raptors and passerines - I started birding at 9:00 A.M. at the Lake Erie Center. Skies were mostly cloudy; temps were about 60; winds were calm. Around the center I observed: Hermit Thrush, Caspian Tern, White-throated Sparrow, Winter Wren, Junco, 2 Cooper's Hawks, 5 Sharpies, Wood Ducks, Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1 Broadwing Hawk, Field Sparrow, Brown Thrasher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Swamp Sparrow, 1 Turkey Vulture. I quit birding here around 10:15. Since I saw so many raptors, I decided to visit the sledding hill at Maumee Bay State Park.

I first went to the MBSP nature center to use the bathroom. There were at least five Purple Martins hanging around the plastic gourds by the nature center. I was on the hill by 10:30. There were eight Amish birders on the hill, counting hawks. They all had scopes, and they were good at spotting birds. Their IDing was a little agressive. They seemed to be in competition with each other to try and be the one to find that rare raptor. At one point, several of the Amish thought a Golden Eagle was coming towards us. I was paying no attention. They were spotting birds way out there, and I figured I would wait until it passed us. Finally, one of the Amish asked me if I wanted to see the Golden Eagle. I faked surprise, and turned down looking through his scope, and focused on the big bird coming our way with my binos. We had been looking at a lof Sharpies and Broadwings, so a good-sized raptor would look huge. I watched the bird get close, and I noticed a lot of white underneath the bird. I then saw a big spot in the carpal area of each wing. I didn't say anything. The Amish corrected themselves and said it was a Rough-legged Hawk. Still a nice sighting.

Another time, one of the Amish called out Falcon, but he changed it to a Cooper's Hawk. Later, a small Falcon went blitzing by us, and at first glance I was sure it was going to be a Merlin, because of its speed. Through the binos, I got a flash of reddish brown on the back of the bird, so I knew it was Kestrel. Some Amish continued to watch the bird through their scopes when it was west of us, and they decided it was a Merlin afterall. A young Amish dude asked me if I saw the falcon, and I said yes, it was a Kestrel. That's what he thought too. Merlins don't have that reddish brown color that shows up well in the sun.

Anyway, it was a good morning for raptors from the sledding hill. When I got there at 10:30, the winds were from the east-southeast. Just before Noon, the winds shifted from the northeast, and it felt like someone cranked up the air conditioner. The temperature dropped several degrees. Lake Erie is only in the 40's. This wind shift also slowed down the raptor sightings, which is why I left at 1:00 P.M., because there was little action after 12:30. Still, in the 2 1/2 hours I was there, I saw 11 species of raptors: 35 Sharp-shinned, 9 Cooper's, 32 Red-tailed, 75 Broadwing, 7 Harrier, 1 Rough-legged, 27 Turkey Vulture, 2 Red-shouldered, 3 Osprey, 3 Kestrel, and 4 Bald Eagle. Those are the raptors I saw. There were more I didn't see, because there was so much action, I couldn't keep up with all of it. Plus, the birds were high. We had a lone Sandhill Crane go by too. This was probably my best spring raptor day in northwest Ohio.

I was on the boardwalk at Magee by 1:45. There I observed: Hermit Thrush, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Towhee, Winter Wren, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, White-throated Sparrow, Pine Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-throated Vireo, Swamp Sparrow, and House Wren.

at home this morning - 2 Juncos, 1 White-throated Sparrow, 1 Chipping Sparrow.

Yesterday morning, 18-Apr-2003, in the backyard there were 4 Juncos, 1 WTSP, and 1 CHSP.

Backyard update - This morning, there were four Juncos and two White-throated Sparrows in the backyard. Millet is on the ground.

Magee Boardwalk; 16-Apr-2003 - I visited the boarwalk for a couple hours Wednesday morning. I saw pretty much the same birds as on Tuesday with the addition of two Snowy Egrets along the causeway. The numbers along the boardwalk seemed to be a little greater. I saw at least a dozen Winter Wrens and a few Fox Sparrows. I saw three Pine Warblers along the boardwalk. One, in the back of the boardwalk, was head-high and about 20 feet away, providing nice views.

Additional warblers were seen by other birders Wedesday morning, including female Prairie, Orange-crowned, and Palm. There was a report of a Louisiana Waterthrush somewhere at Magee on Tuesday. I heard that at Pearson Park a Black-throated Green and Black-throated Blue were spotted.

Right now, Friday night looks like another good night for songbird migration. The high temps on Tuesday and Wednesday were 75-80 with brisk southwest winds. The winds shifted from the north about mid-afternoon Wednesday, dropping the temps 20 degrees. Strong northeast winds are blowing today 25-35 mph and temps are in the upper 30's.

Raptors and passerines; 15-Apr-2003 - On Tuesday morning, there was a good movement of Sharpies. Most were close to the tower and low. I did see an Osprey. There were a few Cooper's, Harriers, and Red-tails and several Turkey Vultures. No Broadwings during my shift. Other birds seen from the tower of interest to me or first of the spring for me: Pectoral Sandpipers, Barn Swallow, breeding plumage Bonaparte's Gulls, and Caspian Tern. Dragonflies and butterflies were also migrating.

I visited the boardwalk for about 20 minutes before going to the tower. After hawk watching, I went back to the boardwalk for a bit. The numbers were not staggering, but it was decent birding. Yellow-rumps, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and Hermit Thrushes were the most numerous birds. I also saw Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Brown Creepers, Winter Wrens, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Pine Warblers.

At one point by the west entrance, there were three Pine Warblers hanging out. I saw Pines multiple times in different spots of the parking lot. Sparrow-wise, I only saw/heard Song, Field, White-throated, Chipping, and Juncos. There were additional sparrows observed on Tuesday at Magee by other birders: Swamp, Savannah, Fox, and American Tree.

Weather update - The weather on Saturday and Sunday was nearly identical. It was sunny, temps in the 50's, and light north winds. Yesterday marked the 11th straight day of northerly winds for the area. Today, the temps are expected to be in the 70's and in the 80's tomorrow. Obvioulsy, brisk southerly winds will also be present. Tonight, temps are expected to remain in the 50's all night. Tonight should be a big night for early passerine movement. I'm guessing that tomorrow morning there should be a boatload of Hermit Thrushes, White-throated Sparrows, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Towhees, Winter Wrens, Sapscuckers, etc at Magee. Maybe a House Wren too. I'm not sure if Purple Martins have been sighted up here yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if I see some from the tower tomorrow morning.

There should be a good movement of raptors today and tomorrow. This is the time of the year when the greatest number of species of raptors could be observed. There could still be some March migrants such as Rough-legged and Red-shouldered, then some of the newer migrants, Broadwings, Imm Bald Eagles, and Ospreys.

Backyard update - On Saturday afternoon, there was a White Throated Sparrow under the feeders. Yesterday morning, I saw seven Juncos, and this morning I counted eight. They will be leaving soon, maybe this week.

I fished this morning for a bit at Olander. I was already getting too windy to fish comfortably. No fish, but I did see and hear a Chipping Sparrow.

Saturday, 12-Apr-2003 - Not a busy birding day. I birded first at by the Lake Erie Center in Bayshore. It's a science and research facility affiliated with the University of Toledo. It's located along the western edge of the Maumee Bay State Park campground. There's a small woodlot with trails behind the building. Then there are trails through the fields near the campground. The bikepath/street moving east from the center is lined with trees and small bushes. This area could be an alternative to Metzger and Magee when there's a need to get away from the crowds. In this area, I saw an Eastern Phoebe, several Golden-crowned Kinglets, and an American Tree Sparrow. A Turkey Vulture drifted by. Near the shoreline of Lake Erie, there were Scaup and Common Mergs. One of the little terns, Common or Forster's, flew by.

I stopped briefly at Metzger, but I didn't notice much. I drove around the western edges and the entrance of Ottawa. Here I saw Eastern Meadowlarks, Northern Harrier, Am. Kestrel, N. Shoveler, Blue-winged Teal, Scaup, Red-tailed Hawk, Ring-necked Ducks, Bufflehead, and a group of 15 or so Common Snipe were flying around.

At Magee, I didn't stay long. I could tell it was quiet. I saw a couple people I know who come up every weekend now through the end of May. I chatted with them for a while, walked in a little bit on the boardwalk and left. Brown Creepers were flying around, but I didn't feel like staying around. I spent a good bit of time scoping out the Lake Erie Center area.