Warblers!

Sorry for the long delay in posts... it's been a BUSY spring! On to the exciting news:

(http://www.ownbyphotography.com/traveldiaryp62.html)

WOW... just WOW.

This week's (May 18, 2010) Early Morning Discovery Hike broke all sorts of records. We broke the record for total number of bird species seen during our hikes; we broke the record for total number of warbler species seen; and we found a new species of plant we hadn't seen within the Parks before! What a morning...

(http://stokesbirdingblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/wintry-nix.html)

We completed our extra-long hike this morning with a whopping 47(!) species of birds, 12 of which were warbler species. While this number was well over the previous record of species, it could have been even higher had we had more time to continue the hike as we barely made it into the woods for this week's hike! Had we ventured further into the woods and picked up many of the "usual" birds that are missing from this list, I'm certain we would have nearly reached 60 species of birds!

(http://www.ownbyphotography.com/traveldiaryp62.html)

The warblers are always a special treat for birders providing colors and challenge at the same time. The problem is that you never know when they will arrive and how long they will stick around for. Nearly all warblers pass through Ohio for only a brief time as they head north to the Boreal Forests for nesting, using our forests for rest and "re-fueling". Because of their need and desire to arrive at the breeding location as soon as possible to get the best site and food source, they tend to be "here today/gone tomorrow". All that being said, they were EVERYWHERE this Tuesday at Shawnee Prairie Preserve! We had many species (Blackpoll Warbler) that normally would just provide a fleeting glimpse sitting in plain view. Many of the more "quiet" species were belting out the tunes. It was the perfect storm for warbler-watching. A few of the favorite species seen include: Black-throated Blue Warbler; Ovenbird; Magnolia Warbler; Blackburnian Warbler; Bay-breasted Warbler; American Redstart and the Black-throated Green Warbler

(http://springvalleypark.org/html/birds.html)

In addition to the amazing birding, we also enjoyed some of the wildflowers blooming within the woods. We spotted several Waterleaf (northern or virginia) as well as Green Dragon in bloom. The best botanical find this morning though was the discovery of a "new to this park" plant, the Orange-fruited Horse Gentian! This intriguing plant has wonderfully reddish/purple flowers near the stem and so far is roughly 3' tall. Soon, the flowers will turn to a bright orange-colored fruit that will add a new element to enjoy this plant by! (like plants? check the reminder below...)

If you have some time this week, be sure to swing by your favorite Darke County Park and enjoy the abundant spring life that's out there!

Reminder:

Shawnee Prairie's Annual Plant Sale

Saturday, June 5th: 10am-4pm

We'll have 20 species of native plants for sale at the Nature Center to add a bit of "native" to your yard! Native plants are highly beneficial as they tend to require less watering (once established), have evolved to deal with the always-changing Ohio climate and provide excellent sources of food for wildlife! One day only, once they're gone, they're gone... so get here early!

Observation date: 5/18/10
Number of species: 47

Canada Goose 3
Great Blue Heron 2
Mourning Dove 2
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Eastern Screech-Owl 1
Chimney Swift 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Wood-Pewee 2
Warbling Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 3
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 5
Barn Swallow 1
Tufted Titmouse 2
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 3
Eastern Bluebird 1
Veery 2
Swainson's Thrush 2
Wood Thrush 1
American Robin 4
Gray Catbird 2
European Starling 3
Nashville Warbler 2
Northern Parula 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler 4
Magnolia Warbler 5
Black-throated Blue Warbler 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Blackburnian Warbler 3
Bay-breasted Warbler 3
Blackpoll Warbler 5
Black-and-white Warbler 1
American Redstart 4
Ovenbird 3
Eastern Towhee 2
Chipping Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 5
Indigo Bunting 4
Common Grackle 3
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
Baltimore Oriole 1
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 2

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)