A few days ago, birders began reporting a Kirtland’s warbler at 960 Kinnear Rd in Columbus. When I checked the address and street view in Google Maps, I saw that this was a business; and located in the midst of the OSU campus traffic.
Needless to say, I wasn’t wanting to use valuable gasoline and time to head to Columbus (about 40 miles) only to find that the bird had continues north to it’s breeding grounds in Michigan.
On the third day that the bird was sighted at the same location, I couldn’t resist and talked hubby into a road trip.
For those who don’t know, the Kirtland’s Warbler is a rare bird. Here are some facts:
The Kirtlands warbler was discovered along the Au Sable River in 1903.
It spends the winter in the Bahamas. It flies 1,100 miles one-way, twice a year.
During the 2010 annual census, a total of 1,773 singing males were counted, a decrease from 1,826 in 2009.
The total count included 1,747 from Michigan with an additional 23 males observed in Wisconsin, and 3 males observed in Ontario, Canada.
The Kirtlands warbler was one of the first species to be listed on the Endangered Species List when it was enacted by Congress in 1973.
When we arrived, there were several birders observing the bird, who was in the tree (above the blue car in the photo) happily hoping about consuming seed pods. I was able to snap several images; even though directly under him, cars and trucks continually passed….with may curious questions as to what we were looking at. An emergency vehicle even passed under him, with sirens full blast….yet he stayed put and kept up with his feast.
Here are a few of my favorite images:
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