I headed back to Deer Creek again today. The forecast was for sunny skies and I was hoping to do some photography envisioning glistening dew dripping off the colorful vegetation in the first rays of morning light. Well, that didn't turn out as expected and it was again a gloomy overcast, With little wind I continued to look for Ammodramus Sparrows in some areas I didn't get to yesterday. Today I found 2 NELSON's SPARROWS in the southern most part of the wetlands (entering from the corner of East and Water Streets in New Holland). They were consorting with a Marsh Wren. They weren't the only Ammodramus sparrows seen today. A group of 4 or 5 Henslow's Sparrows were seen in the grassy margins near the southwestern entrance. One bird even sang once. They nested in good numbers in the area last summer and I would guess that they were more a lingering group rather than migrants from elsewhere.  A small flock of Bobolinks is still in the area too, conspicuous only when flying around giving their characteristic call notes. Other birds in the wetlands now include Sora, Savannah, Song, and Swamp Sparrows, and Common Yellowthroats.

The Laughing Gull was still present on the beach in the state park along with the other gulls mentioned yesterday. Also present on the beach both yesterday and today were a good number of Killdeers and one each or Least and Pectoral Sandpipers and a Greater Yellowlegs.

The large number of September warblers seen yesterday in the state park seems to have quickly moved on. The fields in the northernmost parts of the state wildlife area are still teeming with sparrows and that should remain the case throughout the month well into November. Indigo Buntings are also especially common there now joining in the mixed Spizella flocks with the Chipping and Field Sparrows. White-crowned, Lincoln's, and Vesper Sparrows are also fairly common right now but less conspicous.

Bob Royse

Deer Creek birding guide :
http://www.roysephotos.com/DeerCreek.html


Robert Royse
[log in to unmask]
www.roysephotos.com


__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6516 (20111004) __________

The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.

http://www.eset.com


______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.

You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]