Hello!

2016 is winding down and the struggle to add new species to our Carroll Co. survey continues.  For me, it is a bittersweet time of the year.  I am much happier in cooler weather, but it’s a lot harder to find the birds.  The photographer in me definitely revels in the lack of leaves and the days that cold, clear Canadian air combined with the lower relative position of the sun gives a particular kind of light that I find aesthetically pleasing.  But, I digress…

Kent Miller, Ben Morrison, and I were able to do 1 formal Raptor Watch this month.  Unfortunately, it’s been extremely difficult to pick good days as there have been very few occasions in which N-NW winds have been dominant.  Our raptor watch was pretty uneventful.  We chose to watch from Fargo Rd. in western Carroll Co.  The primary target was Rough-legged Hawk, which both Kent and I needed for the year.  We dipped on that species, but had a nice consolation prize when a handsome Northern Shrike tee’d up on a nearby snag.  We already had a Shrike in the early spring, but it’s still great to see this marvel of a bird, which has been colloquially referred to as “the butcher watchman.”  While our raptor watch was a raptor bust, we all realize that we are getting good information regardless of whether or not we see what we want to see.  Sometimes what you DO NOT see teaches you as much as what you do.

Fortunately, at least for Kent, a RLHA did show up at Fargo a few days later and he was there to see it, as well as seeing the shrike again.  Even nicer was that Margaret Bowman, who is conducting one of the more impressive efforts of cataloging bird species in Ohio, was able to see the hawk after stopping at our house to try for Red-breasted Nuthatch and Purple Finch.  Now….if only I could get an eye on a RLHA this year!  Hopefully, the feeder birds are more cooperative for Margaret the next time she stops at the house.  The last date that we had PUFIs at the feeder was 11/13.  Our RB Nuthatch(es) continue, although they are more irregular than the other feeder birds.

Waterfowl activity has been extremely slow.  We have been hearing from experienced birders that this may be the worst year for ducks in Ohio that they have seen in their lives.  I do not have that kind of perspective, but I can say that we only had 9 species of ducks in Carroll in November, with the majority of that tally happening at Atwood on 1 very quick occasion before the raft lifted off and headed south.  Loons have been relatively sparse, with our high count of 5 coming this past Sunday at Atwood Lake.  We’ve also talked with some waterfowl hunters who have conveyed the same reports of very little activity.  What does this point to, I wonder?  

The only new species added to our year list (as a team) was Tundra Swan on 11/12 at Atwood Lake.  I was there alone and heard them before I saw them.  The flock flew over the lake several times and seemed to want to land, but eventually opted to continue their flight toward the S-SE.  I was fortunate to be able to both photograph the flock and get an audio recording, which I uploaded to eBird with my report.  There are many wonderful tools available to you through eBird if you are passionate about recording your sightings.  I encourage folks to consider using this tool.  For me, it makes me more careful in my efforts and I like the feeling of knowing that my “listing” lives on after I am gone.  Your sightings can be a legacy, rather than an impressive catalog that may be accidentally thrown out with other belongings after you are gone.  Just some food for thought…

A few interesting notes.  We had 35 Killdeer and a Wilson’s Snipe at Atwood Lake last Sunday as we picked through a growing group of gulls working the far east end of the lake.  The MWCD is letting the water levels down rapidly at Atwood and Leesville, providing excellent shorebird habitat…2 months too late!  We already knew this, though.  The gull activity is worth keeping an eye on though.  With several landfills nearby (but not IN Carroll), there is always a chance for premium gull species inland.  If you want a more thorough exploration of this subject, check out Kent’s post on the Facebook Bobolink Page or the recent sharing of Kent’s words by Jen Brumfield on Ohio Chase Birds on Facebook.  Also of note, I had an Osprey fly over Atwood on 11/22.  That seemed late, but I have not had a chance to look at the data on that yet.  Finally, I had a good candidate for a Northern Saw-whet Owl along Fargo Rd. last Saturday evening.  It is possible that the bird I saw fly (after playing the Saw-whet “toots” call) was a Timberdoodle (American Woodcock).  We tried to get a response on Sunday evening at the same spot with no luck, so our quest for that species, as well as Long-eared Owl will go on.  I hope to contact some land owners so that we can walk some areas of White Pine and other favorable habitats.

I saw 71 species in Carroll in November.  Our team total now stands at 214 species for the year.  Carroll is ranked 22nd in Ohio in eBird for species seen in 2016 and 56th for all years in Ohio.  As of yesterday, 1064 checklists have been generated in eBird in the county in 2016.  The next report will be the last one for Carroll this year, so I want to take a moment to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year.  I hope to see you out there on the trails in 2017! 

Happy birding!


Jon Cefus
Carroll Co. 


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