Waders, warblers and weather
Well, we made it past the volcanic ash, and after flying to New York and then to Cleveland we finally made to our destination, Port Clinton on the shore of Lake Erie, but well after dark. So it was very interesting to see where we would be birding in daylight today. As we left Port Clinton the sky became a very strange mix of black, white and grey swirls, nothing we’d ever seen before, but locals reckoned this was a sign of a possible tornado building up above us. Undeterred, we drove up to Black Swamp Bird Observatory where we met up with our friends from Tropical Birding. Our first job was to do a recce of the area ahead of our planned shorebird (wader) walk in the afternoon. With Iain from Tropical Birding and Rebecca from Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, we had a whistlestop tour of this enormous, wonderful wetland which is intensively managed for conservation. Back to their impressive visitor centre and a very brief get-together with our friends at the ABA (American Birding Association ) we were back out in the field, with around 60 eager birders in tow, for the Shorebird walk. Only slight problem: shorebirds. The weather conditions and recent rains had raised waterlevels so the best areas were flooded leaving little habitat for waders. Nonetheless, we have a very enjoyable time birding the few shallow pools that remained, with great views of both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpipers, Dunlin, Killdeers. Other species here included Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Osprey, Northern Oriole, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Trumpeter Swan and many Red-winged Blackbirds.
From here we visited the Black Swamp Bird Observatory and their famous boardwalk which meanders through the damp woodland. Here it was great to catch up with some old birding friends from around the world, and enjoyed fantastic migrants. Just a few of the highlights here included: Cape May, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Bay-breasted, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped, Yellow, Black-and-white Warblers; Downy Woodpecker; Grey-cheeked and Wood Thrushes, Veery, Warbling Vireo, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, Grey Catbird and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.
After all this fantastic birding, we headed back to Port Clinton, to be met by the wailing sounds of tornado warning sirens. Rather unsure what to do, we took our cue from the locals and headed into the restaurant for a fine crab supper as the rain began to lash down, accompanied by thunder and lightening. A hearty last supper perhaps? Who knows what the rain will bring…..