APRIL 01, 2017 - CUYAHOGA VALLEY MONTHLY TOWPATH TRAIL CENSUS.
HIKE: Red Lock Trailhead south to Merriman Valley. TIME: 7:15am - 4:00pm
(delayed start because Highland Rd. was closed due to flooding from
previous day's rain.)
TEMP.: 39 ~ 45 ~ 44 COND.: Overcast with light mist falling until 9:30am;
cloudy and cool all day; wind N/NW at 5mph.
TRAIL COND.: Damp and wet with occasional large puddles and mud due to
previous day's rains. Construction along Cuyahoga River at north end of
Stanford Swamp
is almost complete. RIVER COND.: Very high, very swift, and muddy from
previous day's all-day rains.
FT.MI.: 13.51 OBS.: John Henry & Douglas W. Vogus.

I. MAMMALS: 6 SPECIES, 23 INDIVIDUALS.

   1. Woodchuck - 1
   2. Eastern Gray Squirrel - 1
   3. Eastern Fox Squirrel - 1
   4. Red Squirrel - 2
   5. Common Muskrat - 1
   6. White-tailed Deer - 17 (10 doe,6 yearling,1 unknown - heard snorting)


II. BIRDS: 57 SPECIES, 760 INDIVIDUALS.
(NOTE: m = male; f = female; ? = bird was seen but not sexed; * = bird was
heard calling but not sexed)

   1. Canada Goose - 62 (2 nests at Ira Beaver Marsh - one with 3 eggs)
   2. Wood Duck - 34 (14m,14f,5?,1*)
   3. American Black Duck - 6 (3m,3f)
   4. Mallard - 13 (7m,6f)
   5. Ring-necked Duck - 11 (8m,3f - at Dover Pond)
   6. Lesser Scaup - 2 (m - at Dover Pond - First April Record on Census)
   7. Bufflehead - 1 (f - at Ira Beaver Marsh)
   8. Hooded Merganser - 1 (m - at Ira Beaver Marsh)
   9. Common Merganser - 2 (1m,1f - First April Record on Census)
   10. Pied-billed Grebe - 3 (1 at Dover Pond and 2 at Ira Beaver Marsh)
   11. Rock Pigeon - 16
   12. Mourning Dove - 3
   13. Killdeer - 2
   14. Ring-billed Gull - 10
   15. Great Blue Heron - 47 (New Census High - previous was 45 on
   04/03/2015)
   16. Turkey Vulture - 17
   17. Bald Eagle - 1 (immature)
   18. Cooper's Hawk - 1 (m)
   19. Red-tailed Hawk - 2 (1 immature)
   20. Belted Kingfisher - 7 (3m,1f,1?,2*)
   21. Red-bellied Woodpecker - 8 (3f,1?,4*)
   22. Downy Woodpecker - 8 (3f,5*)
   23. Hairy Woodpecker - 8 (1m,3f,3?,1*)
   24. Northern Flicker - 6 (1m,1f,4*)
   25. Pileated Woodpecker - 3 (*)
   26. Peregrine Falcon - 2 (1m "Trailblazer",1f "Gatewood" - notes below
   on "Rocky", the former mate of "Lara" and "Gatewood")
   27. Eastern Phoebe - 9
   28. Blue Jay - 23
   29. American Crow - 20
   30. Tree Swallow - 10
   31. Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 3
   32. Black-capped Chickadee - 18
   33. Tufted Titmouse - 27
   34. White-breasted Nuthatch - 9 (3m,3?,3*)
   35. Brown Creeper - 1
   36. Winter Wren - 2 (Tied Census High from 11/2010, 12/2010, 11/2011,
   03/2016, 01/2017, 02/2017 & 03/2017)
   37. Carolina Wren - 14
   38. Golden-crowned Kinglet - 15 (3m,7f,4?,1*)
   39. Eastern Bluebird - 5 (3m,2f)
   40. American Robin - 54
   41. European Starling - 21
   42. House Sparrow - 10
   43. House Finch - 3 (2m,1*)
   44. American Goldfinch - 9
   45. Eastern Towhee - 1 (*)
   46. American Tree Sparrow - 4
   47. Field Sparrow - 1
   48. Fox Sparrow - 4
   49. Song Sparrow - 70
   50. Swamp Sparrow - 4
   51. White-throated Sparrow - 10
   52. Dark-eyed Junco - 10 (8m,2*)
   53. Northern Cardinal - 30 (28m,2f)
   54. Red-winged Blackbird - 41 (38m,1f,1?,1*)
   55. Rusty Blackbird - 2 (m)
   56. Common Grackle - 33
   57. Brown-headed Cowbird - 10 (7m,2?,1*)

Unidentified Blackbirds - 7
Unidentified Passerines - 4

The former reigning male at the Ohio Turnpike bridge was "Rocky", who
between last month's census and this month's census returned from parts
unknown and battled it out with the unbanded "Trailblazer". Rocky was
retrieved from the field below by NPS staff and taken to the Medina Raptor
Center for rehabilitation, suffering from an eye injury. After initially
showing signs of progress, an infection spread into the eye and then into
the other eye. Unfortunately, Rocky could not be saved and had to be
euthanized ~ per Chad & Chris Saladin's Peregrine Webpage.

III. AMPHIBIANS: 2 SPECIES.

   1. Northern Spring Peeper - 6 (heard only)
   2. Western Chorus Frog - 2 (heard only)


Douglas W. Vogus - Akron, Ohio.

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