Visited The Wilds in Muskingum county today - and surrounding AEP real
estate.   Turned out to be fairly productive for raptors with 9 species:

Rough-legged hawks - 11
Northern Harrier - 4
Bald Eagle - 1  (Coal Hill)
Golden Eagle - 1 (adult bird watched from SR 284, then Zion Ridge Road), my
first March record there I believe
Merlin - 1 (Zion Ridge Road)
Kestrel - 7
Red-tailed hawk - 3
Red-shouldered hawk - 1  (Knox Cemetery)
Sharp-shinned hawk - (Zion Ridge Road)


Other notable observations were a flock of approx. 77 American tree
sparrows feeding (or drinking?) frantically on exposed snow melted gravel
on Prouty Road.  I was surprised to see that these roads were
plowed/scraped.   It actually made things a mess. Also - 22 Trumpeter swans
(more than half were young birds) on a tucked away frozen lake in the coal
haul road complex on AEP land.
From Zion Ridge Road with scope looking towards the Visitor Center, I
watched a Rough-legged hawk taking advantage of a recently deceased deer.
I didn't know for sure that it was Rough-legged until a coyote chased it
off - which chewed a big piece loose and ran off. The hawk returned and was
then chased off by crows.   I used Google Earth to determine I was watching
all of this from approx. 6,200 - 6,400 feet away - and was able to get
digiscoped videos of this.

Glen Crippen
Athens

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