Date: 3/15/25 10:36 pm From: Robert Thorn <robthorn6...> Subject: [Ohio-birds] Inland Rare Birds, March 8-15, 2025
Spring is winning now, even if it doesn’t feel like it at times. There's
been enough warmth and mild weather that many birds are starting to move
north. Waterfowl migration already seems on the wane, and rare gulls are
getting rarer. Winter birds are becoming scarce, and the earliest Spring
migrants are just starting to appear.
Black-bellied Whistling Duck – none were reported from our area this
period, with the closest around Memphis TN
Ross’s Goose – numbers have dropped quite a bit, signalling the ebb of
their migration. IL still had 10 different sightings, but IN was down to
Evansville 3-10&11, Gibson Lake 3-11, and Kankakee SFWA 3-14. Kentucky
still had 1 at Lexington 3-10, and OH had 5 sightings all in the north part
of the state.
Greater White-fronted Goose – migration still ongoing, with many records
in IL and IN, and over 16 different sightings in OH
Eurasian Wigeon – nearing peak in east, with birds reported from Berlin
Lake OH 3-07 thru 09, Cedar Point OH 3-11&12, Firestone-Yeagley WA 3-08
thru 11, Killbuck Marsh OH 3-08, Guilford Lake OH 3-12, and Trout Run
Reservoir PA thru 3-09.
Surf Scoter – truly rare now, except at Presque Isle St.Park PA, which had
20-25 on 3-13&14. Elsewhere, birds were reported from East Harbor St.Park
OH 3-09&10 on Lake Erie, and south Chicago lakeshore 3-08 on south Lake
Michigan. Inland, a bird remained at Lake Lemon IN thru 3-12
White-winged Scoter – more common than other scoters, with 6 locations
along Lake Erie and 7 along south Lake Michigan. Inland birds were
trending east, with birds at Killbuck Marsh OH 3-12, Guilford Lake St.Park
OH 3-12, Killbuck Marsh OH 3-12, and Charles Mill Lake OH 3-13. The lone
western bird was at Lake Springfield IL 3-14
Black Scoter – scarce & scattered. Lake Erie only had them at Presque
Isle St.Park 3-11,13, while south Lake Michigan had them at Hammond IN 3-09
and St.Joseph MI 3-11. The only inland bird was at Yellow Creek St.Park
PA 3-08
Long-tailed Ducks - still plenty around, with 6 sightings on Lake Erie
(from Pt.Mouille MI east to Presque Isle St.Park PA) and 5 on south Lake
Michigan (from Winthrop Harbor IL down and around to St.Joseph MI).
Inland birds were at Hoover Reservoir OH 3-09 and Geist Reservoir IN 3-13
Harlequin Duck – Lake Erie had records from the Cleveland lakeshore 3-08
and ROcky River Park OH 3-12, while south Lake Michigan had the Winthrop
Harbor bird swim across to nearby Wisconsin 3-08.
Eared Grebe – seeing more as Horned Grebes move through, with birds
reported from Cleveland lakeshore 3-08, Bresler Reservoir OH 3-13, and
inland at Falls of the Ohio 3-08.
Red-necked Grebe – none in our area, though several were on Lake Ontario
this week
Eurasian Collared Dove - still having outliers at Beaverdam OH 3-11, near
Xenia OH 3-09, and Lexington KY 3-13
White-winged Dove - nothing in our area this week, with the closest in
Memphis TN
Common Nighthawk - very early were 2 birds at Berea KY 3-08
Whooping Cranes - migration now bringing multiple reports from IN and IL
American Golden Plover - the first flock was of 50 birds at Kaskaskia
Island (southern) IL 3-15
Greater Yellowlegs - birds from 6 different sites across region, as they
start to move through
Lesser Yellowlegs - startling increase, with 10 different sightings across
the region
Pectoral Sandpiper - early flocks N of Harrodsburg KY 3-10, S of Bowling
Green 3-11,12, Patoka River NWR IN 3-14, Carlyle Lake IL 3-12, Shreve
OH 3-12, Alum Creek St.Park OH 3-12&13, and Metzger Marsh OH 3-14,15
Franklin’s Gull - none in our area yet, but several early birds are already
being reported from Iowa
California Gull - none reported this week
Lesser Black-backed Gull – still many records around Great Lakes, with
inland birds as far south as Acton Lake OH 3-08, Eagle Creek Lake
(Indianapolis) IN 3-08, and Kentucky Lake dam area 3-12
Great Black-backed Gull - still many around Lake Erie, and a few around
south Lake Michigan. The only inland report was from Findlay Reservoir OH
3-13
Glaucous Gull – Lake Erie is the place to look, with records from the
Cleveland lakeshore 3-08, Lorain OH 3-08&11, East Harbor St.Park OH 3-08,
and Sterling St.Park MI 3-13. Even inland, 1 was at nearby LaDue
Reservoir OH 3-13
Iceland Gull – multiple reports from Lake Erie and south Lake Michigan, but
also a few inland: Rock Island IL 3-09 and Barkley Lake dam KY 3-12
Forster’s Terns - several early records come from the west shore of Lake
Kentucky 3-09&12 and Carlyle Lake IL 3-15
Red-throated Loons – still many reports from south Lake Michigan, but none
from Lake Erie. Inland birds were at Eagle Creek Lake (INdianapolis) IN
3-08, Lake Snowden (Athens) OH thru 3-09, and Alum Creek St.Park OH 3-08&09
Neotropic Cormorant – both records come from western IL: Horseshoe Lake
St.Park 3-13 and Pistakee Lake 3-13
American White Pelican – flocks showing up all over the region as their
migration gets underway. Watch for the soaring flocks on mild days.
American Bittern - an early bird was NE of Evansville IN 3-13
Great Egret – widespread records now as we start to see early migrants,
with northern clusters around the Chicago area and the western basin of
Lake Erie.
Yellow-crowned Night Heron - the early bird in Louisville KY continued thru
3-14
Black-crowned Night Heron - aside from the overwintering birds in Chicago
and on Lake Erie, there are still birds hanging out in Louisville KY 3-11
and Lexington KY 3-09
Osprey – widespread sightings (20+ across region) as the first wave of
migrants arrives
Rough-legged Hawk – still reports from northern parts of IL, IN, and OH,
but reports as far south as Morgan Co. OH 3-14, Patoka River NWR IN 3-13,
and Jerseyville IL 3-09.
Broad-winged Hawk - we always think of them as a neotropical migrant that
arrives later, but a population winters in south Florida now, so perhaps
those birds head north quickly, as recent sightings from Cincinnati OH
3-10, Crooked Run Preserve OH 3-11, Ellettsville IN 3-11, and Cuyahoga
Nat.Park OH 3-14 might suggest.
Golden Eagles – many sightings scattered over the entire region, suggesting
they are starting to migrate north and away.
Barn Owls – the resident at Pickerington Ponds MetroPark OH was still being
seen thru 3-13, while other birds were found at Prairie Ridge SNA IL 3-11
and Burning Star Mine IL 3-10
Snowy Owls – only laggards now, with a bird found near Fredericksburg OH
3-13,14, while the bird at Grand Rapids MI airport was still there thru 3-11
Brown-headed Nuthatch – 2 birds were still coming to a feeder in London KY
thru 3-12
Cliff Swallow – an early bird appeared at Goreham IL 3-14
Purple Martin – the early wave is upon us, with 8 sightings in OH, 3 in IN,
and 7 in IL
N.House Wren – none reported from our area this week, but plenty now in TN
Sedge Wren – none in our area this week, with the closest still around
Memphis TN
Marsh Wren – the only bird in our area was the continuing one at Wingfield
Pines (S of Pittsburgh) PA 3-12
Loggerhead Shrike – aside from a few reports in far southern KY, the news
was a cluster that appeared in the Bluegrass area: Winchester KY 3-08,
Mercer Co. KY 3-11, Pleasant Hill 3-13, and near Paris KY 3-13
Northern Shrike – still multiple reports in northern IL and northern OH,
with strays as far south as Banner Marsh IL 3-08, Vermillion Co. IN 3-08,
and Killdeer Plains WA OH 3-09
Townsend’s Solitaire – none in our area currently, though there are several
sightings in MN
Gray Catbird - multiple sightings in western PA, OH, and IN; strangely
scarce in IL, with a bird at Champaign 3-13
Red Crossbill – only records was at the eastern edge, at Lake Sherwood WV
3-10
White-winged Crossbill – 1 was around Rocky River Park, near Cleveland OH,
3-09
Vesper Sparrow – 1 was at Purdue WA IN 3-08, while another was near
Armleder Park (CIncinnati) OH 3-15
*LeConte’s Sparrow* – 1 was photographed at Metzger Marsh OH 3-13
Harris’s Sparrow – none in our area this week, but many records now in MO
and IA
Lincoln’s Sparrow – 2 widely-spaced records at the edges of our area, both
on 3-11: Riverlands Sanctuary MO and Detroit MI
Spotted Towhee – hold-overs, with the bird at Deer Run Pres. IL seen thru
3-10, the 1 near Savanna IL thru 3-15, and the 1 near Anna IL thru 3-15
*Louisiana Waterthrush* - the first of one of our earliest warbler migrants
showed up at Stamping Ground KY 3-12, followed by Pomona IL and
W.Portsmouth OH, both on 3-15.
Orange-crowned Warbler – birds were seen near Owensboro KY 3-09, Cape
Girardeau MO 3-11, and Stamping Ground KY 3-12
Palm Warblers – an early bird was at Lake Monroe (Bloomington) IN 3-08
Pine Warblers – many records from KY and unglaciated parts of southern OH,
IN, and IL, with northern outliers at Topeka IL 3-13, north Indianapolis IN
3-10, and Highbanks MetroPark (Columbus) OH 3-10.
Yellow-throated Warbler - another predictably early warbler, 1 was very
early at Hancock Biol.Station KY (W of Kentucky Lake) 3-14
Brewer’s Blackbird – a few more early birds, at Hopkins Co. KY 3-13,
Minootka IL 3-15, and Wolf Road Prairie Preserve IL 3-15
Yellow-headed Blackbird – the only one was N of Monroe MI 3-11
Great-tailed Grackle – 1 was in Maryland Heights, a suburb of St.Louis MO,
3-10&11
Western Meadowlark – the bird at Northerly Island Chicago was relocated
3-09, while the birds west of Goose pond IN were seen thru 3-15. Another
bird was found near Granite City IL 3-10
Baltimore Oriole - 1 was at Greenville OH 3-13
Indigo Bunting - 1 was at Fernald Preserve 9N of Cincinnati) OH 3-09
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