Oxbow, Inc.
Protecting and Preserving Wetlands
Date: Saturday, December 29, 2007
Location: Oxbow Area, Lost Bridge to Lawrenceburg
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Joe Bens
Area specific portion of the Christmas Count.
Canada Goose 175, Gadwall 287, American Wigeon 5, American Black Duck 372, Mallard 2650, Northern Pintail 4, American Green-winged Teal 12, Canvasback 4, Redhead 8, Ring-necked Duck 271, Hooded Merganser 4, Ruddy Duck 2, Pied-billed Grebe 7, Great Blue Heron 25, Bald Eagle 1, Cooper's Hawk 2, Red-tailed Hawk 9, American Kestrel 2, American Coot 2, Ring-billed Gull 49, Rock Pigeon 15, Mourning Dove 73, Belted Kingfisher 1, Red-bellied Woodpecker 9, Yellow-bellied, Sapsucker 1, Downy Woodpecker 10, Hairy Woodpecker 2, Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker 8, Blue Jay 4, American Crow 37, Carolina Chickadee 27, Tufted Titmouse 10, White-breasted Nuthatch 6, Carolina Wren 7, American Robin 1, European Starling 381, Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler 13, Eastern Towhee 2, Song Sparrow 21, Swamp Sparrow 3, Northern Cardinal 19, Red-winged Blackbird 2, Rusty Blackbird 1, House Finch 6, American Goldfinch 23
Date: Saturday, January 12, 2008
Location: Shawnee boat ramp entrance "area"
Reporter: Albert Scruggs
Other Birders: Julie Morris
Even in heavy fog, a good Woodpecker area to quickly beef up your January list! Pileated, Hairy, Downy, R-B, and Yellow-Bellied sapsucker, all there. 3 Golden-crowned kinglets by the bridge with many white-throated sp.
Date: Wednesday, December 31, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Rick Pope, Mike Hasty, Doug Shelton, Tim Mara
The Army Corp of Engineers were inspecting portions of the Oxbow and the Lawrenceburg Conservancy District today with Oxbow Members. While there I was only able to observe from the levee and the edge of Jackpot Pond. This constitutes only the southwest corner of the Oxbow. Canada Goose 1000 and Mallard 1500. In this vast flock I was able to pick out with binocs an additional 10 Ring-necked Duck, 5 Northern Pintail, 2 Black Duck, 1 American Widgeon. 1 Ring-billed Gull, 1 Northern Harrier, 1 Great Blue Heron. In the winter wheat fields 400 mixed blackbirds at a distance and 4 additional Ring-billed Gull. Along the Conservation District 1 White-breasted Nuthatch, 2 Downy Woodpecker, 2 Northern Cardinal, 3 Carolina Chickadee, 4 Tufted Titmouse, and 12 Purple Finch.
Also one gigantic red fox hunting the Conservancy District.
Date: Thursday, December 20, 2007
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Tom Uhlman
Large numbers of ducks and geese, same as what Jon saw plus 13 tundra swans in the flooded field.
Date: Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Rick Pope, Mike Hasty, Doug Shelton, Tim Mara
The Army Corp of Engineers were inspecting portions of the Oxbow and the Lawrenceburg Conservancy District today with Oxbow Members. While there I was only able to observe from the levee and the edge of Jackpot Pond. This constitutes only the southwest corner of the Oxbow. Canada Goose 1000 and Mallard 1500. In this vast flock I was able to pick out with binocs an additional 10 Ring-necked Duck, 5 Northern Pintail, 2 Black Duck, 1 American Widgeon. 1 Ring-billed Gull, 1 Northern Harrier, 1 Great Blue Heron. In the winter wheat fields 400 mixed blackbirds at a distance and 4 additional Ring-billed Gull. Along the Conservation District 1 White-breasted Nuthatch, 2 Downy Woodpecker, 2 Northern Cardinal, 3 Carolina Chickadee, 4 Tufted Titmouse, and 12 Purple Finch.
Also one gigantic red fox hunting the Conservancy District.
Date: Saturday, November 17, 2007
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Wayne Wauligman
Other Birders: Mike Miller, Jim Stinchcomb, John Cunningham and the Tristate Hiking Club
On this scheduled Oxbow Inc. 9-1 hike, the Tristate Hiking Club had about 30 members present. A complete list of birds seen and heard is: 10 Green-winged Teal, 25 Canada Geese, 15 Mallard including several domestics, 10 Great Blue Heron, 1 Black Vulture, 1 Turkey Vulture, 1 Cooper's Hawk, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 11 Killdeer, 16 Ring-billed Gulls, 40 Mourning Doves, 3 Red-bellied Woodpecker, 5 Downys, 1 Hairy, 5 Flickers, 2 Crows, 1 Horned Lark flyover, 14 Carolina Chickadees, 6 Tufted Titmouse, 1 Brown Creeper, 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1 Eastern Bluebird flyover, 3 Robin, 1500 Starlings, 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 2 Eastern Towhee, 18 Song Sparrow, 2 White-throated Sparrow, 2 Juncos, 60 Red-winged Blackbird, 9 House Finch, and 26 American Goldfinch
Date: Saturday, November 10, 2007
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Peter Kavouras
10:00am-11:45am.
I saw a total of 8 ducks, no shorebirds, and no geese. I can't believe how low the lake is. There was a small flock of about 14 American Pipits on the mud flats at the end of the lake. I would swear I saw a Vesper Sparrow on the west side of the lake along the road. How unlikely is that? I was in a hurry at the end, so I didn't see much in the woods near the parking area.
List: Red-Tailed Hawk, Mallard, Ruddy Duck (1 pair), Turkey Vulture, Chickadee, Yellow Rumped Warbler, Cardinal, American Pipit, Vesper Sparrow(?), Starling
Date: Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Happy Halloween. I went out to the Oxbow after being on vacation for a while to see what was haunting the Oxbow today. I was not disappointed. 1 Bald Eagle (second year plumage), 1 Northern Harrier, 15 Turkey Vulture, 2 Black Vulture, 11 Great Blue Heron, 1 Killdeer, 3 Wood Duck, 120 Green-winged Teal, 17 Mallard, 65 Canada Goose, 14 American Coots,7 American Crow, small birds were present most noticeably a flock of 30 Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Date: Saturday, October 27, 2007
Location: Oxbow area
Reporter: Jo Hudgins
Other Birders: My husband (We were there from 4:30 till 5:30 p.m)
1 palm warbler, 8 great egrets, 5 great blue herons, 12 killdeer, 4 goldfinch, 2 cardinals, flock of mourning doves
The sight of the big fish in that shallow water at Oxbow Lake was something else. Hopefully they'll get some rain this week to help them out.
Date: Monday, October 22, 2007
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Susan Williams
About 40 green-winged teals; Too many killdeer (loudmouths!); Huge flock of Canada geese; A pair of Northern shovelers; greater yellowlegs; Purple finch
Date: Sunday, October 21, 2007
Location: Shawnee Lookout, Hamilton Co., OH
Reporter: Neill Cade
Elizabethtown Bridge - 20+ Great Blue and 2 Black-crowned Night Herons; 1 Great Egret; 4 Double-crested Cormorants; 18 Horned Larks; 7 American Pipits; 3 Palm Warblers; 18 White-crowned, 4 Field, 3 Swamp, 15 Song, and 3 Savannah Sparrows; 850 Red-winged and 35 Rusty Blackbirds.
Boat Ramp - 1 Peregrine Falcon; 1 Pileated Woodpecker; 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet; 2 Black-throated Green, 1 Orange-crowned, and 18+ Yellow-rumped Warblers; 12+ Pine Siskins; 90+ American Goldfinch; 600+ Red-winged Blackbirds.
Springhouse School Area (beyond playground) - 2 Sharp-shinned and 2 Red-shouldered Hawks; 3 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers; 2 Pileated Woodpeckers; 150+ Cedar Waxwings; 3 Black-throated Green, 2 Palm, 1 Orange-crowned, and 25+ Yellow rumped Warblers; 70+ White-throated Sparrows; 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
Date: Monday, October 15, 2007
Location: Muscatatuck NWR & the Oxbow
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Jack Stenger & Joe Bens
A quick drive through the Oxbow on our return home yielded nothing that we didn’t see last Saturday. The one remaining pool in Oxbow Lake has shrunk even further since Saturday. Making the best of the minimal water available were 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, many Killdeer and 40+ Green-winged Teal. Around 20 Great Egrets were at Osprey Lake. We kicked up many sparrows as we drove along. Those we managed to identify were mostly White-crowned (at least 20) some Field Sparrows and 1 Lincoln’s Sparrow. There were around 20 Yellow-rumped Warblers in the trees around the Oxbow Overlook.
Date: Saturday, October 13, 2007
Location: Shawnee Lookout & the Oxbow
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Jack Stenger
Jack and I birded the Shawnee Lookout boat ramp and the Great Miami River bottoms this morning and then moved over to the west side of the river and birded the Oxbow until about 2:30 pm. Our best birds were 2 Orange-crowned Warblers and 7 Lincoln’s Sparrows in the Shawnee Lookout bottoms and a Merlin at the Oxbow. Sparrow migration is well under way and we saw many at both locations. As we drove around the Oxbow we saw several flocks numbering well over a hundred sparrows, many of which were left unidentified.
During 25 years of birding in the Oxbow I have never seen the water level in Oxbow Lake so low. In fact the lake is virtually dried up except for a relatively small and very shallow pool in the center of the lakebed that might be a couple of inches deep. There are still many birds present (mostly dabbling ducks) and many turtles jammed into what little water remains. A few of the smallest species of minnows may remain, but 99.99% of all the fish in the lake have perished, which is probably why we saw only a couple of herons on Oxbow Lake. There were still 21 Great Egrets on Jackpot Pond, but even the water levels there are receding very quickly. Of course conditions in the Oxbow will return to normal the next time the Ohio River reaches 35 feet, at which point it will food into Oxbow Lake, replenish its fishery and restore water levels to normal pool.
Some of the species we found in the Shawnee Lookout river bottoms today included: Great Blue Heron 6, Cooper’s Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 2, Greater Yellowlegs 1, Lesser Yellowlegs 1, Belted Kingfisher 1, Pileated Woodpecker 2, Eastern Phoebe 2, White-eyed Vireo 1, Horned Lark 2 (overhead), Tree Swallow 6, N Rough-winged Swallow 8, Gray Catbird 1, Cedar Waxwing 4, Tennessee Warbler 7, Orange-crowned Warbler 2, Nashville Warbler 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler 8, Palm Warbler 1, Common Yellowthroat 2, Eastern Towhee 2, Field Sparrow 6, Song Sparrow 5, Lincoln’s Sparrow 7, Swamp Sparrow 25+, White-throated Sparrow 40+, White-crowned Sparrow 18, Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2, Indigo Bunting 2 and Red-winged Blackbird 400+.
Some of the species we found at the Oxbow today included: Canada Goose 28, Wood Duck 11, Mallard 15. Blue-winged Teal 55, Northern Shoveler 3, Green-winged Teal 22, Double-crested Cormorant 7, Great Blue Heron 9, Great Egret 21, Red-tailed Hawk 2, Merlin 1 (patrolling Oxbow Lake), Killdeer 35, Greater Yellowlegs 6, Lesser Yellowlegs 1, Yellow-belied Sapsucker, Horned Lark 2, Tree Swallow 20~, N Rough-winged Swallow 30, Yellow-rumped Warbler 30+, Palm Warbler 2, Common Yellowthroat, Field Sparrow 35+, Song Sparrow 10, Swamp Sparrow 10~, White-throated Sparrow 15+, White-crowned Sparrow 40+, Indigo Bunting 5 and House Finch 40+.
Date: Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Bob and Lynn Peterson
No counts today unless it was easy. 1 American Kestrel, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, 60+ Blue-winged Teal, 30+ Mallard, 20+ Killdeer, 15+ Double-crested Cormorants, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 15-20 Great Blue Heron, 2 Turkey Vulture
Date: Monday, October 1, 2007
Location: Shawnee Lookout & the Oxbow
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Joe Bens
Joe and I birded around the Shawnee Lookout Park boat ramp and out to the Great Miami River for a couple of hours on Sunday morning September 30th. From there we went over to the Oxbow were we pretty much saw what Steve Pelikan and Jon Seymour already reported. We did not find much in the way of migrant warblers, but some other migrants were seen, including 26 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. They were everywhere and Joe and I wondered just how many were actually moving along the river if so many were around just this one fairly small spot. When we saw Steve later that day, he told us he had about 25 Rode-breasted Grosbeaks along the trees of Oxbow Lake the day before.
Some of the birds we found around the Shawnee boat ramp included; Wild Turkey 3, Double-crested Cormorant 8, Great Blue Heron 6, Great Egret, Black Vulture 6, Osprey 1, Sharp-shinned Hawk 2, Cooper’s Hawk 2, Red-shouldered Hawk 2, Red-tailed Hawk, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Chimney Swift 5, Northern Flicker 6, Pileated Woodpecker 3, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Least Flycatcher 2, White-eyed Vireo 1, Philadelphia Vireo, Tree Swallow 15, Barn Swallow 4, N. Rough-winged Swallow 12, Red-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, Tennessee Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Towhee, Rose-breasted Grosbeak 26, Indigo Bunting 15 & Red-winged Blackbird 1500.
Others have already posted from the Oxbow on Sunday and our list was similar to those. Ours included; Wood Duck 20, Blue-winged Teal 40, Northern Pintail 3, Green-winged Teal 30 (Steve had more), Double-crested Cormorant 12, Great Blue Heron 24, Great Egret 2, Red-tailed Hawk 2, Greater Yellowlegs 3, Lesser Yellowlegs 6, Tree Swallow 100~, N. Rough-winged Swallow 40~, Gray Catbird 3, Yellow-rumped Warbler 4, Black-throated Green Warbler 3, Palm Warbler 2, Eastern Towhee, and 15 Indigo Buntings.
Date: Sunday, September 30, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Great Outdoor Weekend Participants
In addition to those mentioned by Steve we saw three Great Egrets on the 29th and 5 on the 30th. Double-crested cormorants were present in small numbers 5-10. An Osprey did a flyover on Sunday the 30th. An immature Red-tailed Hawk was present on the 29th. Great Blue Heron were present both days in numbers of about 20. It was a great weekend to be in the Oxbow.
Date: Sunday, September 30, 2007
Location: Oxbow Lake
Reporter: Steve Pelikan
Other Birders: Great Outdorr Weekend Participants
Saturday and Sunday were great days to visit the Oxbow. Saturday we saw Green-winged Teal, Stilt Sandpipers, Pectoral Sandpipers, Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs and American Wigeons. New birds on Sunday were Pintail, Red-breasted Nuthatch(!).
Warblers this weekend included Nashville, Tennessee, Black-throated Green, Myrtle, Palm, Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, Common Yellowthroat.
Butterflies included Dainty Sulphurs (!)(present in good numbers), Sleepy Oranges(!), Cloudless Sulphurs, 3 species of Swallowtail, 4 species of Skippers, Variegated Fritillaries.
Date: Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Location: The Oxbow
Reporter: Susan Williams
Visited the Oxbow from 10 am to 12 pm today. Seeing all the dead and dying fish is pretty depressing.
The south end of Oxbow Lake was a good mix of birds: Mutt mallards; Black vultures, chasing off crows for dibs to the fish
Spotted sandpipers; Least sandpiper; I'd like to say that I saw a Baird's sandpiper, but I don't want to stick my neck out on that one; The ever present great blue herons; Double crested cormorants; Worm-Eating warbler; "Peep"; A zillion killdeer
Date: Sunday, September 23, 2007
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Frank Frick
Red-necked Phalarope still there at 5:15pm
alone with two American Golden-plovers. They had dark tails and almost no white on upper wing also small bills. They were a long way off and that's my excuse if they turn out to be Black-bellieds.
Date: Sunday, September 23, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Arrived at the Oxbow at 6:30 and did not find the red-necked phalarope or the plovers. Did not count everything so some of the following are best estimates and the rest are actual counts. 26 Great Blue Heron, 49 Great Egret (they all came in while I was sitting there), 25 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 Solitary Sandpiper, 30 Semipalmated Sanpiper, 5 Least Sandpiper, 1 Semipalmated Plover, 1 Short-billed Dowitcher, 4 Pectoral Sandpiper, 60 Killdeer,5 Ring-billed Gull, 3 American Crow, 125 Wood Duck, 75 Mallard, 40 Blue-winged Teal. No report on the small birds. Oxbow Lake is nearly dry and the trapped carp should bring back the vultures if it drops any lower.
Date: Sunday, September 23, 2007
Location: Oxbow Lake
Reporter: Steve Pelikan
Sorry I wasn't clear. The Phalarope was there when we left and very likely to stay there for a while --- it seemed happy.
Also, we found Dainty Sulphurs while walking the road on the high side of the lake. These were a new butterfly for the Oxbow list, as I understand it.
Date: Sunday, September 23, 2007
Location: Oxbow Lake
Reporter: Steve Pelikan
Other Birders: Charlie Saunders, Jim Lundburg
We found an immature Red-necked Phalarope in the main Oxbow Lake this morning. It was easily visible from the overlook parking lot on the high side of the lake.
It was present from about 7:45 when we got to the Oxbow to about 11:00 when we left. It was mixed in with several Stilt Sandpipers, Yellowlegs, and Pectoral Sandpipers; feeding actively and preening frequently.
Date: Saturday, September 15, 2007
Location: Shawnee Lookout & the Oxbow
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Seventeen CBC field trip participants
The seventeen participants of this Cincinnati Bird Club field trip appreciated a beautiful sunny day and the first cool fall temperatures of the season. The north winds of the cold front that moved through overnight apparently brought many migrants. We started the day off at 7:30 am in the Shawnee Lookout boat ramp parking lot, always a very “birdy” place, and ended up staying there until after 9:00 AM, as the birding was excellent. We then walked the park road at Shawnee, where things slowed considerably and ended up at the Oxbow until we broke up about 1:30 PM. As a group we had 14 species of warblers and totaled 90 species for the day, an excellent number for the fall. Many other birds went unidentified as often happens at peak times. We did not see the American White Pelican that has recently been present in the Oxbow. For the most part the numbers below are my estimates, although in some cases they are actual counts.
Because of the size of our group and the abundant bird activity it is quite possible I have missed something or under-represented a particular species. Our trip list included: Canada Goose 40~, Wood Duck 40+, Mallard 80+, Blue-winged Teal 90, Green-winged Teal 10, Wild Turkey 3, Double-crested Cormorant 50~, Great Blue Heron 85, Great Egret 37 (21 were on the Great Miami), Turkey Vulture 60~ (curiously we saw no Black Vultures today), Cooper’s Hawk 3, Red-tailed Hawk 2, Killdeer 50+, Spotted Sandpiper 1, Greater Yellowlegs 3, Lesser Yellowlegs 8, Semipalmated Sandpiper 2, Least Sandpiper 4, Baird’s Sandpiper 1 (north end mudflat Oxbow Lake), Pectoral Sandpiper 10, Stilt Sandpiper 2, Caspian Tern 1, Rock Pigeon +, Mourning Dove ++, Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1, Chimney Swift +, Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3, Belted Kingfisher 2, Red-bellied Woodpecker +, Downy Woodpecker +, Northern Flicker +, Pileated Woodpecker 1, Eastern Wood-Pewee 15+, Least Flycatcher 1, empidonax flycatcher sp. 3, Eastern Phoebe 1, Great Crested Flycatcher 1, White-eyed Vireo 2, Yellow-throated Vireo 2, Warbling Vireo 2, Philadelphia Vireo 1, Red-eyed Vireo 5, Blue Jay 60+, American Crow 25, Tree Swallow 70~, N. Rough-winged Swallow 25~, Barn Swallow 15~, Carolina Chickadee ++, Tufted Titmouse +, Red-breasted Nuthatch 1, White-breasted Nuthatch +, Carolina Wren +, House Wren 1, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1, Eastern Bluebird 3, Swainson’s Thrush 15+, Wood Thrush 2, American Robin ++, Gray Catbird 2, Northern Mockingbird 1, European Starling 100+, Cedar Waxwing 65~, Tennessee Warbler 12, Nashville Warbler 3, Northern Parula 2, Chestnut-sided Warbler 5, Magnolia Warbler 7, Black-throated Green Warbler 2+, Blackburnian Warbler 1, Bay-breasted Warbler 5, Blackpoll Warbler 3+, Black-and-White Warbler 3, American Redstart 6, Ovenbird 1, Common Yellowthroat 4, Wilson’s Warbler 1, Summer Tanager 2, Scarlet Tanager 1, Eastern Towhee 4, Chipping Sparrow +, Field Sparrow +, Savannah Sparrow 2, Song Sparrow +, Northern Cardinal ++, Rose-breasted Grosbeak 6+, Indigo Bunting ++, Red-winged Blackbird 300+, Common Grackle ++, Brown-headed Cowbird ++, American Goldfinch ++, and House Sparrow +.
Date: Thursday, September 13, 2007
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Allan Claybon
Watched the American White Pelican for about an hour at noon today as it fed on the far South end of Oxbow Lake. Pictures at www.pbase.com/nsxbirder/oxbow
Date: Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Location: The Oxbow
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: J.J. Stenger, Dana Owens & Jim Mundy
Dana, J.J. and I ran into Jim at the Oxbow this late afternoon and the four of us did a quick tour of the Oxbow together from about 5:00 to 6:15 pm. The American White Pelican was right where Jon left it on Oxbow Lake and it stayed put the entire time we were there. As I often say, it always amazes me how quickly birds turnover in hotspots like the Oxbow, particularly during migration. We missed the Baird’s Sandpipers but much of what we saw was similar to Jon’s observations earlier in the day with just a few differences.
Some of the species we saw included: Wood Duck 100~, Mallard 150, Blue-winged Teal 30, Green-winged Teal 12, Pied-billed Grebe 1, American White Pelican 1, Double-crested Cormorant 50+, Great Blue Heron 60, Great Egret 35, Black Vulture 15, Spotted Sandpiper 2, Solitary Sandpiper 1, Greater Yellowlegs 5, Lesser Yellowlegs 15, Least Sandpiper 10, Pectoral Sandpiper 6, and Palm Warbler 2. Foraging over the large soybean fields on the east side of Oxbow Lake near Mercer Pond were 250 or more Tree Swallows around 6:00 pm. Mixed in were Barn (30~) and N. Rough-winged (20~) Swallows.
Date: Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Dropped by the Oxbow today for a leisurely peek. I had decided going in that I would basically do a big sit for a couple of hours at the Oxbow Lake overlook. From 10:30 to 12:30 I observed the Oxbow Lake from the overlook. Three other birders dropped by during that period. I am always happy to see other folks out enjoying the Oxbow. After reading Jay Stenger's exciting accounts of the Oxbow on Saturday and Sunday, I wondered what my day would be like. It was very different. There were only 41 Great Blue Heron on the Oxbow Lake (+21 in other areas along the road going in and out), no great egret, (I only found 7 in the Conservancy District as I left). There were the the following 350 Wood Duck, 150 Mallard, 8 Green-winged Teal, and 1 Northern Shoveler. The south end was a mass of ducks and there were Wood Duch everywhere. Nothing exciting seemed to be around so I started to try to pick out the shorebirds. 9 Greater Yellowlegs, 15 Lesser Yellowlegs, 30 Killdeer, 7 Semi-palmated Sandpiper, 2 Pectoral Sandpiper, 2 Baird's Sandpipers. When I turned around there was a single American White Pelican feeding near the center of the lake. Overhead 400-500 Rough-winged Swallow were staging. I saw a couple of Chimney Swift in the mix and a single Bank Swallow. There were 2 Belted Kingfisher working the lake. While I sat on the bench 3 Carolina Chickadee came by and a pair of Carolina Wrens. The best part was a beautiful female American Redstart that slipped along the trees and since I was sitting on the high bank she was at eye level and up close. 4 Double-crested Cormorant, 9 American Crow, 2 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Cooper's Hawk, 2 Northern Cardinal, 3 Indigo Bunting, 2 Song Sparrow, 3 Mourning Dove, 15 Turkey Vulture, and 3 Black Vulture. Not bad for just sitting and letting the wildlife come to you. Real Relaxing!
Date: Sunday, September 9, 2007
Location: The Oxbow
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Joe Bens
Joe and I had a few hours free this late afternoon and early evening and decided to visit the Oxbow. It always amazes me how productive good spots like this can change on a daily (or even hourly) basis. Having been there just yesterday, we had a few different species and numbers. Our highlights were 2 WHITE-RUMPED and 5 BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS, Bald Eagle, staging Barn Swallows and migrating nighthawks. We also had what I believe is an Oxbow high record and probably the second highest regional number of Great Blue Herons. We counted 226 and felt that was a conservative number. We didn’t even check Mercer Pond, and now I wish we had, as there are always many Great Blues there. The water level in Oxbow Lake is as low now as I have seen it since about 20 years ago when we experienced another late summer drought. Some of the species we found this evening in the Oxbow included: Wood Duck 75, Mallard 35, Blue-winged Teal 65, Green-winged Teal 10, Double-crested Cormorant 20~ (must have all been on Mercer Pond), Great Blue Heron 226, Great Egret 50+, Black Vulture 30, Turkey Vulture 10, Bald Eagle 1 (1st or 2nd year bird), Cooper’s Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 2, Killdeer 40+, Semipalmated Plover 4, Solitary Sandpiper 2, Greater Yellowlegs 3, Lesser Yellowlegs 20, Semipalmated Sandpiper 3, Least Sandpiper 12, White-rumped Sandpiper 2, Baird’s Sandpiper 5, Stilt Sandpiper 3, Short-billed Dowitcher 1, Common Nighthawk 75+ and Belted Kingfisher 2. We saw at least 20 Indigo Buntings and Barn Swallows were staging all over the agricultural fields in the Oxbow and the best we came up with was 250 (the second highest total recorded in the Oxbow), but I’m sure a more thorough check would have produced many more. We only looked at the Great Miami at Lost Bridge from the car and didn’t see much, but at least 2 Cliff Swallows were still present and we saw a Savannah Sparrow near the bridge.
We saw almost all the shore birds on the mudflats either on the north end or the south end mudflats on Oxbow Lake. The 2 White-rumped Sandpipers and 3 of the Baird’s were seen on the north mudflat and 2 other Baird’s were on the south mudflat. We were able to see the shorebirds on the north mudflat from very close range. Between yesterday and today there were 13 species of shorebirds seen on Oxbow Lake. Nothing terribly rare yet, but the Oxbow should be checked often over the next several weeks. We only saw Killdeer on Osprey Lake but a decent mudflat is beginning to form there. On two occasions while we were there, about an hour apart, the immature eagle made passes over the lake and scattered many of the birds. One of those times we saw a flock of Wood Ducks panic and take flight. As they flew away from the lake, a juvenile hit a power line and was killed for its panic. As we were leaving we saw a flock of crows making life miserable for the perched eagle.
Date: Saturday, September 8, 2007
Location: The Oxbow Area
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Ten field trip participants
The hoped for, no make that the expected, waves of migrant warblers and songbirds failed to materialize for the ten of us who participated on the Oxbow Inc. field trip this morning. But there’s always something to see in the Oxbow area. We met in the Oxbow at 8:00 AM and were at Shawnee Lookout by 9:00. We birded the boat ramp and a ¾ mile stretch of the park road until about 10:30 AM. We checked Lost Bridge and then returned to bird the Oxbow until 2:00 PM. We did manage to find 11 species of shorebirds although in low numbers. Our highlight was a MERLIN seen harassing a Peregrine Falcon. Some of the birds we found today included:
At Shawnee Lookout: Eastern Wood-Pewee 3, White-eyed Vireo 2, Warbling Vireo 3, Gray Catbird 2, Magnolia Warbler 1, Black-throated Green Warbler 1, Common Yellowthroat 1, and a few Indigo Buntings.
At Lost Bridge: Double-crested Cormorant 4, Great Blue Heron 7, Semipalmated Plover 2, Spotted Sandpiper 3, Lesser Yellowlegs 1, Semipalmated Sandpiper 4, Short-billed Dowitcher 1, COMMON TERN 1 (working the river, good look), N. Rough-winged and Barn Swallows, a fairly late Cliff Swallow and a large mixed flock of Red-winged Blackbirds 400, Common Grackles 100 and Brown-headed Cowbirds 100 at 7:45 AM.
At the Oxbow: We were apparently the first people there at 8:15 AM and witnessed a very large gathering of herons and egrets, which were spread out in the very shallow Oxbow Lake from the mid-way overlook down to the south end. Wood Duck 30+, Blue-winged Teal 3, Pied-billed Grebe 2, Double-crested Cormorant 120+, Great Blue Heron 140, Great Egret 110+, Black Vulture 65, Turkey Vulture 20, Cooper’s Hawk 1, Peregrine Falcon 1, MERLIN 1, Killdeer 50+, Spotted Sandpiper 5, Solitary Sandpiper 2, Greater Yellowlegs 1, Lesser Yellowlegs 14, Least Sandpiper 5, Pectoral Sandpiper 2, Stilt Sandpiper 1, Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1, a fairly late Willow Flycatcher 1, Palm Warbler 1, and a fairly early Swamp Sparrow.
From the mid-way overlook around 1:30 PM., we were watching a Peregrine patrolling over the Oxbow Lake, when out of nowhere a Merlin came blazing in and starts mobbing and diving on the Peregrine. This went on for a couple of minutes until the Peregrine finally remembered who was really in charge (and 4 times heavier), regrouped, turned the tables and gave aggressive chase to the Merlin. The Merlin, who apparently enjoyed this game, decided it had had enough and went streaking off to the north, leaving the Peregrine to go on about its business. Merlin’s are way cool.
Date: Thursday, August 30, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Oxbow Lake Rd and Lawrenceburg Conservancy District (LCD). 77 Great Blue Heron, 29 Great Egret, 20 Turkey Vultures, 15 Black Vultures, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 20 American Crow, 35 Double-crested Cormorants, 15 Wood Duck, 20 Mallard, 45 Lesser Yellowlegs, 32 Killdeer, and 1 Palm Warbler
Date: Sunday, August 26, 2007
Location: Brookville, Hueston & the Oxbow
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Joe Bens
Joe and I visited the Oxbow, Brookville Lake and Hueston Woods this afternoon looking for shorebirds and terns. We did not find Black Terns anywhere, although we didn’t look at most of Brookville Lake. So my hope of yesterdays Black Tern fall out extending into today did not pan out, at least in the places we checked.
The only shorebirds we found at the Oxbow were a couple of Spotted Sandpipers, 29 Lesser Yellowlegs, 4 Pectoral Sandpipers and 4 distant “peeps”. It remains heron and egret city.
Date: Saturday, August 25, 2007
Location: Lost Bridge, Shawnee Boat Ramp and Oxbow
Reporter: Eric Burkholder
Other Birders: Kirk Westendorf, Gayle Wulker and Brian Wulker
Kirk and I checked the Lost Bridge twice this morning and early afternoon but saw No shorebirds, not even a Killdeer. We also checked Shawnee Boat Ramp and found nothing special.
At the Oxbow we found one Black Tern flying over the lake and many Black and Turkey Vultures eating the many dead Carp. We saw a few shorebirds but they were too far for us to I.D. with binoculars. At Jackpot Pond we found 36 Great Egrets in the trees and the lake. There is a freshly killed Great Blue Heron in the road on the West side of Oxbow Lake. It looks in perfect shape and we wonder if it flew into the electrical lines above the road. Close up they look small and fragile. Kirk and I were checking the N end of Oxbow Lake when Gayle and Brian Wulker showed up. We took them to the S of Oxbow Lake to see the Black Tern when a flock of 9 Black Terns appeared from the N. We got good looks of them flying up and down the lake. They were still there when we left around 1:00 p.m. Then Brian found a single Caspian Tern flying around the S end of Oxbow Lake. The Wulkers are always prepared and brought along their spotting scope. We were able to I.D. Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers and Killdeer on the mudflats in the S corner of the Oxbow Lake. There may have been other species of shorebirds present but none of us have a lot of experience with shorebirds. We were able to find a Spotted Sandpiper in Osprey Lake.
Date: Friday, August 24, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: David Carr
I was down at the Oxbow this morning from about 10 AM – noon. In addition to the species that Jon Seymour mentioned, I can add that there was a flock of 18 Black Terns skimming over the water at the south end of the Oxbow. Also at the far end of the lake, there was a pair of Greater Yellowlegs among about a 20 Lessers. I also saw an immature Red-shouldered Hawk.
Date: Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Location: Lost Bridge/Shawnee boat ramp
Reporter: Brian Wulker
Other Birders: Gale Wulker
Lost Bridge : 1 Kingfisher, 15 Killdeer, 8 Spotted Sandpiper, 6 Pectoral Sandpiper, 12 Least Sandpiper, 1 Short-billed Dowitcher juv, 11 Great Blue Heron, 2 Green Heron, 1 Cliff Swallow, 20 Barn Swallow, 5 Bank Swallow, 15 Northern Rough Winged Swallow.
Shawnee Lookout: 1 Common Yellowthroat, 1 Yellow Throated Warbler, 5 House Wren, 3 Indigo Bunting
Date: Sunday, August 19, 2007
Location: The Oxbow Area
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Jack Stenger
My son Jack and I began a pretty good day of birding by first visiting the Oxbow area this morning. We could not relocate the previously reported Baird’s Sandpiper at Lost Bridge but we did find 14 Stilt Sandpipers at Oxbow Lake. There may have been fewer birds present on the sandbars in the Great Miami River at Lost Bridge (Lawrenceburg Rd.) this morning than there were on Friday, but there are still many there, but they are hard to see well, even with a scope, as they blend in so well with the sand and gravel.
Some of the birds we saw at Lost Bridge included: Great Blue Herons, Green Heron 4, a fly-by Osprey, many Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper 5, Solitary Sandpiper 2, Semipalmated Sandpiper 2, Least Sandpiper 25, Pectoral Sandpiper 12, Short-billed Dowitcher 1, Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Kingbird and 20 Cedar Waxwings.
Still lots of exposed mudflats at Oxbow Lake and even Osprey Lakes water level is coming down and looks like it might have a good mudflat in the near future. Shorebirds were better today than Friday but still less than expected considering the available habitat. On the mudflats at the extreme south end of Oxbow Lake we found 14 Stilt Sandpipers, 4 Spotted Sandpipers, 4 Greater Yellowlegs, 15 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers and many Killdeer. Other birds included 100+ Great Blue Herons, 35 Great Egrets, a Green Heron (flushed from the exact same spot we flushed a Least Bittern on Friday), 30 Wood Ducks, and 50+ Black Vultures and many Turkey Vultures (attending an all you can eat dead carp buffet).
Date: Friday, August 17, 2007
Location: The Oxbow Area
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Jack Stenger
Jack and I spent the late morning and afternoon looking for shorebirds along the lower Great Miami River today. Oxbow Lake has considerable exposed shoreline but had relatively few shorebirds. Our best bird there was a good look at a LEAST BITTERN. The best concentration of shorebirds we found today was on the sandbars of the Great Miami at Lost Bridge. We saw 10 species of shorebirds there including a BAIRD’S SANDPIPER and a Short-billed Dowitcher. There were around 65 individual shorebirds present excluding Killdeer.
Some of the birds seen at Lost Bridge included: Killdeer 25, Spotted Sandpiper 9, Solitary Sandpiper 6, Greater Yellowlegs 3, Lesser Yellowlegs 7, Semipalmated Sandpiper 4, Least Sandpiper 20, Baird’s Sandpiper 1, Pectoral Sandpiper 15, Short-billed Dowitcher 1, Wood Ducks, Mallards 20 (all the males in dark eclipse plumage), Green-winged Teal 2, Wild Turkey 7 (2 hens and 5 almost fully grown poults bathing at the edge of the river), Double-crested Cormorant 12, Great Blue Heron 10, Green Heron 2, Black Vulture 1, Red-tailed Hawk 3, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Kingbird, Cliff Swallow 5 and a Yellow Warbler. Two Peregrine Falcons were seen perched on the nest box at the Miami Fort Plant.
Some of the birds seen in the Oxbow included: Wood Duck 15, Mallard 20, Double-crested Cormorant 50+, Least Bittern 1, Great Blue Heron 130, Great Egret 55, Red-tailed Hawk 3, American Kestrel, Killdeer 15, Greater Yellowlegs 1, and 6 Lesser Yellowlegs. We saw around 60 Purple Martins staging in Western Hamilton County on our way home.
The Least Bittern was quite a surprise. We were at the midway overlook on the west bank of Oxbow Lake for about 15 minutes, right at the waters edge. Just as we were about to leave, a Least Bittern flushed, literally at our feet, from a sparse patch of poison ivy right along the bank. The bird had held tight the entire time we were there. If it could have held out another minute we would never have seen it. As it was, we had great looks at it as it flew out over the water, turned north flying along the shore, reversed its direction and came back towards us before then flying directly across the lake, were it disappeared into the shoreline vegetation. After looking at the sparse patch it had been hiding in, we agreed that had we known it was there we would easily have seen the bird. But by remaining motionless and relying on its camouflaged plumage it remained concealed to our eyes even though we were no more than 5 feet from it the entire time! It’s no wonder that so many of this species goes undetected.
Date: Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
A quick stop at the Oxbow to count heron and egret. Counting only on the west side (Jackpot and Juno ponds, Oxbow and Osprey lakes, I found 101 Great Blue Heron and 38 Great Egret. I was not counting the numerous Wood Duck and Double-crested Cormorants. I found no Black-crowned Night Heron or green Heron. I had a nice fly by of two blue-winged Teal. My first of the year.
Date: Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Location: sand bar in G. Miami at lost bridge
Reporter: Frank Frick
finally some shorebirds.On the graval and sand islands on the up river side of lost bridge in the Great Miami,15 Least Sandpipers,1 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 4 Solitary Sandpipers, 5 Spotted Sandpipers,2 Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 Wilsons Snipe, 1 Short-billed Dowitcher.
Date: Monday, August 13, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Miami University Masters Class in Environmental Studies
Stayed on the west side of Oxbow Lake. 51 Great Blue Heron, 41 Great Egret, 3 Black-crowned Night Heron, 50 Canada Goose, 21 Killdeer, 4 Solitary Sandpipers, 12 Greater Yellowlegs, a flock of peeps?, 25 Wood Duck including a mom with six new ones, 5 Mallard, 2 Black Duck, 22 Double-crested Cormorants, 15 Turkey Vulture, 12 Black Vulture,5 American Crow, 1 Peregrine Falcon, Assorted Goldfinches, Indigo Buntings, Red-winged Blackbirds, Mourning Doves, Robins and Cardinals.
Date: Friday, August 10, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceberg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Seems that 100 degree heat keeps birders inside. Have not seen many postings this week. In today's cold snap ( 90 degrees and low humidity) I thought a trip to the Oxbow would be good. A Green Heron was under the RR bridge on the Great Miami. Oxbow Lake had an interesting mix of birds. 90 Great Blue Heron, 31 Great Egret, 20 Black Vulture, 15 Turkey Vulture, 5 Crow, 6 Double-crested Cormorant, 8 Canada Geese, 12 Wood Duck, 4 Killdeer, and 2 Solitary Sandpipers.
Date: Monday, July 30, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Jim Wilgenbusch
Had a nice long look at a resting Osprey at Mercer Pond. Heron count for the day 2:00 to 4:00 pm. 54 Great Blue Heron and 29 Great Egret. No Pelican today. Wonder where he is hiding. Others of interest are 33 Canada Geese, 15 Wood Duck, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 10 Killdeer and 1 Solitary Sandpiper.
Date: Saturday, July 28, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Kani Meyer, Denis Conover
A muddy 3.5 mile hike through the Oxbow was concentrated on plant species. For birds there was a notable collection at Oxbow Lake at about 1:00 pm. Sighted on or beside the Lake were 115 Great Blue Heron, 37 Great Egret, 1 Black-crowned Night Heron, 2 Green Heron, 1 American White Pelican, 12 Double-crested Cormorant, 4 Turkey Vultures, 6 American Crow, 4 Wood Duck, and 1 Belted Kingfisher.
Date: Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Did my first survey at about 3pm of heron/egret species for 2007. I did not have my scope so some may have escaped notice. 67 Great Blue Heron, 29 Great Egret, 1 Green Heron. Other birds of interest were the American White Pelican (still with us), 15 Double-crested Cormorants, 20 Wood Duck, 15 Canada Goose and two Solitary Sandpiper. There were other shorebirds but too far off for proper ID.
Date: Friday, July 20, 2007
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Chandra Mattingly
Other Birders: spouse, Dan Boone & plant people
The group enjoying the Oxbow plant I.D. outing led by Daniel Boone saw one immature and one mature bald eagle, several egrets and a couple blue herons, and a kingfisher at or from the near end of the Oxbow, among other birds, plus a little green heron and various swallows near the canoe/kayak launch site at Shawnee Lookout.
Date: Monday, July 16, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Shawnee, Boat Ramp
Reporter: Don Martin
At Oxbow: 1 Solitary Sandpiper, 2 adult and 1 juvenile BC Night Heron, 10+ GB Heron, 2 Warbling Vireo, 6 Great Egret, 2 Carolina Wren, and 1 patroling security guard (Keep up the good work!).
At Shawnee: 1 Warbling Vireo, 1 scarlet tanager, 3 Wood Thrush.
At Boat Ramp: Imm. N. Oriole, 1 Solitary Sandpiper, 2 GB Heron, 2 Louisiana Waterthrush, 2 Carolina Wren.
Tanner's Creek Lane: Couldn't locate Dickcissels due to construction of new road.
Date: Sunday, July 15, 2007
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Paul Krusling
Other Birders: Joe Kappa, Matt Revicki
Joe, Matt and I went to the Oxbow this morning to check out the American White Pelican, which afforded us excellent views. We also saw most of what Erich saw in the previous post with a couple of notable additions, including an out of place Lesser Scaup and a possible Red-necked Grebe. Both were in the South end of Oxbow Lake, which was where all the herons, egrets and pelican were. The grebe was seen through a scope swimming rapidly acrross the lake. It had a long thick bill and a long neck. Attempts to find it from other, closer, vantage points were unsuccessful.
Date: Saturday, July 14, 2007
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Erich Baumgardner
After not finding Lark Sparrows on Blue Rock, I decided to go to the Oxbow - and was pleased with my decision. I walked the NE side of the lake toward the river. On the first few views I found a BC Nightheron, a few GB herons, some Killdeer, a Dowitcher, and a Solitary Sandpiper. Walking toward the east (end) of the lake I saw 6 Great Egrets flying toward that end along the tree line with the Ohio River. Cutting through the weeds and willow I broke through to the end of the lake - to find 20+ Great Egrets, 60+ GB Herons, 3 more BC Nightherons and the White Pelican. I've never walked to the end of the lake from this side - it was well worth the time. Met another birder heading that way on my way out - sorry I didn't introduce myself. Hope you found my 'path' and located the pelican.
Date: Friday, July 13, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
The American White Pelican was still in the Oxbow at 3:30 pm today. It was hanging out at the Southeast end of Oxbow Lake. Easily visible from the Overlook. Other denizens were 25 Great Blue Heron, 6 Great Egret, and 3 Double-crested Cormorants.
Date: Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Frank Frick
I found a White Pelican at the oxbow today. It was seen from the pulloff that has the park bench (the back end of oxbow lake). There was one reported here on july 2 and I don't know if this is the same one. This bird seems to be an imm. It has a little gray in the wings and the bill is a pink-orange rather then orange. Stokes guide says they can keep their imm. plumage for two to three years.
Date: Monday, July 9, 2007
Location: Oxbow Lake
Reporter: Joe Kappa
Took a quick ride around the circle and saw the following: 15 Mallards, 12 Wood Ducks, 1 Cormorant, 1 Red-tailed Hawk (on the platform), 25 Great Egrets, 1 adult Black-Crowned Night Heron, 7 Great-Blue Herons. Also stopped at the Lost Bridge and saw many Cliff Swallows circling the bridge.
Date: Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Location: Tanners Creek Boat Ramp
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Jack Stenger
Jack and I saw several and heard at least 11 singing Dickcissels in the weedy fields along both sides of Tanners Creek Lane this afternoon. Tanners Creek Lane leads down to the Tanners Creek Boat Ramp and is located in Lawrenceburg, Indiana on the south side of US 50, about a mile west of the Tanners Creek Bridge. There is a McDonalds restaurant on the southwest corner of US 50 and Tanners Creek Lane that can be used as a landmark.
We also saw 17 Great Egrets in the Oxbow this afternoon.
Date: Monday, July 2, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Ben Miller, Nathan Miller
Working in the Oxbow with binoculars at hand. A trip to Mercer Pond yielded 9 Common Egrets, 4 Great Blue Heron, 11 Double-crested Cormorant, 3 Mallard, 2 Indigo Bunting, 5 Horned Lark, and 1 AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN. The bird was first seen on the opposite side of Mercer Pond near the hunter's blind. While we were watching it flew up, circled a couple of times, and flew right at us before starting to circle and gain altitude. Ben was able to take several photos as the bird flew over us. Other additional birds in the Oxbow this morning were
6 Great Blue Heron, 50 Tree Swallows, 4 Mallards, 21 Canada Goose, 6 Double-crested Cormorants, 2 Indigo Bunting, 2 Red-eyed Vireo, 1 Warbling Vireo, 1 Prothonatary Warbler, 15 Common Grackle, 1 White-breasted Nuthatch, 9 American Robin, 2 Turkey Vulture, 1 Red-tailed Hawk (juvenile).
Date: Sunday, July 1, 2007
Location: Mt. Nebo gravel pit
Reporter: Ned Keller
Other Birders: Kathy McDonald
Jay Stenger told me about having seen Blue Grosbeaks here back in May, and I wanted to try to get them for the breeding bird atlas. It took me about 5 seconds this morning to find a male, and about 30 seconds to find a pair; seeing the female carrying food took about 15 minutes. Other more expected summer birds that were probable nesters included Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, White-eyed Vireo, Common Yellowthroat, and Field Sparrow.
The location is on Mt. Nebo road, east of Lawrenceburg Road, near Lost Bridge. The grosbeaks are at the east end of the active gravel pit on the left side of the road, not far past the sign (on the right) for the model airplane club.
Date: Saturday, June 16, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Don Martin
20+ Indigo Buntings, 1 Prothonotary Warbler, 1 Immature Male Orchard Oriole, 1 Northern Oriole, 3 Double-Crested Cormorants, 12+ Great Blue Heron, 1 Black Crowned Night Heron, 8 Great Egrets, 3 Wood Ducks (and 6 babies), 6 Killdeer (2 fledglings), I also saw many of the following "common" birds: Eastern Kingbird,Goldfinch, Robin, Red Winged Blackbird, Grackle, Cowbird, Canada Goose, Mallard, Barn Swallows, Cliff Swallows, Cardinals, Titmouse, Chickadee, Chipping Sparrow, House Sparrow, Carolina Wren, Downy Woodpecker, Crow, Turkey Vulture
Date: Saturday, June 16, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Trip List: Canada Goose 25, Wood Duck 2, Mallard 3, Double-crested Cormorant 5, Great Blue Heron 12, Great Egret 5, Black-crowned Night-Heron 1, Turkey Vulture 3, Killdeer 2, Spotted Sandpiper 2, Mourning Dove 2, Warbling Vireo 2, Blue Jay 1, American Crow 3, Horned Lark 3, Tree Swallow 6, Northern Rough-winged Swallow 20, Barn Swallow 2, Carolina Chickadee 1, Tufted Titmouse 3, Carolina Wren 1, House Wren 1, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 5, American Robin 20, Prothonotary Warbler 7, Common Yellowthroat 2, Song Sparrow 8, Northern Cardinal 11, Indigo Bunting 8, Red-winged Blackbird 5, Eastern Meadowlark 1, Common Grackle 25, Brown-headed Cowbird 3, Orchard Oriole 2, Baltimore Oriole 1, American Goldfinch 2
Date: Friday, June 15, 2007
Location: Shawnee Lookout Park Boat Ramp
Reporter: Paul Krusling
While I was checking the beach North of the boat ramp for softshell turtle activity, a boat went roaring up river erasing any turtle sign with its wake! While I was muttering under my breath, the boat flushed a mature bald eagle which flew across the river and landed in some tree out of sight.
Date: Friday, June 1, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Jackie Seymour
Quick Stop: 15 Great-Blue Heron, 1 Green Heron, 25 Canada Goose, 6 Mallard, 18 Wood Duck (a mother with 13 new hatchlings - first family of the year for me), 3 warbling vireo, 5 Song Sparrow, 2 Turkey vultures, 3 Northern Cardinal, 2 Double-crested Cormorants, 5 Indigo Bunting, 3 American Crow.
Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Picking up some weekend trash. 25 Canada Geese, 5 Great Blue Heron, 4 Mallard, 3 Turkey Vulture, 3 Indigo Bunting, 2 Tufted Titmouse, 15 Red-winged Blackbird, 2 Carolina Wren, 1 House Wren, 3 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, 8 Northern Cardinal, 3 Mourning Dove, 9 Rough-winged Swallows, 1 Barn Swallow, 3 Warbling Vireo, 3 Killdeer and 2 Spotted Sandpipers. The Osprey Lake is dropping even faster than last year. I suspect the machine pounded cap under the lake is breaking up and water is draining to the water table faster than ever. Should be good for shorebirds beginning in July.
Date: Monday, May 21, 2007
Location: Oxbow Lake
Reporter: Joe Kappa
Other Birders: Paul Krusling
Paul and I took a canoe around the edge of the lake and saw the following high points:
2 Great Egrets, 10+ Great Blue Herons, 1 imm Black Crowned NH, 3+ DC Cormorants, 40+ Wood Ducks, 2 FORSTER'S TERNS, 3 Semipalmated Plovers, 1 Sora Rail (see story below), 2 Solitary Sandpipers, 2 Spotted Sandpipers, 1 DUNLIN, 3 Pectoral Sandpipers, 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 10+ Least Sandpipers, 3 Prothonotary Warblers, 1 Red-headed Woodpecker.
Note: The Sora was being hammered by three grackles. We watched for several minutes as the grackles systematically dive bombed the Sora forcing it into deeper water. We eventually approached to within 5 feet of the Sora and the grackles flew to a nearby tree. The Sora barelly made it to a tree branch sticking out of the water. We observed at close range for nearly 10 minutes (took some good pictures). The Sora didn't seem to mind us being there after the beating it took from the grackles. It eventually flew into the thicket but I have little doubt that the grackles would have killed it had we not shown up.
Date: Sunday, May 6, 2007
Location: Shawnee Lookout & Miami Whitewater, Hamilton Co., OH
Reporter: Neill Cade
Birded Shawnee & Elizabethtown bridge Saturday from 5-8 PM. 96 species were highlighted by a Common Loon and a Semipalmated Plover at the gravel pits by the bridge
Date: Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Picked up a little in the Oxbow and had my binoculars along.
Trip List: Canada Goose 4, Wood Duck 4, Mallard 3, Wild Turkey 1, Double-crested Cormorant 6, Great Blue Heron 9, Great Egret 7, Turkey Vulture 1, American Coot 13, Semipalmated Plover 15, Killdeer 4, Solitary Sandpiper 2, Spotted Sandpiper 1, Semipalmated Sandpiper 11, Ring-billed Gull 8, Mourning Dove 2, Northern Flicker 2, Warbling Vireo 3, American Crow 5, Tree Swallow 25, Northern Rough-winged Swallow 15, American Robin 4, Yellow-rumped Warbler 2, Palm Warbler 2, Chipping Sparrow 2, Song Sparrow 2, White-throated Sparrow 1, Northern Cardinal 5, Common Grackle 20, American Goldfinch 2
Date: Sunday, April 29, 2007
Location: Shawnee Lookout & the Oxbow
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Bill Stanley, Ned Keller & Joe Bens
The four of us met at the Shawnee Lookout boat ramp this morning at 8:00 am and birded much of the park until about 11:30. Joe and Ned had to leave, but Bill and I continued to Lost Bridge and the Oxbow and ended up at Paul Wharton’s house where the Harris’s Sparrow again put in a couple of appearances while we were there. By my count we totaled 96 species (including 20 warblers) between 8:00 and 2:00. Some of the species we found at Shawnee Lookout today included; Cooper’s Hawk 3, Broad-winged Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Spotted Sandpiper, Black-billed Cuckoo, Yellow-billed Cuckoo 4, Barred Owl, Red-headed Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker 2, Great Crested Flycatcher 3, White-eyed Vireo 8, Yellow-throated Vireo 8, Blue-headed Vireo, Warbling Vireo 6, Red-eyed Vireo 7, House Wren 5, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 20+, Swainson’s Thrush 4, Wood Thrush 15+, Gray Catbird 5, Blue-winged Warbler 2, Tennessee Warbler 6, Nashville Warbler 4, Northern Parula 16, Yellow Warbler 10+, Cape May Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler 12, Yellow-throated Warbler 8, Palm Warbler 3, Blackpoll Warbler (seen), Cerulean Warbler 3, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart 3, Prothonotary Warbler 2, Ovenbird 3, Kentucky Warbler, Common Yellowthroat 6, Yellow-breasted Chat 4, Summer Tanager 2, Scarlet Tanager 6, Eastern Towhee 15~, Chipping Sparrow 20~, White-throated Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting 4, Orchard Oriole 3 and Baltimore Oriole 6. Some of the birds Bill and I found at Lost Bridge included 2 Spotted Sandpipers, 1 Herring Gull among 6 Ring-billed Gulls, Belted Kingfisher, Purple Martin, 20~ Cliff Swallows, Horned Lark, Warbling Vireo, Yellow Warbler and Orchard Oriole. Some of our finds at the Oxbow included; Double-crested Cormorant 12, Green Heron, Spotted Sandpiper, Warbling Vireo 2, Yellow-throated Vireo, House Wren, Cedar Waxwing 2, Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler 2, Yellow-rumped Warbler 25~, Palm Warbler 10~, Prothonotary Warbler 2, Northern Waterthrush, White-crowned Sparrow and Baltimore Oriole. In transit to Paul’s house we had 2 Prairie Warblers at two separate 1-275 exit ramps and another at Paul’s, as well as a Red-shouldered Hawk and of course the Harris’s Sparrow.
Date: Monday, April 23, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Windy in the Oxbow with the water still up around 34 ft. Mercer Pond was cut off by high water and the fields flooded, but I could see 300-400 ducks in just the little portion I could see. I was only able to tag 4 species at that distance with the heat waves. Northern Shovelor 20, American Coot 20, Blue-winged Teal 35, and Mallard 50. The rest I could only see they were ducks. Other Species, 3 Double-crested Cormorant, 3 Wood Duck, 4 American Coot, 2 Ring-billed Gull, 14 Canada Geese, 6 Mallard, Great Blue Heron 1, Great Egret 4, Osprey 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler 2, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 5, Tennessee Warbler 1, Crow 1, 15 Red-winged Blackbird, 7 Common Grackle, 2 European Starling, 1 Mourning Dove, 1 Northern Flicker, 50 American Robin, 10 Northern Cardinal, 2 Spotted Sandpiper, 2 Solitary Sandpiper, 2 Killdeer, 5 Song Sparrow, and about 60 Rough-winged, 35 Tree and 5 Barn swallows.
Date: Friday, April 20, 2007
Location: Shawnee Lookout Boat Ramp
Reporter: Lester Peyton
One Spotted Sandpiper foraging
Date: Friday, April 20, 2007
Location: Oxbow Area
Reporter: Paul Krusling
I stopped by the Oxbow at about 3:45 pm today and saw the following: Canada Goose 4, Blue-winged Teal 20, Common Merganser 4, Great Egret 10 (6 were in barrow pit behind the Greendale Cinema), Turkey Vulture 6, Red-tailed Hawk 6, American Coot 2, Killdeer 1, Lesser Yellowlegs 1 (lost bridge), Ring-billed Gull 6, Rock Pigeon 4, Mourning Dove 1, Eastern Phoebe 1 (lost bridge), Blue Jay 1, American Crow 4 Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1, Cliff Swallow 2 (lost bridge), Barn Swallow 1 (lost bridge), Carolina Chickadee 2, American Robin 4, Northern Mockingbird 1, European Starling 8, Field Sparrow 2 (lost bridge), Song Sparrow 1, Swamp Sparrow 1, Northern Cardinal 2, Red-winged Blackbird 5 Common Grackle 20, Brown-headed Cowbird 25, American Goldfinch 1 (lost bridge)
Date: Thursday, April 19, 2007
Location: Lawrenceburg/Greendale exit Ramp near Oxbow
Reporter: Lester Peyton
On my way home from work today I had a fly over Barn Swallow near the Oxbow area
Date: Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Location: Oxbow (Lawernceburg)
Reporter: Eddie Ehrman
Other Birders: Ryan & Brooke Slack (April 7)
Birds seen over the course of a few days from April 7 - April 11th. I think the 10th is the only day I missed.
Plenty of American Coots & Double-crested Cormorants. Several Bonaparte's & Ring-billed Gulls, Canada Goose, Killdeer, Belted Kingfisher, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Redhead(1), Hooded Merganser(1 pair), Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Tree Swallow, Purple Martin, Great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Imm. Bald Eagle(3), Pied-bill Grebe(1), Osprey(1), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher(1), Northern Flicker, American Robin, Northern cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird and other than the usual suspects this morning a Black-crowned Night-Heron(1) and a Common Loon(1)
Date: Friday, April 6, 2007
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Peter Kavouras
I saw my first shore birds and swallows of the year. Froze my butt off, but after a long muddy walk I have the following list: Northern Pintail, Mallard, Ring-Neck Duck, Pied-Billed Grebe, Cardinal, Robin, Carolina Chickadee, Red winged Blackbird, White throated sparrow, white crowned sparrow, canada goose, tree swallow, greater yellowlegs, green winged teal, blue winged teal, northern shoveler, downy woodpecker, turkey vulture, dark eyed junco, blue gray gnatcatcher, gadwall, double crested cormorant, american coot, ring billed gull, killdeer, great blue heron, and one shorebird I couldn't ID (looked like a Sanderling w/ yellow legs).
Date: Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: At various times, Steve Pelikan, Rick Pope, Jeff Kiefer, John Coluccy
Great day in the Oxbow. 130 Green-winged Teal, 12 Blue-winged Teal, 60 Northern Shoveler, 4 Black Duck, 10 Gadwall, 15 American Widgeon, 2 Wood Duck, 95 American Coot, 60 Mallard, 1 CASPIAN TERN, 1 Common Tern, 70 Canada Geese, 1 Greater Scaup, 2 Female Bufflehead, 11 Double-crested Cormorant, 35 Tree Swallow, 2 Tufted Titmouse, 3 Carolina Chickadee, 8 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 30 American Robin, 7 Northern Cardinal, 3 Blue-gray Gnatcather, 1 Downy Woodpecker, 3 American Crow, 2 Song Sparrow, 1 White-crowned Sparrow, 1 American Kestrel, 9 Killdeer, 25 Grackle, 3 Brown-headed Cowbird.
Date: Friday, March 30, 2007
Location: Larwenceburg Rd at Lost Bridge
Reporter: Jeff Rowe
A single Osprey fishing in the big gravel pit at 5:00 pm. Good numbers of Bonaparte and Ring-billed Gulls, Greater and lesser Yellow-legs, and Pectoral Sandpipers.
Date: Thursday, March 29, 2007
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Paul Krusling
There were 150+ bonaparte's gulls at the Lost Bridge Gravel Pit at around 5:00 pm today. Many were in full breeding plumage. Mixed in were a few ring-billed gulls. Also present were a few lesser yellowlegs, 12 pectoral sandpipers, 1 wilson's snipe, 2 mallards, 2 canada geese, 2 red breasted mergansers, 1 great blue heron, and 2 red tailed hawks.
Date: Thursday, March 29, 2007
Location: Lost Bridge & Lawrenceburg Rd.
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Audubon Society trip, 10 observers
This is a rather late report and I post it now more for our database record than for other reasons. I conducted an Audubon Society field trip last Sunday, March 25th, to the Oxbow and Shawnee Lookout. The Oxbow was completely flooded and we were unable to access it. There were many waterfowl/waterbirds present that I could see from afar looking through dense woody growth, but we were unable to identify much. Due to floodwaters a large skypool had formed on the south side of Lawrenceburg Rd. (Hamilton County) just west of Lost Bridge at the Great Miami River. I expect this pool has shrunk by now, but I imagine there is still some water there. In and around this skypool we saw 6 Northern Shovelers, 2 Wood Ducks, a couple of Great Blue Herons, 7 Double-crested Cormorants (fly-over), a near breeding plumaged Horned Grebe, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Pectoral Sandpipers, and a few Horned Larks. At the bridge we had 3 Eastern Phoebes, a Brown Thrasher, Tree Swallows, a displaying Belted Kingfisher, a Cooper’s Hawk and a couple of Red-tailed Hawks. A Great Horned Owl is on the nest along Lawrenceburg Rd.
Date: Saturday, March 24, 2007
Location: Larwenceburg Rd at Lost Bridge
Reporter: Jeff Rowe
Other Birders: Andy Bess
We found at least a dozen Lesser Yellow-legs around a flooded portion of the field south of the road. They could only be seen with a scope. The killdeer mixed in with these birds ruled out Greater Yellow-legs. One Bonaparte Gull also in this same area.
Date: Friday, March 23, 2007
Location: Oxbow Area
Reporter: Paul Krusling
I was at the oxbow and the lost bridge at around 2:30 this afternoon. There was nothing at the lost bridge, not even a sparrow. I saw pretty much the same thing Peter saw at the oxbow, but I would like to add an immature bald eagle and an osprey. Both were flying over the I-275 exit ramp.
Date: Thursday, March 22, 2007
Location: Oxbow Area
Reporter: Peter Kavouras
Went out early in the morning, everything was flooded so I couldn't hardly walk anywhere. I saw the following: Common Grackles, starlings, Downy woodpecker, Robins, cardinals, carolina chickadee, Pied-Billed Grebe, a bunch of coots, song sparrows, yellow-bellied sapsucker, mourning doves, a couple of towhees, canada geese
Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Steve Maslowski first then Don and Chan Mattingly
Steve Maslowski and I met to commemerate the search for the Green-winged Teal on St. Patrick's Day. George Laycock had hoped to be along but took sick with a cold at the last minute and Jim Simpson had a school commitment. While there we met Don and Chandra Mattingly exploring the Oxbow. The river was a 37 feet and rising so access to the back half of the Oxbow required stilts or a boat. Still we had a very good day. Oxbow Lake was accessible from the Argosy entrance by foot which was a pleasant walk. Trip List: 30 Canada Goose, 6 Wood Duck, 65 Gadwall, 10 American Black Duck, 250 Mallard, 2 Blue-winged Teal, 15 Northern Pintail, 3 Green-winged Teal,4 Redhead, 150 Ring-necked Duck, 50 Scaup (mixed), 3 Pied-billed Grebe, 4 Great Blue Heron, 2 Turkey Vulture, 1 Bald Eagle (IMM), 2 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 American Kestrel, 80 American Coot, 2 Wilson's Snipe, 9 Ring-billed Gull, 2 Mourning Dove, 2 Downy Woodpecker, 1 Pileated Woodpecker,35 American Crow, 5 Carolina Chickadee, 1 Tufted Titmouse, 1 Brown Creeper, 150 American Robin, 80 European Starling, 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler, 30 Song Sparrow, 7 Northern Cardinal, 200 Red-winged Blackbird, and 25 Common Grackle. As Don, Chan, and I were standing on the edge of Oxbow Lake we heard a tremendous splash in the water 60 feet off shore from where we were standing, in a few seconds a Beaver floated to the surface and looked at us a slapped his tail on the surface of the water with the same tremendous splash. This performance was repeated a half dozen times as the beaver slowly and indignantly swam off to the middle of the Lake. My interpretation was that he had really wanted to come ashore where we were after he was forced out of his bank den by the rising flood water. We prevented his easy exit and he was giving us a warning splash.
Date: Saturday, March 17, 2007
Location: Miami Whitewater, Stateline Road, Camp Dennison, Caesar Creek, Spring Valley
Reporter: Jay Lehman
Stopped by Lost Bridge, but no sandhills or any waterfowl. At the pond just east of State Line Road near the restaurant, there were Ring-necked Duck 25, Lesser Scaup 3, Bufflehead 4, and 4 Common Goldeneye (all f).
Date: Thursday, March 15, 2007
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: James Lundberg
3 American White Pelicans.
Date: Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Oxbow Lake had a few duck as well as the Cement Pond. I could see ducks flying in and out of the corn field but could not see in the corn field to see what was there. I was headed for the low lying area south of Mercer Pond to see what was in the fields but had to stop. Mercer Pond was filled with duck 1000-1100 by estimate. I did not approach closer as I did not wish to flush the flocks. Best estimates of all denizens today. 600 Ring-necked duck, 300 Scaup (Lesser and Greater Mix) 100 Hooded Mergansers, 100 American Coots, 10 Redhead, 8 Red-breasted Mergansers, 3 Bufflehead, 2 Northern Shoveler, 65 Mallard, 30 Canada Goose, 15 American Widgeon, 2 Green-winged Teal, 2 Pied-billed Grebe, 6 Double-crested Cormorants, 20 Black Duck, 3 Turkey Vulture, 6 Song Sparrow, 1 Eastern Meadowlark, 5 American Crow, 80 Rusty Blackbirds, 4 Grackles, 20 Red-winged Blackbirds, 2 Tree Swallows, 6 Cardinal and 2 American Pipet.
Date: Sunday, March 11, 2007
Location: Oxbow region, Hamilton Co., OH & Dearborn Co., IN
Reporter: Neill Cade
Many of the same birds listed in Jay's post for Saturday were still available Sunday, so I won't repeat them.
Among the good selection of waterfowl at Hidden Valley Lake were 150+ HOODED MERGANSERS, the most I've seen there. There was also one LEAST SANDPIPER on the beach.
The Oxbow held a COMMON MERGANSER, AMERICAN PIPITS, and a pair of River Otters actively fishing in the pond adjacent to the one behind the concrete company.
The flats and gravel pits around the Elizabethtown bridge (Lost Bridge) yielded 6 SANDHILL CRANES, 1 vocalizing EASTERN PHOEBE, and over two dozen HORNED GREBES.
Date: Saturday, March 10, 2007
Location: The Oxbow Area
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Joe Bens & Jack Stenger
Joe, Jack and I visited the Oxbow area this morning and then spent the afternoon in the Brookville Lake region. We had 23 species of waterfowl (only anatidae; swans, geese and ducks) for the day, 20 in the Oxbow and 19 in the Brookville area. The waterfowl included Tundra Swans (Oxbow) and Cackling Goose (Hueston Woods). If we include loons, grebes and coots in that group (most birders don’t) the list grows to 27 species. Not only was there a diverse number of species, we also had tremendous numbers of individuals. We saw over a thousand waterfowl in the Oxbow area and many thousands at Brookville. I’m sure many more are present in the Oxbow but we were unable to check several spots due to recent flooding. We also had our first spring sightings of Blue-winged Teal, Wood Ducks, Common Loon, Horned Grebes, Greater Yellowlegs, Tree Swallows and Rusty Blackbirds today. Early spring migration is in full swing.
Birds we found in the Oxbow area today (basically the Oxbow proper and Lost Bridge) included; Canada Goose 300, Tundra Swan 21, Wood Duck 12, Gadwall 100, American Wigeon 25, American Black Duck 18, Mallard 300, Blue-winged Teal 3, Northern Shoveler 2, Northern Pintail 60, Green-winged Teal 9, Canvasback 4, Redhead 60, Ring-necked Duck 50, Greater Scaup 8, Lesser Scaup 50, Bufflehead 10, Common Goldeneye 8, Hooded Merganser 25, Red-breasted Merganser 20, Pied-billed Grebe 15, Horned Grebe 14, Great Blue Heron 3, Black Vulture 8, Turkey Vulture 15, Red-tailed Hawk 3, American Coot 40, Killdeer 10, Greater Yellowlegs 1, Ring-billed Gull 400, Herring Gull 10, Horned Lark 3, Tree Swallow 25, Yellow-rumped Warbler 4 and Rusty Blackbird 20. Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds were present in the hundreds. See the following post for our Brookville report.
Date: Friday, March 9, 2007
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Joe Kappa
Other Birders: Paul Krusling
Highlights include 20 Red-Breasted Mergansers & 14 Horned Grebes
Date: Thursday, March 8, 2007
Location: Lost Bridge & Oxbow
Reporter: Joe Kappa
I got a call from Paul Krusling at around 4:00 reporting red-breasted mergansers (FOY for me) at the Lost Bridge and 21 tundra swans at the Oxbow. I couldn't get out until after 5:00 but I had an incredible 60 minutes of birding. Here's the highlights:
Lost Bridge: At least 8 horned grebes, 2 eared grebes and 3 pied-billed grebes. At one point I had the 2 eared grebes, four horned grebes and 1 pied-billed in my scope at the same time with the sun hitting them from behind me. Also saw 1 red-breasted merganser (male), red heads & ring neck ducks.
Oxbow: 21 tundra swans (viewed from I-275), ducks and geese in the thousands. Saw all three species of merganser. At one time I had a pair of hooded mergansers swim within 15 feet of me.
I-275 in the fields at the "Welcome to Ohio" sign, approximately 2,500 ring-billed and herring gulls, 25 sand hill cranes dancing on the edge of the puddles.
Date: Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Location: Oxbow area, Dearborn Co., IN
Reporter: Frank Renfrow
I didn't venture a stop onto the freeway berm so I missed the swans, but I did find the immature Bald Eagle while peering behind the gate to the locked campground area. Also about 2000 Ring-billed Gulls and 800 Canada Geese. I couldn't find many ducks from that vantage point, just 6 Northern Pintails was about it. It sure would be nice if there was some type of dependable access or observation platform for viewing the main Oxbow area at flood stage. I remember discussions about this at the founding meeting of Oxbow Inc. (possibly about 20 years ago now?).
Date: Monday, March 5, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
A quick drive by with binoculars only did not give me a lot of details. I would have needed the scope and three more hours to do it justice. What I could tell from observation areas along the flood are: 1000+ Canada Goose, 27 Tundra Swans, 200+ Mallard, 50 Redhead, 30 Gadwall, 4 Lesser Scaup, 4 Ring-necked Duck 5 Northern Pintail, 2 Rudy Duck, 2 Common Golden-eye, 2 American Coot, 1 Great Blue Heron, 500+ Ring-billed Gull, 2 American Bald Eagle (1A + 1IMM), 1 Killdeer, 2 Mourning Dove, 300+ Starlings, 150 American Crow, 1 Turkey Vulture, 2 Black Vulture, 100+ Red-winged Blackbird, 1 Eastern Meadowlark, 2 Northern Cardinal, 3 Song Sparrow, 1 Tree Sparrow, 2 Carolina Chickadee, 1 Common Grackle, 3 Robin and 1 Carolina Wren.
Date: Sunday, March 4, 2007
Location: Miami Whitewater, Lost Bridge, Caesar Creek SP, Spring Valley, Melvin Quarry
Reporter: Jay Lehman
I stopped at the Lost Bridge area, east of Elizabethtown, Ohio, before crossing the Whitewater River in the extreme southwest corner of Ohio. Andy Bess, who I met at the wetland, told me that there may be Greater Scaup present in the flooded field. There were indeed Greater Scaup 3 (2 m + 1f) and Lesser Scaup 2 (m +f) for good comparison. The Greater Scaup had a larger bill and larger nail on the end than the Lesser Scaup. Lesser Scaup head shape rises rather steeply in a smooth curve to a peak in back. Greater Scaup has a bump on the forehead followed by a flatter portion and rounded in the back, which gives the head a more rounded rather than peaked in back look. There were 30 Ring-billed Gulls roosting to the west of the flooded area, and Canada Geese at too great a distance to pick out the Cackling Goose reported at this location.
Date: Sunday, March 4, 2007
Location: Oxbow region
Reporter: Paul Wharton
With the Ohio River at 45 ft. and rising in the first week of March, a trip to the Oxbow did not disappoint. With the high water, many areas were difficult to access, and heat distortion made distant IDs difficult, but the numbers were very good. HIghlights were: 3 Grt.Blue Heron, 1000+ Ring-billed Gulls, Canada Goose 3000, 1 swan sp., 500 Mallard, 20 Amer. Blk. Duck, 6 N.Shovelor, 175 Pintail, 250+ Gadwall, 30 Wood Duck, 350+ Ring-neck Duck, 4 Canvasback, 75 Redhead, 10 Hooded Merganser, 4 Bufflehead, 25 L. Scaup, 1 Sandhill Crane, 15 Coots, 3 Bald Eagle (1 adult, 2 imm,) 10 Redtails, 3 Sharp-shinned hawks, Zero Cooper's (???), 5 Kestrels, 9 Turkey Vultures, 15 Killdeer, 2 Savannah Sparrows, 20 Horned Larks, 300 Red-winged Blackbirds, 100 Grackles, and a bunch of Robins.
Date: Saturday, March 3, 2007
Location: Lost Bridge and Oxbow
Reporter: Paul Krusling
Other Birders: Joe Kappa
Joe and I initially intended to spend a little time at the Lost Bridge looking for sandhill cranes. We didn't find any, but we did find the following:
Location: Oxbow (Lawrenceburg): Canada Goose 150, American Wigeon 8, American Black Duck 5, Mallard 40, Northern Pintail 50, Green-winged Teal 10, Redhead 6, Ring-necked Duck 10, Hooded Merganser 6, Great Blue Heron 1, Red-tailed Hawk 2, American Kestrel 1, American Coot 50, Ring Billed 40, Rock Pigeon 10, Mourning Dove 4, hairy Woodpecker 1, American Crow 20, American Robin 40,`European Starling 50, Northern Cardinal 4, Red-winged Blackbird 40
Location: lost bridge: Canada Goose 100, Wood Duck 4, American Wigeon 6, American Black Duck 8, Mallard 400, Northern Pintail 500, Redhead 2, Ring-necked Duck 4, Lesser Scaup 2, Common Merganser 8, Wild Turkey 5, Great Blue Heron 1, Turkey Vulture 2. Bald Eagle 1, Cooper's Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 1, American Kestrel 1, American Coot 2, Ring-billed Gull 8, Rock Pigeon 4, Mourning Dove 4, Blue Jay 1, American Crow 40, Horned Lark 1, American Robin 50, European Starling 30, Savannah Sparrow 3, Northern Cardinal 4, Red-winged Blackbird 20, Common Grackle 4
Date: Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Joe Kappa
Arrived at 6:40 pm to see 14 sandhill cranes in the small puddle with 2 canadian geese and 3 scaup. Many "V"'s of geese flying overhead. Also heard woodcock on Brower road and Delhi pike.
Date: Saturday, February 24, 2007
Location: Oxbow and Shawnee Lookout
Reporter: Paul Wharton
Other Birders: Oxbow Inc. Field Trip
We had 10 people on the Oxbow field trip this morning, and despite lots of ice on the Oxbow itself, and high water limiting access to some spots, we still ended up with a pretty good morning list. Between the Oxbow, Shawnee Lookout and the area in between, we had: 6 Great Blue Heron, 2 Pied-billed Grebes, 200+Canada Geese, 5 American Black Ducks, 25 Mallards,45 Gadwall, 2 N. Shovelers, 5 Wood Ducks, 6 Lesser Scaup, 25 Redheads, 6 Ringnecks, 1 Bufflehead, 2 Common Goldeneye, 4 Hooded Mergansers, 9 Common Mergansers, 2 immature Bald Eagles, 2 Turkey Vultures, 6 Red-tails, 1 Cooper\'s Hawk, 600+ Ring-billed Gulls, 16 Sandhill Cranes, 5 Killdeer, a Great Horned Owl on a nest, all 6 of the expected woodpeckers, Brown Creeper, 6 Horned Larks, 30 Red-winged Blackbirds, and 6 Amer. Tree Sparrows.
Date: Sunday, February 25, 2007
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Paul Krusling
Other Birders: Rose Krusling
The gravel pit at the Lost Bridge was still frozen, however there was fairly extensive flooding on the South side of Lawrenceburg Road. Highlights include 1 turkey vulture, many ring-billed gulls, a few mallards, 200+ Canada geese and at least 1 CACKLING GOOSE. There were mallards next to the bird as well as Canada geese in front, behind and next to the cackling goose. It was dwarfed by the Canadas and seemed close to the mallards in size.
Also, a few hundred yards East in the Cinergy landfill fields was a flock (6) turkeys and a soaring redtail hawk.
Date: Friday, February 23, 2007
Location: Perfect North, IN (north of Lawrenceburg)
Reporter: Jim Perry
This morning an irate shorebird was flying around the ski slopes. Maybe it was angry because its 'marsh' was still frozen and white. Possible yellow-legs.
I heard two sparrows; one was a rattle like a field sparrow; another was a rough gutteral call. The main point is that these birds are on the move now.
There were three ring-bill gulls flying over I-275 entrance ramp.
There were two bald eagles roosting on the frozen lake next to I-275 north of the Oxbow area. One was adult and one was not.
Date: Thursday, February 15, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Everything is frozen over but I jumped about 500 Mallard and 100 Gadwall out of the unpicked corn field northeast of Oxbow Lake. There were probably other species but those were the only two I could pick out of the flock. They constituted at least 95% of the flock. There were 35 American Crows in the same field. Other denizen were 4 American Tree Sparrow, 15 Song Sparrow, 3 White-throated Sparrow, 20 Northern Cardinal, and 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Date: Saturday, February 3, 2007
Location: Oxbow, Shawnee Lookout Region
Reporter: Paul Krusling
Other Birders: Joe Kappa
Joe and I started out at the Camp Dennison Gravel Pits where we found the Eurasian wigeon and the long tailed duck, both life birds for both of us, as well as most of the species reported in previous posts. From there we drove across town to the Oxbow area where we found the following:
Location: lost bridge: Canada Goose 5, (as well as the feral white goose that has been there the past couple of months), Common Merganser 5 (all males), Ring-billed Gull 10+
Location: Oxbow (Lawrenceburg): Canada Goose 7, Wood Duck 10, Gadwall 20, American Wigeon 10, American Black Duck 2, Mallard 1000, Northern Shoveler 10, Northern Pintail 1, Green-winged Teal 5, Redhead 3, Ring-necked Duck 5, Lesser Scaup 1, Ruddy Duck 5, Pied-billed Grebe 12, Great Blue Heron 1, Bald Eagle 1 (imm.), Red-tailed Hawk 1, American Kestrel 1, American Coot 100, Ring-billed Gull 25, Rock Pigeon 25, Mourning Dove 5, Northern Flicker 1, Blue Jay 1, American Crow 200, Carolina Chickadee 5, American Robin 25, European Starling 25, American Pipit 1 (a single bird that was in the field west of the oxbow lake under the power lines), Song Sparrow 1, White-throated Sparrow 1, Northern Cardinal 20, American Goldfinch 1, House Sparrow 2
Location: Shawnee Lookout County Park: Wild Turkey 12, Red-tailed Hawk 1, Peregrine Falcon 1, Ring-billed Gull 1, Red-bellied Woodpecker 1, Downy Woodpecker 1, American Crow 5, Carolina Chickadee 5, Tufted Titmouse 2, White-breasted Nuthatch 1, Carolina Wren 1, American Robin 5, European Starling 10, Eastern Towhee 1, American Tree Sparrow 10, Song Sparrow 3, White-throated Sparrow 3, White-crowned Sparrow 1, Dark-eyed Junco 2, Northern Cardinal 12,
Date: Monday, January 15, 2007
Location: Larwenceburg Rd
Reporter: Jeff Rowe
Other Birders: Donna Rowe, Andy Bess
Crossing the Great Miami River this afternoon, I observed some Canada Geese in the field down stream from the road. I saw 6 geese that were half the size of the other geese. My first thought were Cackling Geese but since these were a life bird, I asked Andy Bess to stop by after work. Andy confirmed my observation. The river will probably close this road later this evening. You can still reach the area from Rt. 50. There are homes beyond the barricade that will go up once the river starts across the road so going past the barricade shouldn't be a problem. The only other interesting bird observed today is a partial albino female cardinal at our feeder. The bird has a white/grey head and a white rump. Donna first saw it yesterday but the weather has not been good for photographing this bird.