Today, Thursday, while making the rounds to some old favorite birding sites, we found a family of Common Moorhens where they have traditionally been in the past. About 1:00PM, at the wetlands at the far eastern portion of Zepernick Lake State Wildlife Area, was a family with three cute, half grown gallinule chicks. The location is on the north side of SR172, 1.3 miles east of the town of New Alexander (CR402-Rochester Road) or 2.2 miles west of the town of New Garden (SR9). Park on the south side of the road at the little bridge with the cable blocking it. This is a dangerous traffic area. Walk back to the west to the culvert and look northeast into the wetland. They should be found in the open water area to the right. A scope is helpful. Wood Ducks galore! Continuing about 5 miles to the east on SR172, we arrived once again at Guilford Lake. At about 2:30PM at the far eastern end of the lake, the previously reported breeding plumage male Ruddy Duck, along with a strikingly beautiful male Common Merganser, were close-by along the lake face of the dam, just south of The Guilford Lake Grille. Of note is the fact that just 2.5 miles to the east is The Middle Fork of Little Beaver Creek, one of the nesting areas for Common Mergansers. At about 3:00 PM, the skies darkened, and super heavy rains and wind blasted Guilford Lake and us.


Bob and Denise Lane / Mahoning County

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