Ohio Young Birders Club 
Birding Holmes County

Friday, July 13, 2006
Sponsored by Time & Optics

Highlights

 Least Bittern
Virginia Rail
Barn Owl
Dickcissel
Western Meadowlark

The sign out in front of our meeting place, Robert Hershberger's store,
was a welcoming sight!
 
Viewing hummingbird nest...
 
And a Cliff Swallow nest built over barn swallow nest in one of their barns
 
Next Andy Hershberger told us about his nest of Barn Owls
 
Andy Hershberger Farm telling us about the Barn Owls in Holmes County
 
Our straw stairway to the Barn Owl Box
 
Bret McCarty looks into the Barn Owl box
 
Brad Wilkinson checks out the Barn Owls
 
Judy Wilkinson
 
The stars of the show
 
The Hershbergers were so nice!
They even fixed us a snack to eat after we looked at the owls.
 

After seeing the owls
 
Next we visited the Morris Yoder farm to see his Purple Martin colony
 
Morris Yoder shows the group his Purple Martins
 
Morris Yoder shows us his Purple Martin nestlings
 
Gathered round Morris & his Purple Martins
 
 A nest box drawer full of baby martins
 
Everyone has a chance to look inside
 
Phil Chaon shares his field notes & sketching techniques with a couple
of the young Amish birders
 
Kenn Kaufman & Ben Troyer
 
Next stop- A farm where 500+ Cliff Swallow nests were built
under the eaves of the barn!
 
Cliff Swallow nests
 
Watching Cliff Swallows
 
Cliff Swallow watching
 
Looking at Cliff Swallows
 
Cliff Swallow watchers
 
Still looking at Cliff Swallows
 
Next stop- Killbuck Marsh WA
We had to wade across a flooded road to see the really great marsh birds
 
Rueben Hershberger and Kenn Kaufman brave the floods to bird the other side!
 
Parents braved the flood too!
 
We made it across the flooded road to scan the marsh for Least Bittern.
 
Ben & Justin Troyer pause to check out something overhead
 
Justin Troyer and Jason Yoder
 
We had great looks at a Green Heron
 
We heard Virginia Rails calling!
 
We searched to try to see one
 
...and searched
 
and saw several...Up close!!
 
Then it was back across the flooded road to the vans
 
Kyle and Bret McCarty
 
Group photo minus Brad Wilkinson
 
 

Page last updated on Thursday July 24, 2008