Just as a P.S. to Chris's post---I too was at Sandy Ridge yesterday (though not with the group, alas) and saw many of the same birds. My wife also believes that she spotted a muskrat in the shallows, gathering nest materials. I just wanted to mention that the local Red-winged Blackbirds seemed to be especially ornery yesterday. I observed them hectoring one of the Bald Eagles, a Cooper's Hawk (particularly risky, I'd think!), a Great Egret and a Red Tailed Hawk. I wasn't able to get a picture of the BE or Cooper's altercations, but I did get some of the others: Egret <http://mansfield.osu.edu/faculty/ncomet/Egret_v_RWBB2.JPG> RTHA1 <http://mansfield.osu.edu/faculty/ncomet/RedTailedHawk_v_RWBB1.jpg> RTHA2 <http://mansfield.osu.edu/faculty/ncomet/RedTailedHawk_v_RWBB4.jpg> Also swung by Elywood where the Barred Owls were not to be seen or heard, though the beautiful Spring foliage has made it difficult to observe the nest. A quick survey at the base of their huge Sycamore turned up no pellets (but I imagine most of their pellets would land inside the nest cavity anyway.) It was a brief visit: plenty of Robins, some Grackles, a TV flyover and no shortage of RWBBs. Noah On Mon, May 17, 2010 at 6:15 AM, Chris Pierce <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Sunday, I walked with an enthusuastic group of folks led by John Pogacnik. > Highlights included a very obliging male Prothonotary Warbler, a nice > Canada, Scarlet Tanagers and the resident Bald Eagles. > > > > > Location: Sandy Ridge Reservation > Observation date: 5/16/10 > Number of species: 65 > > Canada Goose > Wood Duck > Mallard > Blue-winged Teal > Ring-necked Duck > Great Blue Heron > Great Egret > Green Heron > Turkey Vulture > Bald Eagle > Red-tailed Hawk > Sora > Killdeer > Spotted Sandpiper > Solitary Sandpiper > Lesser Yellowlegs > Rock Pigeon > Mourning Dove > Chimney Swift > Red-headed Woodpecker > Red-bellied Woodpecker > Downy Woodpecker > Eastern Wood-Pewee > Acadian Flycatcher > Willow Flycatcher > Least Flycatcher > Great Crested Flycatcher > Yellow-throated Vireo > Warbling Vireo > Red-eyed Vireo > Blue Jay > Tree Swallow > Barn Swallow > Black-capped Chickadee > Tufted Titmouse > House Wren > Ruby-crowned Kinglet > Blue-gray Gnatcatcher > Eastern Bluebird > Swainson's Thrush > Wood Thrush > American Robin > Gray Catbird > Tennessee Warbler > Yellow Warbler > Chestnut-sided Warbler > Yellow-rumped Warbler > Blackpoll Warbler > American Redstart > *Prothonotary Warbler* > Ovenbird > Northern Waterthrush > Common Yellowthroat > Canada Warbler > Scarlet Tanager > Song Sparrow > Swamp Sparrow > White-throated Sparrow > Northern Cardinal > Indigo Bunting > Red-winged Blackbird > Common Grackle > Brown-headed Cowbird > Baltimore Oriole > American Goldfinch > > > See you on the trails > > Chris Pierce > N. Olmsted, OH > > > ______________________________________________________________________ > > 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/. > > You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: > http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS > Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] > ______________________________________________________________________ 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/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]