14. Great Blue Heron

Date          July 13, 2002
Location     Columbus Zoo pond, Powell, OH

Yes, the location is at a zoo, but this was not a captive animal. In the Columbus zoo, there is a good-sized pond a short distance from the entrance. The most common birds there are Mallards and Canada Geese, of course, but today this species was there.

This was probably the first really "cool" bird I saw and probably helped me get interested in birding. We were at a company offsite (Actuarial Interaction Day) and were on break. I wondered over to a nearby pond and saw one standing in the water. Fortunately, a colleague happened to be there as well and identified it for me (he was an experienced birder). It was amazing to me that such an "exotic" bird was just hanging out more-or-less in civilization. This was back in 2000, but I decided to count this one instead.

He was standing erect very near the sidewalk circling the pond. At first I thought he was one of those zoo statues -- metal affairs that kids can sit on and take pictures with. So he was quite still, and quite tame. I remember my kids being pretty excited about it too, being so close.


Cornell: Great Blue Heron

13. House Sparrow

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

A male perched next to me on a bench about four feet away. Looking past all his other "faults" (although it's not their fault we brought them over here), he's actually a pretty handsome bird. For a sparrow, anyway.

This was another case of making an official listing after I had already seen other specimens.


Cornell: House Sparrow

12. Mourning Dove

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

In front of the home office of Nationwide Insurance, there is a large area of lawns, sidewalks, fountains, trees, and shrubs. This area turned out to be very productive. It yielded many common birds like Mourning Dove and House Sparrow, but I also saw warblers, wrens, and even our two chunky shorebirds, woodcock and snipe. I believe that the green space is an oasis in a concrete jungle, attracting migrating birds and nesters (juvenile robins and cardinals were a common sight in the summertime). Ten life list birds were recorded at this site, the first being Mourning Dove.

One of the challenges with birding in this area is that I couldn't really use binoculars. For one thing, the birding time was only during breaks during work, and I didn't want to fiddle with optics. Also, with all the security cameras and people around, I didn't think it was a good idea. However, since the area is relatively small, it was often possible to observe even skittish birds pretty close up. More on these later.

I eventually began keeping a separate list for this area, and I believe I got to about 50 species. I lost the list because it was stored on a flash drive that I accidentally destroyed. I wanted to use the list to try to qualify the area as an Important Bird Area (the Audubon thing). I thought it would be cool to have a relatively small area in the middle of the city make the cut. After losing the list, I gave up on the idea.

One thing that this area also produces is dead birds from window strikes. There is an atrium inside the building with exotic indoor trees and large windows, and there was one window that killed about a dozen birds per migration season. I even saved some of them for an Eagle Scout project studying bird strikes in urban areas. A common victim was the hummingbird.

The dove I saw on this day appeared to be gathering nest material. While rather late in the season, doves are known for having multiple broods, so this seemed plausible. We even had a couple of dove eggs laid on the ground in late summer in the mulch bed of a tree in our backyard. They were never incubated.


Cornell: Mourning Dove

11. Blue Jay

Date          July 6, 2002
Location     Heritage Rail Trail/Metro Park, Hilliard, OH

I'm sure that I had seen Blue Jays before in my lifetime, but it took me a while to get one after I started my life list. I only caught a glimpse of one as it flew into the trees, but for this species, it doesn't take much of a look to know what it is.

I do recall that I was unfamiliar with the Blue Jay's call at this point. I was hearing it everywhere, but it sounded like a toucan or some tropical bird. I knew it couldn't be that, but I didn't know what it was. Now I was able to put two and two together.


Cornell: Blue Jay

10. Field Sparrow

Date          July 6, 2002
Location     Heritage Rail Trail/Metro Park, Hilliard, OH

I don't remember if it was this day or some future day during this first summer of bird watching that I decided that I was going to get a really good look at this bird by bringing a compact folding camp chair, plopping it down right amongst the tall grass, and waiting for him to come to me. I figured if I was right in the middle of the action, they would eventually happen by my location, and I could get a better look at them.

It didn't work.

In reality, my ability to see them well was hampered by my tiny 8x20 binoculars. I would eventually remedy that.

I heard him chipping through the brush and saw him singing on a small bush. The song and pink bill were the giveaways.

The bouncing-ball song of the Field Sparrow has a special place in my heart. It was the song I heard the most during my first few trips out, and when I hear it, it always brings me back.

Cornell: Field Sparrow

9. Sandhill Crane

Date          July 6, 2002
Location     Heritage Rail Trail/Metro Park, Hilliard, OH

I had enjoyed my trip here two weeks previously, so I decided to visit this site again on another warm Saturday morning.

Actually, I probably didn't really know where else to go. But no matter, it was a good place.

It didn't take long to see this large bird over by the pond. He was constantly calling and walking. I made my way over to the pond and looked at him through my binoculars. He was somewhat backlit by the sun, so I worked my way around the pond to get a clearer look. Every few steps, I would stop to look through my binoculars, carefully memorizing what I saw because I didn't know how long he would stick around.

I continued to make my way around until he finally flew off. I know that at some point I paused to look at my field guide, and I had made the identification.

Sandhill cranes are not exactly rare in central Ohio, but they are not often seen. Even though I was a beginner, I was very sure of my identification. I was further vindicated a few weeks later when I went on a guided walk at the very same place. When I arrived a few minutes before the start time, the guide was hopping mad because he had seen a crane, but a couple of guys had chased it off just "to see what would happen."

In my notes I have that I wrote a detailed description of what happened in a letter to my wife's maternal grandmother. Unfortunately, I cannot find that letter today.


Cornell: Sandhill Crane

8. Spotted Sandpiper

Date          June 22, 2002
Location     Heritage Rail Trail/Metro Park, Hilliard, OH

The pond at this metro park is small but had an excellent muddy shoreline that was great for shorebirds. It was really exciting to get this one because to this point I had only seen passerines (except for the audio-only Whip-poor-will).

I also witnessed some sort of territorial display where one would rear up and spread his wings and charge another. It was reminiscent of the classic Dracula move when he turned into a bat. That's what I thought of, anyway. I've never seen it again since.

Helping me in the identification was the constant bobbing up and down of the tail. It was exciting to be able to use behavior, habitat, range, etc. and not just what the thing looked like.

Cornell: Spotted Sandpiper