2006 Spring Birding Festival
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| Orchard Oriole by Dave Mellenbruch |
A series of field trips were arranged during the Spring Birding Festival (IAS Spring Meeting) held at Turkey Run State Park 20 & 21 May 2006. Virtually all attendees participated in one or more field trips designed to display all of the area's birds. Conditions were excellent - the cold rainy weather had departed. There were many "special moments" on each of the trips which are only hinted at in the following trip summaries. Ask one of the participants about their "special moment" when you see them. Overall we did quite well with a composite species list for the weekend of 153 species including 28 warbler species, and long satisfying looks at many infrequently seen species such as Worm-eating Warbler, Upland Sandpiper, and Lark Sparrow. Many thanks to the field trip leaders. A complete list of species observed can be found at the end of the trip summaries.
Field trips to Universal mine's reclaimed grasslands
These two trips led by Peter Scott on Saturday and Sunday mornings departed from Turkey Run State Park at 6:30 am, reached the mine in about 45 minutes, entering from the east through the town of Universal (Vermillion County), and returned to the park by noon. Both days were sunny: Saturday was cool and calm, Sunday was a bit windy and warmer.
Universal I (Saturday May 20). We were a relaxed two-car caravan of five birders (Skip Gehring, Jay Gould, Elaine Goldsmith, Bill West, Peter Scott). At the cattle lot just west of the town of Universal we saw a stunning male Ring-necked Pheasant escorting a hen and a not-fully-blue Blue Grosbeak singing from a fence. Pheasants were conspicuous all morning; we saw 9, including 4 males with the red forehead combs forming one big brow above the eyes and beak. Advancing into the mine on the dirt road, we studied Grasshopper Sparrows on fence posts giving insect-like trills and Killdeer families with half-grown young in the road. We enjoyed the common and vocal Eastern Meadowlarks, and ignored the ubiquitous Red-winged Blackbirds. Turning south at the intersection toward Shirkieville, we stopped near the Vigo County line and looked for Upland Sandpipers. Before long we saw one in short grass less than a hundred yards from the road and got the scope on it. Dickcissels and Eastern Kingbirds were nearby. Proceeding across the county line to the edge of Shirkieville, we watched a Willow Flycatcher singing "fitz-bew" by the double-lake (with water on both sides of the road).
The need for a bathroom sent us a few miles down Highway 153 to a mini-mart in the small town of New Goshen. In the parking lot we noticed a whitish dove fly to the antennae above a house, turn its head to show a black collar mark, and give an unfamiliar call that matched Sibley's description for the Eurasian Collared-Dove ("a rhythmic hooting coo-COOO cup, coo COOO cup ..."). By the time all emerged from the mini-mart this dove was gone, but 5 minutes of driving the few roads of New Goshen brought us to a low feeder in the midst of a neatly mown yard where two collared-doves were feeding. The owner explained that these strange doves had colonized the town three years ago; he was pleased to learn their name. We saw at least five collared, and he said there were more; mourning doves are also common. Our observations constitute only the second record for the County (the other was a one-day appearance in a yard), but as a Vigo County birder it was a bit frustrating to know that we could have had them on Christmas and May Big Day counts for the past three years.
Back at the mine, we got a much closer look at Upland Sandpiper, then proceeded to a lake west of the Teamsters' large vehicle training center. Here there was another Willow Flycatcher, Orchard Oriole, Brown Thrasher, Yellow Warbler, and Great Blue Herons. In the grassland to the west we found our first male Bobolink. We then returned to the Teamsters' building and central intersection, said goodbye to Elaine and Bill, and headed due north (rather than taking the main road northwest) past the former slurry pond, now filled with cattails and a pond (with coots and a grebe), to some flat high ground with tall grass to the east, where two Henslow's Sparrows sang persistently from tall grass perches. Through the scope we watched them throw back their heads and give the hiccup song. Bell's Vireos sang from the brush on the west side of the road.
A mile or two northwest of here, after spotting a Yellow-breasted Chat, we stopped at the bridge over Brouilletts Creek, the one forested spot on the mine roads. A screech-owl tape brought in Scarlet Tanager, Yellow-throated Warbler, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Towhee, Great Crested Flycatcher, and Downy Woodpecker. Back on the grasslands, we heard Field Sparrows sing from scattered junipers. Farther west, at the south end of Stateline Road (on the Illinois border), a mostly bare field with sprouting corn had some mud puddles, Killdeer, and a half-dozen Pectoral Sandpipers. By now it was 11:15 a.m., so we returned to Universal and then through Montezuma to Rockville for lunch, and back to Turkey Run in time for Alan's excursion targeting Lark Sparrows.
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| Upland Sandpiper by Michael Brown Vermillion County |
Universal II Sunday, May 21. The group swelled to 5 vehicles and 13 people today. The leader was pleased to have Skip and Jay's company again, plus Paul Carmony, Dave Eiler, Steve Elliot, Judy Leahy, Dick Patterson, Phil Robertson, and Elvin Wilmont, starting from Turkey Run. Three birders from Terre Haute met us at the mine (Ruth Erickson, Henry and Margaret Tamar). We made it to Universal by 7:30, saw the pheasants and blue grosbeak at the cattle lot, grasshopper sparrows and Dickcissels on fence posts, and heard Bobwhite. Down by the Vigo line near Shirkieville, we had to look a while for Upland Sandpiper but eventually spotted it in tall grass 50 yards from the road. Occasionally it flew a short distance, briefly raising its long brown wings. Returning to the north and turning west to the pond beyond Shirley Cemetery, a Willow Flycatcher sang and a Mute Swan flew overhead, giving a soft bugle (despite its name). The territorial Henslow's Sparrows again performed nicely. We set a screech-owl tape in the shrubbery and attracted a pair of Bell's Vireos, American Goldfinches, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Yellow Warbler, Brown Thrasher, Catbird, Field Sparrow, and Baltimore Oriole.
In the grasslands west of Brouilletts Creek two male Bobolinks sang repeatedly in flight to two female Bobolinks perched in the grass. At Long Lake in Edgar County, Illinois, just west of Stateline Road, we found only Canada Geese and Mallards in the lake, which in January held scores of Trumpeter and Tundra Swans and hundreds of White-fronted and Snow Geese and Mallards. Three Spotted Sandpipers reluctantly and vocally left the gravel road overlooking the lake and flew down to the water. The bare field with pools of water had only Killdeer today. There was time to play a rail and bittern tape at two marshes as we returned toward Universal. It seemed like a long shot late on a windy morning. But surprisingly, a Least Bittern briefly flushed at one marsh (before most viewers were assembled), and then a pair of American Bitterns flushed from a small roadside cattail stand for a short distance, then flew again, giving us all good looks.
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| Dickcissel by Michael Brown Vermillion County |
The Terre Haute birders proceeded to New Goshen for the Collared-Doves, while the rest of us returned to Turkey Run or headed homeward in various directions. The total number of species seen on the two trips was 84, including a few seen between Universal and Turkey Run. The ten most common species on the mine were Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Canada Goose, Killdeer, Dickcissel, Grasshopper Sparrow, Barn Swallow, Mourning Dove, Eastern Kingbird, and Yellow Warbler.
Peter Scott
Summary of IAS Pine Hills hikes
Two glorious mornings were spent hiking under the guidance of Roger Hedge through Pine Hills Nature Preserve at Shades State Park, one of the scheduled hikes at Indiana Audubon's annual spring retreat. Many of the participants mentioned that they had never visited this crown jewel of Indiana's nature preserve system. No description of the site could prepare them for what they were to see at this preserve, which is unequalled in scenic beauty, spectacular geologic features, rare plants, and great birding, especially for central Indiana.
Eastern hemlock and white pine occur along the steepest slopes giving the area a boreal aspect. Although most of the showy spring ephemerals were long past in terms of flowering, we did see appendaged waterleaf in full bloom, fire pink, and wild columbine clinging to steep cliff ledges. The steep slopes and exposed sandstone rock also harbors a variety of ferns including the large marginal shield fern and polypody fern, the latter easy to see on Devil's Backbone. Bulblet fern is common on the level terraces above Clifty Creek, and Virginia rattlesnake fern, Christmas fern, and fragile were also seen.
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| Kentucky Warbler by J. D. Philips Sugar Creek Trail Montgomery County |
Several warbler species were noted including Ovenbird, Kentucky Warbler, American Redstart, Blackburnian Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Nashville Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, and perhaps of most interest to the group was Worm-eating Warbler. The Worm-eating was only heard singing on the first day by most, but a small contingent of Saturday's group and everyone on Sunday had lengthy and excellent views. Worm-eatings nest here in west-central Indiana's Entrenched Valley section and generally this is as far north as they do so in our state. From Devil's Backbone we were nearly at eye level with Yellow-throated Warbler and Northern Parula as we looked north, high above Indian Creek. A portion of Saturday's group were able to closely study a Black-billed Cuckoo from atop Turkey Backbone and Bill Murphy spotted an Olive-sided Flycatcher on day 2 as we descended the Devil's Backbone. Below, a Spotted Sandpiper was seen along a narrow sandbar along Indian Creek near Honeycomb Rock where Northern Rough-winged Swallows darted in and out around the cliff face. On one of the hikes, the group enjoyed extended views of a very cooperative Scarlet Tanager on our way out of the nature preserve; a fitting end to the morning's hike.
Roger Hedge
Shades St. Park field trips
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| Shades Group by Dick Patterson |
Trips were scheduled for Saturday and Sunday morning to Shades St. Park where participants walked the Canoe Camp service road with the goal of finding all 17 of the area's annually breeding species of warblers. This trail goes through all habitat types of the area including secondary woodland at the beginning, oldfield-brush habitat in the middle, and mature forest and riparian habitat along Sugar Creek. The two-mile hikes began about 7:00 a.m. under the leadership of Alan W. Bruner and with 14 and 20 participants respectively on the two days.
On Saturday, Northern Parula, Yellow-throated Warbler, and Common Yellowthroat were singing as we stepped from our vehicles. Rarely did a moment go by from that point on when a warbler was not heard singing. Prairie, Black-and-white, Blue-winged, Black-throated Green, and Kentucky Warblers, Yellow-breasted Chat, and American Redstart made themselves known as did White-eyed, Yellow-throated, Warbling, and Red-eyed Vireos. Near and along Sugar Creek Yellow Warbler, Ovenbird, Hooded Warbler, and Louisiana Waterthrush were noted as was a singing Worm-eating Warbler. Unfortunately a pair of nesting Hairy Woodpeckers were so noisy that most participants could not hear the latter as it sang across Sugar Creek. Other species heard or seen included Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Wild Turkey, many Pileated Woodpeckers, Acadian Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Swainson's Thrush, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Cape May, Mourning, Magnolia, Yellow-rumped, and Tennessee Warblers, Scarlet Tanager, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Perhaps the highlight of the hike were the great views of a singing male Cerulean Warbler as we returned to our vehicles. In all twenty-one species of warblers were found and only one nesting species - Prothonotary Warbler - was missed.
Sunday's hike was equally productive except the Worm-eating Warbler would not sing. Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Blackpoll Warbler, and Veery were welcome additions to the two-day species total of 82 species and three more Ceruleans were heard. But one of the most memorable moments was when all participants were looking over the top of an outhouse at a Swainson's Thrush on the hillside when a very surprised camper stepped out to see twenty pair of binoculars apparently looking right at him. He took it all quite well.
Before returning home on Saturday a short side trip through Amish farms and Lake Waveland dam yielded Dickcissel, Savannah Sparrow, Mute Swan, and Sedge Wren.
It is interesting to note how numerous Tennessee Warblers were in the Sugar Creek corridor during the weekend. This warbler was uniformly distributed throughout the area and a reasonable estimate of total numbers would be in the thousands with a low minimum of 500 on the Shades property alone.
Alan Bruner
Howard Auto Tour
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| Lark Sparrow Chase by Dick Patterson |
The Saturday afternoon field trip was an auto tour led by Alan Bruner into NW Parke Co. in search of Lark Sparrows, among other things. Due to high water the canoe trip was canceled so participation was quite high. At 2:30 p.m. nearly 50 participants in a 13-car caravan left the Turkey Run Inn parking lot and drove north and west to Tangier. "JUST IN CASE" we stopped at the Clydesdale horse pastures west of town to see if the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher seen there the previous Wednesday and Thursday might reappear. No flycatcher but there were Red-headed Woodpeckers, Bobolinks, and Savannah Sparrows.
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| Vesper Sparrow by Jed Hertz Kankakee Sands |
On to the town of Howard where the extensive flooded Wabash River bottoms entertained us with a flock of about 50 Forster's Terns moving over the water and high into the air in synchronized flight. To the northwest a stop at a rich hayfield produced Orchard Oriole, Dickcissel and Bobolink, and a tree with both Pileated and Red-bellied Woodpeckers nesting at close range. With such a large group time flew by quickly giving us just enough time for another Lark Sparrow stop. Fortunately the Pearson place produced a pair of Lark Sparrows that worked an unplanted sandy field as all 50 birders looked on. The birds were feeding and taking nest material to a nest site allowing all to study the birds thoroughly. A bonus was a nearby Vesper Sparrow for comparison.
Alan Bruner
Perrysville Marsh Auto Tour
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| Perrysville Marsh by Dick Patterson |
Sunday's afternoon field trip was an auto tour to Perrysville Marsh in Fountain Co. A more modest group of about 20 participants left the Turkey Run Inn parking lot at 1:00 p.m. and drove northwest. The first stop was an extensive swampy Oxbow area near the Wabash River north of Lodi. This interesting site provided super views of Red-headed Woodpecker, Orchard Oriole, Tree Swallow, and Prothonotary Warbler. Just up the road Dickcissels were closely studied and distant Bald Eagles and Red-tailed Hawks were noted. At Perrysville Marsh Prothonotary Warblers again showed their stuff as did a very cooperative Yellow-throated Warbler. A Northern Waterthrush was not so cooperative. The flooded bottomland yielded Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Herons, and calling Pied-billed Grebes. Returning to Lodi, a Vesper Sparrow was studied well on one side of the road while a Lark Sparrow posed on the other side. A small colony of Sedge Wrens were heard in another hayfield before we headed to the Lodi eagle nest. We were surprised to find that two extremely large fledglings were perched above the nest. The birds appeared almost full-sized which seemed unusual in May. As we watched one of the adult birds soared in from on high and landed near the nest.
After a rest stop at the Cayuga shell station, participants decided to just keep birding so we headed south on SR 63 stopping at an old gravel pit where three Bell's Vireos were heard and seen as were Cedar Waxwings. On to Montezuma where we picked up our last swallow species possible - Bank Swallow. Now we were heading back, but were interrupted by a wet area in a field with shorebirds. Close scrutiny revealed Semipalmated Plovers, Least Sandpipers, and a strikingly plumaged Ruddy Turnstone. Our final bird was quite an exhibitionist. A tom Turkey was proudly strutting with intentions toward two apparently disinterested hens. Quite an entertaining end to the field trips.
Alan Bruner
Composite Species List from Field Trips during Indiana Audubon Society Spring Festival at Turkey Run St. Park 19,20, & 21 May 2006. (The key is at the bottom.) (List as a Word document)
- Canada Goose - All
- Mute Swan - S1, U2
- Wood Duck - PM, U1, U2
- Mallard - PM, U1, U2
- Blue-winged Teal - U2
- Ring-necked Pheasant - U1, U2
- Wild Turkey - H, PM, S1, S2
- Northern Bobwhite - H, U2
- Pied-billed Grebe - PM, U1, U2
- Double-crested Cormorant - H, PM, U1, U2
- American Bittern - U2
- Least Bittern - U2
- Great Blue Heron - All
- Green Heron - H, PM, U2
- Turkey Vulture - All
- Bald Eagle - PM, S1,
- Cooper's Hawk - S1, PM
- Red-shouldered Hawk - P1, P2
- Broad-winged Hawk - S1
- Red-tailed Hawk - All
- American Kestrel - S1, U1, U2
- American Coot - PM, S1, U1, U2
- Semipalmated Plover - PM
- Killdeer - All
- Lesser Yellowlegs - U (19 May)
- Solitary Sandpiper - U (19 May)
- Spotted Sandpiper - U1, U2
- Upland Sandpiper - U1, U2
- Ruddy Turnstone - PM
- Semipalmated Sandpiper - U (19 May)
- Least Sandpiper - PM, U (19 May)
- Pectoral Sandpiper - U1
- Short-billed Dowitcher - U (19 May)
- Ring-billed Gull - H
- Forster's Tern - H
- Rock Pigeon - All
- Eurasian Collared-Dove - U1
- Mourning Dove - All
- Black-billed Cuckoo - P1
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo - S2, U2
- Eastern Screech-Owl - O
- Great Horned Owl - O
- Barred Owl - O
- Whip-poor-will - O
- Chimney Swift - All
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird - H, PM, S1, S2
- Belted Kingfisher - H, PM, S1, U2
- Red-headed Woodpecker - H, PM, S1, S2
- Red-bellied Woodpecker - All
- Downy Woodpecker - All
- Hairy Woodpecker - S1, S2
- Northern Flicker - H, PM
- Pileated Woodpecker - H, P1, P2, PM, S1, S2
- Olive-sided Flycatcher -
- Eastern Wood-Pewee - PM, S1, S2, U1
- Acadian Flycatcher - P1, P2, S1, S2
- Alder Flycatcher - S1
- Willow Flycatcher - S1, U1, U2
- Least Flycatcher - S1, U1
- Eastern Phoebe -
- Great Crested Flycatcher - All
- Eastern Kingbird - All
- White-eyed Vireo - S1, S2
- Bell's Vireo - PM,U1,U2
- Yellow-throated Vireo - S1, S2
- Blue-headed Vireo - S1
- Warbling Vireo - All
- Philadelphia Vireo - S1
- Red-eyed Vireo - P1, P2, PM, S1, S2
- Blue Jay - All
- American Crow - All
- Horned Lark - H, PM, S1, U1, U2
- Purple Martin - PM, S1, S2, U1, U2
- Tree Swallow - H, PM, U1, U2
- Northern Rough-winged Swallow - H, PM, P1, P2, S1, S2, U1, U2
- Bank Swallow - PM
- Cliff Swallow - PM, U2
- Barn Swallow - All
- Carolina Chickadee - H, PM, P1, P2, S1, S2
- Tufted Titmouse - H, PM, P1, P2, S1, S2, U1
- White-breasted Nuthatch - H, PM, P1, P2, S1, S2
- Carolina Wren - All
- House Wren - All
- Sedge Wren - P1, S1, PM
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - PM, P1, P2, S1, S2
- Eastern Bluebird - H, PM, S1, S2, U1, U2
- Veery - P1, S2
- Gray-cheeked Thrush - S1
- Swainson's Thrush - P1, P2, S1, S2
- Wood Thrush - S1, S2
- American Robin - All
- Gray Catbird - All
- Northern Mockingbird - PM, U2
- Brown Thrasher - H, PM, S1, S2, U1, U2
- European Starling - All
- Cedar Waxwing - PM, S1, S2, U1
- Blue-winged Warbler - S1, S2
- Tennessee Warbler - H, PM, P1, P2, S1, S2, U1
- Nashville Warbler - P1, S1
- Northern Parula - PM, S1, S2
- Yellow Warbler - All
- Chestnut-sided Warbler - S1
- Magnolia Warbler - S1, S2
- Cape May Warbler - S1
- Yellow-rumped Warbler - S1
- Black-throated Green Warbler - S1, S2
- Blackburnian Warbler - P1
- Yellow-throated Warbler - PM, S1, S2
- Prairie Warbler - S1, S2, O
- Bay-breasted Warbler - P1
- Blackpoll Warbler - P2, S2
- Cerulean Warbler - S1, S2
- Black-and-white Warbler - S1
- American Redstart - PM, P1, P2, S1, S2
- Prothonotary Warbler - PM, O
- Worm-eating Warbler- P1, P2, S1
- Ovenbird - P1, P2, S1, S2
- Northern Waterthrush - PM
- Louisiana Waterthrush - P1, P2, S1, S2
- Kentucky Warbler - S1, S2
- Mourning Warbler - S1
- Common Yellowthroat - All
- Hooded Warbler - S1, S2
- Yellow-breasted Chat - S1, S2, U1
- Summer Tanager - S1, O
- Scarlet Tanager - S1, S2, U1
- Eastern Towhee - S1, S2, U1
- Chipping Sparrow - All
- Field Sparrow - All
- Vesper Sparrow - H, PM
- Lark Sparrow - H,PM
- Savannah Sparrow - H, PM, U1, U2
- Grasshopper Sparrow - U1,U2
- Henslow's Sparrow - U1, U2
- Song Sparrow - All
- LincolnŐs Sparrow - PM
- White-throated Sparrow - S1
- White-crowned Sparrow - S1
- Northern Cardinal - All
- Rose-breasted Grosbeak - PM, S1, S2, U1
- Blue Grosbeak - U1, U2
- Indigo Bunting - All
- Dickcissel - H, PM, S1, U1, U2
- Bobolink - H, PM, U1, U2
- Red-winged Blackbird - All
- Eastern Meadowlark - All
- Common Grackle - All
- Brown-headed Cowbird - All
- Orchard Oriole - PM, S1, U1
- Baltimore Oriole - All
- House Finch - H, PM, U1
- American Goldfinch - All
- House Sparrow - All
- H - Howard area, NW Parke Co. 20 May 2006
- P1 - Pine Hills Nature Preserve 20 May 2006
- P2 - Pine Hills Nature Preserve 20 May 2006
- PM - Perrysville to Montezuma (along Wabash River) 21 May 2006
- S1 - Shades St. Park 20 May 2006
- S2 - Shades St. Park 21 May 2006
- U1 - Universal 20 May 2006
- U2 - Universal 21 May 2006
- O - Other