Today,  Friday, December 23, 2011, I had the enjoyment of a second day in 
the field with  Logan Kahle, a teenage birder from San Francisco, California. 
Last June we did  summer birding in central Ohio. Today I took Logan out 
for a taste of winter  birding in Ohio.  The day was a  success from the first 
bird (Eastern Screech Owl) to the last bird (Short-eared  Owl). 
We  began at the bike path at Alum Creek Park South in Westerville. Two 
rufous morph  and one gray morph Eastern Screech Owls. 
Stop  two was Blendon Woods Metro Park. Barred Owl, Cooper’s Hawk, Pileated 
Woodpecker  and Wild Turkey. Black Ducks are common at Blendon Woods but 
try to find them in  San Francisco. 
Stop  three was Inniswood Metro Gardens. The Ovenbird which was gracious 
enough to  stay around for my Christmas Bird Count last Saturday is still 
putting on a  show. It came up on the deck at the rear of Innis House and posed 
for Logan as  he shot picture after picture. Ovenbird has been one of Logan’
s nemesis species.  Who would ever predict it would finally cooperate in 
late December in central  Ohio? 
Next  we checked Hoover Reservoir for activity. The best location at Hoover 
today was  at Oxbow Road. Some of the species we located included Common 
Loon (7),  Pied-billed Grebe (6), Double-crested Cormornant (1), Hooded 
Merganser (4),  Red-breasted Merganser (100+) and Ruddy Duck (100+). 
After  a break for lunch we headed up to Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area in 
Wyandot  County. We skipped the owl groves due to lack of “mudder” footwear, 
but still  managed to get two Short-eared Owls perched in a tree just north 
of the  Sportsman’s Club. Other finds included Trumpeter Swan (3), Gadwall 
(150+),  American Wigeon (100+), American Coot (50+), Bald Eagle (6), Merlin 
(1),  Northern Harrier (1) and Northern Mocking Bird (1). 
In  all we tallied 55 species, not a bad day considering the date and 
weather.  But numbers alone don’t say it all as I  once again had the enjoyment 
of Logan’s company as I hosted him for a day of  birding in central Ohio. 
Our  total list follows. 
Charlie  Bombaci 
SPECIES  LIST 
Common  Loon 
Pied-billed  Grebe 
Double-crested  Cormorant 
Great  Blue Heron 
Canada  Goose 
Mute  Swan 
Trumpeter  Swan 
Gadwall 
American  Wigeon 
American  Black Duck 
Mallard 
Hooded  Merganser 
Red-breasted  Merganser 
Ruddy  Duck 
Bald  Eagle 
Northern  Harrier 
Cooper's  Hawk 
Red-tailed  Hawk 
American  Kestrel 
Merlin 
Wild  Turkey 
American  Coot 
Bonaparte's  Gull 
Ring-billed  Gull 
Rock  Pigeon 
Mourning  Dove 
Eastern  Screech-Owl 
Barred  Owl 
Short-eared  Owl 
Belted  Kingfisher 
Red-bellied  Woodpecker 
Downy  Woodpecker 
Hairy  Woodpecker 
Northern  Flicker 
Pileated  Woodpecker 
Blue  Jay 
American  Crow 
Carolina  Chickadee 
Tufted  Titmouse 
White-breasted  Nuthatch 
Carolina  Wren 
Eastern  Bluebird 
American  Robin 
Northern  Mockingbird 
European  Starling 
Yellow-rumped  Warbler 
American  Tree Sparrow 
Song  Sparrow 
White-throated  Sparrow 
Dark-eyed  Junco 
Northern  Cardinal 
Red-winged  Blackbird 
House  Finch 
American  Goldfinch 
House  Sparrow

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