Past year brought sightings of birds that seldom visit Ohio

[Donna]

Each year, Ohio bird-watchers catch sight of rare birds. Here are those of note for 2009.
White-winged crossbill

Usually the excitement is caused by a single bird, but in 2009, hundreds of white-winged crossbills arrived.

"Poor cone crops in Canada foreshadowed an incursion of white-winged crossbills and other Northern finches into Ohio, and they began to appear here in October (2008)," said Bill Whan, former editor of The Ohio Cardinal.

The next month, flocks of up to 75 white-winged crossbills were seen. On Dec. 4, Bernie Master spotted a flock of at least 31 at Green Lawn Cemetery -- the first big group in Franklin County. Conifers in Ohio produced abundant cones, and the crossbills stayed into April at many locations.

Sightings were reported in 53 of Ohio's 88 counties, from Lake Erie to the Ohio River, said Ethan Kistler, who compiled a map of the birds' whereabouts.
Northern wheatear

The rare bird that drew the most attention was a Northern wheatear, seen on a Holmes County farm in September -- only the third recorded sighting of the species in Ohio.

The bird's breeding range is from Greenland through Scandinavia and Russia into Alaska and the Yukon. It spends winter from France and Greece to China.

The family at the farm kept a log of people who came to see the wayward bird. The wheatear was there just four days, Sept. 12-15, and drew at least 580 visitors from Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.
Mountain bluebird

Eastern bluebirds are common in Ohio, nest throughout the state and spend winters here. The two other North American species of bluebird -- the Western and the mountain -- live mostly in the West and are seldom seen here.

So it was a nice surprise when a mountain bluebird appeared April 5-17 in northwestern Ohio along the edge of the Toledo Express Airport in Lucas County. It was only the second time the species has been recorded in Ohio; the first was seen near Ragersville in Tuscarawas County from Dec. 14, 1989, to Jan. 13, 1990.

The male bird was beautiful even though it doesn't have the orange plumage of the Eastern bluebird. It's sky blue above and paler blue below except for the whitish belly. The 1989-90 bird was a female, which is paler than the male.
Golden-crowned sparrow

A golden-crowned sparrow visited a feeder April 7-24 in Hancock County.

A resident of western North America, the sighting was the first in Ohio.
White ibis

A white ibis was seen in Guernsey County in July -- only the ninth recorded sighting in the Buckeye state.

The birds wander here from their nesting range in the southeastern states.
Allen's hummingbird

An Allen's hummingbird was confirmed for the first time in Ohio on Dec. 12; the bird was spotted in Holmes County.

Naturalist Jim Fry, who has written a column for The Dispatch for almost 29 years, bids farewell today with this final contribution.

[BIGFRANK]

This is a male White-winged Crossbill,we also had an irruptive season of them in Toronto Ontario.http://www.winkflash.com/photo/imagew2.aspx?p=1&c=6951272&i=376181180&z=0

This is a female White-winged Crossbill
http://www.winkflash.com/photo/imagew2.aspx?p=1&c=6951272&i=323638350&z=0

Sorry couldnt figure out how to put a picture in directly.