My neighborhood downy woodpecker was drumming this morning when I walked my
dogs.  It is the first I had heard him this year.

 

I had two new “year” birds today, both at or near Dawes Arboretum:
brown-headed cowbird and wild turkey.

 

When I get stir-crazy on these long snowy days at home, I often visit the
feeder stations at Dawes.  Last week, one of the naturalists there, Lori,
suggested that I drive by the new wetlands area, which I did.  While there,
I saw the largest flock of blackbirds that I have ever seen, numbering in
the thousands.  The majority were common grackles, but I did detect a few
rusty blackbirds in the flock.  But what impressed me even more were the
sparrows feeding in the native grasses planted by the Dawes Arboretum folks.
The grasses were alive with birds, mostly song sparrows, but a few
white-crowned, one swamp (I think) and quite a few American tree sparrows.
On the other side of Licking Trails Road, beyond a tangled over-grown hedge
row fenceline and a deep ditch, in corn field stubble, were many
white-throated sparrows, several cardinals and three or four eastern towhees
– and the obligatory Canada geese.  And of course, there were dark eyed
juncos everywhere.  When I returned last Sunday afternoon, the flock of
blackbirds had diminished down to a couple hundred birds, but conspicuous
among them was a male red-winged blackbird!

 

Today, just south of that area, but also on Dawes land, I saw a beautiful
adult male northern harrier coursing over ice-covered native grasses.  He
didn’t seem to be bothering the dark-eyed juncos, song sparrows or cardinals
that were busily scrambling over the ice-covered stalks in search of food
seed.  There were also several deer feeding in the same “field”.  (east side
of Licking Trails Road, about ¼ mile south of Davis Drive.)

 

Dawes has long been an excellent birding destination, especially during
spring migration when all the flowering trees draw insects, and thus
insect-eating migrants.  I have recorded several lifebirds there.   (Many of
you will recall a couple of years ago when a Dawes staffer identified a
black-throated gray warbler.)  Now, with the new wetlands and the expanded
grasslands habitat, it can only get better.  I spoke at length with Tim,
another of the staff naturalists, today, about the long range plans, and I
have to say, I’m excited about the birding possibilities.  There will be
trails, viewing platforms, and blinds.  If I recall correctly (and I have a
terrible memory), I think Tim said that they recorded 14 species of
waterfowl this season, and the wetlands are really still under construction.

 

So, Dawes Arboretum will probably join Black Hand Gorge in my Licking Co.
bird reports in the coming year.

 

Margaret Bowman

Licking Co. (Newark), OH


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