Come to Ohio, the winter heart of it all

STEPHANIE WEST
Blendon Woods Naturalist

Of all winter travel destinations, Ohio hardly seems like the perfect getaway. There’s no warm tropical sand, nor towering ski slopes. Vistas are often gray and the weather is cold and damp. Who would choose to spend the winter here? Birds!

Compared to winter in northern Canada, where many birds spend the summer breeding, Ohio winters are perfectly balmy and have food resources to spare. And if you can find what you need without so many layovers and transfers, why go all the way to Florida or the Caribbean or Central America? Ohio has it all!

Look for some of these winter visitors, now through spring.

THE REGULARS

Dark-eyed juncos

Often nicknamed the snow bird, these little sparrows nest in Canada and spend the winter throughout the US. They reliably come to feeders, preferring to feed on the ground. The dark slate males look gorgeous against the snow (when we have it).

White-throated sparrows

This is our other reliable winter visitor. Some have bright yellow lores (a spot above the eye) and striking black head stripes, while others have more muted colors. But all have the white throat patch. They will come to feeders, but like the juncos, prefer to feed on the ground. By late winter listen for their plaintive Oh-sweet-canada-canada-canada song. They will start singing as the days grow longer at the end of February.

Yellow-rumped warbler

Most warblers migrate hundreds or thousands of miles to neotropical regions for the winter, but these familiar “butter-butts” spend the winter throughout the eastern US. Look for them with flocks of other small birds like chickadees and titmice. They don’t usually come to feeders, instead foraging for berries of dogwood, poison ivy, juniper, Virginia creeper and other native plants.

Whoooo else comes calling?

Winter is a perfect time for owl watching! Not only are they easier to spot in the leafless trees, but owls are more vocal in the winter as they establish nesting territories. Look (and listen) for resident great horned, barred and screech owls in Ohio forests.

Short-eared owls are regular winter visitors from up north. Look for them at dusk, hunting in open, wet meadows, especially at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park.

Saw-whet owls are occasional visitors and always a treat to find. It’s the tiniest owl you’ll see in Ohio, even smaller than the screech owl. Look in dense conifers and keep your fingers crossed!

The winter visitor that, hands down, makes the biggest stir is the snowy owl. While they make regular appearances along the shore of Lake Erie, every few years we are treated to a visiting white ghost here in central Ohio. Scientists believe that when the summer lemming population has been plentiful, allowing many young snowy owls to survive, they migrate further south in the winter.

Ready for an irruption?

Several species of northern forest birds make an appearance some winters but not others. This is called an irruption. The red-breasted nuthatch, fox sparrow, tree sparrow and purple finch are all fairly regular visitors to Ohio in small numbers. Watch for them at your feeders mixing with “the regulars,” especially if you live near a forested area.

Pine siskins, common redpolls, evening grosbeaks and crossbills are more uncommon winter visitors, but sometimes appear in impressive numbers. Their irregular southern migrations are probably tied to fluctuation in Canadian cone crops.

Just ducky

Winter provides a parade of waterfowl to watch on lakes and rivers. As northern waterways freeze, ducks, geese and swans are forced south and follow traditional routes through Ohio. Many linger as long as water remains open, including places like Thoreau Lake at Blendon Woods, where bubblers keep the water from freezing all winter! Watch for hooded mergansers, gadwall, northern shovelers, black ducks, northern pintails and many other beautiful ducks at Metro Parks wetlands throughout the winter.

Whether you are a window-birder or hard-core bird watcher, winter is an excellent time to get out and greet our seasonal visitors!