I drove up to Killdeer Plains Sunday (3/24) after church, a beautiful, sunny day, hoping to stay till dusk to see the long-eared owls, and hoping for a look at the Bobwhites which I always seem to miss (both had been reported recently). I think of Killdeer Plains as a huge rectangle, bounded on the north by CH-71, on the south by CH-77, and bisected by a lengthwise road down the middle (CH-75) where the Sportsman's Center and Upground Reservoir are located. From CH-75 to either boundary road is one mile. I always carry a map of the area. I've enjoyed birding Killdeer Plains once or twice a year for the past three years or so. I arrived via Rt. 294, through Harpster, and turned south on CH-115. Arriving at CH-75 I found it roped off, so I continued south to CH-68, which goes east(only)off CH-115 and allows access to the large pond 27 (5 parking areas, one too muddy to use). There were hundreds of ducks and geese there, but too far away to see comfortably without a scope. I could make out (barely) mostly Ring-necked Ducks and Lesser Scaup. A couple I met there explained that I would have to use the north-south crossroads (three of them east of CH-115, each a mile apart) to get to anything on CH-75. They said the roads had been closed to stop the chicken farm workers from speeding along the roads. I didn't know there was a chicken farm. I made my way to Pond 3 by backtracking to the northern boundary road (71) and finding a north-south crossroad near the pond. I rolled down my window to scan the pond and the car was immediately filled with flies. I opened the doors to shoo them out but many more came in. I realized there were even more on the outside of my car than on the inside. They buzzed around my face all the rest of my trip and on my 50-mile ride home. A few people I talked to at Killdeer said the flies might be a result of the chicken farm on the southern boundary road. From Pond 3 I drove south to 75. It was roped off on both sides. I had to backtrack to 71 and drive west to the next crossroad to get to the reservoir and Pond 33. Only a few waterfowl were there, far to the south and unidentifiable. I'd hoped the breeze at the reservoir would mean fewer flies, but such was not the case. To get to the Sportsman's Center I had to reach the crossroad 108, meaning a mile backtrack to 71 or 77. I chose 77, the southern boundary. As I approached it, the stench of the chicken farm reached my nose before I could see the buildings. I switched my air conditioner so that it circulated only the air inside the car, which helped a little. There were several long, very neat buildings with no windows. Had it not been for the smell (and the tips from the people), I would never have known it was a chicken farm. If it smelled this bad so far from the buildings, I pitied the workers inside--and the residents nearby. I wondered if all the chicken waste seeped into the ground in one area. My low-priced eggs and chickens from major supermarkets probably are produced at one of these chicken farms, by chickens that never see the light of day. I felt a little sick. Going east on 77 to the appropriate crossroad (108), I was finally able to access the Sportsman's Center. I was greeted by the loud barking of about 10 dogs leashed to the front fence. A few horse trailers were around, but no people. I pulled to the back and scanned the fields for a Northern Bobwhite. I finally found one (female)--walking around on the tailgate of a pickup truck! Two men on extremely muddy horses soon arrived and rode toward the pickup. I stopped them to tell them about the Bobwhite. They said it had been there for some time. It darted out of sight amidst piles of clutter in the back of the pickup. I'd noticed small cages (about 10) built on top of the pickup. When I looked through my binoculars I was surprised to see a dog in each, unable to stand up due to the small size of each cage. It was close to 80 degrees and sunny, but the dogs didn't bark from their cramped quarters. I asked one of the men, out of curiosity, why they had so many dogs and only two horses. They said they brought them there to train. I was glad one of those dogs didn't belong to me. I'd stopped by the old pine grove earlier with the hope that the Long-eared Owls had returned, to no avail. I spent about an hour slogging through mud in the pine grove and saw only one Golden-Crowned Kinglet. Along 108, north of 75, I had my best views of waterfowl...from the road, standing on my car. Two eagles were checking out a nest far to the east across the water. I usually see many raptors at Killdeer. This time I saw only one Northern Harrier, one Broad-winged Hawk, one Red-tailed Hawk, and a few Kestrels. The flies annoyed me too much to wait another hour until dusk. I returned home and sprayed the inside of the car and the trunk with insecticide. The next morning they were still buzzing around as thick as ever. I think they liked the spray! I went to the store for old-fashioned flypaper which I hung inside while I washed the outside. I caught 11 flies in an hour and had to hang another strip after I cleaned the interior. I caught 2 more with the second strip. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. I don't like writing depressing trip reports, but maybe someone else will be saved an unpleasant trip. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Food fight? Enjoy some healthy debate in the Yahoo! Answers Food & Drink Q&A. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396545367 ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. 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