I started the New Year birding in southwestern Ohio, because last year
this strategy was very successful in obtaining a good list of waterfowl
and other half hardy species early in January.  I started where I live
in Madeira.  An early morning errand produced 20 European Starlings (1),
and then while eating breakfast on my front porch, an American Crow (2),
a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (3) two Northern Cardinals (4), a Red-bellied
Woodpecker (5), three House Sparrows (6), and two Mourning Doves (7).
On my way to Camp Dennison/Grand Valley, I added six American Robins
(8), three Rock Pigeons (9).  I looked for the Greater White-fronted
Goose at Miami Meadows Park along Route 131 without any luck, but
instead found 50 Canada Geese (10) and ten Mallards (11).  I checked out
the area behind the cinema on Rivers Edge Drive in Milford, where I
found a Ring-billed Gull (12), a female Hooded Merganser (13), two
Buffleheads (14).  Then, I headed to Camp Dennison and started scanning
from the small park at the southern end, where I added 30 American Coot
(15), ten Pied-billed Grebes (16), twenty Ruddy Ducks (17), three Lesser
Scaup (18), a Blue Jay (19).  Then I worked my way north along Route 126
stopping at the dirt pull offs without no parking signs and the AIM
parking lot, and added fifteen American Wigeon (20), 55 Ring-necked Duck
(21), ten more Hooded Mergansers, twelve Canvasbacks (22), a female or
non-breading plumage Red-breasted Merganser (23) a Northern Mockingbird
(24) and an Eastern Phoebe (25).  The Red-breasted Merganser was in the
north pond visible from the AIM parking lot.  The Eastern Phoebe was in
the bushes along the AIM building being chased by a competitive Northern
Mockingbird.  Then I headed east from Milford on Route 50 to
Stonelick-Williams Corner Road in search of vultures, which I didn't
find.  Instead I found a Tree Sparrow (26) and a flock of 15 Cedar
Waxwings (27).  Then, I headed toward East Fork State Park (EFSP) via
Route 32 east from I-275.  In the vicinity of the Owensville-Batavia
exit and Batavia, I found ten Black Vultures (28), a total of 50 Turkey
Vultures (29), a Red-tailed Hawk (30), and on some sides streets in
Batavia while searching for the vulture roost, I found two Dark-eyed
Juncos (31), a White-throated Sparrow (32), and a Carolina Chickadee
(33).  Along Route 222 toward Route 125, I found one Wild Turkey (34),
which in past January's I have had work hard to find.  I stopped by the
dam raceway and visitor center to check the feeder and the road out on
the saddle dam.  In these areas, I added a Downy Woodpecker (35), one
Hairy Woodpecker (36), one Northern Flicker (37), three American
Goldfinches (38) and two White-breasted Nuthatches (39) and three Tufted
Titmice (40) as well as a large flock of 100 American Robins and 30
Cedar Waxwings and about five more White-throated Sparrows.  At the far
end of the saddle dam, I found one Common Loon (41), a very good bird
for January and this area.  I continued to Route 125 and entered EFSP at
Bantam.  I stopped at the prairie off the road to the beach and walked
the trail around to the left.   Near and beyond the boardwalk, I found
five Song Sparrows (42) and 6 Field Sparrows (43).  I stopped at the
south beach, and found a small flock of diving ducks, which I identified
through my telescope as scaup with 4 Greater Scaup (44) and a few Lesser
Scaup.  There was a flock of about 50 Ring-billed Gulls but nothing else
on the beach.  As I was leaving EFSP at the Bantam exit, a Sharp-shinned
Hawk (45) flew over the road near the visitor center.  I returned to
route 32 and went east the first rest area seeking Red-headed
Woodpecker.  A beautiful male Red-header Woodpecker (46) was sitting on
top of a dead sang above a hole.  This tree is located to the right of
the rest area building inside the black-topped path and about 20-30 feet
out from the woods.  Then I returned west on Route 32 and stopped at the
North Beach of EFSP, where I found a Great Blue Heron (47) just before
dark.  It was a good start for my January '08 Century Run for Ohio.

Jay

 

Jay G. Lehman

Cincinnati, OH

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