Devoted to the Study and Appreciation of Ohio’s Birdlife • Vol. 37, No. 4 Summer 2014 An Ohio breeder, this Great Crested Flycatcher paused while gathering nesting material for this study by Victor Fazio III on 06 Jun at Pickerel Creek. On the cover: This Cattle Egret chose a beautiful setting for a lovely portrait by photographer Christopher Collins on 26 Jul on Cedar Point Drive, Erie. Vol. 37 No. 4 Devoted to the Study and Appreciation of Ohio’s Birdlife EDITOR OHIO BIRD RECORDS Craig Caldwell COMMITTEE 1270 W. Melrose Dr. Paul Gardner Westlake, OH 44145 Secretary 440-356-0494 295 Acton Road [email protected] Columbus, OH 43214-3305 [email protected] PHOTO EDITOR Laura Keene PAST PUBLISHERS [email protected] John Herman (1978-1980) Edwin C. Pierce (1980-2008) LAYOUT Roger Lau PAST EDITORS [email protected] John Herman (1978-1980) Edwin C. Pierce (1980-1991) Thomas Kemp (1987-1991) CONSULTANTS Robert Harlan (1991-1996) Mike Egar Victor W. Fazio III (1996-1997) Victor Fazio III Bill Whan (1997-2008) Rob Harlan Andy Jones (2008-2010) Andy Jones Jill M. Russell (2010-2012) Laura Peskin Bill Whan ISSN 1534-1666 The Ohio Cardinal, Summer 2014 COMMENTS ON THE SEASON By Craig Caldwell counts of 10 review species and one review genus are included. Reports of three of them (Western Grebe, Jun was wetter than average, with a rainfall total Fish Crow, and Common Raven) had insufficient data in the top 20 of the 120 years with records. Only the for evaluation and so will not be part of the formal re- south-central counties’ rains were near normal. The cord. Mississippi Kite, Piping Plover, and Eurasian Col- central counties and a few small pockets elsewhere lared-Dove had both documented and undocumented received up to triple their usual amounts and the rest reports. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Plegadis sp. Ibis, of the state had up to double its average. Average Black Rail, Purple Gallinule, and Western Kingbird and maximum temperatures were also above normal, sightings were all well documented. The Records Com- though not so dramatically. They ranked at numbers 94 mittee and I are grateful to the observers who provided and 74 of the 120, respectively. documentation. Jul was a complete reversal. Statewide, the rainfall Documenting a rarity is easy: Just go to http://www. amount was near the bottom quartile. Parts of the ohiobirds.org/records/documentation.php. Internet northeast did have up to triple their usual rain, and a postings, even with photographs, can only supplement narrow band from Dayton to Columbus received up formal reports, not replace them. to double its average, but the rest of the state had as Data for the following Species Accounts come from little as 10% of normal rainfall. Both the average and reports submitted directly to the Cardinal, reports sub- maximum temperatures were the third lowest on record. mitted to The Bobolink, eBird (http://ebird.org/content/ (Neighboring Indiana experienced its coldest Jul ever.) ebird), the Ohio-birds listserv (http://birding.aba.org/ The minimum temperature was the 11th lowest. maillist/OH), rarebird.org (http://rarebird.org/forum/ Weather data are from the National Weather Service default.asp), and the Cincinnati Bird Sightings Log (http://water.weather.gov/precip/) and the National (http://cincinnatibirds.com/goodbird/sighting.php). Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (http://www. In the species accounts, “normal” early and late dates ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/maps.php. (This cita- are from Harlan et al., Ohio Bird Records Committee Annotated tion was omitted in the spring Ohio Cardinal.) Checklist of the Birds of Ohio, 2008. Breeding ranges and This summer was the first in which the results of the isolated locations are from Harlan et al. and from Ohio emerald ash borer invasion were really apparent. Bare Breeding Bird Atlas II submissions. or nearly bare ashes were widespread. Many cities and Taxonomic order and nomenclature follow the Check- individual homeowners cut dead and dying trees, leav- List of North American Birds, 7th Edition (1998) as updated ing empty yards. Will the uncut snags in larger parks through the 55th Supplement (2014). This document is and forests prove a bonanza for woodpeckers as native published by the North American Classification Com- boring insects take up residence? If so, secondary cavity mittee of the American Ornithologists’ Union and is nesters should also benefit, though that’s at best a very available at http://www.aou.org/checklist/north/print. thin silver lining on an otherwise very dark cloud. php. County names are in bold italics. Locations whose Scott Pendleton provided this from Harrison: “Also, counties are of the same name, for example Ashtabula a short grassland report. The uppies appear to be ex- (city) and Delaware Wildlife Area, usually do not have panding their breeding area as I found them in two plac- the counties repeated. County names for sites described es they were not seen before. Vespers were way down in Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus are also omit- this year, everything else is holding steady. No dickcissels ted. Shortened names or initials are used for locations after having them for two years. The grasslands area is and organizations which occur repeatedly; these abbre- changing rapidly as four wells have been drilled and four viations are listed here. The term “fide” is used in some more are slated to be drilled and they are strip-mining citations; it means “in trust of ” and is used where the about a square mile of it. None of this activity affects the reporter was not the observer. main breeding area.” Abbreviations: Elliot Tramer conducts point count surveys in OOP- Armleder Park = a Cincinnati city park on the Little MP and wrote me, “Veery, Wood Thrush, Ovenbird and Miami River, Hamilton Hooded Warbler in Oak Openings Metropark — these BBS = the North American Breeding Bird Survey, a neotropical migrants seem to be declining in the park, joint project of the United States Geological Survey possibly due to a combination of adverse management (USGS) and the Canadian Wildlife Service. activities there (e.g., clearing undergrowth from sections Berlin Lake = Berlin Lake, Mahoning and Portage of mature forest) and an overabundance of deer — a Big Island = Big Island Wildlife Area, Marion browse line is very apparent in many areas of the park.” Blendon Woods = Blendon Woods Metro Park, I welcome contributions like these from readers who Franklin have intimate knowledge of a local patch. Please tell me The Bowl = a limited-access area near the Harrison about trends in yours! airport. This issue of the Cardinal has accounts of 247 spe- BRAS = Black River Audubon Society cies and two hybrids, plus eight entries at the genus or Buck Creek = Buck Creek State Park, Clark family level. The first two numbers are typical for their Caesar Creek = Caesar Creek State Park, mostly categories. I’ve been slowly increasing the number of Warren and a bit in Clinton more general entries compared to previous issues. Ac- CCE = Crane Creek Estuary, Lucas and Ottawa, 146 Vol. 37 No. 4 viewable from both ONWR and the CCE Trail noted. The northern third of the causeway is also in which originates at Magee Lucas, the rest in Ottawa. CLNP = Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve (the Maumee Bay = Maumee Bay State Park, Lucas, unless former Dike 14), Cuyahoga otherwise noted Conneaut = the mudflats to the west of Conneaut Medusa = Medusa Marsh, Erie, an informally named Harbor, Ashtabula and privately owned area between Sandusky and CNC = Cincinnati Nature Center, Clermont Bay View CP = County Park Metzger = Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area, Lucas CPNWR = Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuge, Mill Creek = Mill Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, a limit- Lucas ed-access area in Mahoning CVNP = Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Cuyahoga Mohican = Mohican State Forest and State Park. and (mostly) Summit Many trails cross the boundaries so some reports Darby Creek = Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park, include sightings from both. Franklin Mohican SF = Mohican State Forest, Ashland Deer Creek = the State Park is in Pickaway, the Mohican SP = Mohican State Park, (mostly) Ashland Wildlife Area is in Fayette, and Deer Creek Lake is and (slightly) Richland in both but mostly Pickaway Mosquito Lake = Mosquito Creek Lake, also called East Fork = East Fork State Park, Clermont Mosquito Creek Reservoir, Trumbull. Mosquito East Harbor = East Harbor State Park, Ottawa (Creek) Wildlife Area adjoins it. Edgewater = the Edgewater unit of Cleveland Lake- MP = Metro Park, MetroPark, or Metropark depend- front Metroparks, Cuyahoga ing on the system Ellis Lake = the semi-official name of ponds, wetland, NC = Nature Center and woods in Butler, not to be confused with the Nimisila = Nimisila Reservoir, Summit reservoir of the same name in Wyandot NP = Nature Preserve, except as part of CVNP Fernald = Fernald Preserve, Butler and Hamilton OBRC = Ohio Bird Records Committee Findlay Reservoirs = several contiguous water bodies OOPMP = Oak Openings Preserve MetroPark, Lucas east of town in Hancock ONWR = Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Lucas Frohring Meadows = Frohring Meadows, Geauga and Ottawa Funk = Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area, Ashland and ONWR Blausey = a unit of Ottawa National Wildlife (mostly) Wayne Refuge which is separate from the refuge’s main Gilmore Ponds = Gilmore MetroPark (formerly Gilm- body, in Ottawa. ore Ponds Preserve), Butler Pickerel Creek = Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area, Great Miami WMB = Great Miami Wetland Mitiga- Sandusky tion