Ohio - September 2023 - Day 6 - Back to Chicago

The next morning I bade goodbye to my family and set off west, destination O'Hare. It's about a five hour drive but I intended to bird all the way. I started up at Lorain Harbour where there were tons of Gulls including Bonaparte's which was a State target. I also jammed another Ohio tick here with Goosander. I then had a late breakfast after which I reversed my car into a pillar putting a large dent in. Thankfully I was fully covered, but it did make me a bit anxious about the extra time that might be needed when giving it back in Chicago.

I popped in at Magee again seeing as it was on the way, and was rewarded with many more Warblers than the day before, including a stunning male Black-throated Blue Warbler. Parula and Wilson's Warbler were also new. It's such a great site, a lengthy boardwalk winds through swampy forest just back from the lake - a real migrant hotspot when conditions are right and it's pretty good even when they are not. Brown Thrasher was also new for Ohio.

Back at Howard Marsh the wader-fest continued, and I finally added American Golden Plover to my ABA list. So odd that I'd seen both Acadian Flycatcher and AGP in the UK first, but actually AGP is pretty hard in the lower 48, they never stay anywhere for very long. New waders vs the day before included Wilson's Snipe, Wilson's Phalarope, Knot, Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Spotted Sandpiper, but otherwise it was much the same as before. A Hooded Merganser was a bit of a surprise.

With an early evening flight back to London I couldn't linger and sadly pointed the car west. I managed one more brief stop in Indiana to top up that list at a place called Boot Lake Nature Preserve, but I was about done. Handing the car back did indeed take a bit longer due to the caved in rear but they were pretty decent about it and I didn't get charged. Although not a birding trip (although hell will freeze over before any trip I go on doesn't involve a bird somewhere along the line) I was pleased with what I'd been able to see - 116 species in total,  two new States, and my Ohio list up to 156.

I arrived back in London in time for work, and during a brief bit of down time was able to nip out and get a new bird for Wanstead, Pintail, which had arrived a few days earlier and been good enough to stay. As I said at the time, a Lake Michigan to Heronry twitch. I am very jammy.