The Ohio Cardinal, Spring 2016 COMMENTS ON THE SEASON By Craig Caldwell were first seen later than usual, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t here on time.) Laura Keene’s departure and Christopher This issue of the Cardinal contains reports of Collins’ arrival as Photo Editors have reminded 305 species, slightly above the previous five years’ me how much I depend on my volunteer helpers. spring season average of 303. Seven hybrids and Roger Lau has done a magnificent job of turning 10 reports at the genus or family level are also each issue’s host of Word documents, Excel files, included. Four of the accounts are of exotic spe- and photographs into a coherent whole since he cies which were most likely released or escaped, began with the winter 2013-14 edition. Proof- though one could have wandered a couple hun- readers Tim Colborn, Mike Egar, Rob Harlan, dred miles from an established population. Ten and Laura Peskin do more than just correct spell- review species or forms were reported to the Ohio ing errors and awkward syntax; they (especially Bird Records Committee (OBRC); four of them Rob) also question some sighting reports which I also have other sightings not formally reported. should have questioned myself. Victor Fazio III, Ten review species generated only postings to Andy Jones, and Bill Whan provide valuable or- eBird, Ohio-birds, Facebook, or other on-line nithological and historical advice whenever I ask. venues. Fortunately many of these posts include My thanks go to all of them. a photograph or detailed description which will Our weird weather continues. Mar tempera- enable OBRC review. tures were among the highest on record: The As always, the OBRC and this editor urge overall average and average maxima and minima birders to formally report all sightings of Review were at or above the 95th percentile. Precipitation List species, of Core List species found at unusual was also above average, though not so dramat- times, of nesting by birds previously not known ically; the month ranked in the upper third of to nest in the state, and of course sightings of the 122 years with data. The western 2/3 of birds never before found in Ohio. An easy-to-use the state (except the far northwest) received up to on-line form is available at http://www.ohio- triple its usual rain and snow and the rest of the birds.org/records/documentation.php. state’s precipitation amounts ranged from aver- age to 1½ times normal. Apr and May temperatures were in the middle Random notes: of those months’ historical ranges. Precipitation, 1. Once a month, ONWR opens its gate to al- however, was below average in both months, low birders to drive through otherwise closed ranking at numbers 57 and 46 of their respective areas. The Refuge used to call the event and 122 years’ of data (with number one being the route the Auto Tour; now it’s Wildlife Drive. driest). Only the far southeast, and only in Apr, 2. Stand by for some more big changes to the tax- did any area exceed 150% of its normal rain and onomic order in the summer Cardinal. As this snow. And snow it did – on 09 Apr, Toledo re- issue was in production, the North American ceived eight inches of the wet stuff and the Cleve- Classification Committee of the American land area up to five. Eastern Cuyahoga got a Ornithologist’s Union (NACC/AOU) released late couple of inches on 15 May. its annual update. Several entire families have Weather data are from the National Weather been moved to reflect relationships revealed by Service (http://water.weather.gov/precip/), the the latest DNA data. NOAA (http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and- 3. This season generated more than 890,000 precip/maps.php and http://www.ncdc.noaa. eBird entries. 231,000 (26%) of them were gov/extremes/records/), and the Plain Dealer. from Lucas and another 64,000 from Ottawa. The trend to earlier arrivals from the south continues. Eleven shorebird species, nine war- blers, and four of our six swallows arrived earlier Data for the following Species Accounts come than their historic norms, some by as much as a from reports submitted directly to The Cardinal month. And many of the early sightings were and The Bobolink, the latter courtesy of its pub- soon followed by more, which to me means the lisher, Robert Hershberger; eBird (http://ebird. first arrivals weren’t outliers. (Three warblers org/content/ebird); and the Ohio-birds listserv 105 Vol. 39 No. 3 (http://birding.aba.org/maillist/OH). In the ren, unless the lake is specified; a bit of the species accounts, “normal” arrival dates are from lake is also in Clinton Harlan et al., Ohio Bird Records Committee Annotated CBC = Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count Checklist of the Birds of Ohio, 2008. CCE = Crane Creek Estuary, Lucas and Otta- Taxonomic order and nomenclature follow wa, viewable from both ONWR and the CCE the Check-List of North American Birds, 7th Edition Trail which originates at Magee (1998) as updated through the 56th Supple- Chapel Drive = a road off Ohio 83 south of Cum- ment (2015). This document is published by the berland in Noble which traverses grasslands NACC/AOU and is available at http://www. Clear Creek = Clear Creek Metro Park; the east- aou.org/checklist/north/print.php. County ern 2/3 is in Hocking, the rest in Fairfield names are in bold italics. Locations whose coun- Clear Fork = Clear Fork Reservoir (or Lake), ties are of the same name, for example Ashtabu- partly in Morrow but most of the birding is la (city) and Delaware Wildlife Area, usually do done in the larger Richland Section. not have the counties repeated. County names CLNP = Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve for sites described in Cincinnati (Hamilton), (the former Dike 14), Cuyahoga Cleveland (Cuyahoga), Columbus (Franklin), CMM = the trio of Jon Cefus, Greg Miller, and Dayton (Montgomery), and Toledo (Lucas) are Ben Morrison also omitted. Shortened names and a few sets of CNC = Cincinnati Nature Center, a non-govern- initials are used for locations and organizations mental entity whose Long Branch Farm and which occur repeatedly; these abbreviations are Rowe Woods units are in Clermont listed here. The term “fide” is used in some cita- Conneaut = the mudflats to the west of Con- tions; it means “in trust of ” and is used where the neaut Harbor, Ashtabula reporter was not the observer. CP = County Park CPNWR = Cedar Point National Wildlife Ref- uge, Lucas Abbreviations: CVNP = Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Cuyahoga and (mostly) Summit A/R Corner = fields at the corner of Angola and Darby Creek = Battelle Darby Creek Metro Raab Roads, Lucas Park, almost entirely in Franklin but with bits Alum Creek = Alum Creek Reservoir, Dela- in other counties as well ware, unless otherwise noted Deer Creek = the State Park is in Pickaway, the Armleder Park = a Cincinnati city park on the Wildlife Area is in Fayette, and Deer Creek Little Miami River, Hamilton Lake is in both but mostly Pickaway Audubon = the National Audubon Society East Fork = East Fork State Park, Clermont (http://www.audubon.org) East Harbor = East Harbor State Park, Ottawa BBS = the North American Breeding Bird Sur- Edgewater = the Edgewater unit of Cleveland vey, a joint project of the United States Geo- Lakefront Metroparks, Cuyahoga logical Survey (USGS) and the Canadian Fernald = Fernald Preserve, Butler and Wildlife Service Hamilton Berlin Lake = Berlin Lake (or Reservoir), Ma- Findlay Reservoirs = several contiguous water honing and Portage bodies east of town in Hancock Big Island = Big Island Wildlife Area, Marion Funk = Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area, Ashland Blendon Woods = Blendon Woods Metro Park, and (mostly) Wayne Franklin Grand Lake = Grand Lake St. Marys. The State The Bowl = a limited-access area near the Har- Park, the state fish hatchery, and the eastern rison airport 20% of the lake itself are in Auglaize. The BRAS = Black River Audubon Society rest of the lake is in Mercer. BSBO = Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Otta- Great Miami WMB = Great Miami Wetlands wa (http://www.bsbo.org) Mitigation Bank, Montgomery Buck Creek = Buck Creek State Park, Clark Headlands = Headlands Dunes State Nature Burke Airport = Cleveland Burke Lakefront Air- Preserve, Headlands Beach State Park, and port, Cuyahoga adjoining waters, Lake Caesar Creek = Caesar Creek State Park, War- Holden = Holden Arboretum, Lake, except for 106 The Ohio Cardinal, Spring 2016 its Stebbins Gulch unit in Geauga MP = Metro Park, MetroPark, or Metropark de- Hoover NP = Hoover Nature Preserve, pending on the system Delaware NC = Nature Center Hoover Reservoir = the northern 80% is in Del- NF = National Forest aware, the rest and the dam in Franklin NP = Nature Preserve, except as part of CVNP Indian Lake = Indian Lake State Park, Logan OBBA II = the second Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas Jones Preserve = Jones Preserve at Long Point, on OBRC = Ohio Bird Records Committee Kelleys Island, Erie Old Highland Stone = that company’s wa- Kelleys Island = the island and adjoining waters, ter-filled gravel pits,Highland Erie Old Woman Creek = Old Woman Creek Nation- Killbuck = Killbuck State Wildlife Area, Holmes al Estuarine Research Reserve, Erie and Wayne OOPMP = Oak Openings Preserve MetroPark, Killdeer = Killdeer Plains State Wildlife Area; a Lucas bit is in Marion but it’s mostly in Wyandot ONWR = Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Lu- LaDue = LaDue Reservoir, Geauga cas and Ottawa Lake Erie Bluffs = a Lake Metroparks parcel ONWR Boss and Navarre = units of ONWR whose popularity among birders is blooming. separate from the main area, both Ottawa Lake Hope/Zaleski