The 'famous' Black Rail continues to call at the slough along Radcliff Rd, although much less frequently than in prior weeks.  A small group of observers staked out the area from 6:00 to past 10:00 this morning, and had calling on several occasions.  The calling never lasted more than a minute, and seemed to be from a single bird on the south side of the road.  The recent rains have turned the north side into a shallow pond, complete with calling green frogs, so it seems unlikely that the bird(s) is(are) going to move across the road with any frequency now.

Other birds at the site included both Willow and Alder flycatchers (the latter rare for this area), along with plenty of singing Meadowlarks and Horned Larks and a single Orchard oriole.  Further west along the road, the overgrown fields have a good crop of Grasshopper Sparrows and Dickcissels, along with a few Henslow's Sparrows.  It's shaping up as a fair year for Dickcissels, as I had them at 2 other locations northwest of Circleville on my way back to Columbus.

Rob Thorn

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