Union County, Ohio, Big Year: 2014

Blake Mathys

I did a Big Year (trying to see as many bird species as possible in a single year; I did a salamander big year in New Jersey in 2010) for Union County in 2014. The cumulative eBird species list stood at 237 at the beginning of the year (but up to 250 by the end of the year); my goal was to see at least 200 species. Unfortunately, I didn't make it, ending up with 171 species seen (plus one heard only) at the end of the year. I discovered that I simply wasn't willing to do all of the necessary driving for a big year; Glacier Ridge Metropark is just too far away for me to make the necessary trips there. Also, May was taken up by research (see banding pictures here) in other counties, which had a significant impact on my migration birding. For 2015, I think I may try to concentrate on seeing as many species as possible on our property.

Highlights: Eastern Screech-Owl for my first bird of the year; Snow Goose, Cackling Goose, and White-winged Scoter at the Marysville Reservoir; Oldsquaw at Lake Corazon; Rusty Blackbird at our bird feeders; dark morph Red-tailed Hawk first spotted by my wife Dimi; Long-eared Owl.

Dark morph Red-tailed Hawk

Long-eared Owl

Blake birding on January 6th:

the price of a county Big Year

Pileated Woodpecker

Species

First Seen

Oldsquaw on Lake Corazon

Rusty Blackbird

White-winged Scoter

Snow Goose

Cackling Goose on right

Mallard, American Black Duck, Redhead, and Canada Goose

Ruddy Ducks

Snow Goose
3-Jan
1
Cackling Goose
3-Jan
2
Canada Goose
3-Jan
3
Wood Duck
13-Mar
4
Gadwall
1-Mar
5
American Wigeon
24-Feb
6
American Black Duck
3-Jan
7
Mallard
3-Jan
8
Northern Shoveler
1-Mar
9
Green-winged Teal
24-Feb
10
Canvasback
3-Jan
11
Redhead
3-Jan
12
Ring-necked Duck
15-Jan
13
Greater Scaup
3-Jan
14
Lesser Scaup
3-Jan
15
White-winged Scoter
10-Jan
16
Oldsquaw
1-Mar
17
Bufflehead
24-Feb
18
Common Goldeneye
3-Jan
19
Hooded Merganser
3-Jan
20
Common Merganser
3-Jan
21
Red-breasted Merganser
3-Jan
22
Ruddy Duck
3-Jan
23
Ring-necked Pheasant
18-Feb
24
Horned Grebe
12-Jan
25
Red-necked Grebe
13-Mar
26
Double-crested Cormorant
3-Jan
27
Great Blue Heron
4-Jan
28
Turkey Vulture
22-Feb
29
Northern Harrier
4-Jan
30
Sharp-shinned Hawk
6-Jan
31
Cooper's Hawk
4-Jan
32
Bald Eagle
22-Feb
33
Red-shouldered Hawk
1-Mar
34
Red-tailed Hawk
3-Jan
35
American Coot
3-Jan
36
Killdeer
13-Mar
37
American Woodcock
15-Mar
38
Ring-billed Gull
12-Jan
39
Rock Pigeon
4-Jan
40
Mourning Dove
3-Jan
41
Eastern Screech-Owl
2-Jan
42
Great Horned Owl
22-Feb
43
Long-eared Owl
6-Jan
44
Red-bellied Woodpecker
3-Jan
45
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
6-Jan
46
Downy Woodpecker
3-Jan
47
Hairy Woodpecker
10-Jan
48
Northern Flicker
3-Jan
49
Pileated Woodpecker
1-Mar
50
American Kestrel
3-Jan
51
Eastern Phoebe
13-Mar
52
Blue Jay
3-Jan
53
American Crow
3-Jan
54
Horned Lark
3-Jan
55
Carolina Chickadee
3-Jan
56
Tufted Titmouse
10-Jan
57
White-breasted Nuthatch
3-Jan
58
Brown Creeper
6-Jan
59
Carolina Wren
5-Jan
60
Eastern Bluebird
6-Jan
61
American Robin
4-Jan
62
Northern Mockingbird
3-Jan
63
European Starling
3-Jan
64
Cedar Waxwing
4-Jan
65
Lapland Longspur
3-Jan
66
Snow Bunting
6-Jan
67
Yellow-rumped Warbler
3-Jan
68
Eastern Towhee
10-Jan
69
American Tree Sparrow
3-Jan
70
Song Sparrow
3-Jan
71
Swamp Sparrow
3-Jan
72
White-throated Sparrow
4-Jan
73
Dark-eyed Junco
3-Jan
74
Northern Cardinal
3-Jan
75
Red-winged Blackbird
22-Feb
76
Eastern Meadowlark
13-Mar
77
Rusty Blackbird
1-Mar
78
Common Grackle
4-Jan
79
Brown-headed Cowbird
2-Mar
80
House Finch
4-Jan
81
American Goldfinch
3-Jan
82
House Sparrow
4-Jan
83

BlakeMathys.com