While scrounging through several underbirded OBBA blocks around Pickerington & Canal Winchester, I took a break to take in a forest hike at Chesnut Ridge MetroPark.  Even though it was late in the morning (9:30), there was lots of breeding bird activity.  Most noteworthy were 3 singing Kentucky Warblers and a singing Hooded along with several defensive Hooded females.  I also had 2 pairs of Yellow-br.Chats, including one bird carrying food to a hidden fledgeling.  Numbers of Vireos (Red-eyed, White-eyed, Yellow-thr.), Flycatchers (Acadian, Crested, Pewee), and Wood Thrushes were quite healthy, and an Orchard Oriole was singing around the picnic area.  The ridge trail here is one of the birdiest hikes you an take close to Columbus at this time of year.

I also made a brief stop at Pickerington Ponds on the way back into Columbus.  Water levels there are mixed, with Ellis Pond & Teal Pond still full, but most of the shallower wetlands drying down quickly.  Bird activity was not very high here, largely becasue of the heat of the day.  The Ospreys have a large juvenile on the platform nest in Arrowhead marsh, and a Kestrel was swooping around terrorizing the swallows.  Waterbirds were very dull, with ony Great Blue Herons, Canada Geese, Mallards, and Kildeer conspicuous.  The heron colony at Ellis Pond is virtually invisible, given away only by the gutteral growling of begging juveniles.  I noted the same feature at another GBH colony near Johnstown yesterday.  Even though I knew this colony had 20-25 nests, I could only see 1 (and that only because I knew where to look).

Rob Thorn
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EarthLink Revolves Around You.

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