Edge of Appalachia Preserve

Yesterday I went with two other Columbus birders to the Edge of Appalachia Preserve in southern Ohio. This 18,000 acre preserve is maintained by the Nature Conservancy and is an excellent place to see
some of the birds whose ranges just barely make it into Ohio. We had our sights set on two of these species: Ruffed Grouse and Chuck-Will's-Widow. We started out on a trail that climbed through some early-growth forest up to an overlook called Flood's Point.

Not a view seen in Ohio very often! Kentucky is just over the mountains in the distance.

One of the first birds we heard was a Prairie Warbler. These little yellow birds love the open spaces in between thick woods. Their buzzy song is probably mistaken for an insect by many, but we knew better! I played back the song using a recording on my phone, and soon the territorial little bird made himself apparent.

This Prairie Warbler was a very boldly marked individual

We started our hike up the hill in a steamy rain, and it wasn't long before we found one of our target birds. A Ruffed Grouse exploded from the forest floor in a flurry of feathers. I didn't even have a chance to get my binoculars on the bird before it had flown out of site. Patterned after dead leaves and equipped with excellent vision, it's a real challenge to see these birds before they see you and beat a hasty retreat. So, all things considered, this fleeting glimpse was a pretty good look!

Unfortunately, one member of our group missed the grouse! We decided to complete the hike to the overlook in hopes of finding more grouse. On our way up, we found a family of Field Sparrows with four young birds chasing after their mother and begging for food. We also heard several singing Scarlet Tanagers and Wood Thrushes, classic birds of the eastern forests. In addition to the birds, there was fascinating geological formations to look at that are fairly unique as far as Ohio goes.

Caves along our route

The view from Flood's Point

We made it to Flood's Point without seeing any more grouse. After marveling at the overlook for a few minutes, we found some other good birds. First was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a blue-jay sized bird that usually creeps about in the canopy gleaning caterpillars from the upper branches. Not far from that spot we also found a Kentucky Warbler hopping through the lower vegetation, probably protecting a hidden nest on the ground nearby. We weren't far from the Kentucky border, so seeing this little guy seems appropriate!

Tiny bird, but you can see his thick eye-stripe

We walked back down to the trail head hoping to see another grouse. The birder who missed out on the fist sighting walked at the front of our column, and luckily got to see one! Given the location, it was probably the same bird; this time, it flushed from the edge of the path almost underfoot. We watched it fly into the forest again, happy that we'd all see one of our quarries. Back at the trail head, we observed large numbers of pollinating insects in the meadow.

The lower butterfly is a Red Admiral, but I'm not sure about the top one

These clearwing moths made me do a double-take: they look just like hummingbirds!

Our next target, the Chuck-Will's-Widow, is a nocturnal bird, so we decided to give it some time before searching for them. We decided to drive the roads around the preserve to look for Blue Grosbeaks. It didn't take us very long at all! We actually managed to locate several of these birds, as well as their smaller, more northern cousins, Indigo Buntings. 

Two-for-one! These birds were in the same tree.

Indigo bunting

Blue Grosbeak

We found a number of other interesting birds, including Brown Thrashers, Yellow-breasted Chats, and even an American Kestrel, one of my favorite birds. As it got darker, we headed to a spot that has historically been good for hearing Chuck-Will's-Widows. We waited for awhile, and then played a recording to elicit a response. None of us are quite sure what we heard responding. It had the same vocal tone of a "Chuck," but it wasn't the full song. We only heard the response a couple times, and I unfortunately didn't make a recording. 

We moved on to a second spot and listened for awhile there. Still no Chucks, and the rain started to roll in, so we decided to call it a day. Of course, since we decided to leave, the rain stopped! We had driven back toward our first spot, so we tried again to hear our new nemesis. I played a recording again. No song was heard, but something flew right over my head! I checked the nearby woods with a flashlight, but was unable to find what it was. I suspect that it was our bird, but of course I can't confirm it. I had a great time exploring this unique region even without the elusive nightjar; hopefully I'll make it down again soon!

UPDATE: after consulting with several other experienced birders, I've decided to add the Chuck-will's-widow to my list. Not exactly satisfying, so I still want to find another!