Late this evening I found a pair of Surf Scoters at Cowan Lake.  Although
the birds were at nearly maximum range, the light was good and the wind was
calm, allowing use of the scope at nearly full magnification.  The birds
were considerably larger than the Lesser Scaup they were with. The bodies
were very dark, no light markings at all.  The bills were tucked away, but
one of the birds very clearly showed a large white patch on the back of the
head and another on the front of the head.  The other bird showed no white
markings about the head, but was otherwise virtually identical in
conformation.  I presume it was a female.

The birds were seen from the boat ramp at the South Shore Marina.  The turn
off OH 730 is 1/4 mile south of the dam and is clearly marked.  From the
boat ramp the birds were across the lake in line with the campground boat
ramp on the other side.  I reckoned that the birds would have been closer to
the point just downhill from the group shelter at the dance pavilion, but
when I got there, I was unable to relocate them.

To reach the dance pavilion parking lot, enter the park from Yankee Road off
OH 350.  Drive north and take the first left, then follow the signs.  Park
in front of the group shelter to the left (west) of the dance pavilion and
head straight downhill.

In other news, the turkey vulture roost on the north side of the lake held
147 birds this evening.  There are always some vultures roosting in this
area, sometimes on the north side, sometimes on the south side and sometimes
on both sides, but this number exceeds the previous maximum by a factor of
three.

Cheers,

Bob

--
Robert D Powell
Wilmington, OH, USA
[log in to unmask]

Nulla dies sine linea

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