Sheryl, there are often sightings of turkey vulture-like birds before
Buzzard Day, March 15, at Hinckley Ohio. These are actually sightings of the
very rare "Creagle", first classified by NE Ohio birder Sam Walker in 2005.
The Creagle, a rare hybrid of the Common Crow and the American Eagle,
sometimes appears in NE Ohio in late February or early March on its long
migration to Baffin Island, it's only know nesting location. Once north of
the St. Lawrence Watershed, it is active only at night, a defense against
potential predators, and is seldom seen during daylight hours. Research has
shown that all Creagles move north of NE Ohio precisely on the night of
March 14, a response to amazingly predictable annual snow flea (Collembola
sp.) population irruptions, which occur as sure as the tides on March 14
each year, regardless of other weather phenomena.

We have attempted to obtain a "type specimen" for the Cleveland Museum of
Natural History's ornithology collection, only to be thwarted by the
"Creagle Defense League", a group of well-meaning but near-sighted birders.
Thus far, it is known only by anecdotal evidence.

I welcome all Creagle sightings up to their March 14 departure date. Kindly
send your reports to [log in to unmask] for inclusion in a future
article in the park magazine, The Emerald Necklace.

Cheers... Bob


Robert D. Hinkle,
Chief of Outdoor Education, Cleveland Metroparks
"Official Buzzard Spotter" on Buzzard Day, March 15

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.

You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]