The Ohio Atlaster Issue #1 THE OHIO ATLASER Logo artwork by Jim Glover Newsletter of the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II ously considered that such changes would have oc- THE BREEDING BIRD ATLAS: curred in the relatively short period of time between a Brief History and atlases. Understandably, mindsets have changed and the UK is now in the beginning stages of initiating their Current Ohio Goals third breeding bird atlas. By Aaron Boone and Paul Rodewald Several second atlas projects have been initiated here Ohio State University in North America. In fact, New York, Maryland, and Ontario have recently completed data reeding bird atlases have been collection and are now poised for atlas around for some time now. publication. Michigan, Vermont, Indi- B Atlases are conducted primar- ana, and Pennsylvania are nearing ily by volunteers and result in distribu- completion of data collection, and oth- tion maps for each breeding bird spe- ers, like Massachusetts and the Cana- cies. British ornithologists first devel- dian Maritimes, are in the beginning oped this concept of documenting stages of field work. nesting bird distributions from field methods used to produce the Atlas of Ohio joined these ranks in 2005 when the British Flora. Since the inception Paul Rodewald (Ohio State University) of the breeding bird atlas in the United and Scott Hull (ODNR-Division of Kingdom during the late 1960’s, the Wildlife) initiated planning for the sec- concept has become extremely popu- ond breeding bird atlas effort. Ohio’s lar, and numerous atlasing projects first breeding bird atlas added greatly have been conducted all over the to the knowledge of Ohio bird life, and world. with the help of volunteers and various organizations from across the state, The first statewide breeding bird we will update and expand upon atlas in the United States was the Book Cover of The Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas© Atlas of Breeding Birds of Vermont Courtesty of ODNR-Div. of Natural Areas & Preserves Continued on back cover... (1976-1981), and atlas projects now cover the majority of North America, including nearly 40 Issue #1: U.S. states and Canadian provinces. Ohio’s first atlas was conducted from 1982-1987 under the direction of BBA History and Goals .................................1 Bruce Peterjohn and Dan Rice. The incredible effort Ohio’s Newest Breeding Birds .....................2 and volunteer commitment that was invested in this project culminated in the publication of The Ohio Breed- 2006 Atlasing Adventures ............................4 ing Bird Atlas in 1991. Nesting Species Profile .................................5 In 1993, the British Trust for Ornithology made history 2006 Season Report ........................................6 again by publishing their monumental The New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland:1988-1991. The Blockbusting? .................................................6 value of the breeding bird atlas became apparent when Early Season Atlasing ...................................8 comparisons between the two atlas projects revealed dramatic distributional changes for several British nest- Submit Your Data Soon ................................9 ing species. Originally, project organizers never seri- New Atlas Block Maps .................................9 1 The Ohio Atlaster Issue #1 stimulating former breeding species to re-occupy this Ohio’s Newest Breeding part of their nesting range. A corollary is the Wilson’s Phalarope, a species of similar habitat preferences, Birds? which has now bred on several occasions in restored by Jim McCormac former wet prairie sites, including the site where the stilts attempted nesting in 2004. Ohio Division of Wildlife Brewer’s Blackbird. It is almost surprising that this uch has changed regarding the status of Ohio’s species has not been documented nesting in Ohio yet. M nesting birds since the earliest ornithologists Brewer’s Blackbird would be easy to overlook, as began documenting the state’s bird life. Two former possible nestings would be in a region that isn’t heavily breeders are extinct, and seven species are extirpated birded, and it would certainly be possible to dismiss (gone from Ohio; still nest elsewhere). Unfortunately, it them as other more common blackbirds like Common seems likely that two others will join that latter category Grackle without a careful look. They would also likely eventually; the Golden-winged Warbler and Loggerhead occur in towns, parks, farms or other well-settled and Shrike. Other species have been added as confirmed relatively uninteresting areas that could easily be nesters in the past five years, though, like Canvasback ignored by birders. and Common Merganser. Brewer’s Blackbirds began an eastward expansion Nearly twenty long, significant years around the 1920’s, and have have passed since bird atlasers colonized as far east as southern turned in their last data sheets from Michigan and eastern Ontario, the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas I. It will Canada. This species has an be fascinating – and enlightening – interesting relationship with Common to compare the results of OBBA II Grackles where the two come into against the original study. It is likely contact. There is competition that the new survey will result in new between the two species, and in additions to our breeding avifauna, some areas grackles dominate and and this article presents some apparently exclude Brewer’s thoughts on species to be on the Blackbirds in suburban sites. In less watch for. populous open field and brushland There are other possibilities not on habitats, Brewer’s have dominated. my list. For instance, Scissor-tailed Brewer’s has bred within fifty miles of Flycatcher has nested in Indiana and Ohio in Michigan, and Fulton and Kentucky and may still be expanding Williams counties would be key eastward. If this species ever areas in which to search. Look for discovers the massive reclaimed them at places like Lake La Su An strip mine grasslands in Wildlife Area in Williams County, the southeastern Ohio, we may have this Maumee State Forest in Fulton, amazing flycatcher nesting in Ohio. Merlin (Falco columbarius)© Henry, and Lucas counties, and in or Photo by Jimmie Campbell around small towns in this region. There are also at least seven species that are only known to have Clay-colored Sparrow. This species has expanded bred once in the state, two species that have bred north and east in recent decades, and there is one twice, and two that have been confirmed nesting three confirmed nesting attempt from Franklin County in times. Most of the birds in these categories could be 1996, but it was unsuccessful. There have been a few found nesting again someday, but to avoid writing a other summering non-territorial males, such as in Stark virtual novel, I limited this article to only birds that would County in 2006 and Williams County in 2005. The be brand new to Ohio’s list of breeders. I only include eastward expansion of this sparrow of open brushy birds for which there are no indisputable breeding habitats largely mirrors that of the Brewer’s Blackbird. records; some of those below likely did nest at least While Clay-colored Sparrow might turn up anywhere sparingly historically, but we have no concrete except unglaciated southeastern Ohio, it should be evidence. watched for carefully in the same areas mentioned for Brewer’s Blackbird. Black-necked Stilt. One nesting attempt at Big Island Wildlife Area in Marion County in 2004. I include this Merlin. Populations of this small falcon are steadily one because as far as we know, stilts have yet to growing, and migrants and wintering birds are successfully breed in Ohio. This could represent the becoming more frequent in Ohio. Breeding populations first of future nesting attempts by this species, which are increasing, and Merlins appear to be recolonizing may have bred in Ohio’s wet prairies historically. former nesting regions, and perhaps spreading into new Recent major wetland restoration projects within the areas. They also show a trend of occupying former Sandusky Plains prairie region may be increasingly urban sites. Historical evidence suggests 2 The Ohio Atlaster Issue #1 sippi Valley in the Midwest, and is also increasingly oc- cupying forested urban areas. If nesters were to appear in Ohio, the St. Marys River in western Ohio, primarily in Mercer County, and the Ohio River Valley in the vi- cinity of Brown, Clermont, and Hamilton counties might be likely locales. The lower valley of the Great Miami River is another potential area. Ring-necked Duck. This duck nests widely across southern Canada and the northern U.S., within 150 or so miles of northern Ohio. They will sporadically nest well south of their primary breeding range, and have bred on the Pennsylvania side of Pymatuning Lake, which shares a border with Ohio in Ashtabula County. Should be watched for in larger wetlands in Ashtabula, Geauga, Portage, and Trumbull counties, and Singer Lake in Summit County. Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata)© Swainson’s Warbler. This species breeds in Kentucky Photo by Aaron Boone and West Virginia, very near Ohio, although it is not common in the northern reaches of its range. There that they once bred in Ashtabula County and possibly have been records of summering territorial males in adjacent parts of northeastern Ohio, but there is no ab- Ohio, in Jackson, Jefferson, and Lawrence counties. solute proof of this. Breeding Merlins should be The primary habitat for nesting Swainson’s Warbler in watched for in Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Lake, and sur- eastern portions of the range are Canebreaks (sites rounding counties. They could appear in surprisingly dominated by a large bamboo-like grass Arundinaria urban sites, too. gigantea) underlying riparian woodlands. This habitat Yellow-rumped Warbler. A bit of a longshot, but not an no longer occurs in Ohio, at least of a size that would impossibility. There have been a number of records of accommodate breeding of this species.