Thanks to the many folks who gave great birding recommendations and such a warm welcome.  I know these observations are too late and probably not good enough to be useful, but so many folks were so kind, I thought I'd still report:


Unfortunately couldn't get to Wellington until noon; visited others throughout afternoon. 

Wellington Reservoir  - I don't have a scope, so really couldn't ID much, but there were hundreds of Canadian Geese, at least 6 Bufflehead, many gulls, and other waterbirds - many with a grebe-like silhouette; heard a few chickadees

Rte. 2 by the Davis Nuclear Plant - saw a gorgeous Bald Eagle perched in a roadside tree; a swan of some kind flew over the car soon after that.

Magee - Everything closed.  Saw a frog in the "moat" by the Sportmen's Center

Ottawa - all roads closed, but folks at the visitor's center very helpful.  Could see 3 or 4 swans along with Canadian geese in the further part of the entrance pool.  Unable to ID with binoculars.

Maumee State Park - 4-5 goldfinch at nature center feeders.  Walked part of wetland path - saw 2 downys pretty close up.  Raptor of some sort few overhead.  Tail narrower than typical hawk; not huge in size; underneath dull and clear-breasted.  More unidentifiable gulls at overlook.

East Harbor State Park - very calm, nearing dusk.  Very little sound and/or activity.  A few mallards and Canadian Geese on Middle Harbor.  Beach was quite foggy with visibility around 50', but eeriely serene.  Beautiful.  

On way to Harbor State Park saw four swans on large body of water with the closest viewing access on private land.  Took a last ditch chance to find them and drove to a neighborhood in development and could see them from a worksite.  Still not close enough to ID, but the best view thus far!

Saw many Starling parties of well over 100, as well as quite a few hawks as we drove throughout day.  One hawk perched in a roadside tree was a light color, fairly large, and seemed to have a dark hood that covered the head and shoulders and top breast - like an executioner's hood. Swainson's?  

Finished off day with twilight visit to Marblehead Lighthouse State Park then dinner.


As a novice birder (and one newer to living so close to large bodies of water), this trip was a great introduction to some amazing birding sites that I will definitely go back to (definitely not during a hunt!), and a lesson in equipment and methodology.  


I greatly appreciate the warm welcome of the Ohio birding community and look forward to more learning and more birds!


Lisa Lazar
Akron

                                          
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