I checked out the Deer Creek area for the new year today. As expected, sparrows are swarming all over the place. American Tree and Song Sparrows are abundant everywhere you go pretty much and White-crowneds are in a solid third place. White-throateds, Swamps, and D-e Juncos are also easily found in appropriate habitat this winter. Some years Field and Savannah are also easily found in the winter, but not this year. Last winter every group of Tree Sparrows seemed to have a Field or two in the mix, but I think I have only seen one there since last mid-November and none today. I haven't seen any Fox or Savannahs at all for almost 2 months now. So, it was a big surprise today to find two species that were unexpected, a Chipping Sparrows feeding in a field with Tree Sparrows, and a Henslow's Sparrow in the grasslands on the west side of the southern wetland tract (where they nest in the spring and summer and have been seen well into November for several years now). The Henslow's was scrurrying around on the ground under the matted grasses like a little mouse. I almost stepped on it before it flushed and popped up for an excellent but brief view. Also in the southern wetlands right now are about a half dozen Short-eared Owls.

Despite all the hunting in the area the reservoir itself held a good number of gulls and ducks. The road west of the state park beach is closed right now so there was no view into the deepest southern part of the reservoir from the cliffs today, but birds seen in the SW and SE areas of the reservoir included thousands of Ring-billed with a much smaller number of Herring and Bonaparte's Gulls, Mallards, Am Black Ducks, Canada Geese, Hooded and Red-breasted Mergansers, Redheads, Gadwalls, N Shovelers, Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads, and C Goldeneyes.

Closer to home in Columbus, the Watermark Quarry still has some open water and today held Ring-billed and Herring Gulls, Am. Coots, H Mergansers, Ring-necked Ducks, Redheads, Buffleheads, and some P-b Grebes.

Bob Royse

Robert Royse
[log in to unmask]
www.roysephotos.com

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.


You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]