The 12th March census was conducted on Friday, March 20, 2009.
Participants were Sandy Tkach and myself.  The ferry is still not
running but is to start on Thursday, March 26.  Weather was cool with
a NW wind to start and finishing with a NE wind of 5-15 mph.  Temps
were 26-45 and skies were cloudy to PC.  Muskrats (5+) were active
along the shoreline but only 3 deer were observed on the census route.
 The average number of species for a March route has been 55 with an
average number of individuals at 5573.  We had 53 species and 5501
individuals.  North winds cut our number of species as we had no
migrant raptors or larks/longspurs, etc.  Highlights were our first
Common Redpolls for a March census route, an adult Lesser Black-backed
Gull and a second-year White-crowned Sparrow.  We also missed Mourning
Dove on the route for the first time.

97     Canada Goose
4        Wood Duck
52     Mallard
8        Ring-necked Duck
671   Greater Scaup
45      Lesser Scaup
342    Bufflehead
824    Common Goldeneye
14      Hooded Merganser
18      Common Merganser
755    Red-breasted Merganser
5         Horned Grebe
13       Double-crested Cormorant
4         Great Blue Heron
1         Turkey Vulture
3         Bald Eagle
*          Wild Turkey
4          Killdeer
22       Bonaparte's Gull
49       Ring-billed Gull
127     Herring Gull
1          Lesser Black-backed Gull
4          Great Black-backed Gull
*           Mourning Dove
2          Red-bellied Woodpecker
11        Downy Woodpecker
1          Northern Flicker
2          Eastern Phoebe
2          Blue Jay
23        American Crow
54        Black-capped Chickadee
1           White-breasted Nuthatch
1           Brown Creeper
4           Carolina Wren
11         Golden-crowned Kinglet
2           Hermit Thrush
311       American Robin
62         European Starling
3            Yellow-rumped Warbler
*            Eastern Towhee
2            Fox Sparrow
14         Song Sparrow
26         White-throated Sparrow
1           White-crowned Sparrow
55         Dark-eyed Junco
44         Northern Cardinal
1211    Red-winged Blackbird
13         Rusty Blackbird
522       Common Grackle
11         Brown-headed Cowbird
4            Purple Finch
12         House Finch
5            Common Redpoll
*            Pine Siskin
2            American Goldfinch
22         House Sparrow

53         Total Species
5501     Total individuals

*  = species observed on island but not on census route

The April census route is currently scheduled for April 18, 2009 and
the May census on May 15, 2009.
--
H. Thomas Bartlett
Tiffin, Ohio
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