March 29, 2018
Many Double-crested Cormorants and an Osprey were reported this week at Newtown Gravel Pits. I quickly found a cormorant on the water. Score! But try as I might, I was unable to locate an Osprey. A strange thing happened however. I witnessed the electrocution death of a Canada Goose as a flock of five flew low through the power lines and one made contact with the wires in flight, closing a circuit with its wings and/or feet or body and tumbling down to its death below.
Nearby Brewer Coat Gravel Pit (the area I had previously reported as Lake Barber) has always been good for waterfowl and has better viewing conditions of birds that are often close. Several species of waterfowl, plus loons, grebes and coots were on the water. Nothing new. In other parts of the state Eared Grebes have been reported and it would be a nice addition. In years past we have enjoyed Red-necked Grebe invasions. Red-throated Loon would also be a nice rarity. Brewer Coat Gravel Pits seems as good a place as any to locate these birds, so I frequent this area just hoping for something good. I have never walked the entire path before, parts of which have honeysuckle on both sides making viewing of the lake difficult. But songbirds were a plenty with several dozens of Yellow-rumped Warblers and various members of the finch family frequenting the shrubs and the path. As I was approaching the far end of the lake I was surprised and shocked to flush an adult Black-crowned Night-Heron, a first report this year for southwestern Ohio. "Yes!" and a fist pump was my immediate reaction, and then a quick set up of the scope when the bird flew to a sycamore on the opposite shore where I was able to hold my iPhone up to the scope to get a diagnostic digiscoped photo to get the word out quickly via social media. Subsequently at least two other observers were able to see this bird later in the day, one of whom said it was a county lifer for him. Always nice to be able to share a good bird with others.
I went to Four Season's Marina with anticipation hoping to find an Osprey there. There were Horned and Pied-billed Grebes, Red-breasted Mergansers and Buffleheads on the water. As I was watching the mergansers, two brown-backed swallows flew into my binocular view. I watched them more closely as they zig zagged over the pond. Better, more extended views confirmed that these were Northern Rough-winged Swallows, another first report for our area.
New additions today were Double-crested Cormorant, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and Northern Rough-winged Swallow bringing the total to 118 of the 125 reported countable species so far this year. That is 94.4% of the reported species in Hamilton county, Ohio in 2018. I'm well on my way to smashing some records, but in order to do so I need to find some vagrants. Migration is just beginning and will still continue into June and perhaps July with late shorebird and songbird migrants.
Many Double-crested Cormorants and an Osprey were reported this week at Newtown Gravel Pits. I quickly found a cormorant on the water. Score! But try as I might, I was unable to locate an Osprey. A strange thing happened however. I witnessed the electrocution death of a Canada Goose as a flock of five flew low through the power lines and one made contact with the wires in flight, closing a circuit with its wings and/or feet or body and tumbling down to its death below.
Nearby Brewer Coat Gravel Pit (the area I had previously reported as Lake Barber) has always been good for waterfowl and has better viewing conditions of birds that are often close. Several species of waterfowl, plus loons, grebes and coots were on the water. Nothing new. In other parts of the state Eared Grebes have been reported and it would be a nice addition. In years past we have enjoyed Red-necked Grebe invasions. Red-throated Loon would also be a nice rarity. Brewer Coat Gravel Pits seems as good a place as any to locate these birds, so I frequent this area just hoping for something good. I have never walked the entire path before, parts of which have honeysuckle on both sides making viewing of the lake difficult. But songbirds were a plenty with several dozens of Yellow-rumped Warblers and various members of the finch family frequenting the shrubs and the path. As I was approaching the far end of the lake I was surprised and shocked to flush an adult Black-crowned Night-Heron, a first report this year for southwestern Ohio. "Yes!" and a fist pump was my immediate reaction, and then a quick set up of the scope when the bird flew to a sycamore on the opposite shore where I was able to hold my iPhone up to the scope to get a diagnostic digiscoped photo to get the word out quickly via social media. Subsequently at least two other observers were able to see this bird later in the day, one of whom said it was a county lifer for him. Always nice to be able to share a good bird with others.
I went to Four Season's Marina with anticipation hoping to find an Osprey there. There were Horned and Pied-billed Grebes, Red-breasted Mergansers and Buffleheads on the water. As I was watching the mergansers, two brown-backed swallows flew into my binocular view. I watched them more closely as they zig zagged over the pond. Better, more extended views confirmed that these were Northern Rough-winged Swallows, another first report for our area.
New additions today were Double-crested Cormorant, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and Northern Rough-winged Swallow bringing the total to 118 of the 125 reported countable species so far this year. That is 94.4% of the reported species in Hamilton county, Ohio in 2018. I'm well on my way to smashing some records, but in order to do so I need to find some vagrants. Migration is just beginning and will still continue into June and perhaps July with late shorebird and songbird migrants.
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