Genesis and I just got back from a week in the sandstone gorges of Hocking Hills State Park in southeastern Ohio. What started as a family and friends reunion (nine of us converging from different corners of the country, none of us from Ohio) turned into one of my most productive birding trips to date.
We spent a week working through the park’s trail system: Old Man’s Cave, Upper and Lower Falls, Devil’s Bathtub, Cedar Falls, Ash Cave, Rock House, Rock Bridge, Cantwell Cliffs, and both the rim and gorge trails at Conkle’s Hollow. About 22 miles of hiking total. The habitat is unlike anything we have in South Florida. Dense mixed forest, hemlock-lined gorges, and sandstone overhangs that create ideal conditions for songbirds moving through.
The lifers came fast. Twenty-three new species over the course of the week, bringing my running total to 241. Highlights included the Scarlet Tanager, which stopped me in my tracks the first time I laid eyes on one, and a Baltimore Oriole that cooperated long enough for a few decent frames. The thrush diversity alone made the trip worthwhile. Hermit, Swainson’s, Wood, Louisiana, and Gray-cheeked all in the same week.
Evenings were spent at our cabin in West Logan with the group – game nights, good food, and catching up with people we hadn’t seen in too long. The Taboo losses are not being discussed.
Lifers: Eastern Towhee, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Brown-headed Cowbird, Hermit Thrush, American Crow, Red-eyed Vireo, Acadian Flycatcher, Baltimore Oriole, Northern Flicker, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Eastern Bluebird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Hairy Woodpecker, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Swainson’s Thrush, Scarlet Tanager, Orchard Oriole, Eastern Wood-Pewee
