Greetings birders!

It's been quiet, bird-wise, at Slate Run Metro Park (Columbus and Franklin
County Metro Parks) lately, until yesterday (10/28/10).

While doing a tram program with 17 people, a BALD EAGLE juvenile flew right
over the tram!  Of course bald eagles are not all that uncommon even in
Central Ohio, but I still find it neat when I see one in the park I work in!
It probably started its Slate Run flying at the Buzzard's Roost Lake, and as
it was leaving our vicinity, it headed toward the 156-acre wetlands.

4 BLACK VULTURES and 1 TURKEY VULTURE made a small little kettle over my
office in the afternoon.  It was great to be able to compare the sizes and
coloration with them side by side.

A PURPLE FINCH visited the feeders at the naturalist office at about 4:30
p.m.  He was bright pink, and was with some house finches so the comparison
was easy, like the vultures!

BLUE JAYS and CROWS have been everywhere in the park!  Must be grouping up
to migrate or maybe they're a few that have already come down from the
north?  The blue jays have really been enjoying the seed we put out at the
office lately - it has big nuts and fruit chunks in it.

JUNCOS have been here for about 1.5 weeks already!

Finally, not bird related but still cool - a FLYING SQUIRREL is living in
one of the boxes we put up for the species several years ago!  While
preparing for a program, I shook the cables of the box, intending to pull it
down to check it/clean it out.  But before I could even do anything else,
the squirrel popped out of the little hole on the box and clung to the tree
for about 20 seconds.  It really plastered itself to the tree and then
finally decided all was clear so it went back in the box!  It repeated this
"show" during my program 2 days later, so 20 people got to see a flying
squirrel in broad daylight!  (Yes, I promise not to bother him again!)

I have not been out to the wetland lately, so I do not have any duck-related
reports for you.

Slate Run Metro Park is part of the Columbus and Franklin County Metro
Parks.  Get directions and more at http://www.metroparks.net

Andrea Krava (formerly Haslage)
Slate Run Metro Park Naturalist
Reynoldsburg, OH

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