MAY 07, 2016 - CUYAHOGA VALLEY TOWPATH TRAIL CENSUS.ROUTE: Red Lock Trailhead south to Merriman Valley. TIME: 5:55am-4:55pm TEMP.: 37-76-72 COND.: Chilly & mostly sunny early,clouding up at 10:10am; turning overcast with sprinkles from 2:35pm-3:00pm; turning partly sunny then mostly cloudy; winds lightand variable, turning southerly from 2:50pm-4:55pm. TRAIL COND.: Good. RIVER COND.: Slightly above normal.FT.MI.: 13.70 OBS.: John Henry & Douglas W. Vogus.
I. MAMMALS: 8 SPECIES.   
   - Coyote - 2 (both barking & howling - Tied Census High from 05/2011)   

   - Eastern Chipmunk - 22
   - Eastern Gray Squirrel - 3 (2 black morph)
   - Eastern Fox Squirrel - 3
   - Red Squirrel - 29
   - Muskrat - 3
   - Eastern Cottontail - 1
   - White-tailed Deer - 3 (1 doe with 2 yearlings)

II. BIRDS: 82 SPECIES, 1 HYBRID, 1,014 TOTAL BIRDS, 1 SPECIES NEW TO CENSUS.(NOTE: ? = bird was seen but not sexed; * = bird was heard calling but not sexed)   
   - Canada Goose - 43 (1 nest)   

   - (hybrid) Canada Goose/Greylag Goose - 1
   - Wood Duck - 5 (2m,1f,2*)
   - Mallard - 12 (9m,3f)
   - Common Merganser - 1 (f)
   - Double-crested Cormorant - 3
   - Great Blue Heron - 39
   - Green Heron - 1 (at Lock 29 Swamp)
   - Turkey Vulture - 18
   - Osprey - 1 (at Red Lock - Tied Census High from 5 different occasions)
   - Red-shouldered Hawk - 1
   - Broad-winged Hawk - 1
   - Red-tailed Hawk - 6 (1 juvenile, 2 active nests - Stanford Swamp & Yellow Creek)
   - Virginia Rail - 2 (Ira Beaver Marsh - Tied Census High from 05/2012)
   - Killdeer - 7
   - Spotted Sandpiper - 2
   - Solitary Sandpiper - 3
   - Mourning Dove - 20
   - Eastern Screech-Owl - 1 (calling at Red Lock)
   - Chimney Swift - 11
   - Belted Kingfisher - 4 (2m,1f,1*)
   - Red-headed Woodpecker - 1 (Stanford Swamp)
   - Red-bellied Woodpecker - 12 (2m,1?,9*)
   - Downy Woodpecker - 6 (3f,3*)
   - Northern Flicker - 5 (1m,1?,3*)
   - Pileated Woodpecker - 2 (1m,1?)
   - Peregrine Falcon - 1 (f)
   - Eastern Phoebe - 6
   - Great Crested Flycatcher - 4
   - Eastern Kingbird - 2 (at Lock 29 Swamp)
   - Yellow-throated Vireo - 5
   - Warbling Vireo - 13
   - Blue Jay - 22
   - American Crow - 14
   - Tree Swallow - 20
   - Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 9
   - Bank Swallow - 1
   - Barn Swallow - 9 (1 nest being built at Boston Store)
   - Black-capped Chickadee - 20
   - Tufted Titmouse - 13 (1 nest)
   - White-breasted Nuthatch - 5 (2m,3*)
   - House Wren - 6
   - Carolina Wren - 7
   - Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 25 (6m,4f,8?,7* - 2 nests being built)
   - Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1 (f)
   - Veery - 1
   - Wood Thrush - 2
   - American Robin - 54 (2 nests)
   - Gray Catbird - 19
   - European Starling - 18
   - Louisiana Waterthrush - 1 (at Lonesome Lock)
   - Blue-winged Warbler - 5 (m - Tied Census High from 05/2013)
   - Nashville Warbler - 2 (m)
   - Common Yellowthroat - 29 (28m,1f)
   - Hooded Warbler - 5 (4m,1*)
   - American Redstart - 6 (m)
   - Cerulean Warbler - 1 (m)
   - Northern Parula - 1 (m)
   - Yellow Warbler - 39 (36m,3f)
   - Palm Warbler - 4
   - Yellow-rumped Warbler - 10 (4m,6f)
   - Yellow-throated Warbler - 6 (m)
   - Eastern Towhee - 1 (m)
   - Chipping Sparrow - 5
   - Field Sparrow - 1
   - Lark Sparrow - 1 (New Species On Census - now at 179 Species since 01/01/2010 - specifics below)
   - Song Sparrow - 49
   - Lincoln's Sparrow - 2 (Tied Census High from 05/2010 & 10/2013)
   - Swamp Sparrow - 13
   - White-throated Sparrow - 13
   - White-crowned Sparrow - 4
   - Scarlet Tanager - 2 (m)
   - Northern Cardinal - 46 (32m,9f,5* - 1 nest)
   - Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 16 (14m,2f)
   - Indigo Bunting - 1 (m)
   - Red-winged Blackbird - 87 (67m,20f - 1 nest)
   - Common Grackle - 62 (1 nest)
   - Brown-headed Cowbird - 16 (13m,3f)
   - Orchard Oriole - 7 (5m,2 juvenile m)
   - Baltimore Oriole - 22 (20m,2f)
   - House Finch - 8 (4m,2f,2? - 1 nest)
   - American Goldfinch - 26 (19m,4f,3?)
   - House Sparrow - 30
   - Unidentified Passerines - 8

III. REPTILES: 5 SPECIES.   
   - Common Snapping Turtle - 9   

   - Red-eared Turtle - 8
   - Midland Painted Turtle - 287
   - Eastern Spiny Softshell - 10
   - Northern Water Snake - 1

IV. AMPHIBIANS: 5 SPECIES.   
   - American Toad - 3 (heard only)   

   - Northern Spring Peeper - 1 (heard only)
   - Gray Treefrog - 8 (heard only)
   - Bullfrog - 3
   - Green Frog - 4 (heard only)

V. FISHES: 1 SPECIES.   
   - Creek Chub - 17   


VI. BUTTERFLIES: 3 SPECIES.   
   - Cabbage Butterfly - 6   

   - Red-spotted Purple - 1
   - Mourning Cloak - 1

   Notes on the Lark Sparrow: the bird was a beautiful adult bird, first seen in the gravel driveway of the Everett Ranger Station, from the Towpath Trail. It flew up into a small tree, then flew east across the trail at Johnnycake Lock, into another tree. It then flew down into Szalay's unplowed corn field. It landed in a small patch of bare soil and I was able to obtain a distant photo of the bird since John Henry had brought along his Canon camera. This was at 1:25pm Saturday. I texted several other local birders of the find and Gene Kovach re-found the bird in the same area as of 3:10pm Saturday. A totally unexpected find for me, as I've never had this species in the Cuyahoga Valley, let alone Summit County.
Douglas W. Vogus - Akron, Ohio.

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