EAS Member-Led Ohio Birding Festival Hikes Turn Out Great Birds—and New Birders pictures

Seven EAS volunteers led nine bird hikes to six destinations over the four-day Ohio Birding Festival. Together, they turned in a delightful number of species and turned on a number of new birders.

Evan Speck, Dick and Sue Vernier, Chuck Mills, Tim Griffith, Ted Hitch, and Steve Heeger led hikes to Bluegrass Fish and Wildlife Area, Gibson County hotspots (including Duke Energy, Cane Ridge Wildlife Management Area, Saunders Woods, and Patoka National Wildlife Refuge), Twin Swamps, Eagle Slough, Audubon State Park, Howell Wetlands, and Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve.

Here are highlights of the four-day series of hikes as submitted by their respective leaders:

Thursday, May 1: Bluegrass Fish and Wildlife Area
 
Eighteen audacious birders showed up to join Evan Speck at 7:30 AM at the Loon Lake parking lot near the Bluegrass Fish and Wildlife Area’s western boundary. The group was an interesting mix, from veterans and masters to definite upstarts. Three people were birding for the first time ever. 
 
While hikers gathered at the lot, a flock of 70 double-crested cormorants flew over. We then hiked up the west side of the lake studying some of the more common passerines, while the 'experts' came up with gray-cheeked thrush, white-eyed and warbling vireo, northern waterthrush and orchard oriole. 
 
Driving down Klippel Road, we studied a flock of horned larks, but we were unable to find the American pipit seen one hour prior to the hike.  Driving around, we found one blue grosbeak (along Gander Road), chipping, field, savannah, grasshopper and henslow's sparrows, and dickcissels, but we were a bit too early in the season to find Bell’s vireo and sedge wren. 

The highlight was an eclipsing Horned Grebe that we tried hard to convert into an Eared Grebe.
 
In all, the group tallied 61 species.
 

 Friday, May 2: Duke Energy, Cane Ridge Wildlife Management Area, Saunders Woods, Patoka National Wildlife Refuge

The longest and most varied of the Ohio Birding Festival hikes was led Chuck Mills and assisted by Dick and Sue Vernier and Bill McCoy, property manager at Patoka National Wildlife Refuge.

Fifteen birders, four of whom were first-timers, certainly got their money's worth during the day-long expedition in spite of the occasional shower. By the end of the day, the group had identified 96 species. Among the highlights were nesting bald eagles, a flyby of willets at Cane Ridge, the endangered piping plover at Duke Energy. Susan Haislip skillfully drove the 15-passenger van down the splitter dike ahead of the storm and did not drive off the end!  Special thanks go to Tim Hayes for allowing us to bird Duke Energy's property and to Bill McCoy, PRNWR manager, for his Powerpoint presentation on Cane Ridge WMA during our lunch break at the Oakland City Library.

Saturday, May 3: Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve

For 7:30 early risers, Steve Heeger led 12 individuals, including four children (first time bird hike for the kids and for two of the adults) for a one-mile hike. With 18 species sighted, it was an enjoyable visit in the impressive Wesselman Woods on a very fine morning.

Saturday, May 3: Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve

Two birders joined Evan Speck at 8:30 AM for a 90-minute walk through the southern end of the park. In that short time, folks found 34 species, the highlights being a sharp-shinned hawk swooping right over their heads and a blue-headed Vireo close up.
 
Afterwards, Evan walked the park alone until about 12:30PM and was mesmerized by the level of migrant activity—67 species including 23 Warblers. He noted, “It may be my imagination, but the spring migration seems unusually intense this year.” Likely, others agree.
 

Saturday, May 3: Howell Wetlands

Saturday morning's hike at Howell Wetlands found seven folks joining Tim Griffith. Four had never been on a bird hike nor had they ever visited Howell Wetlands. The 59 species identified by sight or sound surely made birding attractive to everyone.

Saturday, May 3: Audubon State Park

Ted Hitch found only two hardy souls ready to bird Audubon State Park at 7:30 AM. Even though their personal schedules cut the walk, they sighted several common species and three Swainson’s thrushes. Ted notes, however, that on a scouting hike two days earlier, a lark sparrow gave him a lengthy sighting. And later an olive-sided flycatcher belted his “Quick, three beers” loudly and clearly.

Saturday, May 3: Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve

At 4:00 PM in a cool, windy weather, 12 hikers, including 4 beginning photographers, joined Ted Hitch for a 1.5 hour walk through the woods. Their best looks included a showy scarlet tanager, a male indigo bunting, and several rose-breasted grosbeaks.

Sunday, May 4: Twin Swamps

Joined by 14 birders, Steve Heeger led the Twin Swamps hike through 2 ½ miles of swampland trails. The group, including four first-time birders, enjoyed identifying 51 species. They also stopped at Hovey Lake for brief viewing. Weather was great; the hike enjoyed by all. While viewing a nice selection of birds, they also experienced the unusual habitat of bald cypress swamp and hardwoods on the trail to the boardwalk.

Sunday, May 4: Eagle Slough

 
Tim Griffith led 23 people through Eagle Slough beginning at 1:00 PM on Sunday afternoon. Eight of the participants had never been on a bird hike before, and 20 had never been to Eagle Slough before. We were out for about 1.5 hours and identified 43 species by sight or sound. While the group was actually too large for everyone to get good views of birds before they flew, most everyone enjoyed the afternoon walk.