I spent the day hitting several spots in Highland County for waterbirds.
Things got off to a slow start at Rocky Fork State Park, with virtually no
ducks present. At Paint Creek State Park I found 1 Least Sandpiper and 1
Dunlin on the mudflats at Shoemaker Beach (getting on the late side for
both), along with a few more ducks and gulls. The Highland Stone gravel pits
seemed to be where most of the birds were congregating (several hundred of
which were too far out for me to I.D.). Highlight was 10 Snow Geese (7
white, 3 dark) on the south side of the pits. From there I drove over to
Cowan Lake, picking up two more Kestrels along the way, but not finding a
lot at either Cowan or Caesar Creek.
Rocky Fork SP: Mute Swan - 1, Mallard - 4, Horned Grebe 3, Double-crested
Cormorant 3, Great Blue Heron 6, Black Vulture 5, Cooper's Hawk 1,
Red-tailed Hawk 1, American Coot 50, Killdeer 15, Bonaparte's Gull
1, Ring-billed Gull 150, American Crow 5, Song Sparrow 2, Dark-eyed
Junco 8, Northern Cardinal 12, American Goldfinch 10
Paint Creek SP: Gadwall 4, Mallard 4, Northern Pintail 2, Lesser Scaup
8, Ruddy Duck 1, American Coot 5, Killdeer 8, Least Sandpiper 1,
Dunlin 1, Bonaparte's Gull 25, Ring-billed Gull 15, American Tree
Sparrow 1, Dark-eyed Junco 18
Highland Stone Gravel Pits: Snow Goose 10 (7 white morph, 3 dark morph),
Canada Goose 200, Ring-necked Duck 30, Lesser Scaup 15, Ruddy Duck
12, Turkey Vulture 5, Northern Harrier 1, Red-tailed Hawk 2, American
Kestrel 1, American Coot 500, Horned Lark 12, Savannah Sparrow 3
Cowan Lake: Canada Goose 3, Redhead 2, Bufflehead 12, Common Loon -1,
Black Vulture 3, Turkey Vulture 6, American Coot 30, Killdeer 5,
Ring-billed Gull 20
Caesar Creek: Common Loon 6, Bonapartes Gull 50 (most at the boat ramp
at the campgrounds), Ring-billed Gull - 30
-Mark Gilsdorf
Cincinnati
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