When You Love a Patch

When you have a patch that you are loyal to as a birder, I guess you always dream that your patch will host a rare bird that everyone will want to come and see. With the Broad-billed Hummingbird Nathan found at LaBagh Monday, I guess I got that wish fulfilled. Which is great. Today was day 4 of its visit to LaBagh Woods.

It is also my truth, that when you are as loyal to a patch like I am with LaBagh, you come to think of it as a dear, dear friend, one that you want to share with others. As exciting as the Broad-billed Hummingbird is, and it IS VERY EXCITING, I sure hope folks take some time, now, or later in migration, to explore LaBagh. It is a rich and vibrant fragment of habitat that those who do restoration in it, are very proud of. There is lots to see, if you take the time to move slowly and explore carefully, and yes, quietly.

The Broad-billed Hummingbird, frankly, is hanging out in some of LaBagh's worst habitat. Hey, whatever works! Some of the other habitat has some amazing wildlife. Here is a small sample from the last few days:

Muskrat in the North Branch on May 5th, 2021. One of the favorite foods for American Mink!

Yeah, Broad-billed Hummingbird, very exciting, but it is a fleeting vagrant. Here are two of the three Great Horned Owls that are out of their nest cavity now on May 5th, 2021, now flying short distances from high perch to high perch. This is a true miracle of new life for us at LaBagh.

Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak seen at the trestle May 4th, 2021.

It was day 4 for our unlikely vagrant hummingbird visiting from across the southern border. More happy folks seeing it again today, many returning for a second or third day. It is really excellent that this visiting hummingbird is taking full advantage of the Ohio Buckeye that the FPCC planted a few years back, that are in full flower right now. But I do wonder what this visitor will do when the buckeye are no longer in bloom.

Chokecherry is in peak bloom at LaBagh right now, one of our best flowering native shrubs, and this, seen May 3rd, 2021, along the North Branch is from an existing Chokecherry that has persisted at LaBagh, despite the buckthorn's best attempt to shade it out. Didn't know that these two large Chokecherry even existed in LaBagh, and was thrilled to find them.

Until I photographed this Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) Sunday, April 22nd after our LaBagh workday, I was under the impression that LaBagh only had two species of snake, Dekay's Brown and Plains Gartersnake. Looks like we can add a third to the list.

After our native shrub planting workday on May 1st, 2021, right as I was walking to my car to go home, we happened on this American Bittern in the slough. We even got to see it hunt and catch prey twice, which was very cool. Normally they just stand there and pretend you can't see them.

Sunday, May 1st, 2021, we had three groups of Pine Siskin in and around LaBagh. This bird was along the North Branch with the largest group I saw, at least 20 individuals, and likely more. There is nothing so joyful as a group of Pine Siskin chattering overhead.

In LaBagh we have now documented over 1200 species of living flora and fauna. The Broad-billed Hummingbird was the 213th bird species recorded in or over the site. Migration in the spring and fall can be simply wonderful, and I hope that some of those coming to see the hummingbird will make time to explore more of LaBagh to discover more of it's many wildlife treasures. It is worth the time you invest to explore.