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Saturday, June 6, 2015

Magee Marsh The Conclusion: Scarlet Tanager, Northern Bobwhite, American Woodcock and More

[Magee Marsh, OH. May 2015]

Amidst the Warblermania at Magee, those not completely swayed by the parade of colorful "avian butterflies", will doubtless seek reward in the discovery of other families of birds that, while not entirely comparable  to their warbler brethren, are otherwise no less in form or feature.

For those who thus expand their birding horizons, this gain in the overall equilibrium in species is made possible by the other migrants present -- delightful Thrushes, Orioles, Tanagers, Sparrows, Vireos, and even sometimes the unusual and unexpected -- such as an errant Northern Bobwhite blown off its migration course.


American Woodcock

In May, the swarming crowds are an infamous phenomenon at Magee, and, while the swooning masses shriek and lurch in frenzied unison to the cries of "Blackburnian" or "Mourning Warbler", the phlegmatic birder, wisely unperturbed, neglects not to scour low nor scan high -- perhaps a Woodcock lurks in the leaf litter; or, an Owl sits motionless as stone on a branch. Both avian treasures that could be cruelly, and thoughtlessly, overlooked in a feverish quest for feathered celebrities.


American Woodcock
And, this is precisely the aim of this blog post: to profile the migration at Magee minus the warblers -- such as this beautiful Baltimore Oriole:




At the visitor center, Barn Swallows nest in the building and can be seen perched on the railings early in the morning:





An impossibly camouflaged Eastern Screech Owl -- a species, in full confession, this blogger has always seen second hand at Magee; benefiting from the prior sighting efforts of other birders:


Eastern Wood Pewee:


Grey-cheeked Thrush:

This beautiful Northern Bobwhite created a minor pedestrian traffic jam in the parking lot as gleeful onlookers-turned-photographers employed their smartphone cameras to capture the scene:




Purple Martins are our largest swallow -- and while almost impossible to photograph in flight, they can be fairly easily digitally captured outside their next boxes:



Rose-breasted Grosbeak:
Ruby-crowned Kinglet:



Red-eyed Vireo:


Swainson's Thrush


Scarlet Tanager:

Veery:


White-throated Sparrow:

and, Warbling Vireo:

1 comment:

Bob Pelkey said...

You prove that warblers are overrated in this report, Hemant. Another feast for wildlife enthusiasts.