Cookie (my birding dog) and I checked out Black Hand Gorge this morning.
First, we checked the wetlands adjacent to the main entrance of the refuge.
It was about 1/3 open water, with a few waterfowl. Other than a couple of
wood ducks on the river and some Canadas, all the waterfowl listed were at
the wetlands. When we first arrived, the woodpeckers were drumming wildly,
all over the place. However, I wasn’t able to spot who was making all that
noise. Something that I have never seen before, is a turkey vulture
bathing. I’ve seen a lot of other birds flopping in the water, splashing
water on wings, with wings, etc., but to see a turkey vulture do that was
surprising to me. Two were up on the bank, with wings spread, drying in the
sun. That I’ve seen before, usually after a rain. When finished splashing
around in the water, the third moved up onto the bank and spread its wings,
too. One of the bald eagles was on the nest; the other was seen in the
general area, but moved around some. On the way home, I checked out the
heron rookery, on Owens Corning property but viewable from the church
parking lot on Cedar Run Road. There were 11 herons in the tree and/or on
nests, the first I’ve seen at the rookery this spring.
Species seen at BHG or the adjacent wetlands, with a few notes:
Pied-billed grebe
Canada goose
Wood duck
American widgeon
Mallard
Northern pintail
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked duck
Turkey vulture – one bathing in the river; two on the edge of the river with
wings spread, drying in the sun. Getting ready for Thursday?
Bald eagle
Red-shouldered hawk – carrying some kind of prey out of the buttonbush swamp
– second time I’ve seen this hawk in this location recently
American coot
Killdeer
Mourning dove
Belted kingfisher
Red-bellied woodpecker
Downy woodpecker
Hairy woodpecker – Licking Co. bird #59 for March 2007
Pileated woodpecker
Eastern phoebe – three – two calling – Licking Co. bird # 60 for March 2007
Tree swallow
Carolina wren
American robin
Carolina chickadee
Tufted titmouse
White-breasted nuthatch
Brown creeper
Blue jay
American crow
European starling
American goldfinch
Song sparrow – singing everywhere – what a welcome sound!
White-throated sparrow
Dark-eyed junco
Northern cardinal
Red-winged blackbird
Common grackle
Brown-headed cowbird
The weather was wonderful, and the birds were fairly numerous, both in
overall numbers and species. We walked the eastern 2 ½ miles of the Black
Hand Gorge bike path after checking out the wetlands.
Margaret Bowman
Licking Co., OH
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