Five Rusty Blackbirds (at least) gathered with about 2500 starlings, 200
Red-winged Blackbirds and 300 Common Grackles in trees along Island Road,
Circleville late this afternoon. Today, I checked wet sloughs from Waverly
(Pike County) to Delaware County searching for rusties. There were probably
more than five rusties in the flock I chased but the rapidly dimming light
did not offer enough opportunity.

Waterfowl is moving. Some highlights:

Flooded sloughs along Island Road north of Circleville
8 Wood Ducks (both sexes even)
17 Hooded Mergansers
7 Canvasback (2 male)
12 Ring-necked Ducks, males (plus many Mallards and many hundreds of Canada
Geese)
6 American Widgeon

Stages Pond Nature Preserve backwater
20+ Hooded Mergansers
6 American Black Ducks
3Ring-necked Ducks, males

Circleville Quarry
One thousand plus Canada Geese and many Mallards
15 Ring-necked Ducks
5 Canvasback (two males)
3 Redheads (one male)
4 American Widgeon, even
1 Snow Goose (blue)
3 Gadwall
20 Ring-necked Ducks, males

Charlie's Pond
Northern Harriers
More pheasants than you can shake a stick at

Chillicothe City Park Lake
6 Mute Swans
7 Canvasback (2 males)
2 Am. Widgeon
Canada Geese and Mallards in numbers plu lots of waterfowl of mixed heritage

Eastern Avenue lake (by Route 23, Chillicothe)
2 Bufflehead
8 Hooded Mergs.
6 American Black Ducks

Three Locks Road heron rookery (Three Locks Road north of Higby Road, Pike
County)
52 empty nests
6 young Bald Eagles perching, frolicking on the nests

Lake White, Waverly
20+ Hooded Mergs.
6 American Black Ducks
10-15 Ring-necks again, males
Ring-billed Gulls
GB heron
Belted Kingfisher
Etc.

Goldie Gunlock Wetland, Chillicothe (by Walmart)
4 Green-winged Teal
Ring-necks again
Etc.

Lots of Northern Harriers throughout Scioto Valley

And,so on...

Tom Bain
Central Ohio Clayey Till Plain

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