I was out from morning until dark yesterday, mostly in Ashtabula Co. I started at Conneaut harbor around 9:30 AM, which is after Gabe and Emil were there. Of interest were: Am. wigeon, lesser scaups, bufflehead, red-breasted mergansers, turkey vultures, Am. kestrel, killdeer, 300 Bonaparte's gulls, 10 great black-backed gulls, and 3 tree swallows. There was still a little ice around the harbor area! I was able to drive out on the spit, beware of soft sand though. Lake Erie seemed way down (even accounting for the south winds) for this time of year. I went to Malek Park in Conneaut next, and spent several hours at the hawkwatch there. It was my first serious attempt at a real hawkwatch ever, and I really enjoyed it. I knew I wasn't very good at it yet either, so it was a great learning experience with the excellent cast of birders gathered there. In the afternoon I headed towards Orwell Marsh in southwestern Ashtabula Co. I passed by a
lot of good rural habitat and found some good birds along the way: 4 Am. kestrels (including a pair) in Monroe and Denmark Twps.; a hunting n. harrier, also in Denmark Twp.; 4 Wilson's snipes in Williamsfield Twp. and 8 more in Wayne Twp.; and 2 migrating adult bald eagles in Wayne Twp. Orwell Marsh had n. shoveler, green-winged teal, 8 greater yellowlegs, lesser yellowlegs, tree swallows, and e. meadowlark. At the end of the day I looked around in Coitsville Twp. in NE Mahoning Co. Birds included 4 Wilson's snipes, field sparrow, e. towhees, and e. meadowlark. At dusk I had great luck hearing the peents of Am. woodcocks as I idled around the area; 8 calling birds at 6 spots in only 20 minutes! Craig Holt, Lowellville
______________________________________________________________________
Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.
You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]
|
