County Bird Club NNEWSLETTEREWSLETTER

Vol. 34 No. 4 Delaware County Bird Club Newsletter December 2019

DELAWARE COUNTY BIRD January 27th: “The Bird Conservation CLUB PROGRAMS Initiative: A Collaborative Approach to Regional Bird Conservation”. Matthew Shumar, OBCI The Delaware County Bird Club meetings and Program Coordinator. program presentations take place on the fourth Monday Following broad scale efforts to conserve bird of each month, September through April, except in populations across species’ full-life cycle, the Ohio Bird November and December when they are held on Conservation Initiative was established in 2004. The goal alternate days to accommodate the Thanksgiving and of OBCI was to step-down larger efforts (e.g., Partners in Christmas Holidays. Meetings are held in the lodge at Flight, Joint Ventures) to the state level and act as a Deer Haven Park at 4183 Liberty Road, Delaware OH, bridge between regional and local organizations to guide 43015 EXCEPT in October, November and December conservation efforts. For the last 15 years, OBCI has of 2019, programs will be held at Shale Hollow Park actively engaged state and federal wildlife agencies, non- located at 6320 Artesian Run, Lewis Center, OH profit groups, universities, museums, businesses, and 43035 while Deer Haven undergoes renovations. Doors private citizens to address avian conservation issues in open at 6:30 PM with programs beginning at 7:00 PM. all habitats. Matthew will discuss OBCI’s programs, Programs are followed by reports of local bird sightings associated research, and how you can become involved and socializing. Meeting dates can also be found on the in bird conservation. Preservation Parks calendar at this link http://www.preservationparks.com/events-calendar/ and at the Columbus Audubon calendar here: https://columbusaudubon.org/events/.

December 9th: “Delaware Reservoir Christmas Bird Count Overview”. Dr. Rich Bradley, Professor Emeritus, The Ohio State University. Rich will review the history of the Christmas Bird Count, focusing on our count here in Delaware County. This year the count takes place on December 15th and it will be the 32nd annual count for our circle. This is a great opportunity for birders new to our area to learn about the Christmas Bird Count and how to participate. Rich usually discusses counting Forest management landowner workshop in Wayne techniques and we have some fun estimating flock size National Forest. Photo by Katrina Schultes. from photographs. He also often challenges you to th identify some mystery photos and/or sounds. FOR February 24 : “Birding the Arctic Tundra”. Tyler COMPLETE DETAILS ON THE COUNT – WHO TO Ficker, The Ohio State University. CONTACT AND WHERE TO MONITOR - SEE THE At over 300 miles into the Arctic Circle, Barrow FULL ARTICLE BELOW. ALSO, THIS (now known as Utqiagvik) is the northernmost city in the MONTH THE MEETING IS AGAIN AT SHALE . Among a chorus of displaying shorebird HOLLOW PARK DUE TO THE EXTENSION OF species, the summertime brings eiders and loons in from CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES AT DEER HAVEN the ocean to nest on the tundra ponds. During that PARK. WE SHOULD BE BACK TO DEER HAVEN season, birders can enjoy non-stop viewing as the sun IN JANUARY. never sets over the tundra. Barrow is a unique destination for birding. It’s one of the few places where you can see up to three species of jaegers and loons, four eiders, and programs on the fourth (or third) Tuesday of each month, over a dozen shorebirds in a single day. September through April, begin with refreshments, 500 miles south of Barrow lies Nome, where a announcements and a bird quiz at 7:00 PM and the completely different, yet equally incredible birding Conservation Spotlight at 7:15 PM followed by the main opportunity awaits. The mountains and taller vegetation program at 7:30 PM. Go to are home to many species not found as far north as http://www.columbusaudubon.org/ for more information. Barrow. Several species that are often thought of as Old World such as have a breeding range that extends to There is no CAS program scheduled for December. Nome. Wagtails, wheatears, Bluethroats, Arctic Warblers and more make this a prime destination. PRESERVATION PARKS OF Tyler found his passion for birding when his 4th DELAWARE COUNTY – grade teacher incorporated bird identification into the BIRD WALKS AND OWL PROWLS science curriculum. Tyler is currently completing his undergraduate degree in the School of Environmental Take a bird walk in the parks – DAY OR NIGHT! All and Natural Resources at The Ohio State University. He skill levels are welcome. Loaner binoculars will be recently began his second term as president of The provided as needed, or you can bring your own. The Ornithology Club at Ohio State. walks are free, for ages 7 and up and no reservations are Tyler is a founding member of Lights Out Buckeyes, necessary. For more information, visit which is part of Ohio Lights Out, a network of programs www.preservationparks.com. aimed at making urban landscapes (in this case, the Ohio State campus) safer for migratory birds. He is an award- Bird Walks: winning presenter at environmental, wildlife and birding conferences. Tyler is a professional photographer, so he December 28th 8:00 AM Bird Walk is likely behind his camera when not looking through his Shale Hollow Park binoculars. If all this didn’t keep him busy enough, he is 6320 Artesian Run, Lewis Center, OH 43035 also a tour guide for Sabrewing Nature Tours. Though Tyler currently lives in Columbus year round, he still January 25th 8:00 AM Bird Walk calls Cincinnati home. He loves birding his home state, Blues Creek Park especially during migration season, but is experienced in 9627 Fontanelle Road, Ostrander, OH 4306 birding northern Alaska as well as the tropics. February 29th 8:00 AM Bird Walk Hogback Ridge Park 2656 Hogback Road, Sunbury, OH 43074

Owl Prowls:

December 13th 6:30 PM Owl Prowl Gallant Woods Park 2151 Buttermilk Hill Road, Delaware, OH 43015

January 10th 6:30 PM Owl Prowl Emily Traphagen Park 5094 Seldom Seen Road, Powell, OH 43065

February 7th 6:30 PM Owl Prowl

Hogback Ridge Park Tyler Ficker and friend. 2656 Hogback Road, Sunbury, OH 43074

COLUMBUS AUDUBON PROGRAMS SAVE THE DATE - CENTRAL OHIO CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS Columbus Audubon Society, with over 3,000 th members, is one of the largest local Audubon chapters in December 14 , 2019 – Hoover Reservoir CBC the nation. Columbus Audubon offers a variety of Contact: Lee McBride opportunities for members and other nature enthusiasts to [email protected] learn about and enjoy all wildlife with an emphasis on 614.360.8213 birds. CAS meets at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center in the Scioto-Audubon Metro Park, 505 West Whittier Street, Columbus, OH 43215. Free monthly

2 December 14th, 2019 – Buckeye Lake CBC on August 7, 2019. Attached to the email was a photo Contact: Jeff White image of two nestlings in hand that appeared to be [email protected] around eight days old. My question at the time was, do I 614.425.8016 have any wren nests that could accept the orphaned wrens? December 15th, 2019 – Delaware Reservoir CBC Delaware State Park is home to 166 nestboxes. My Contact: Rich Bradley data book is divided into the following five sections: [email protected] or [email protected] notes, numbered box index, maps, trail data sheets, and box data sheets. December 15th, 2019 – Columbus CBC Trail data sheets have 25 time-lines, one time-line for Contact: Rob Thorn each nestbox, from March 15 to September 15 with [email protected] every month divided into two 15-day columns. All time- 614.551.0643 lines are color coded with bluebird data highlighted in yellow, wren data is red, data for Tree Swallows is green, December 28th, 2019 – Darby Creeks CBC etc. As I examined seven pages of trail data, I found 27 Contact: Jen Moore boxes with red time-lines that had nestlings during my [email protected] last monitoring visit on August 6. 614.774.0020 I then checked each box’s data calendar that includes a square for every day of the year with 31 squares in a December 29th, 2019 – Killdeer Plains CBC row for every month of the year. Of course, some Contact: James Anderson squares are blacked out at the end of some rows to adjust [email protected] for months with 28-30 days. A box data calendar makes it possible for extrapolation to calculate first egg dates December 31st, 2019 – O’Shaughnessy Reservoir CBC and fledging dates and the ages of nestlings on specific Contact: Darlene Sillick dates. [email protected] Among the 27 nests listed from the trail data 614.288.3696 calendars, I was looking for wren families whose nestlings were eight days old. I found that three families TBA - Kingston CBC had fledged, leaving 24 with young. The wren orphans Contact: Brad Sparks became lucky after four of the 24 active nests were found [email protected] to have nestlings with ages matching the age of the 614.751.6622 orphans. I contacted the Wildlife Center and arranged to pick Please note, that if you don’t see a date posted here, it up the orphans at the center’s hospital at 2661 Billingsley was not available to the Editor as of the publication date Road in Columbus. From my garage, I retrieved my of this newsletter. Contact the person listed for that count plastic coffee can that I use to transport orphaned or or check the Columbus Audubon CBC web page at injured birds. It has a bed of white pine shavings, and a https://columbusaudubon.org/citizen-science/christmas- paper towel on top helps to form a temporary nest cup bird-count/. for wrens. The can’s plastic lid has eight holes drilled through it to allow proper ventilation. FOSTERING HOUSE WREN ORPHANS Upon my arrival, the human team of foster parents fed Dick Tuttle the orphans one last time before we placed them in their coffee can transportation capsule, and off we went for Maintaining and monitoring nestboxes for Eastern the 20-mile drive to Delaware State Park north of Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, House Wrens, Carolina Delaware. Chickadees, Tufted Titmice and other species sometimes This wasn’t my first time transporting avian orphans provides an opportunity to offer a foster home for in my car, so I was not surprised to hear no peeping from orphaned nestlings. I, and other bluebirders, are on a list the coffee can until I drove around numerous at the Ohio Wildlife Center so when nestbox orphans are roundabouts. As my car turned the corners, the presented, the center contacts us to see if there are any centrifugal forces caused concern in my juvenile active nests with potential foster parents that can accept passengers. At least one wren would peep during each orphans and give them a chance at fledging into the turn. Maybe it was their way of saying that they were outside world. In the meantime, volunteers at the healthy enough to express themselves, and I was alert Wildlife Center fill the role of foster parents by hand enough to smile. feeding any orphans as feathered foster parents are Once I arrived at the park, the mission became sought. routine. I had planned to add two orphans to each of Six orphaned House Wrens were presented to the three nests. A fourth nest had been excluded because it center and Kristi Krumlauf sent an email to three of us

3 held five nestlings and I did not want to overload a family, or was it one of the orphans? I have no way of family. knowing, but what I do know is that nestlings can choke Of the three pairs of orphans, I added two pairs to on food items and there are other natural causes. I saw no families of three, and joined the third pair to a family of signs to explain its failure to fledge. four nestlings. It only took twenty minutes to deliver all The transplanting of the August 8 wren orphans was a the new siblings to their host nests. success. Unfortunately, a later family of four wren When adding an orphan to its host family, I don’t orphans presented to the Wildlife Center on August 22 disturb anyone. I gently place the orphans on the exposed and were too young to foster with any of the park’s four rim of the nest cup and let the nestlings work things out active nests at the time. If fostered wrens are several days from that point. If I have the time, I will try to watch younger than their host family, then when the host family from my car to see if a parent arrives to feed, and flies from the nest, the parents forget, or ignore, the observe its behavior once it leaves the box. I will always fostered nestlings left behind, and they end up dying. check the family the day after fostering to make sure Do your best to help our avian friends, and when things are going well. I think that parent birds can’t possible, foster on. count, but it could be that they are programed to welcome young of their own species. DELAWARE TOWNSHIP HALL’S BLUEBIRD TRAIL PRODUCTION Dick Tuttle

Bluebird trail monitor Laura Kelly reports that 18 Eastern Bluebirds, five Tree Swallows and seven Carolina Chickadees fledged among fourteen nestboxes that stand within fourteen acres shared with the Delaware Township Hall located at 2590 Liberty Road south of Delaware. The hall property includes six acres of open woodland with hiking trails and two shelter houses that makes up the John Young Park. The 2019 season was productive even though heavy rains limited Tree Swallow production. More than fifty alien House Sparrow eggs were evicted as part of the management procedure. In 1851, a planned release of European House Sparrows in City resulted in “weaver finches” nesting A typical brood of House Wren nestlings. throughout Ohio by 1884. The feathered invaders use their thick, sharp bills to claim nesting sites from our By the time I had added the orphans to their new native birds. Fatal head wounds are an upsetting sight to homes, I had become concerned since no adult wrens see. Nonetheless, knowing that our management showed up to protest my presence. My present practices are helping our native birds to succeed is a very explanation is that the adults did not see me because they rewarding emotion. were deep into the brush seeking prey for food. I believe the summer insect populations were below normal levels DELAWARE RESERVOIR CHRISTMAS BIRD due to extremely wet weather conditions. The required COUNT - DECEMBER 15TH, 2019 sizes of hunting territories are becoming larger and less Rich Bradley supportive. As I checked the nests the next day, I found all of the I will be the compiler of the Delaware Reservoir nestlings snuggled together in their nest cups. They all Christmas Bird Count again this year (my 7th year as looked content, a sure sign that their biological and foster compiler). The OHDR count circle extends from just parents were doing a good job, and the fostered nestlings south of the city of Delaware up to just north of Waldo. had been universally accepted. Like all CBC circles, it has a diameter of 15 miles. This I followed my regular monitoring schedule on August th count is a relatively new one, having started in 1988, but 15 and 16 to find that one family had fledged on the 15 , the Christmas Bird Count is a venerable birding while another family remained in their box. If wren institution. The first was held in 1900. Since the nestlings are within several days of fledging, a monitor beginning it has been organized by the National must only peak in the nest while keeping the box’s door Audubon Society, in fact was one of the main reasons for closed enough to prevent pre-fledging. forming the organization. The idea was to replace the By the next day, the hesitant family from the previous traditional seasonal “side hunt” where guys (at that time day had fledged, and at the far northern end of the park, mostly males) would go out and try to shoot as many the last family had fledged while leaving a dead nestling different birds as they could in one day. No bird behind. Was the deceased wren a member of the host

4 protection laws existed at the time. The CBC was meant as a supplemental count week observation. The official to be a benign replacement. In the 2017/2018 count year count week for our count is from December 12 – 18, there were 2,585 counts with 79,987 participants! All 2019. Contact me (Rich Bradley) to submit such reports. together these counts tallied 59,242,067 birds of 2,673 If you intend to use eBird to record your observations, species. Summary data for last year were not posted on be sure to keep track of your “effort” which is compiled the Audubon web site. in a different way than eBird uses. You must be able to Mike Busam did provide a summary of the Ohio report your “party hours” and “party miles” separately Christmas counts from last year (2018/2019): for each of these by car and on foot. If you are super “During the 119th CBC season, 2220 Ohio birders organized you could add this to the “notes” for your collectively tallied 160 species. Relatively mild weather check-list on eBird. For more detail on how to do party throughout the region possibly contributed to slightly hours, either contact me or check this document: lower-than-expected tallies. Four counts hit the 90s last https://www.audubon.org/sites/default/files/guidetocbcpa year. This year, only state leader Toledo broke the 90 rtyhoursmiles.pdf barrier, tallying 95 species. Caesar Creek-Spring Valley Once again, the National Audubon Society has was close with 89. Other counts in the 80s include The waived all fees for all North, Central, and South Brown Family Environmental Center (86), Cincinnati American Christmas Bird Counts. If you are interested, (81), Cuyahoga Falls (82), Millersburg (82), Wilmot please consider make a voluntary contribution of any (83), and Wooster (82). Last year, 16 counts were in the amount through the National Audubon Society’s 70s. This year, that number fell to 11. Of the counts that Christmas Bird Count web site: ended up in the 70s, Mansfield and Ragersville tied at 78 http://www.audubon.org/GiveCBC species.” Please join us at 6:00 PM in room 164 of the Our count is organized into teams, each assigned an Schimmel-Conrades Science Center on the Ohio “area” to census. The census begins before dawn with Wesleyan Campus for a post-count supper (bring your owling by a few hardy souls. Most counters stay out own food) and get-together with the annual compiling of dawn to dusk. Some people can contribute only part of a the results. And, of course, the presentation of the day, which is fine. We even have a list of folks who Horned Lark award! If you cannot make it to the post- count at their bird feeders. The count occurs rain, snow, count event, please arrange to have your results check- or shine without regard to the weather. Polar vortex? … list taken to the meeting, or call in your results to Robert bring it on! Remember that there is no such thing as “bad Tannehill (740)363-4131. If you can’t reach Robert, his weather”, only inappropriate clothing. email address is: [email protected]. Last year as we found 66 species and 9,474 This year, there will not be an extended deer gun individuals. I hope all of you will be able to help out. season on our count day. But there is the ongoing deer Even if you cannot join us in the field during the day on archery season and also dove, goose, coot, merganser, Sunday, you could consider contributing a feeder rabbit and squirrel season so hunters will be in the watcher list (see details below) for the count day, or field. Please wear hunter orange in likely hunting perhaps doing a short bout of owling in the early AM or areas and be aware of who is in the area where you are late PM on the 19th. If you do, keep track of your hours counting. spent, locations visited and miles driven. Let’s keep up At dawn we will adopt the following division of the the wonderful traditions established by Jed Burtt and count circle with the following persons in charge of the Sally Waterhouse during their many years of careful areas designated below. If you are interested in supervision and organization of our counting efforts. participating, please contact one of them so you can join The 2019 Delaware Reservoir Christmas Bird Count in the fun. (OHDR) will be held on Sunday, December 15th beginning at midnight and ending on the following GREATER DELAWARE midnight. This year sunrise is at 7:48 AM and sunset is CONTACT: MEGAN SHOEMAKER at 5:07 PM. A few hardy individuals will be in the field [email protected] listening for owls well before dawn, but 5:00 AM is West - Troy Rd., circle edge expected to be the earliest start for most of us. Those North – SR 37, Hills Miller, Panhandle, Case, Kelly- who plan to listen for owls should contact Rich Bradley McMaster Roads. [[email protected] (740)363-4239] to coordinate South – count circle edge listening areas. The moon will be nearly full, almost East – CSX RR tracks directly overhead during the early hours of the 15th. But it doesn’t come up again until 8:48pm on the evening of WESTERN CROPLANDS the count, so owling after sunset will be moonless for a CONTACT: BEN WARNER while. [email protected] If you do any “scouting” or post-count birding within West - , circle edge the count circle, remember that we can include Northeast - CSX RR Tracks, Troy Road. observations of species found during the “count period” South – SR 37, edge of the circle

5 ALUM CREEK – BOHANNON This year we will do this a bit differently. Please email CONTACT: RICH BRADLEY your list to me at [email protected]. [email protected] or (740)363-4239 or (714)330-2605 Use subject line “CBC” and include: (cell) 1) Your name as you wish it to appear in the CBC West – CSX RR tracks records. North - CSX RR tracks, edge of count circle 2) The highest confirmed number of each species. In South - CSX RR tracks, edge of count circle some cases that will be a flock of sparrows or finches, in East – circle edge others two or more “distinct” individuals that arrive separately (like a male and a female Northern Cardinal WESTERN SHORES that aren’t at the feeder at the same time). CONTACT: DAN BOBB 3) The number of hours you watched your feeder. [email protected] 4) The location of your feeder (address). (740)369-6948 Please try to get this sent by no later than the day after West - CSX RR tracks the count (Monday 16 December 2019). North - Rte 229 If you do not “do email” you can text your results to South - Hills Miller, US 23, Panhandle Roads. (714)330-2605. You can write down the information and East - Middle of and then text me an image of your data page if that is more Delaware Reservoir convenient for you. We are always hoping to recruit feeder watchers. If EASTERN SHORES you are a member of the club, live in one of the areas CONTACTS: DAN FINK (north) described above, and wish to count birds in the comfort [email protected] of your home, please do so. You are also welcome to join AND us for dinner and recount the trials and travails occurring JIM PEOPLES (south) outside your windows. [email protected] When you come to the Schimmel-Conrades Science West - Middle of Olentangy River and Delaware Center at 6:00 PM, you can park in the Selby stadium Reservoir parking lot off Henry Street across from the Science North - Rte 229 Center or in the lot behind the Science Center. We have South - Case, Kelly-McMaster Roads. arranged with OWU to have the main entrance door East - CSX RR tracks (near the covered walkway between the two parts of the science center) and the door nearest to the greenhouse (at NORTHWEST PLAINS the south end of the building) to be open by 5:30pm. CONTACT: TANIA PERRY There are a number of fast food restaurants along [email protected] Sandusky St. near the Science Center as well as excellent (740)919-9994 local restaurants downtown that will prepare to-go West - CSX RR tracks orders. Room 164 is right off the atrium. At least one North - circle edge member from each team needs to be present to relay South - Rte. 229 sightings and provide any other necessary information. East - Gearhiser Rd. Following the arrival of all teams and a brief interval for team members to thaw out, eat supper, and check over WHETSTONE WETLANDS their lists, we will compile the official master list and CONTACT: DUSTIN REICHARD share stories of difficulties encountered and overcome. [email protected] or (740) 368-2890 After the list is compiled and the numbers added up, we West - Claypool Rd. will make the climactic announcement of the 2018 North - circle edge winner of the Horned Lark Award (see below). As South - Rte. 229 always, the proud winner will be presented with the East - CSX RR tracks/Ashley trophy to the delight (and relief?) of the assembled birders. Let the party begin! REFUGE NORTH Don’t forget that you need to email me CONTACT: KIRSTEN LEHTOMA ([email protected]) your guess for the Horned Lark [email protected] or (419)768-9942 Award. The mean number counted is 670.7 larks, with a West - Gearhiser Rd. range of lark total counts from 14 to 2717! If you don’t North - circle edge use email, you can phone and leave a message on our South - Rte. 229 home phone (740)363-4239. You need to get your guess East – Claypool Rd. to me by 5:00 PM on Friday, December 13th to be included in the contest. The official winner will be BIRD FEEDERS CONTACT: RICH BRADLEY [email protected]

6 judged based on the preliminary total at the compiling gathering. Note: the “final” total may be different because we sometimes get late reports.

` CAN YOU IDENTIFY THIS? Christina Voise

I don’t know if everyone is as intrigued by bird nests

as I am, but I seem to find a lot of them. November’s

Mystery Bird photo was a prior year Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) nest that had been turned into a small mouse or shrew condo. It looked very cozy and safe in a honeylocust tree, when I found it on February 22nd of 2019. About a month later I went back and all that remained, other than the original nest, were some soybean hulls. The wind or a predator had removed the humble abode of the mammal that had lived there. I visited the nest again last month - it was still there, this time filled only with pin oak leaves. For December, here’s a shot from right outside my kitchen window. Can you identify this?

Can you identify this? Photo: Christina Voise

Delaware County Bird Club Staff: Program Coordinators: Darlene Sillick, Rich Bradley and Amy Tovar Newsletter Editor: Christina Voise ([email protected]) Reporters: Rich Bradley, Dick Tuttle, Ed Lux, Darlene Sillick and Bob Harter

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