Warblering....OHIO (1 May)

And so we (Scott Watson and Andres Vasquez and I) moved on from the Upper Texas Coast, landed in Cleveland last night and were checking out the Ohio migration hotspots today. We stopped in first at Magee Marsh where we enjoyed a flock of four cranes flying over and another Sandhill Crane along the Crane Creek Estuary Trail, while warblers were provided by Palms by the dozen and the odd Blackburnian and Tennessee. Next stop was Ottawa NWR where we found a powder blue male Black-throated Blue Warbler feeding in the South Woods, and then the Boss Unit (better known to local birders as simply Benton-Carroll Road), of the refuge revealed 3 Pectoral Sandpipers from their bright shiny new shorebird viewing platform (good work to all who donated and were involved in producing that-a great addition to the season!) 

Lastly, we stopped in at Metzger Marsh (once we had worked our way around the rather inconvenient-for the timing with the birding season-detour), which provided the best birding of the day. The tiny lakeshore lot held both male Blue-winged Warbler and male Hooded Warbler, and both behaved in a way that they were determined that every birder would see them! Along with them were Blackburnian Warbler, male Scarlet Tanager, Great Crested Flycatcher and Northern Parula. Along with all of this first-rate action were tons and tons of Yellow-rumped Warblers in full spring regalia. A great first day on the shores of Lake Erie. I am fired up for more...

Updates to come regularly here and on my twitter feed (@samwoodsTB) soon...