90. Ovenbird

Date          April 23, 2003
Location     Nationwide Plaza 1, Columbus, OH

Led me on a merry chase very similar to the waterthrush the week before. I would use the large planters as a shield to get closer.

The Ovenbird would become a reliable visitor to Nationwide every April and May. I pretty much expected to see one, and it was nice because in the forest you rarely see them (just hear their loud, incessant song).


Cornell: Ovenbird

89. Barn Swallow

Date          April 22, 2003
Location     Heritage Rail Trail metro park, Hilliard, OH

There were several flying gracefully over the big pond. I've always enjoyed watching swallows in flight. I like the challenge of keeping them in my binoculars view. I lose one, then pick up another and follow it.


Cornell: Barn Swallow

88. Greater Yellowlegs

Date          April 22, 2003
Location     Heritage Rail Trail metro park, Hilliard, OH

Two yellowlegs were foraging near each other when I first saw them, then they both stopped a few feet from each other in profile like they were posing for me. I could not have gotten a better look if I had positioned them myself. This allowed me to get a good size comparison and determine that one was a lesser and the other a greater.


Cornell: Greater Yellowlegs

87. Red-headed Woodpecker

Date          April 19, 2003
Location     Falling Rock, near Newark, OH

I was walking back on the main trail after it dead-ended at the swimming pool. On the left, I saw him on the trunk of a tree. I could hardly believe my eyes. He even extracted a nut from a branch, held it in his beak for a moment, then it appeared that he put it back.


Cornell: Red-headed Woodpecker

86. Brown Thrasher

Date          April 19, 2003
Location     Falling Rock, near Newark, OH

This entry, along with the previous and next entries, was found at yet another scout camp out. I was able to take about an hour or so for a walk by myself, but I was also ticking off species while lying in my tent in the morning after waking up. It was so nice that I could just lay there and enjoy the dawn chorus and be able to identify everything that I was hearing.

I heard a thrasher outside my tent this way, and I later saw two in a field vigorously flipping over leaves in search of food.


Cornell: Brown Thrasher

85. Carolina Chickadee

Date          April 19, 2003
Location     Falling Rock, near Newark, OH

This bird actually belongs earlier on the list, but I deleted that entry long ago. I had it as a Black-capped Chickadee. In my notes, I had made the id based on his call only, which isn't terribly reliable to begin with, and certainly not to someone as inexperienced as I.

After many years of birding in central Ohio, I was able to pretty much determine that only Carolina (not Black-capped) were in the area. The guidebooks at the time had the range cutting right through Columbus, so initially I thought I could get either one on any given day.

For this entry, I only heard the song, which was the four-parted song (the only chickadee song I ever heard in central Ohio). But in any case, I had seen one much earlier, as noted above.

So, this one is kind of messy, but here it is at number 86. I would get the black-capped later in an area that was definitely in its range -- in Nebraska.


Cornell: Carolina Chickadee

84. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Date          April 18, 2003
Location     Hoover Reservoir, Westerville, OH

No notes on this, but I believe I was below the dam where the disc golf course was.


Cornell: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

83. Common Term

Date          April 18, 2003
Location     Hoover Reservoir, Westerville, OH

There was one standing and flying with a flock of gulls. Pretty exciting to get my first tern!


Cornell: Common Tern

82. Tree Swallow

Date          April 17, 2003
Location     Roberts/270 Pond, Hilliard, OH

It took me a while to identify them, but I finally saw the bluish-green on top as they swooped over the water. There was a flock of about 10.

This species would become one of the exciting and reliable harbingers of spring. They were always around by mid-April, signalling the beginning of the arrival of the neotropic migrants.


Cornell: Tree Swallow

81. Louisiana Waterthrush

Date          April 16, 2003
Location     Nationwide Plaza 1, Columbus, OH

The migrants that stop over in this little oasis in downtown Columbus would, apparently, spend more than a day here. Once I located this bird, I was able to find him every time I went outside on breaks or at lunch. He moved about exclusively on the ground.

It took two days of watching him and several field guides to finally nail down what it was (Northern vs. Louisiana). Fortunately, the corporate library had a Peterson's and Sibley's guide in the library, so when I spotted a bird I wasn't sure of, I could memorize the field marks and scurry inside to try to make the identification.


Cornell: Louisiana Waterthrush

80. Bonaparte's Gull

Date          April 5, 2003
Location     Hoover Reservoir, Westerville, OH

I saw this one on the shore by the small pond next to the reservoir proper. He was the only one, mixed in with a flock of ringed-billed gulls.


Cornell: Bonaparte's Gull

79. American Wigeon

Date          April 5, 2003
Location     Hoover Reservoir, Westerville, OH

I was trying out all the various bodies of water in Franklin county, in search of ducks. Sure enough, I got another one on this Saturday morning.

I was at the southern end of the reservoir near the dam and boat docks. There weren't too many boats there yet. As I walked down toward the water, there were tons of recently-arrived blackbirds singing.

Do not be deceived by the date on this entry: it was very chilly outside with a very strong wind coming off the water. The wind chill was definitely below freezing.

I have video of this somewhere . . .


Cornell: American Wigeon

78. Blue-winged Teal

Date          March 18, 2003
Location     Heritage Rail Trail metro park, Hilliard, OH

A raft of five in the main pond. When they saw me from a good distance, they flew in wide circles around the field, then landed back in the pond. As I tried to approach closer again, they flew off for good.


Cornell: Blue-winged Teal

77. House Wren

Date          April 1, 2003
Location     Nationwide Plaza 1, Columbus, OH

Like all birds at this location, identified with the naked eye. He made a brief appearance on the large tree near the fountain.


Cornell: House Wren

76. Red-breasted Merganser

Date          March 26, 2003
Location     Scioto River by Confluence Park, Hilliard, OH

I agonized over this one for quite a while. This exact location was the road leading up to the parking lot for the restaurant located right on the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers.

She was all alone, fairly close to shore, diving over and over again. I finally decided that it was a red-breasted, not common.


Cornell: Red-breasted Merganser

75. American Woodcock

Date          March 21, 2003
Location     Sharon Woods metro park, Westerville, OH

This was a date with my wife in which she indulged me in my newfound hobby. There was a woodcock program at the metro park that started at dusk. It was a chilly, blustery evening. We saw plenty of action, hearing at least three, all doing their courtship display. While they were flying we would try to get closer. We probably got within about 30 feet or so of a "peenting" bird on the ground.


Cornell: American Woodcock

74. Ring-necked Duck

Date          March 21, 2003
Location     Scioto River by Whittier Ave, Hilliard, OH

More ducks!

Why, oh why, won't they change the name of this one? Why?! Definitely on the top ten list of dumb bird names.

This location is almost the same as those listed as Greenlawn Ave dam -- just upstream a bit and above the dam.

There was a raft of about 30-40, and they were very wary.


Cornell: Ring-necked Duck

73. Eastern Meadowlark

Date          March 18, 2003
Location     Heritage Rail Trail metro park, Hilliard, OH

A flying bird caught my eye, and as it alighted toward the ground I caught a yellow flash. He walked around foraging and making his guttural call. Foraging habits reminded me of a grackle. As he/she walked, he flashed his white tail feathers like a redstart, although not as frequent or obvious.


Cornell: Eastern Meadowlark

72. Northern Shoveler

Date          March 18, 2003
Location     Heritage Rail Trail metro park, Hilliard, OH

This was a quick afternoon trip after work. I continued to rack up the ducks, having a very productive spring migration. He was in the usual place there, in the largest pond beyond the horse corral.


Cornell: Northern Shoveler

71. Ruddy Duck

Date          March 13, 2003
Location     Griggs Dam, Columbus, OH

Exactly twelve in a raft above the dam in the reservoir.


Cornell: Ruddy Duck

70. Lesser Scaup

Date          March 11, 2003
Location     Greenlawn Ave dam, Columbus, OH

Above the dam with many other ducks.


Cornell: Lesser Scaup

69. Canvasback

Date          March 11, 2003
Location     Greenlawn Ave dam, Columbus, OH

Above the dam with many other ducks.


Cornell: Canvasback

68. Hooded Merganser

Date          February 15, 2003
Location     Griggs Dam, Columbus, OH

A large raft floating in the river below the dam.

This was the only bird of Feb 2003, keeping my streak intact. Once spring arrived the next month, the record was safe for quite a while until it would finally be broken in the late summer.


Cornell: Hooded Merganser

67. American Black Duck

Date          January 31, 2003
Location     Greenlawn Ave dam, Columbus, OH

There was male/female pair standing on the ice among a bunch of Mallards.

Cornell: American Black Duck

66. Common Goldeneye

Date          January 31, 2003
Location     Greenlawn Ave dam, Columbus, OH

Around this time, I noticed that I had a streak going of at least one new bird per month. I wanted to keep this going, and I just barely did on January 31st. And what a way to continue the streak! I finally got a couple of ducks, and the goldeneye was a real treat -- a true winter bird.

After this day, the Greenlawn dam area would become a haunt of mine for the rest of the winter and early spring. (I had not discovered Blendon Woods yet, which is generally better, except maybe for birds like the goldeneye).

I don't remember the exact count, but I do remember that there were multiple males and females.

They were below the dam, and I saw them as I stood near the small parking area near the trail head.

I'm not sure when I acquired my 10x50 binoculars, but I'm quite sure I had them by this time, or I never would have been able to see them.


Cornell: Common Goldeneye

65. Brown-headed Cowbird

Date          December 28, 2002
Location     Backyard (Gillette Ave), Hilliard, OH

There were two males and one female mixed in with one of those swarming, frantic flocks of starlings.


Cornell: Brown-headed Cowbird

64. Golden-crowned Kinglet

Date          December 24, 2002
Location     Hoover Reservoir, Westerville, OH

Flitting about in a short tree below the dam.


Cornell: Golden-crowned Kinglet

63. American Coot

Date          December 24, 2002
Location     Hoover Reservoir, Westerville, OH

What better thing to do than go birding on Christmas Eve? (Or make blog entries about birding)


Cornell: American Coot

62. Great Horned Owl

Date          December 12, 2002
Location     Battelle-Darby Creek metro park, Franklin Co., OH

I and my sons were standing around waiting for an evening owl program to start. Without even trying (by playing owl calls), we heard its hooting call a few times at dusk. We never heard one again the rest of the night, although at the very end we heard a screech owl calling a few times.


Cornell: Great Horned Owl

61. White-throated Sparrow

Date          November 28, 2002
Location     Griggs Dam, Columbus, OH

Once again, I was exploring the winding trails in the woods below the dam. I heard lots of their high-pitched chirping and saw them foraging on the ground.


Cornell: White-throated Sparrow

60. Dark-eyed Junco

Date          November 14, 2002
Location     Highbanks Metro Park, Lewis Center, OH

No notes on this one either. I suspect this was at the feeders. I do like the warmth of the visitors centers on cold mornings.


Cornell: Dark-eyed Junco

59. Eastern Bluebird

Date          November 14, 2002
Location     O'Shaughnessy Dam, Powell, OH

As I was parking I saw two blue flashes fly by which then perched on a tree near the water. I knew almost immediately what they had to be, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. I had to look at them for some time to really believe what I was seeing.

You see, the bluebird had sort of reached a legendary status in my mind because of the time my dad and I were visiting his uncle Gayle and aunt Vivian in Kansas. We were visiting and they happened to see bluebirds out back. They were all very excited because they had lived through the decline of this species and seen its disappearance, and it was so nice to see them again.


Cornell: Eastern Bluebird

58. Herring Gull

Date          November 13, 2002
Location     Griggs Dam, Columbus, OH

I was standing below the dam on one of the many trails in that area. He was literally standing on the dam above me and to the right. Good thing, because I could see his pink legs really well.


Cornell: Herring Gull

57. Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Date          November 12, 2002
Location     Heritage Rail Trail, Hilliard, OH

No notes on this one, and only a vague recollection. :(

Cornell: Ruby-crowned Kinglet

56. Pied-billed Grebe

Date          October 29, 2002
Location     Pond by GFS, Hilliard, OH

On Hilliard-Rome road, back in 2002, the area on the west side of the street about a mile north of I-70 was mostly undeveloped scrubby field. There was a pond and even some mudflats in the northern end of the field. Until this was replaced by GFS, it was actually a pretty productive spot, right in the middle of town. There were even egrets here.

Pied-billed Grebes were also fairly common here. This sighting was no doubt an opportunistic one, not generated from a specific outing. I was probably just driving by and stopped to investigate.


Cornell: Pied-billed Grebe

55. Norther Flicker

Date          October 18, 2002
Location     Stage's Pond, Circleville, OH

Walking back from the pond, we heard him first then spotted him high up in a tree.


Cornell: Northern Flicker

54. Yellow-rumped Warbler (incl Audubon's)

Date          October 18, 2002
Location     Stage's Pond, Circleville, OH

This was certainly the highlight of the day. He put on quite a show near the main pond blind, flying around everywhere but staying within sight for about five minutes. It was either a female or juvenile male.

And as a placeholder in case the split finally happens, I recorded the "Audubon's" version in California on 11/1/2007, in the Santa Monica mountains.


Cornell: Yellow-rumped Warbler

53. White-crowned Sparrow

Date          October 18, 2002
Location     Stage's Pond, Circleville, OH

This was my first fall bird watching. I knew that fall migration brought a variety of ducks through, so I did a lot of research on what would be a good place to go. I found this place and invited my two sons along, who came with me.

Well, it turned out to be a real disappointment. We arrived at the pond and all we saw were some distant cormorants. There was even one of those helpful wooden plaques with pictures of all the cool ducks that one could see. I never went back there. I would later find places at least as good that wasn't an hour drive away.

That being said, we did have some good experiences (including the sideways flying blue jay (due to a stiff wind)), and I picked up three new birds.

I have no notes on this sighting, and I don't recall it at all. Oh well. In any case, I would enjoy visits of this species to my feeders years later.


Cornell: White-crowned Sparrow

52. Hairy Woodpecker

Date          October 12, 2002
Location     Highbanks Metro Park, Lewis Center, OH

This was on a chilly Saturday morning. I believe it was my first trip to Highbanks. They have a visitor center with feeders. I decided to go outside on the trail near the feeders. He was sounding his call continuously and preening high up on a tree.


Cornell: Hairy Woodpecker

51. Cooper's Hawk

Date          October 11, 2002
Location     Roberts/270 Pond, Hilliard, OH

I saw him/her gliding over the pond, then frightening the Rock Doves that are frequently in that area on the wires.


Cornell: Coopers Hawk

50. Brown Creeper

Date          October 9, 2002
Location     Nationwide Plaza 1, Columbus, OH

My breaks at work became something I really looked forward to. Cold weather would only be a small nuisance.

I heard him first and saw his undulating flight. Then I saw him creep up a tree trunk and out onto a tree limb. He was almost upside down on the limb.

Cornell: Brown Creeper

49. Black-throated Blue Warbler

Date          October 9, 2002
Location     Nationwide Plaza 1, Columbus, OH

This one led me on a merry chase through the walkways of "Jeffers Park." Here is how I described it:

I spotted him on the ground making his way toward me. I stood still, and he came at me from behind one of those light posts. He emerged, hopped by me not two feet away, crossed the sidewalk, and continued on the other side. No binoculars needed.

While it certainly wasn't hard to identify him, I remember keying on the little white wing patch. I mean, I felt pretty awesome about myself that I noticed it and used it to confirm the identification.


Cornell: Black-throated Blue Warbler

48. Eastern Phoebe

Date          September 28, 2002
Location     Chief Logan Scout Reservation, Ray, OH

This was in the heat of the afternoon, and I was pretty tired by this point. I was back by the archery area. I heard the "fee-bee" song and noted that there was no eye ring. This was my first flycatcher.


Cornell: Eastern Phoebe

47. Wood Duck

Date          September 28, 2002
Location     Chief Logan Scout Reservation, Ray, OH

These birds really made me work for this one.

There was more than one, but I never got a good look at the whole "group" of them. I chased them all day long. They were always just out of sight in the beaver pond but frequently making noise. The call notes were certainly diagnostic. But, being still relatively new at this, I really wanted to see them too.

I finally did see one well enough to confirm the identification, but it was certainly a less-than-satisfying look. I pretty much knew what they were, but it took a lot of stalking to finally see one and feel satisfied that they were really Wood Ducks. They were incredibly shy, flying off whenever they figured out I was around.

Fortunately, in the future I would get great looks at this incredible bird.


Cornell: Wood Duck

46. Chipping Sparrow

Date          September 28, 2002
Location     Chief Logan Scout Reservation, Ray, OH

I have no notes on this sighting. In my mind's eye, I picture some gravel around the bird, so I think I saw this one near the shower houses, which seems like a very plausible place.


Cornell: Chipping Sparrow

45. Pileated Woodpecker

Date          September 28, 2002
Location     Chief Logan Scout Reservation, Ray, OH

While watching the nuthatches I heard an unusual, short, noise behind me. I saw him almost immediately. There were so many birds buzzing around me, I actually didn't watch him for long. I saw two others later in the day. I remember that he was fairly high up in a tree not too far away in a classic woodpecker position on the tree trunk.


Cornell: Pileated Woodpecker

44. White-breasted Nuthatch

Date          September 28, 2002
Location     Chief Logan Scout Reservation, Ray, OH

Next, to my right, I saw this bird. There were at least two of them (not sure how many, I just know it was more than one from my journal entry for the next bird). I didn't watch them for long because I heard an unusual, short noise behind me.

To be continued . . .


Cornell: White-breasted Nuthatch

43. Tufted Titmouse

Date          September 28, 2002
Location     Chief Logan Scout Reservation, Ray, OH

The sighting of this bird ushered in the most exciting moments in birding that I'd had to that point -- and is still unforgettable to me years later. This and the next two birds were spotted virtually simultaneously; I was having a hard time figuring out where to train my binoculars.

I was walking along the forest edge, with the large central field of Chief Logan to my left. Trees were on the right, bushes were on the left. The titmouse was very close by in the brush on the left.

To be continued . . .


Cornell: Tufted Titmouse