Recently Paul Rodewald and Matthew Shumar put out an urgent request for help to cover “Priority Blocks” for the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas. Many priority blocks have little or no coverage and time is running out. Last year I expanded my surveying to include unstarted blocks in areas that at first glace appeared to have minimal quality habitat and therefore might be assumed to have little of interest within their borders. I was quite surprised at what I was able to locate in those blocks and I decided that I should cover some new survey blocks again this year. Today I went to Licking County Block 59C4SE. I didn’t regret the decision. This block includes the area to the east of Johnstown. Although development is encroaching on the habitat there are still nice grasslands to be found along with blocks of forest, edge areas and small wetlands. I tallied 67 species in the block including a few nice surprises. The grassland species were the stars with Blue-winged Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Vesper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Dickcissel and Eastern Meadowlark. I had hoped for a Bobolink but no such luck. While checking out a small cemetery along Sportsman Club Road I scanned the fields next to it and found 6 species of grassland birds and when I turned to return to the car I discovered a Great Horned Owl snuggled for a nap and not very interested in me. The moral, don’t automatically assumed a block isn’t worth your time. Who knows what surprises will pop up. 

Charlie Bombaci

SPECIES LIST
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Turkey Vulture
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Wild Turkey
Killdeer
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Willow Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Horned Lark
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Eastern Bluebird
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Blue-winged Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Kentucky Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow-breasted Chat
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Grasshopper Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Dickcissel
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
　
　




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