I took advantage of this beautiful weather and an afternoon off work to visit
a couple of birding spots around Milford, OH (western Clermont County,
DeLorme 75, C5)  As I approached Milford, traveling along SR 50, which parallels the
East Fork of the Little Miami River, I saw 5 BLACK VULTURES circling.  I was
psyched, as I haven't seen Black Vultures since April.

After a stop at the bird supply store, I proceeded on to the Camp Dennison
gravel pits.  I scoped several locations from the road (SR 126) and saw 100s of
American Coots, a few Ring-billed Gulls, Ring-necked Ducks, Buffleheads, 1
American Widgeon, and a lone grebe, probably Pied-billed.  I did not see the bald
eagle which has been frequenting the pits and has been seen along the East
Fork of the Little Miami in Milford recently.

Leaving the pits, I returned along SR 50 and the Black Vultures were still
there.  I then went to the Cincinnati Nature Center (Tealtown Rd) where I
explored the area around the Rowe building, the Edge Trail around the lake, and the
bird blind.  All the usual feeder birds were present:  Carolina Chickadees,
Tufted Titmice, 1 White-breasted Nuthatch, Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Downy &
 Red-bellied Woodpeckers, House Finches, Amer. Goldfinches, and
White-throated Sparrows.

The best sight was the Cooper's Hawk which flew from a tree near the bird
blind.  She (he?) flew over my head and towards the building.  I found the
remains of her most recent meal, a female cardinal, including a pile of feathers,
part of a wing, and the head, on the ground below her perch.  After observing
the feeders from the blind and adding Carolina Wren to my trip list, I retraced
my steps toward the building.  The Coop flew back from the feeders at the
building towards the perch tree again.  She seems to have staked out a good spot.

An enjoyable way to spend couple of hours; the Black Vultures and the Coop
were pretty exciting.

~Kathi
Kathi Hutton
Felicity, Clermont Co.
Delorme pg 82, B3
Lat. 38.828, Lon. -84.063

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