As part of several mornings spent surveying OBBA blocks around Pickerington for hawk & owl nests, I stopped by the Ponds.  Water levels are high at Ellis Pond, but low in most of the wetlands north of there, with the result that there are lots of dabbling ducks around Wood Duck observation area.  Highlights included:

Black Ducks - still 6-8 scattered in the northern wetlands
Green-winged Teal - 10+ around Wood Duck pond & Teal Pond, appropriately enough
N.Shoveler - good movement, with 80+ birds scattered around the above locations.  Most were actively feeding, so there was a whole lotta slurpin' goin' on
Gadwall - 25-30, mostly in Teal Pond
AmWigeon - single pair on Teal Pond
Blue-wing Teal - a single pair in Wood Duck marsh
Ring-necked Duck - small groups in many locations, perhaps 20 birds total
Lesser Scaup - 10 on Teal Pond
Bufflehead - 2 males on Teal Pond
Hooded Merganser - 3-4 pairs on Teal & Wood Duck ponds
Pied-billed Grebe - 5-6 on Teal Pond
Horned Grebe - 11 birds were resting on Ellis pond
Great Blue Heron - 15-16 active nests at Ellis Pond (compared to 25 nests at the Rager Rd rookery)
Kildeer - 5-6, the only shorebird seen (and heard) all morning
Great Horned Owl - the nesting bird can be seen with a scope from the Wright Rd. parking lot, near the Heron rookery across Ellis Pond.  On the other side of Pickerington, a female is sitting on a nest in the woods behind Lakeview Middle School.  The groundskeeper there claims that the birds moved in to take advantage of the many Rock Doves around the nearby Pickerington North High School campus.

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