UltraBird & UltraWalk 2011

Species Count

Report & Photos by Mary Anne Romito


Ultra Bird Results May 26, 27, & 28, 2011

Species

Reservation

Comments

Rocky River

Mill Stream

Hinckley

Canada Goose

X

X

X

Fledgings

Wood Duck

X

Mom w/15 ducklings

Mallard

X

X

Wild Turkey

X

X

Great Blue Heron

X

X

X

On nest

Green Heron

X

X

X

On nest at wetland in RR between Big and Little Met

Turkey Vulture

X

X

X

Bald Eagle

X

Cooper's Hawk

X

Red-shouldered Hawk

X

X

Red-tailed Hawk

X

X

Peregrine Falcon

X

Killdeer

X

Ring-billed Gull

X

Herring Gull

X

X

Rock Pigeon

X

Last species for UltraBird

Mourning Dove

X

X

X

Chimney Swift

X

X

X

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

X

X

X

Belted Kingfisher

X

X

Red-headed Woodpecker

X

X

On nest Lagoon Picnic area

Red-bellied Woodpecker

X

X

X

Downy Woodpecker

X

X

X

Hairy Woodpecker

X

X

Northern Flicker

X

X

X

Pileated Woodpecker

X

X

Eastern Wood Pewee

X

X

X

Acadian Flycatcher

X

X

X

Willow Flycatcher

X

X

Eastern Phoebe

X

X

X

On nests Johnson's picnic area, Cottonwood Springs

Great Crested Flycatcher

X

X

X

Eastern Kingbird

X

White-eyed Vireo

X

Yellow-throated Vireo

X

X

Warbling Vireo

X

X

X

Red-eyed Vireo

X

X

X

Blue jay

X

X

X

American Crow

X

X

X

Tree Swallow 

X

X

X

Northern Rough-winged

X

X

Cliff Swallow

X

On nests in Rocky River, 56 nests at Little Met

Barn Swallow

X

X

On nest 

Black-capped Chickadee

X

X

X

Tufted Titmouse

X

X

X

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Not observed this year

White-breasted Nuthatch

X

X

X

Brown Creeper

X

Carolina Wren

X

House Wren

X

X

X

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher

X

X

X

Eastern Bluebird

X

X

X

Veery

X

X

X

Swainson's Thrush

X

New species for UltraBird

Wood Thrush

X

X

X

American Robin

X

X

X

On nest

Gray Catbird

X

X

X

Northern Mockingbird

X

Along tracks behind Pearl of the Orient

Brown Thrasher

Not observed this year

European Starling

X

X

X

Cedar Waxwing

X

X

X

Blue-winged Warbler

X

Yellow Warbler

X

X

X

Chestnut-sided Warbler

X

New species for UltraBird

Magnolia Warbler

Not observed this year

Black-throated Green Warbler

X

New species for UltraBird, Top 'O Ledges

Blackpoll Warbler

X

X

X

New species for UltraBird

Cerulean Warbler

X

American Redstart

X

X

X

Prothonotary Warbler

X

Ovenbird

X

X

Louisana Waterthrush

X

Common Yellowthroat

X

X

X

Hooded Warbler

X

X

X

Wilson's Warbler

X

New species for UltraBird

Scarlet Tanager

X

X

X

Eastern Towhee

X

X

X

Chipping Sparrow

X

X

X

Field Sparrow

X

X

Song Sparrow

X

X

X

Swamp Sparrow

X

X

Dark-eyed Junco

X

Northern Cardinal

X

X

X

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

X

X

X

Indigo Bunting 

X

X

X

Red-winged Blackbird

X

X

X

On nest in wetlands between Green Heron nests, see above

Eastern Meadowlark

X

New species for UltraBird

Common Grackle

X

X

Brown-headed Cowbird

X

X

X

Orchard Oriole

X

X

New species for UltraBird

Baltimore Oriole

X

X

X

House Finch

X

X

X

American Goldfinch

X

X

X

House Sparrow

X

X

X

Total species by Reservation

76

65

65

Total species for UltraBird

91




Jason, Jason, & Stan. These fellows completed the UltraWalk, walking the entire 31.5 miles of the Rocky River IBA


UltraWalkers walked the last five miles

 

This was the best UltraBird yet. WCAS has been doing this now for four years! Each year we have improved the concept and the birding has been phenomenal.

This year with the help of several of my birding buddies, I walked many of the trails of the three reservations in the Cleveland Metroparks within the Rocky River Important Bird Area.

Thank you to Mary Lou Hura, Mike Pacek, and my husband Tom Romito for joining me on Thursday and Friday. Thank you to Kit Birch, Tim Colburn and Bill Deininger for birding with me on Saturday. A big thank you to Penny O’Connor who came on Friday to help with Mill Stream but also provided the Saturday birders with fabulous looks at the Bald Eagle nest.

As you can see from the list at the left we had a total of 91 species for the 3 days of birding. All totaled I walked 30.5 miles. That was almost as much as Stan and his walking buddies for the UltraWalk on Saturday.

One of the surprises to me was that the number of species increased quite a bit in Rocky River. It’s amazing how many bird species you can find in your local park in an urban area. One of our best areas was near Big and Little Met Golf Courses. We found 56 Cliff Swallow nests under the bridge by Little Met. We also found Orchard Oriole and Wilson’s Warbler along the trail just south of this bridge. Between the two golf courses is a wetland. In this wetland we found 2 green herons sitting on nests. A Red-winged Blackbird was nesting between them.

There were several other surprises too. We found an Eastern Meadowlark in Hinckley near a golf course. There was a singing Black-throated Green Warbler at the Top ‘O the Ledges. The Louisana Waterthrush was at it’s usual location in Hinckley by the horse trail opposite Johnson’s Picnic Area, but we found one at Rocky River Nature Center too. We had a Cerulean Warbler there too.

The birds of prey did not disappoint us either. Bill pointed out a Cooper’s Hawk nest off the trail behind the Nature Center. The Pereguine Falcons at the Brookpark and Hilliard Road Bridges showed up for the count too. But the nicest view we had was looking DOWN at the Bald Eagles nest. Mom and chick were quite cooperative and we did our utmost to not disturb them.

Finding a Red-headed Woodpecker nest at 6:00 am in the Lagoon Picnic Area was something I didn’t expect. Thanks to Bill’s suggestion, I was able to push the count over 90 with the addition of Northern Mockingbird and the last bird of the UltraBird, the humble Rock Pigeon. I found both behind the Pearl of the Orient in Rocky River (in the Rocky River IBA)

I hope that next year more of you will come down and join me in this fun event. You don’t have to walk all three days, any part of it would be great. I’d love the company. Mark your calendars for next year. (Thursday, Friday, Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend 2012)

 

 


Rose-breasted Grosbeak 


(White-tailed Deer) Whose watching who?


American Robin


56 Cliff Swallow Nests Under the Little Met Bridge

 

 


Western Cuyahoga Audubon Society, 4310 Bush Ave, Cleveland, OH 44109 info@wcasohio.org