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Bird Watching in
April
Excerpt from CBC Vol 40 No 2 -
Wartime CBC
At
last, the first full month of spring has arrived and
with it most wintering birds withdraw from their
preferred haunts. Waterfowl remain in good numbers and
now is the time to try and find 20 species of ducks and
geese in a single day. Diurnal raptors can appear in
high totals given optimal weather conditions. Shorebirds
are moving through by mid-April. Species that pass
through the region quickly, but are to be looked for
include American Avocets and Upland Sandpipers. Gull
numbers, enhanced by numerous
northbound Bonaparte’s Gulls remained high well into the
end of the month. April may provide observers their best
chances of the year for seeing Franklin’s, Black-headed
or Little Gulls. Caspian Forster’s and Common Terns may
be found in fair numbers. Forster’s Terns have
traditionally been the first of this group to arrive.
Inspection of the conifers and tangles along the edges
of Lake Erie shoreline has long been productive in
locating
migrating Barn, Long-eared, Short-eared and Northern
Saw-whet Owls. Ohio’s only Boreal Owl was found in early
April. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker migration is in full
swing and many trees are pock-marked by their tell-tale
sap wells. The first Chimney Swifts begin to appear by
April 20. While Eastern Phoebes are numerous, reports of
early Empidonax fly-catchers in the northern tier of Ohio
are usually mistaken identities by people eager for May. Neotropical flycatchers are slow to arrive with only the
Least Flycatcher and Eastern Kingbird having much of a
history of April occurrence.
White-eyed and Blue-headed Vireos along with most
swallow species give birdwatchers a bit of color to tide
their hopes over for May. Kinglets, Hermit Thrushes and
American Pipits should be in good numbers through out
the last half of the month. Depending on weather fronts
and winds, the final
week
of April can produce exceptional flights of migrant
warblers
throughout the region. Expected warblers at
this time include Bluewinged, Yellow-rumped (many),
Black-throated Green, Yellow-throated, Palm, Pine,
Black-and-white and Hooded Warblers. Add in both
Louisiana and Northern Waterthrushes and you have all
the ingredients a passionate birder can hope for. Grassy
fields along Lake Erie can produce outstanding viewing
of many migrating sparrows by the middle of the month.
Nesting Pine Warblers, Louisiana Waterthrushes,
Chipping, Field, Song and Swamp Sparrows are busily
announcing territories by now.
Be sure to check
the Cleveland Rare Bird Alert for updates
at 216 556-0700 or join us for the April meeting
pr field trip.
Click Here for meeting and trip times and locations.
All are welcome.
Photos courtesy of Tom
LePage, Larry Rosche and Scott Wright |