May 17 - Oak Openings

Well, I’m about 3 weeks behind on my Blog at this point.  I honestly don’t know how the “Big Year” birders keep up with a daily Blog, have witty or pertinent remarks, and cool bird photos.  Ah, well, I’m doing my best, and having a lot of fun doing it.

No time to write, but there is time to stop and smell the flowers

The East-West group left the Magee Marsh/Maumee State Park area today, for a change of habitats, driving to the Oak Openings Preserve southwest of Toledo.  The city’s website for this wonderful Metropark notes that Pioneers, trudging through a dense swamp, called this area “Oak Openings.”  Most of the 5,000-acre park is an oak savanna ecosystem, characterized by alternating wetlands and vegetated dunes.  There are more than 50 miles of trails in Oak Openings Preserve.

Stands of isolated non-native pine and spruce planted by the WPA during the Great Depression are still visible, although these trees are aging out and the managers are working to remove them.

Oak Openings is touted as a birder's paradise.  Our first stop was just west of the Toledo Express Airport, where an open meadow promised Henslow’s Sparrow, which would be a “Life Bird” for me.  Our first bird was a “Skyhawk” - the Ohio Air National Guard’s 112th Fighter Squadron flies the F-16 Falcon, and they were taking off in groups of four, every little while.

"Pardon Our Noise - That's The Sound of Freedom!"

We searched for about 45 minutes, and a few of the group (not me) saw a couple Henslow’s; all I could find were several Grasshopper Sparrows.

Looking for sparrows at Wilkins and Sager

Driving into the Metropark, we stopped at the Buehner Center, and watched the bird feeders through the window.

Easterners see Blue Jays all the time; they're still a treat for West Coasters!

We walked a portion of the “Yellow Trail”, which is the longest trail in the park, and has a number of structures that were obviously built by the local Boy Scouts.  We then drove over to the corner of Girdham and Reed Roads, and again tried to find Jon a Henslow’s Sparrow, but I once again missed seeing the bird, or the Blue-winged Warbler that others saw.
We stopped at several other areas (see the eBird checklists below), and I finally got a good view of a Blue-winged Warbler for my ABA Life Bird No. 606.  I found a pair of very vocal White-eyed Vireos, and got the other folks on the bird, which was a new bird for the trip.

Yes!  They have white eyes!

Our last stop was along the Wabash Cannonball Trail, which is touted as Northwest Ohio's premier rails-to-trails project, and is one of the longest in the state, stretching 64 miles through four counties and Oak Openings natural area.

A distant brown bird on a stick in the swamp . . . could it be . . .

We heard there had been a Louisiana Waterthrush seen there, and sure enough, we heard the distinctive calls of the bird along a wet area just below the trail.  This was a Life Bird for several of our group, and always a nice bird to see for any of us West Coasters.

. . . a Louisiana Waterthrush

After another long day's biding, we ate supper in the Toledo area, and headed back to our cabins fairly late.

Wilkins and Sager Rd eBird Checklist is Here 
Buehner Center eBird Checklist is Here 
Oak Openings - Yellow Trail eBird Checklist is Here 
Oak Openings - Girdham and Reed Rd. eBird Checklist is Here 
Oak Openings - Horse Rider Center eBird Checklist is Here
County Road 2 eBird Checklist is Here

Oak Openings - South Wabash Rd. Ski Trail eBird Checklist is Here 
Oak Openings - Wabash Cannonball Trail eBird Checklist is Here