On Saturday morning, I joined Margaret Bowman and Kent Miller to do some birding around the Berlin Lake mudflats and adjacent areas.  Margaret has an ambitious Ohio county listing goal and we were there to help the cause.  

We arrived at the parking lot just west of SR 225 on Price Rd. at 8 am and it took us a bit to even head toward the mudflats as the trees along Price were busy with birds of all kinds, including a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a Swainson’s Thrush, Tennessee Warblers, Nashville Warbler, Magnolia Warblers, Blackburnian Warbler, and a Blackpoll.  Most of the usual suspects were also seen and/or heard.   We also had a Red-breasted Nuthatch give a few toots as we headed off to the mudflats.  That was a nice surprise.  We were a little surprised to not hear a Red-shouldered Hawk here, as it seems like most of the time we do.

Scoping from the woods south of the parking lot (across the road there is a trail that enters the woods to get you to the shoreline.  NOTE:  Hunting has begun.  Be mindful) facing Greenbower bridge, we had a nice variety of shorebirds including American Golden Plover (8), Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Stilt Sandpiper (4), Least Sandpipers, Pectoral Sandpipers, Semi-palmated Sandpipers, and one fairly elusive Wilson’s Snipe.  No raptors were seen over the mudflats, but the birds did scatter several times.  There are typically Osprey and Bald Eagles around. We also had Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal and 2 Northern Shovelers. 

We headed over the check the short trail section of Deer Creek Reservoir on the south side (Greenbower St. parking) as far as the dam and were treated with some nice warblers for our efforts as the heat began to grow.  We had an Ovenbird, Black and White Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded Warbler, a lovely female Black-throated Blue and a sporty male Canada to wrap up the day with 12 warbler species on a HOT “fall” day.  We also scored the previously expected Red-shouldered Hawk calling along the trail.  They do fly after all!  ;)

The icing on the cake was an Olive-sided Flycatcher at Ben Morrison’s home that put on a feeding clinic for us for as long as we cared to watch.  Meadow hawks and other flying insects didn’t have much of a chance.

It was a very nice day with some very nice folks.

Jon Cefus

Cuyahoga Falls

“Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so.” 
-Douglas Adams


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