MARCH 04, 2016 - CUYAHOGA VALLEY MONTHLY TOWPATH TRAIL CENSUS.HIKE: Red Lock Trailhead south to Merriman Rd. TIME: 7:10am-3:50pm TEMP.: 32-41-32COND.: About 1&1/2 inches of fresh snow at start, melting away throughout the day; cloudy & calm all day.TRAIL COND.: Fresh snow early, easy walking; melting away to wet & muddy in parts; section from AkronCompost Facility south to Merriman Rd. in terrible, wet & muddy conditions due to heavy machinery &fence installation along trail for tree & brush removal along sewer trunk line.RIVER COND.: Higher than normal, swift & somewhat muddy.FT.MI.: 13.71 OBS.: John Henry & Douglas W. Vogus.
I. MAMMALS: 6 SPECIES.
   - Mink - 1

   - Eastern Chipmunk - 2
   - Eastern Fox Squirrel - 2
   - Red Squirrel - 12
   - Beaver - 1 (Brandywine Creek)
   - White-tailed Deer - 18 (does)

II. BIRDS: 43 SPECIES (lowest March total since start of census on 01/2010), 1 NEW SPECIES TO CENSUS.(NOTE: ? = bird was seen but not sexed; * = bird was heard calling but not sexed)
   - Canada Goose - 183

   - American Black Duck - 8 (4m,4f)
   - Mallard - 37 (21m,15f,1*)
   - Great Blue Heron - 36 (34 of them scared off their nests by immature Bald Eagle at Bath Rd.)
   - Turkey Vulture - 2
   - Bald Eagle - 2 (1 adult,1 immature)
   - Red-tailed Hawk - 3 (1 adult carrying a stick to new nest west of "Stanford Swamp" in sycamore tree)
   - Ring-billed Gull - 31
   - Rock Pigeon - 23
   - Mourning Dove - 12
   - Great Horned Owl - 1 (hooting at 2:22pm between Cuyahoga River & Riverview Rd. at Lock 24 - hooted 6 times. New Species on Census - now at 177 species since January 2010).
   - Belted Kingfisher - 3 (m)
   - Red-bellied Woodpecker - 16 (5m,3f,1?,7*)
   - Downy Woodpecker - 15 (5m,4f,2?,4*)
   - Hairy Woodpecker - 6 (1f,3?,2*)
   - Northern Flicker - 2 (*)
   - Pileated Woodpecker - 5 (4m,1*)
   - Peregrine Falcon - 1 (m)
   - Blue Jay - 30
   - American Crow - 76
   - Black-capped Chickadee - 25
   - Tufted Titmouse - 18
   - White-breasted Nuthatch - 14 (6m,1f,1?,6*)
   - Winter Wren - 2 (Tied Census High from 11/2010, 12/2010 & 11/2011)
   - Carolina Wren - 8
   - Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2 (1m,1f)
   - Eastern Bluebird - 18 (12m,6f)
   - American Robin - 47
   - European Starling - 178
   - Eastern Towhee - 1 (m)
   - American Tree Sparrow - 19
   - Song Sparrow - 15
   - Swamp Sparrow - 1
   - White-throated Sparrow - 6
   - Dark-eyed Junco - 6 (4m,1f,1*)
   - Northern Cardinal - 55 (42m,9f,4*)
   - Red-winged Blackbird - 92 (89m,3f)
   - Rusty Blackbird - 21 (17m,4f - at Szalay's corn stubble field)
   - Common Grackle - 7
   - Brown-headed Cowbird - 3 (2m,1f)
   - House Finch - 4 (2m,1f,1*)
   - American Goldfinch - 10
   - House Sparrow - 30

Douglas W. Vogus - Akron, Ohio.



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