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Date Posted: 10:32:54 04/05/03 Sat
Author: Greg
Author Host/IP: cblmdm63-162-23-175.buckeye-express.com / 63.162.23.175
Subject: Lakeshore Birding Report from Sat. 4/5

Despite the bitter cold, howling wind, and itermittent snow showers(!), Jim B. from Detroit Audubon and I were able to find a good diversity of species, some in amazingly high numbers.

Beginning on the Magee boardwalk, we encountered the usual suspects, most in reasonable numbers, a couple in exceptional numbers.

GC kinglet (15+)
creeper (6-8)
Rusty blackbird (handful)
E. Phoebe (3 or 4)
Winter wren (6 or 7)

etc, etc.

The most remarkable, however were the numbers of Fox sparrows and Yellow-bellied sapsuckers.

According to the new Birds of the Toledo Area book, the greatest number of Fox sparrows seen in one day was 55 along the very same bird trail on April 3, 1988. If indeed that is accurate, the record easily fell today.

There were no less than 70 Fox sparrows along the Magee boardwalk, another 3 or 4 along the beach, and another 10 in the small woodlot just west of the Ottawa NWR parking lot.

I do not know for sure the exact number, but we saw in excess of 80 Fox sparrows this morning without question.

Also, we saw somewhere between 15-20 Yellow-bellied sapsuckers. According to Birds of the Toledo Area, the greatest number of sapsuckers seen in a day was 25 on April 15, way back in 1949. Perhaps a stop at Pearson metropark and/or Maumee Bay State Park would have pushed us over the top.

Interestingly, there was not a single Fox sparrow or sapsucker at the woodlot at Metzger marsh.

Ducks are thinning out in numbers, but diversity remains high. 17 species were seen, nothing unusual. Ring-necked ducks are currently the most abundant duck in the marshes ad flooded fields.

No new arrivals were encountered, but a lone Chipping sparrow east of the main beach was a year first for both of us.

In all, it was an excellent half-day considering the truly miserable weather conditions.


GL

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