Rediscovering Local Birding Hotspots

Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge (BONWR) is an amazing, interesting birding destination in southeastern Indiana, and we live, luckily, about 30 minutes from it.  

Before going on the refuge, you’re required to view a safety video because the refuge sits on the Jefferson Proving Ground, with its own interesting history, which includes General John Hunt Morgan and 2,000 Confederate cavalrymen crossing it in 1863 in what's known as "Morgan's Raid" through southeastern Indiana.

It's approximately 18 miles long, five miles wide and covers over 55,000 acres.  The unexploded ordinances, though, make it too dangerous to attempt on foot, so you go by vehicle and stick to the roads on almost all of it.  

BONWR Bird Checklist

Bill, my very thoughtful husband, scheduled the trip with Beth Black, who works at the Refuge, and she included George and Walter, who also know a bit about the Refuge.  In fact, they know so much about birding on the Refuge, they compiled the bird checklist (left). 

Bill and I considered ourselves quite fortunate to go on a guided birding tour with these folks on Friday, August 16th.  We also birded here previously to see the Henslow's Sparrow.  Big Oaks has a nesting population of near-threatened Henslow's Sparrows, and many birders come here to add it to their lists.  

We began at the southern end which was mostly a grassy, meadow area with surrounding woods.  There, the new birds for this year that we (the group) saw and/or heard included Red-headed Woodpecker, Alder Flycatcher, and Olive-sided flycatcher.

We arrived at a small lake and saw a Belted Kingfisher, Wood Duck, and an aquatic deer.  Yes, a White-tailed Deer was shoulder high in the lake eating floating vegetation.  Lily pads, I think.  That was quite a site.

We then headed to Old Timber Lake at the north end of the Refuge.  We spotted another Belted Kingfisher, a Bald Eagle, and Stilt Sandpiper. 

Our finally tally, thanks to Walter, who kept the birding chart:

Great Blue Heron

Green Heron

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Wood Duck

Bald Eagle

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Wild Turkey

Killdeer

Solitary Sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper

Mourning Dove

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Red-headed Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Alder Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher

Eastern Kingbird

Blue Jay

American Crow

Barn Swallow

Carolina Chickadee

White-breasted Nuthatch

Eastern Bluebird

American Robin

Gray Catbird

Northern Mockingbird

European Starling

Common Yellowthroat

Chipping Sparrow

Field Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Blue Grosbeak

Indigo Bunting

Eastern Meadowlark

American Goldfinch

Other birds sighted, but not on the checklist (nice!):
Stilt Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

We saw or heard 43 species at the Refuge.  Fourteen of those birds we added to our year list, and a couple to our life list.  

If you have the time, it’s well worth it to spend a morning here.  You never know what you’ll see or who might be birding with you.  Bill and I had met Beth and knew her to be a wonderful, knowledgable birder, but we hadn’t met George or Walter.  We were very fortunate to spend time with them in that setting.  

Contact information for visiting the Refuge:

Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge
1661 West JPG Niblo Road
Madison, IN 47250
(812) 273-0783
www.fws.gov/midwest/bigoaks

You won't be disappointed!

WildBird Magazine is Gone

When Bill and I first began birding, we began subscribing to a magazine in 1996 called, “WildBird.” We pored over every issue, studying and learning about different species, birding locations, and birding in the field.  It was a wonderful publication and we learned a great deal more about birding than what field guides typically provide.  The magazine shared timely information, raised awareness about conservation, and provided details and photos beyond field guide offerings. We absolutely loved it.

We allowed our subscription to lapse in 2006.  Our children were small then and we didn’t venture out for birding much beyond our back yard.  To be fair, our 15 acre back yard provided an immense offering, especially for central Illinois.  But, our birding time in the field was less.  Our children were out of infancy, but still small, mobile, and less quiet (loud).  

Now that we’re beginning our big year, Bill unpacked our old copies of “WildBird” and we began researching birding destinations.  It occurred to me that we should really renew our subscription so that we had more current information.  What I discovered, though, is that the magazine is no longer in print. 

We’re very disappointed, but are researching other birding magazines, and hoping to find one that matches our beloved “WildBird.”  It’s tough, but I’m hopeful we’ll find another magazine we enjoy as much.  After researching and reading a comparison of the birding magazines here, we've decided to try Bird Watching magazine.  I don't agree with the author's assessment of WildBird, but, who knows, maybe we'll enjoy it even more than WildBird!

In other news, our bird count is up.  We visited Clifty Falls and Hardy Lake State Parks here in southeastern Indiana recently.

Between the parks and our yard, we added the following to our list:

Brown Thrasher

Carolina Chickadee

Chipping Sparrow

Cooper’s Hawk

Eastern Towhee

Mute Swan

Ring-billed Gull

and that brings us to 47 birds.  We’re hoping to add some more birds to our list on Friday, while we’re at Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge here in Jefferson County.  

Barn Swallows (Porch Swallows)

One of the first birds we saw for our Big Year was the Barn Swallow.  What made that sighting so easy is that we have two active nests on our front porch.  The fourth and fifth broods are soon to fledge from nests located on our porch pillars.

When they first arrived this spring, they nested in another nest that is attached to our house.  An American Robin was using one of their nests on a porch pillar, so after they fledged, the Barn Swallows again nested in it.

Bill and I often talk about moving, but (yes, this sounds crazy) we’re often concerned that new owners of this house might not welcome and appreciate our nesting Barn Swallow population.  With it comes dives to our heads and bird droppings on our porch.  Those midair bombs also occasionally land on our vehicles and our front door, but it also brings a beautiful and up close view of an amazing little bird.  

Barn Swallows winter in South America and make an incredible journey over the Gulf of Mexico twice a year.  They tend to nest in the same place, year after year.  We were thrilled to find them already living on our porch when we moved here.   We wait for them each spring and are excited when they make it back to our porch.   

Not everyone, though, enjoys having resident Barn Swallows.  My dad, who called them “porch swallows,” cut short lengths of black garden hose and placed them on his porch to discourage the birds from nesting there.  Even after we shared with him that Barn Swallows provide insect control, eating thousands of mosquitoes and other pesky insects, he still hoped the birds would believe that snakes were on the porch and they would nest elsewhere.  It didn’t work, though; they were smart enough to know it was a trick and continued to happily nest there.

We had an amazing porch on the back of our Illinois home and we’d see a few scouts every year, checking it out, but they never settled down there, so I was always envious of my dad’s situation...and he was equally envious of ours.

Now, we finally have a home where they nest on our front porch.  We sit there most weekend mornings with cups of coffee, watching them fly around the yard and swoop back into the nests with food for the nestlings.  They also perch on the nest-free porch pillars and swing to “serenade” us, which is lovely.  It’s quite a show.  

I do continue to keep my eye on the real estate market, hoping to find a place with much more land and a few outbuildings, but I feel responsible for the families that have chosen our porch to raise their young families. 

What if we sell our home to someone who doesn’t want nesting birds on their porch?  What if the nests are removed, and all other nesting attempts are thwarted?  Our moving from here brings with it greater concern for what lives here, and since I still haven’t found the perfect real estate available, I guess we’re staying put for a while.  It would be hard to leave such good coffee buddies.

Oh, and we had the following sightings over the past two days:

White-breasted Nuthatch
Northern Flicker
Killdeer
Northern Bobwhite
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Chimney Swift
Canada Goose
Solitary Sandpiper
Gray Catbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Spotted Sandpiper
Eastern Bluebird

which brings us to 40 birds.  We saw the sandpipers at the Versailles State Park here in Indiana.  We only spent about 30 minutes there at dusk, but it was worth it!

The First Two Days

Our first day was spent in our yard.  We only decided that very evening that we were going to begin Sunday, July 28th, after spending much of the day entering our birding lists into an app called, “Audubon Guides Field Guide to North American Birds, NatureShare.”  

We saw 24 birds, which wasn’t bad for two hours of birding in your backyard just before sunset.  

Our first day list includes:

American Crow

Mourning Dove

American Goldfinch

American Kestrel

American Robin

Barn Swallow

Blue Jay

Common Grackle

Downy Woodpecker

Eastern Kingbird

Eastern Wood-Pewee

European Starling

Field Sparrow

House Finch

House Sparrow

Indigo Bunting

Northern Cardinal

Northern Mockingbird

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-winged Blackbird

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Song Sparrow

Tufted Titmouse

Wild Turkey

The second day, Monday, July 29th, Bill was at work and I saw and/or heard three more in our yard:

Pileated Woodpecker

Red-Tailed Hawk

Turkey Vulture

I have to mention here that the kids and I also saw a female turkey with her eight fledglings.  They’ve nested in our lot, which is under two acres, but we don’t mow it specifically because of the nesting birds.  

We know that field sparrows, song sparrows, meadowlarks, bob-whites, kingbirds, and red-winged blackbirds all nest there, but we didn’t realize turkeys were in there, too.  

The first time I suspected the nesting turkeys was when the new owner of the adjacent lot mowed/bushhogged his lot and I saw her fly up and out of our lot.  I’ve seen her two times since, with her little ones in tow, marching along the edge of the weeds.  Anyway, they are getting larger and I hope they stay safe.

Bill set up a very nice birding excursion for us on Friday, August 16th.  We’ll be birding at the Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, located at Jefferson County Proving Ground that morning at 8:30.  It’s my birthday present, but also a great chance to add more birds to our list!  I can’t wait to report back on that trip!

The Beginning

My husband, Bill, and I recently rented a film called, “The Big Year,” about three men trying to see the most birds in North America in a calendar year.  Owen Wilson, Steve Martin, and Jack Black star in it.  When the film begins, Owen Wilson's character is holding the current record and his number is well over 700! 

The film rated six stars out of 10, but Bill and I enjoyed it a great deal.  We enjoyed it much more than six stars simply because we are birders and we get it.  

Bill and I were much more active birders in the late 1990s.  We made a few trips, including Texas and Florida, and the states in between, and Ontario.  But as our children began walking and talking (loudly), and preferred (loudly) to not be in their car seats for extended drives, our birding became more and more limited to our 15 acres in central Illinois.  We didn't feel too slighted because it was a beautiful place with woods and meadows.  We discovered many birds were attracted to the habitats there and we made the most of it.  

Now that they're older and we no longer live on 15 beautiful acres in central Illinois, we realized we miss birding terribly.   We're new to southeastern Indiana, so we're going to explore the surrounding areas that offer wonderful birding opportunities.  It's exciting!!

Our goal is to see as many birds as we can where we live and on a few trips, mostly east of the Mississippi.  We'll have a great time and this blog will chronicle our adventures!