I spent a few hours on the tower watching the migration.  Until 8:30 it was calm, 39 degrees, and very slow.  Around 8:30 the wind picked up out of the south and and the birds began pouring through.  One of the things I found interesting today was the birds migrating east and west.  Blackbirds right over the lakeshore were heading west.  They were either red-winged blackbirds or starlings.  To the south there were a lot of mixed flocks of blackbirds. There were a lot of killdeer moving with 93 counted.  The last few days they were either singles or a couple here and there.  Today there were several flocks with the largest 14 birds.  Of note was a short-eared owl out over the lake and 4 white-fronted geese heading east out over the lake.


Vultures began moving around 9:00.  I ended up with 155.  They seemed to slow down a bit when it started getting very windy.  Other hawks counted were northern harrier 2, Cooper's hawk- 1, red-tailed- 14, red-shouldered 3,  and merlin-1.  Not bad for February.


Lake Erie Bluffs- Clark Road, Lake, Ohio, US
Feb 24, 2017 7:10 AM - 10:40 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments:     Stationary from tower at the Clark Road parking lot.  Calm winds and 39 degree temperature until 8:30.  At 8:30 winds switched and by the time I left, it was 71 degrees.
35 species (+1 other taxa)

Greater White-fronted Goose  4     Four birds flew by low over the water heading east.  Identified by smaller size, speckled bellies and white above the bill.
Canada Goose  218
Tundra Swan  19
Gadwall  6
Mallard  10
Common Goldeneye  3
Common Merganser  2
Red-breasted Merganser  405
Turkey Vulture  155     Vultures were migrating .  First birds were noted by 9:00.
Northern Harrier  2
Cooper's Hawk  1
Bald Eagle  1
Red-shouldered Hawk  3
Red-tailed Hawk  14
Killdeer  93     Killdeer were migrating.  The largest flock was 14 birds.
American Woodcock  2
Ring-billed Gull  860
Herring Gull  236
Great Black-backed Gull  4
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  1
Mourning Dove  8
Short-eared Owl  1     Flying out over the lake.
Downy Woodpecker  1
Merlin  1
Blue Jay  2
American Crow  943
Eastern Bluebird  17
American Robin  126
European Starling  455
Red-winged Blackbird  2450
Eastern Meadowlark  11     Meadowlarks were migrating overhead.
Rusty Blackbird  2
Common Grackle  240
Brown-headed Cowbird  96
blackbird sp.  1500
American Goldfinch  2



John Pogacnik

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