I spent an hour this evening checking out the island rookery in the quarry on McKinley Road. I set up a scope at 39.987856, -83.078105, a viewing platform blocked by a chain-link fence. The island is also visible from the Campbell Mound park just up the road, but it's much more difficult with all the foliage. From either spot, a scope is nice to have, but good binoculars will do pretty well.

The Herring Gull that I reported a few days ago is still on the nest, and her mate was keeping a distant watch from a half-submerged utility pole. The Great Blue Heron nests (12+) each have about three "chicks," which are getting so large that they can barely fit in the nest. Many of these birds were flapping their wings constantly, likely working to build their flight muscles. I could see multiple Great Egrets, and at least three flew into dense cover where I assume they have their nests. Cormorants are in large numbers, though most appear to still be sitting on eggs. 

I did see an Osprey, and surprisingly had a fly-by Peregrine Falcon, but the real spectacle tonight was a group of Black-crowned Night-Herons! I had one bird when I arrived who flew low across the water, landed on the island, and walked into deep cover. As the sun set, at least 7 Night-herons appeared and flew around the quarry between 8:40 and 9:00, with one long break to preen. While perched, the birds seemed very aggressive toward each other and the neighboring Herons and Cormorants; this, combined with what I've read about nest placement makes me think there may be nesting birds.

This is a fantastic site to observe if you have the time to sit and watch for awhile. You won't rack up a big list of species, but you will get to study the birds that are there in-depth, and a some of the birds are not found easily in other parts of the city. 

By the way, if anybody knows who to talk to about getting the gate unlocked, I'd love to know!

James Muller

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