|
The
Lake Erie shoreline in northwest Ohio is famed as one of
the best birding areas in North America, especially
during spring migration. Although May is the peak season
for visiting birders, spring migration is actually under
way from mid-February to mid-June. Here’s an overview of
what to expect at each point in the season.
 Late February:
Waterfowl (ducks, geese, and swans) are beginning to move,
along with early returning birds like American Woodcock
and blackbirds. Flocks of American Crows are moving
along the lakeshore.
March
1 - 15:
Waterfowl migration is fully under way. Raptor migration
begins, with passage of Red-shouldered Hawk, Bald Eagle,
and Turkey Vulture on southerly winds. Snow Buntings are
moving around and an influx of Eastern Meadowlarks, Song
Sparrows, and others is evident.
March
16 - 31:
Peak waterfowl migration, with huge numbers of ducks,
geese, and swans on Lake Erie and in area marshes and
ponds. Raptor migration still picking up. Pectoral
Sandpiper and other early shorebirds begin to appear in
flooded fields. Hardy birds like Tree Swallow and
Eastern Phoebe are returning. Large numbers of Rusty
Blackbirds, Fox Sparrows, and Golden-crowned Kinglets
are present by the end of the month near the lakeshore.
 April 1 - 15:
Waterfowl migration is still heavy, gradually declining
through April. Raptor migration continues, with the last
passage of Red-shouldered and Rough-legged Hawks. Early
shorebird migrants are evident, including yellowlegs and
American Golden-Plover. Big numbers of flickers, Hermit
Thrushes, Winter Wrens, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and
other early migrants are here, and by the middle of the
month, a sprinkling of other warblers turns up. Fox
Sparrows are still numerous, and many other migrant
sparrows are arriving.
April
16 - 30:
First arrivals for many species, including Neotropical
migrants like warblers, vireos, and orioles. Early
warblers like Black-and-white, Palm, Nashville, and
Black-throated Green are numerous by month’s end. In
migrant traps along the lakeshore, this is the best time
to find Pine and Orange-crowned Warblers, and a time
when “southern” warblers like Worm-eating, Hooded, and
Yellow-throated may appear. Typical migrants in this
period include Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Ruby-crowned
Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and sparrows such as
Swamp and White-throated. Herons, egrets, and rails have
their main arrival here. Raptor migration features
Broad-winged and Sharp-shinned Hawks and Osprey.
Shorebird variety and numbers continue to increase.
May 1
- 10:
Sometime in this period, weather conditions will produce
the first really massive arrivals of Neotropical
migrants. In the migrant traps along the lakeshore,
warbler counts may jump from about a dozen species to
nearly 30 species literally overnight, and other
Neotropical migrants will abruptly pick up in numbers
and variety also. After this big wave, numbers of
individual migrants will drop off between successive
waves of arrivals, but diversity will remain high
through most of May. Early migrants like Rusty Blackbird
and Fox Sparrow are mostly gone before May 10th.
Migration of raptors and waterfowl is winding down, but
shorebirds are still building toward their peak.
May
11 - 20:
Numbers of migrants will vary day to day depending on
weather, but diversity is very high during this period.
Among the warblers, earlier migrants like Palm and
Yellow-rumped are declining, but later ones like
Magnolia, Blackpoll, and Bay-breasted have arrived in
numbers. Cuckoos, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Indigo
Bunting, and Bobolink are all typical mid-May migrants.
Hermit Thrush is past its peak but the other thrushes
are abundant, and flycatchers are arriving. Diversity
and numbers of shorebirds are excellent in available
habitat.
 May
21 - 31:
Some days continue to produce very high numbers
of migrants, although they are harder to see with the
trees fully leafed out. Summer residents are singing but
there is less song now from migrants, since females
(which generally don’t sing) tend to migrate later than
males. This is the peak migration time for the elusive
Connecticut Warbler, and good for numbers of other late
migrants like Mourning, Wilson’s, and Canada Warblers
and American Redstart. Yellow-bellied, Alder, and
Olive-sided Flycatchers all peak in late May, Red-eyed
Vireo can be abundant, and thrush migration continues to
be excellent. Many shorebird species are now at their
peak numbers.
Early
June:
Farther south in Ohio the songbird migration
is mostly over, but in the migrant traps along the
lakeshore, stragglers of many species can be found
through the first week of June. Some birds, such as
Swainson’s Thrush and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, are
still present in numbers. Shorebird migration is still
in full swing, with Dunlin, Ruddy Turnstone, and other
species still expected, and White-rumped Sandpiper
probably at its peak.
For
further details on the timing of songbird migration in
late April and May, based on long-term banding studies
of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory,
click here.
|
