While birding Spring Valley Wildlife Area in Greene/Warren Counties this morning, I saw an immature Bald Eagle flying over the lake.  I didn't get great looks because I was at a spot on the bike path where I had a limited view of the sky through the trees.  Friends who live in the area had called me last night to say they have had a mature eagle roosting in some dead trees on their property each evening for the past three days.  They also said people in the area have observed a large bird taking sticks to a cell phone tower nearby, but they couldn't tell what the bird was other than very large.  I tired to describe an osprey to them, but they didn't get to see any detail on the bird.  After leaving SVWA this morning, I drove toward their house to see the tower (they said to come in the evening to see the bird), and I saw an immature eagle flying over the fields in front of their house.  The cell tower has some large sticks that look like the beginning of a nest that you can
 see with binoculars, no scope needed. The friends who reported this to me have called ODNR to report the eagle, but I don't know if they mentioned the nesting behavior (Isn't this the wrong time of year for that?).  This is the third year that these people have seen eagles in the same dead trees at this time of year.  They were going to take the trees down for firewood, but have left them because of the eagles.  I will ask their permission to post the location when I go to see the eagle this evening.

  Other SVWA birds this morning:
    Wood Ducks - one group of 6 followed by a group of 15
Green Herons - 4 in flight over the lake, another posing in the dead trees
  Great Blue Heron
    Turkey Vulture  Mourning Dove
  Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Red-headed Woodpecker (Adults and 2 juveniles)
  Red-bellied Woodpecker
  Hairy Woodpecker
  Downy Woodpecker
  Eastern Kingbird (10+)
  Willow Flycatcher (heard the "fitz-bew")
  Eastern Wood-Pewee
    Barn Swallow
  American Crow
  Blue Jay

  Carolina Chickadee
  Tufted Titmouse
  White-breasted Nuthatch
      Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
  Brown Thrasher
  Gray Catbird


    American Robin (too many to count, mostly juveniles)
  Cedar Waxwing
Warbling Vireo (10+)
  Protonotary Warbler (unexpected - I thought they were gone)
    European Starling
  Common Grackle
  Baltimore Oriole
  Northern Cardinal
  American Goldfinch

  Indigo Bunting

  Noticeable by their absence:
  House Wrens - they were numerous just a few days ago
  Yellow-billed Cuckoo - first time since early summer I haven't at least heard one when I walk at SVWA
  Red-winged Blackbird - I only walked the bike path, but I usually see lots from there



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