Wood Duck. Woodies are a tree duck, using a hollow cavity in a tree for their nest site, but will also use artificial nest boxes. Once the babies hatch the mother calls to them from the ground, and the babies jump out, sometimes fluttering...
Bank Swallow. Often nesting communally, Bank Swallows dig a borrow into the soil of a natural bluff, eroding riverside cliff, or even a gravel yard. They exclusively eat insects caught in flight over fields or water. In fall they join other species of swallows...
Yellow-billed Cuckoo. About 12” long with large white spots under its tail, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo specializes in eating hairy caterpillars. They are a secretive forest bird, preferring dense cover near water. You are more likely to hear a cuckoo than to see one.
Osprey. Osprey diet consists of live fish they catch with their sharp talons. Soaring overhead until they spot a fish, they dive feet-first into the water, emerging wet but victorious about 25% of the time. In NE Ohio their favorite nest site is the...
Bobolink. Traveling over 4,000 miles from central South America, Bobolink’s prefer a hay field for their ground nest, but will settle for a mixed forbes meadow in a pinch. Their song is unlike any other bird. Find them reliably at South Russell Village Park...
Lincoln’s Sparrow: Buffy undertones and fine streaks down its chest identify this secretive sparrow as it heads north to breed in wet meadows all across Canada.
Blackburnian Warbler: One of 30+ warblers seen around here in May, Blackburnians nest from Virginia to Maine and in lower, eastern Canada in spruce and fir forests.
Swainson’s Thrush: Buffy undertones on its face and eye ring separate this from other thrush’s. Wintering in western South America, it travels thousands of miles to breed in coniferous forests of upper Canada.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet: Headed to the coniferous forests of the upper US and Canada to nest high in the canopy. Spiders and insects are favorite foods for this 4” long bird!
Horned Grebe: Beautiful in its breeding plumage, this grebe is heading to western Canada to find ponds with emergent vegetation where it builds its nest, sometimes floating on the water.
