Put-in-Bay Birding Count 2014 Held On South Bass Island
The Annual Put-in-Bay Birding Count 2014 was held on December 14. John Pogacnik is the Lake Erie Islands Count Circle compiler, including the Bass Islands, Kelleys, and Pelee. It was the year of the owls! Five species of owls were recorded on the islands that day-great-horned (highest count ever), eastern screech (second highest count ever), a snowy owl on North Bass and Pelee, a northern saw-whet and a long-eared owl on Kelleys! Earlier in the season, we experienced a cold snap that brought lots of waterfowl and tundra swans, followed by the thawing of mainland marshes with warmer weather. Waterfowl numbers fell, and the tundra swans disappeared.
With the warm weather and many duck hunters, waterfowl, and gull numbers were way down this year. The only exception was the birding record number of 70 horned grebes. It was also a relatively quiet day in the woods on South Bass, with occasional pockets of birding activity. Yet at the end of the day, eighty species of birds were recorded on the Lake Erie Islands in the Birding Count 2014.
The highest numbers ever for the Lake Erie Islands Count Circle were also recorded for yellow-bellied sapsucker, downy woodpecker, and black-capped chickadee, with second highest ever numbers of red-bellied woodpeckers, northern flicker, a white-breasted nuthatch. Could all those dead ash trees have affected the birding count?
Compiler John Pogacnik mentioned that these species sometimes show a small migration every other year that coincides with winter finch migration. The Bass Islands did have pine siskins earlier this season, and Kelleys Island and Pelee had some on count day. On South Bass, we saw 49 species, with four others being seen during the birding count week. The highlight was a belted kingfisher viewed by Elizabeth Heineman and Julene Market at Fishery Bay and a large flock of cedar waxwings feeding on berries near the Cargo Net found by Susan Harrington.
The best feeder bird was a tufted titmouse at Kit Knaser’s feeder for the second year a row-this is only the ninth year this species has been recorded for our Count Circle. Jean Hilt had two red-winged blackbirds at her feeder-only ones recorded for South Bass that day. Noticeably absent from the Birding Count 2014 were sparrows, wrens, and yellow-rumped warblers.
On South Bass Island, other counters that also surveyed the shorelines and woods by car and foot were Lisa Brohl, Karen Wilhelm, Bridget Wise, John Dodge, Paula Ziebarth, and Gabriela Kaplan. Thanks to Mary Ann McCann, Jean Hilt, Ruth Scarpelli, Paul Ladd, Kit Knaser, Bridget Wise, Sue Amrine, Anita McCann, Gene and Pam Zajac, Russ Brohl, Sarah Toole, and John Ladd for watching their feeders for us! We appreciate landowners’ cooperation with access that day!
At Kelleys Island, John Pogacnik, Tom Bartlett, Vic Fazio Sue Carty, Sandy Tkach, and Mary Warren surveyed the island with Lee Tkach, Bruce, Leslie Korenko, and Phil Corathers watching their feeders. Although there were duck hunters in close, they still recorded a fantastic 42,582 red-breasted mergansers! Highlights included count week harlequin duck, turkey vulture, and peregrine falcon.
One Iceland gull, four American pipits, and a gray catbird were all great finds on Birding Count Day. We visited Green Island on Saturday, December 13, 2014, with a permit from the Ohio Division of Wildlife (Lisa Brohl, Paula Ziebarth, Julene Market, and Paul Ladd). The highlight of that trip was two great-horned owls and a coyote!
Nancy Welter counted birds at her feeder and walked and drove around Middle Bass Island for us this year. On Birding Count Day, Joe Dopps could view a snowy owl on North Bass Island on Wires Road. Pelee Island compiled 51 species with four black scoters, a long-tailed duck, and a horned lark on the day of the Count. The Birding Count 2014 recorded the only tundra swans, rusty blackbirds, and northern harriers for the Lake Erie Count Circle. Counters and feeder watchers included Deb and Fred Billard, Grant and Deb Crawford, Barb Koch-Donga, Jayna, Ryan and Bryce Galloway, Kim and Randy Garner, Graeme Gibson, Sumiko Onishi, Lynn, and Ron Tiessen and Rob Tymstra
0 Comments