Today Robert Epstein and I, like rookies, set out to photograph ducks
at the Blue Hole in Castalia, Ohio in 50 degree weather. Well, the
waterfowl was basically gone from that cold weather refuge today.
Maybe 25 ducks there including about 10 Shovelers and a pair of
Wigeon to go with Mallards.

At Pickerel Creek, on the south side of highway 6 from parking lot
"D" we found at least 7 White-fronted Geese in with Canadas in a
lightly flooded field.  A male Pintail was also in that field with
Mallards and a few Black Ducks.  We found a Red-shouldered Hawk
perched in between houses nearby on county road 256 about 200 yards
north of highway 6.

At Magee Marsh in Ottawa County, we saw a Northern Shrike on the
causeway leading to Crane Creek on the east side of the road.  Across
Highway 2 from the entrance to Crane Creek we distantly saw at least
13 Snow Geese in with hundreds of Canadas in a field.  Nine Tundra
Swans flew over that field.

At Ottawa Refuge we walked out to the estuary and saw little--9
Lesser Scaup in a small opening in an impoundment; a pair of A.
Wigeon walking on the ice there.  We had one Great Blue Heron in the
ditch along the entrance road into Ottawa.

Metzgar Marsh held some apparent migrant waterfowl--113 Redheads, 2
male Ring-necked Ducks, 6 Pintail, a male Gadwall and 15 Coot. The 3
Great Blue Herons were probably wintering birds.

Cheers,

Karl Overman
Farmington Hills, Mi.

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