle St.Park PA thru 10-30. Inland strays reached Lake
Springfield IL 10-25 and Lake Snowden (Athens) OH 10-27
Long-tailed Duck – Lake Erie had birds in the central basin at Geneva OH
10-26 and Presque Isle St.Park PA thru 10-29, while south Lake Michigan had
1 on a pelagic trip 10-27
Red-necked Grebe – odd scattering of strays, with birds at Mosquito lake OH
10-26, Lake Maxinkuckee IN 10-27, and off Presque Isle St.Park PA thru 10-28
Eared Grebe – none in our area, but 2 were at the Muskegon MI Wastewater
ponds 10-26
White-winged Dove – 1 was around Lexington KY 10-27
*Anna’s Hummingbird* – Ohio’s 3rd State Record delighted many viewers at a
Columbus feeder 10-27 thru 31, alternating with several late-ish
Ruby-throats.
American Avocets – very late stragglers were 1 at Oxbow Preserve IN (W of
Cincinnati) 10-27 thru 29 and a flock of 34! at Chautauqua NWR IL 10-31
American Golden Plover – steep drop-off in sightings, with lingering birds
all away from Great Lakes: Meredosia IL 11-01, Gridley IL Wastewater ponds
10-26, Millersburg IN thru 10-30, and near Attica OH 10-27.
Black-bellied Plover – also dropping off, with a few birds on Great lakes:
Gary IN lakeshore thru 10-29, Illinois Beach St.Park thru 10-31, 2-4 at Pt.
Mouille SGA MI thru 10-30, and Presque Isle St.Park PA thru 10-31. Inland
only in IL: Carlyle lake 10-26 and Chautauqua MWR 10-31
Stilt Sandpiper – a very late bird was at LaDue Reservoir (E of Cleveland)
OH 10-26&27, while another was near Point Pelee Ontario the same dates
Sanderling – stragglers along Lake Michigan were at the Gary IN lakeshore
thru 10-29 and Chicago lakeshore thru 10-30, while Lake Erie only had them
on the Ontario shore
Baird’s Sandpiper – a late straggler was at Hoover Reservoir OH 10-26
White-rumped Sandpiper – the Walborn Reservoir OH bird lingered thru 10-26,
while another was further south at Cowan Lake OH 10-30
Ruddy Turnstone – the bird at Hoover Reservoir OH lingered thru 10-29
Parasitic Jaeger – 2-3 were around Presque Isle St.Park PA 10-26
Laughing Gull – the only 1 reported was front a landfill near Canton OH
10-31 thru 11-01
Franklin’s Gull – multiple stragglers in IL, all inland (Chautauqua NWR,
Horseshoe Lake St.Park, Clinton Lake, Crab Orchard NWR). Further east,
birds were still at Turtle Creek Reservoir IN thru 10-30, Eagle Creek Park
(Indianapolis) IN thru 10-30, and Buck Lake (Springfield) OH thru 10-30.
Lesser Black-backed Gulls – still many reports from Lakes Erie & Michigan.
Inland sightings have shifted, with most birds found on northern OH
reservoirs; the only inland sightings in the west were at Lake of the Woods
IN 10-27 thru 30 and Kentucky lake thru 10-30
Iceland Gull – the only ones reported this cycle were, oddly, from Lake
Michigan pelagic trips 10-27
Little Gull – none in our area this cycle, but 1 was on the New York shore
of Lake Erie 10-29
Common Terns – laggards remained at Pt.Mouille SGA MI 10-26 thru 28, and at
Presque Isle St.Park PA 10-26
*Black Tern* – an extraordinarily late straggler was at Lorain OH Harbor
10-29
Red-throated Loon – numbers now, with 1-3 off the Gary IN lakeshore thru
10-27 and 4 on south lake Michigan pelagic trip 10-27, while Presque Isle
St.Park on Lake Erie had 8-10 thru 10-30. One strayed inland to Hoover
Reservoir OH 10-25 thru 11-01
Pacific Loon – none in our area yet, but southern Ontario had 3 between
10-26 & 10-29
Neotropic Cormorant – the bird at Falls of the Ohio was relocated 10-26
thru 28
American White Pelican – still plenty in IL, IN, and in Western Basin of
Lake Erie. Big flocks at Ottawa NWR, and Holiday Beach hawkwatch in Ontario
had 400 - 500 birds on days from 10-26 thru 28. Watch for them at inland
lakes and reservoirs.
Wood Stork – a flyover flock of 5 graced the Cincinnati Nature Preserve
10-26
Little Blue Heron – nothing even in neighboring states, so they really have
gone south.
Snowy Egret – 1 straggler was at Lake Linville (S of Berea) KY 10-27
W. Cattle Egret – still a few in northern IL: Chicago Botanic Gardens 10-29
& 30 and Johnsburg 10-31
*Plegadis** Ibis* – the 2 White-faced Ibis at Cahokia Mounds Park
(E.St.Louis) IL remained thru 10-31, while new ones appeared at Clinton
lake IL 10-29 and Pyramid SRA IL 10-30. A Glossy was at Mosquito Creek WA
OH 10-29 thru 31
*Swainson’s Hawk* – 1 was counted at the Illinois Beach St.Park hawkwatch
10-31
Golden Eagle – 1 was at the Toledo Botanic Garden OH 10-27, while the Lake
Erie MetroPark hawkwatch tallied singles on 10-27 & 11-01. Nearby Holiday
Beach Ontario had 1-2 nearly every day of the cycle
Rough-legged Hawk – multiple birds were around the Chicago area from 10-28
thru 11-01; the western basin of Lake Erie also had multiple sightings
during a similar timespan, including 8 at Holiday Beach Ontario 10-26
*S**cissor-tailed Flycatcher* – the Fort Sheridan bird may have settled in
nearby Prairie Wolf Preserve IL, where 1 was found from 10-27 thru 30
*Vermilion Flycatcher* – the bird at Goose Pond FWA IN remained thru 10-29
*Western Kingbird* – 1 was at Bridgeport (near Clarksville) WV 10-28 & 31
Eastern Kingbird – a very late bird was at Elkhart IN 10-19
Bank Swallow – a startling report of a straggler in north Chicago 10-31
Cliff Swallow – 1 very late bird was at Utica IL 10-31
Loggerhead Shrikes – 1 was near Heinselman IL 10-31, while another was at a
farm near Russellville (far S) KY 10-26 & 27
*Northern Shrike**s* – multiple sightings north and west of Chicago
between 10-26
and 11-01, where they should be looked for now. In the east, 1 was at Bath
Nature Preserve (Akron) OH 10-27
Sedge Wrens – definitely waning, with only a few reports in IL: Prairie
Ridge SNA 10-25, Loy Wetlands 10-26, and Fermilab 11-01. Nothing further
east recently.
Townsend’s Solitaire – none in our area now, but the Baraboo Hills WI bird
was relocated 10-26
*Varied Thrush* – 1 was photographed at Schroeder Nature Sanct (S of
Bloomington) IL 10-27
*Sage Thrasher* – the celebrity bird was still being seen at Hidden Lake
Forest Pres. IL thru 10-28
Red Crossbill – still strays in east, with reports in Ohio from Pleasant
Hill Lake OH 10-30&31, Waterloo St.Forest (W of Athens) OH 10-27, and S of
Canton 11-01. In PA, they were in the Allegheny NatForest at Minster Creek
10-27
Evening Grosbeak – a calling flyover was at Myeerah Park (near
Bellefontane) OH 10-31
*Snow Bunting**s* – multiple reports from the beaches of Lake Erie and
south Lake Michigan, but also inland at Findlay OH Reservoirs 10-26,
Mosquito Lake OH 10-26, Nelsen Lake Marsh IL 10-27, and Three Oaks RecArea
IL 11-01
Clay-colored Sparrow – the only reports came from the Chicago lakeshore
10-27 & 11-01
Henslow’s Sparrow – none reported from our area or even nearby
*LeConte’s Sparrow**s* – numbers low and in northern IL, with birds at
Montrose Point IL 10-26, Illinois Beach St.Park 10-27, Melody Farm
Nat.Pres.IL 10-27&28, Johnsburg IL 10-30, and Chicago lakeshore 11-01.
Downstate IL had 1 at Loy Wetlands 10-26, and in nearby Columbia Bottoms MO
11-01
*Nelson’s Sparrow* – far scarcer, with the only reports from IL and not
recent: Muirhead Springs For.Pres. 10-25 and Loy Wetlands 10-26
*H**arris’s Sparrow* – much scarcer, with birds still around the Chicago
lakeshore, at Fort Sheridan IL thru 10-27, and Indiana Dunes thru 10-27.
Forther south, 1 was around the Lye Prairie area IN thru 11-01, and at
Columbia Bottoms MO 10-29
*S**potted Towhee* – 1 was found just west of Springfield IL 11-01
Brewer’s Blackbirds – the only recent report was from Loy Wetlands IL 10-26
Yellow-headed Blackbirds – none reported from our area currently
Great-tailed Grackle – none reported from our area currently
Western Meadowlark – the bird at Greene Valley IL was still seen 10-26,
while another was in the grasslands at Fermilab IL 10-26
Northern Waterthrush – late birds were at Hoover Reservoir OH 10-27 and
Mirador Ponds IL 11-01
Blue Grosbeak – none in our area or in states to the south, so they’ve
migrated out.
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks – stragglers were around Chicago IL 10-27 thru 31,
Springfield IL thru 10-31, Beanblossom Trail IN 10-27, and near Louisville
KY 10-27
Dickcissel – the bird seen at Funks Grove (SW of Bloomington) 10-25 appears
to be our last
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