Birding is a Community

I’ve stated in previous posts that many birders get a thrill out of helping others. Like anything, competition can always be found, but the vast majority of bird brains want to share their joy. In an age where information can be accessed in seconds with a Google search, sharing dirt about where to find the coolest birds has become increasingly easy.

Greater White-Fronted Geese mixed in with Canada Geese
Move Cursor over image to zoom in.

There are several people I’d like to highlight this week. The first is Sherrie Durris. Sherrie is the Vice President of the Toledo Naturalist Association and is a birding machine. Her name is all over eBird and Rarebird.org. Although I don’t know her personally outside of a few message board pleasantries, it is clear when reading her posts that she really knows her stuff. It is because of her that I was able to add Ross’s Goose and Greater White –fronted Goose this past week.

My hiking buddy.

Another individual I am very thankful to have come in contact with is Greg Links. Greg also works with TNA, but it’s not his only focus. Greg and friend/colleague Brian Zwiebel run Sabrewing Nature Tours. Although both of them reside in Northwest Ohio, Greg and Brian have led trips thousands of miles away from the Toledo area on multiple continents. Greg was nice enough to provide me with some tips on where to look for birds this past Friday when I decided to take a trip to the Lake La Su An Wilderness Area near the Indiana line. I added Golden Crowned Kinglet to the list as a result of this trip.

 Yesterday I headed down to Forest Woods Nature Preserve. It’s about 45 minutes southwest of Delta. Route 24 is the quickest way to get there. The preserve is managed by the Black Swamp Conservancy and a permit from them is required to walk the property. The two people I dealt with at the BSC were extremely enthusiastic about Forest Woods. One couldn’t help sharing a picture of a Snowy Owl she had taken several months earlier.

Rules, rules, rules...

 Forest Woods is a really cool place. There are no parking lots or established trails. It is literally you and nature. If you like woodpeckers, it’s got them. I saw Downy, Red-bellied, Red-headed, and the elusive Pileated. I heard Sandhill Cranes in the distance but never got a visual. The hike on the preserve yielded two new big year birds. I was fortunate enough to get a great view of a Rough-legged Hawk in flight, as well as “bagging” my first owl of the year: The Great Horned. I followed the big bird for several minutes before he allowed me to get a sufficient look. 

This weekend we’re heading to Westerville, Ohio to visit Uncle Dale. Westerville is a northern suburb of the state capital and is conveniently located near the Hoover Reservoir and Delaware State Park. Hopefully we can add a few new birds during our stay. Happy birding!