Oxbow, Inc.
Protecting and Preserving Wetlands
Sightings in the Oxbow - 2011
Date: Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Location: Lost Bridge, Hamilton Co, OH
Reporter: Frank Renfrow
Other Birders: Veronica Renfrow
We saw one Osprey soaring when we crossed back over the lost bridge
Date: Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Location: Lost Bridge, OH
Reporter: Jack Stenger
I birded some areas in the Lower Great Miami/Whitewater valleys this morning. Highlights below.
Lost Bridge: 4 Semipalmated Plovers; 4 Spotted Sandpipers; 10 Killdeer
Date: Saturday, December 31, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Paul Krusling
2 blue phase an one white phase snow geese were at the Lost Bridge this morning.
Date: Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: David Carr
Other Birders: Geoff Hill
Despite the rain, we had a pretty good morning looking for waterfowl. At the Oxbow we found about 2000 Mallards, a flock of about 50 Green-winged Teal, a similar number of Gadwall, and a scattering of other species. An adult Peregrine Falcon chased the ducks around for a while. Sightings from the Oxbow included: Canada Goose, Gadwall, American Black Duck, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Wild Turkey, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Red-tailed Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, American Coot, Ring-billed Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, American Crow, European Starling, American Tree Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird
Date: Monday, December 26, 2011
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Entered the Oxbow at Sunset and immediately 4 deer fled the area from the RR tracks into the Conservancy district. On Jackpot pond a few ducks and a singe Double-crested Cormorant were crossing paths head in opposite directions. Dark and I could not distinguish the ducks. At the end of the Conservancy District the flooded field halted my progress but several hundred ducks were in the flooded cut of the old river bed. Everything I could recognize was a Mallard. A "V" of about 80 Canada Geese came over the levee and headed deeper into the Oxbow.
Date: Friday, December 16, 2011
Location: Oxbow region
Reporter: Paul Wharton
I was doing a quick scout of the Oxbow in preparation for tomorrow's Ohio River CBC. While driving through, I saw hundreds of ducks, mostly in the inaccessible center of the Oxbow, but also saw a Double-crested Cormorant. This was a pleasant surprise as we have only seen Double-crested cormorant once in 23 years on this count. I hadn't seen the possible Anhinga report, but the bird I saw was definitely a cormorant. Of the ducks I could ID, there were Mallards, Blacks, Gadwall, both scaup, and at least 60 Green-winged teal. With more time and better light, I would have scanned the 100's of ducks, but we'll get them on the count tomorrow. An adult Bald Eagle and 28 Great Blue Herons were also in the immediate area.
(The sighting below has not been confirmed and only cormorants were seen by other observers in the area. Anhinga have been reported by other observers over the years but not confirmed.)
Date: Friday, December 16, 2011
Location: Oxbow,
Reporter: Jim Rettig
Anhinga seen swimming; long, white, dagger-like bill, held above horizontal; thick, gray neck; did not see body, but was pushing a "bow-wave" ahead of it. Seen at aprox 9:30 AM. Also many ducks and Coots.
Date: Saturday, December 3, 2011
Location: Larwenceburg Rd.
Reporter: Jeff Rowe
Other Birders:
At Larwenceburg Rd. I saw a single duck swimming with Canada geese which I first thought was a Gadwall (distant view). After getting home and hanging lights, I finnaly had time to check Sibley. I now think it was more likely a Black scoter. I distinctly remember seeing a lighter cheek, darker cap and the head was rounded.
Date: Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Brian Wulker
Waterfowl are certainly moving through the Oxbow right now, I had 13 species of ducks and 3 gulls species, and very good numbers of several species. Geese were few and far between, with a few small flocks of Canadas and nothing else. Also had a Sharp-shinned Hawk near the entrance, and my first Am. Tree Sparrows this fall by the oxbow lake overlook.
Waterbird list:
40 Canada Geese
40+ Wood Duck
31 Gadwall
17 Am. Black Duck
330 Mallard
4 N. Shoveler
2 N. Pintail
1 Green-winged Teal
183 Redhead
6 Ring-necked Duck
7 Lesser Scaup
4 bufflehead
54 Hooded Merganser
26 Ruddy Duck
8 Pied-billed Grebe
132 DC Cormorant
10 GB Heron
30+ Bonaparte's Gull
40 Ring-billed Gull
12 Herring Gull
Most of the ducks were out on the middle of Oxbow Lake, right in front of the overlook. The Redhead were all sleeping in a large group in front of the overlook. A small group of Canada Geese came in close and flushed more than 100 of them, along with 50 or so of the Mallards and a few Black Ducks. It was quite a sight to see such a large group of waterfowl wheeling around over the lake. They eventually settled about 100 yards further down the lake.
Almost all of the Gulls, ~100 of the Cormorants, the Pintail, and many of the Wood Ducks and Mallards were back on Mercer Pond.
Lost Bridge (Gravel Pit):
8 Common Loon
29 Red-Breasted Merganser
Date: Sunday, November 20, 2011
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Mark Gilsdorf
A brief stop at the Oxbow this morning from 8 - 9 a.m. turned up 20 Snow Geese (16 white, 4 blue) on the flooded field just the other side of the eastern tree-lined shore of Oxbow Lake.
Trip list:
Snow Goose 20 (16 white morph, 4 blue morph)
Canada Goose 10
Mallard 8
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Great Blue Heron 5
Bald Eagle 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 1
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 5
American Crow 75
Carolina Chickadee 5
Carolina Wren 3
American Robin 15
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3
Song Sparrow 10
Northern Cardinal 10
Red-winged Blackbird 25
Date: Saturday, November 19, 2011
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: John Hines
Other Birders: Mary Jo Hines
Two bald eagles frolicking over Oxbow Lake
Date: Friday, November 4, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Paul Krusling
I stopped by the Lost Bridge today to see if last nights and yesterdays storm blew any birds our way.
Canada Goose 50
Gadwall 4
American Wigeon 12
American Black Duck 4
Mallard 8
Ring-necked Duck 35
Lesser Scaup 2
Bufflehead 4
Common Loon 1
Pied-billed Grebe 2
Horned Grebe 6
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Great Blue Heron 4
Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 8
Bald Eagle 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Merlin 1
Bonaparte's Gull 15
Ring-billed Gull 6
Rock Pigeon 20
Mourning Dove 5
Belted Kingfisher 1
American Crow 12
Carolina Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 1
Carolina Wren 1
American Robin 8
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 5
American Goldfinch 6
House Sparrow 2
No Shorebirds
Date: Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Ron Dressman
Date: Friday, October 7, 2011
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Others: Sally McWilliams
3 Otter at 90 feet. One scolded us standing completely out of the water on a fallen tree branch.
Date: Saturday, October 1, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge/Oxbow
Reporter: Jonathan Frodge
Other Birders: Casey Warren
At Lost Bridge we had a first year Bald Eagle and an Osprey. The Oxbow had 25 or so Great Egrets, as many Great Blue Herons and DC Cormorants, 1 Solitary, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Coot, 1 Black Duck, 1 Pied-billed Grebe, 2 Ring-billed Gull, 1 Bonapartes Gull, 1 adult Bald Eagle, 1 Coopers Hawk, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, & 1 Palm Warbler.
Date: Saturday, September 24, 2011
Location: Shawnee Lookout
Reporter: Ned Keller
Other Birders: 15 others - Oxbow Inc. field trip
The Oxbow itself had almost no shorebird habitat, but it did have a Killdeer during a pre-trip scout, along with about 30 Great Egrets. We spent the entire trip at Shawnee Lookout. We had the usual fall phenomenon of groups of migrants separated by large areas of looking at trees. Here's my eBird report (I'm sure others can add some things):
Shawnee Lookout County Park, Hamilton, US-OH
Sep 24, 2011 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments: cloudy, light drizzle about half the time, 55 degrees
43 species (+1 other taxa)
Wild Turkey 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Mourning Dove 10
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 5
Downy Woodpecker 5
Northern Flicker 2
Pileated Woodpecker 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Empidonax sp. 1
White-eyed Vireo 2
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 25
American Crow 10
Carolina Chickadee 10
Tufted Titmouse 10
White-breasted Nuthatch 10
House Wren 2
Swainson's Thrush 4
American Robin 25
Gray Catbird 3
European Starling 50
Cedar Waxwing 150
Black-and-white Warbler 2
Tennessee Warbler 1
Nashville Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 2
American Redstart 1
Northern Parula 1
Bay-breasted Warbler 2
Yellow-throated Warbler 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 3
Eastern Towhee 1
Song Sparrow 3
Scarlet Tanager 1
Northern Cardinal 10
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 4
Indigo Bunting 6
Red-winged Blackbird 1000
Common Grackle 10
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
American Goldfinch 5
Date: Saturday, September 17, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Bruce Leonhardt
Other Birders: Paul Ice
Saturday Paul Ice and I stopped at the Lost Bridge where 3 Osprey entertained us.
http://leonhardt.smugmug.com/Animals/Osprey/9610825_CDmdtP#1485906034_2tW59sD-X2-LB
Date: Saturday, September 10, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Don Martin
Other Birders: Robbie Martin, Travis Young
One American Pipit and one Greater Yellowlegs at the sky pool. No shorebirds on the sandbars.
Date: Sunday, September 11, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Paul Wharton
Other Birders: Joyce, Lola and Jim from the Cincinnati Bird Club
A stop at Lost Bridge and the nearby mudflats yielded Killdeer as our only shorebird, but nice looks at 3 Great Egrets, 6 Great Blue Herons, an adult Bald Eagle, 2 Osprey, a Redtail and a Broadwing hawk, 2 Kingfishers, and a Horned Lark.
Date: Saturday, September 10, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Don Martin
Other Birders: Robbie Martin, Travis Young
1 Greater Yellowlegs and 1 American Pipit in the sky pools. No shorebirds in the river.
Date: Monday, September 5, 2011
Location: Elizabethtown bridge, Hamilton Co., OH
Reporter: Neill Cade
Stopped by at 7:45 AM. The Western Sandpiper was still present and had been joined by a Baird's Sandpiper and several Semipalmated Plovers.
Least, Semipalmated, and Pectoral Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs, and Killdeer were all onsite.
Date: Sunday, September 4, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Bruce Leonhardt
Other than 2 green heron, 2 great white egrets, a muted swan, and a fishing osprey I have included the link to a few photos taken and my visits to the bridge.
http://leonhardt.smugmug.com/Animals/Shorebirds/18874110_kJqjC7
Date: Saturday, September 3, 2011
Location: Shawnee/Lost Bridge
Reporter: Albert Scruggs
A few nice birds on a humid morning-Warblers--Chestnut-sided, Common yellowthroat, Magnolia, Blue-winged, Black and white, Nashville, Am. Redstart; plus Yellow-throated vireo, Wood thrush, 2 Yellow-billed cuckoos, Coopers hawk, many Cedar waxwings. Lost Bridge had the same shorebirds as reported above (except did not see a Stilt Sp) plus an Osprey on up-river perch.
Date: Friday, September 2, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Leslie Houser
Arrived at Lost Bridge at about 4:45 and stayed for about 30 minutes or so. I was able to view the Western Sandpiper on the up river side of the bridge, just as Frank had reported earlier. Other birds of interest were Least,Semipalmated,and Pectoral Sandpipers. Green Herons, Great Egrets, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. Lots of Killdeers and Crows that were feeding in a riffle on the far end of the mud flat.
Date: Friday, September 2, 2011
Location: lost bridge up river side
Reporter: Frank Frick
Western Sandpiper 1,proable the same one Jason Cade reported yesterday. also 10 pectoral sandpipers,4 semipalmated sandpipers,2 lesser yellowlegs, and 1 greater yellowlegs. An imm. peregrine made a couple of passes while I was there.
Jeff Rowe reporter a western sandpiper in the same area in late August. A western is a good find in southwest Ohio,it's been a few years since I've seen one.
Date: Thursday, September 1, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Jason Cade
Stopped at Lost Bridge this morning around 745 am. No shorebirds in the skypool however there was a large flock of Horned Larks with several juveniles mixed in walking around in the caked dirt. The whole group (50-60 birds) picked up when a Cooper's Hawk buzzed through. Drove further down & walked the bridge. Here I saw several shorebirds. There were nice exposed mudflats & gravel bars where several birds were congregated. This was on the same side of the bridge as the gravel pit. Here I found: 40 Killdeer, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 4 Pectoral Sandpipers, 12 Least Sandpipers, 4 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 1 WESTERN SANDPIPER*, & 1 STILT SANDPIPER.
Other highlights: family of Wood Ducks, 3 Belted Kingfishers, & about 6 Cliff Swallows left flying around the bridge.
*The Western Sandpiper I saw fly in & join the group of Semipalms & Leasts. I got great views of the bird as it walked close to the bridge. It was definitely a bit bigger & bulkier than the others. The first thing I saw was the rufous cap & longer, slightly decurved bill. Upon close observation saw a bit of rufous on the scapulars as well. Thus I feel confident with this id.
Checked the river mudflats about 10 am before I left & the Western was still present but the Stilt Sandpiper was gone. About 12 more Least Sandpipers & 5 more Lesser Yellowlegs had shown up though showing the constant turnover this location has. Good Birding!
Date: Sunday, August 28, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge & Oxbow
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Audubon Society, 13 participants
When this Audubon Society Field trip was planned a couple of months ago the trip destination was left open to see where the best shorebird conditions would develop in our immediate area and then decide where to go the day of the trip. But as all experienced local birders are well aware good shorebird habitat is pretty iffy season to season around here.
Some folks have recently reported a few early migrant warblers so we decided to first check the Shawnee Lookout Boat Ramp in hopes of finding a few there. We found none in our brief visit but a couple of birders we met there said they had seen a Nashville Warbler and an American Redstart just before we arrived.
There were still a decent number of shorebirds at Lost Bridge but again the species diversity was low. We also saw 2 Caspian Terns there that seemed to be lingering in the area. The shorebirds present included; Killdeer 40+, Semipalmated Plover 4, Spotted Sandpiper 2, Solitary Sandpiper 4, Lesser Yellowlegs 1, Semipalmated Sandpiper 30+, Least Sandpiper 20~, and Pectoral Sandpiper 2. We thought we had a couple of candidates for White-rumped and Western Sandpipers but after scrupulous attention we were unable to turn them into anything but Semipalmated Sandpipers. A Mute Swan, a Blue-winged Teal, Great Blue and Green Herons, Belted Kingfishers 3, and 40 swallows including a fairly late Cliff were also present.
A quick stop at the Oxbow, as expected, yielded no shorebirds but did give us a decent look at a Black-crowned Night-Heron. We also saw Great Egrets, Green Herons, Double-crested Cormorants, Ruby Throated Hummingbird, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Wood-Pewee and our only warbler for the day, a Black-and-White.
Date: Saturday, August 27, 2011
Location: Oxbow & Lost Bridge
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Oxbow Inc Field Trip 42 participants
The great weather, beautiful evening and TGIF effect may have been the impetus for the good size group on our Oxbow Inc Field Trip this evening. Everybody seemed to have a good time.
Water levels in the Oxbow proper are fairly high for this time of year and shorebird habitat is sparse there. The Great Miami River on the other hand has plenty of exposed sandbars and shallow riffles. I visited Lost Bridge (the Lawrenceburg Road Bridge over the Great Miami) Thursday night with my wife Paula and again tonight (Friday) with the Oxbow Field Trip. Good numbers of shorebirds were present in the shallows below the bridge on both visits but numbers were better on Thursday evening. Shorebirds seen and my high count for either day included; Killdeer 20~, Spotted Sandpiper 2, Solitary Sandpiper 3, Lesser Yellowlegs 8, Semipalmated Sandpipers 20+, Least Sandpipers 25+, Pectoral Sandpiper 6, and Stilt Sandpiper 2 (Thursday only). Five Green Herons were also seen along the river and 3 Great Egrets nearby. The large pool just west of the bridge and on the south side of the road has some decent habitat but the only shorebirds seen there on both of my recent visits were a few Killdeer and a Solitary Sandpiper.
Some of the species seen in the Oxbow included Black-crowned Night-Herons 2, Great Egrets 10, Green Herons 3, many Great Blue Herons, Double-crested Cormorants 13 and a Spotted Sandpiper.
Our past experiences tell us that there is a pretty regular turnover of shorebirds at Lost Bridge so the site bears watching. Anyone going there for the first time should note that the shorebirds really blend into the sand, gravel and riffles and can be easily overlooked.
Date: Friday, August 26, 2011
Location: Larwenceburg Rd. - Lost Bridge
Reporter: Jeff Rowe
Found a few shorebirds on the sandbar under the bridge. Highlights include possible Bairds (1), White-rumped (1) and Western (1) sandpipers. Several Lesser yellowlegs, about 10 Semi-palmated sandpipers, 2 Solitary sandpiper, at least 1 Spotted sandpiper.
Date: Saturday, July 23, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Brian Wulker
Other Birders: Gale Wulker
Stopped by Lost Bridge after the butterfly trip to oxbow and in between thunderstorms. About a dozen or so Pectoral Sandpipers, 20+ Least Sandpipers, Killdeer and a Spotted Sandpiper scattered along the back shore of the topsoil operation south of Lawrenceburg Rd. Also several more Least Sandpipers on the sandbars on the Great Miami River.
Also 1 Solitary Sandpiper and 1 Spotted Sandpiper at Shawnee Boat Ramp.
Date: Saturday, July 23, 2011
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Bruce Leonhardt
Other Birders: Dearborn County Deputy Wyatt
I made 2 visits to Oxbow. First was around 7 am. I watched a BCNH pair fly over Oxbow Lake. I also spotted a Kingfisher, (4) Green Heron, a lazy beaver, (20+) Indigo Buntings, Cardinals, Cormorants, and (3) Turkey Vultures lazily circling in the sky.
The second trip was around 3 pm. I was following a tiger swallowtail towards the back soybean fields. The deputy showed up and walked with me. We spotted (6) BCNH in trees high above the swampy area. Heard more green heron.
Date: Saturday, July 16, 2011
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Retired GE tour members
Nice day for a tour group. We had excellent sightings of all four heron species on Juno Pond. 4 Great Blue Heron, 3 Great Egret, 2 Black-crowned Night Heron and 1 Green Heron. Nice to see everyone back in the Oxbow.
Date: Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Location: Shawnee Lookout Park Boat Ramp
Reporter: Paul Krusling
Other Birders: Adam Lyons
While hiking back from the beech along the canoe access trail we flushed a fledgling Virginia Rail. I was so stunned that I walked over to where it landed and flushed it again just to be sure. The bird was about adult size, but was much darker than an adult, with a fully developed long dark bill. The bird was in a treeless area next to the beech.
Date: Thursday, July 7, 2011
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg and Lost Bridge
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Working day in the Oxbow and a trip around the floodplain to Shawnee turned up the following while not looking hard. 1 Mute Swan, 12 Canada Geese, 14 Great Blue Heron, 3 Great Egret, 5 Turkey Vulture, 14 American Crow, 1 Hawk (sp?), 5 Double-crested Cormorants, 1 Wood Duck, 1 American Coot, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 Eastern Kingbird, 4 Prothonatary Warbler, 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 2 Carolina Chickadee, 5 Indigo Bunting, 2 Red-winged Blackbird, 2 Song Sparrow, 3 Morning Dove,6 Killdeer, ~ 10 Peeps, and 4 Northern Cardinal.
Date: Thursday, June 16, 2011
Location: Oxbow Area
Reporter: Nick Baker
At the Oxbow Area, I saw several Great Blue Herons, plus 13+ Great Egrets with 8+ Double Crested Cormorants in a communal roost. Also, a female Wood Duck with what looks like 18 chicks!
Date: Monday, May 30, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Albert Scruggs
Other Birders: julie morris
Highlights--Lost Bridge- 3 Bald eagles standing on the mudflats, 1 mature, 2 immature.
Date: Monday, May 30, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Andy Bess
The Golden Plover was seen again this morning hanging out on the far side of the flooded field near the island.
Date: Sunday, May 29, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge, Lawrenceburg Road
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Paula Stenger
At around 6:00 p.m. this Sunday evening I counted 143 shorebirds feeding along the south edge of the large flood pond on the south side of Lawrenceburg Road just west of Lost Bridge. Most of these birds were scattered along the waters edge but I most likely undercounted somewhat as there were several birds spread out over the drying mud further out. These birds were mostly made up of Semipalmated Sandpipers but also included 25+ White-rumped Sandpipers. Three Caspian Terns and four Ring-billed Gulls were also present and an immature Bald Eagle put in a brief appearance.
The species makeup of the shorebirds was: Semipalmated Sandpipers 80, White-rumped Sandpiper 25+, Semipalmated Plover 15~, Least Sandpiper 15~, Spotted Sandpiper 3 and several Killdeer.
Date: Sunday, May 29, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge, and Oxbow
Reporter: Allan Claybon
About an hour later 2 Capian Terns at Lost Bridge flooded field along with Canada Geese and Mallards and about 60 shorebirds, too far for me to ID. I posted an image if you want to give it a try.
The road into Oxbow from the cement plant is open to the viewing area, but is flooded below the hill as you proceed South. Saw only 4 Great Egrets and 3 GB Herons in the flooded field West of the roadway. Only a few Mallards on Oxbow Lake.
Date: Sunday, May 29, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge & Oxbow
Reporter: Joe Kappa
Other Birders: Cathy Kappa
Paul Krusling told me he saw a Golden Plover, several Semipalmated Plovers and 4 Bald Eagles at the Lost Bridge this morning so My wife and I took a ride out to see. We did see the Golden Plover, approximately 40 Semipalmated Plovers and 3 of the Eagles along with several peeps.
At the Oxbow we saw 2 Caspian Terns, 6 Great Egrets, 25 mixed peeps, 4 DC Cormorants, 30 Canada Geese, 7 Mallards and 5 Gr Blue Herons.
Date: Sunday, May 29, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge, Lawrenceburg Road
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Paula Stenger
At around 6:00 p.m. this Sunday evening I counted 143 shorebirds feeding along the south edge of the large flood pond on the south side of Lawrenceburg Road just west of Lost Bridge. Most of these birds were scattered along the waters edge but I most likely undercounted somewhat as there were several birds spread out over the drying mud further out. These birds were mostly made up of Semipalmated Sandpipers but also included 25+ White-rumped Sandpipers. Three Caspian Terns and four Ring-billed Gulls were also present and an immature Bald Eagle put in a brief appearance. The species makeup of the shorebirds was: Semipalmated Sandpipers 80, White-rumped Sandpiper 25+, Semipalmated Plover 15~, Least Sandpiper 15~, Spotted Sandpiper 3 and several Killdeer.
Date: Sunday, May 29, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge, and Oxbow
Reporter: Allan Claybon
2 Capian Terns at Lost Bridge flooded field along with Canada Geese and Mallards and about 60 shorebirds, too far for me to ID. I posted an image if you want to give it a try. The road into Oxbow from the cement plant is open to the viewing area, but is flooded below the hill as you proceed South. Saw only 4 Great Egrets and 3 GB Herons in the flooded field West of the roadway. Only a few Mallards on Oxbow Lake.
Date: Sunday, May 29, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge & Oxbow
Reporter: Joe Kappa
Other Birders: Cathy Kappa
Paul Krusling told me he saw a Golden Plover, several Semipalmated Plovers and 4 Bald Eagles at the Lost Bridge this morning so My wife and I took a ride out to see. We did see the Golden Plover, approximately 40 Semipalmated Plovers and 3 of the Eagles along with several peeps. At the Oxbow we saw 2 Caspian Terns, 6 Great Egrets, 25 mixed peeps, 4 DC Cormorants, 30 Canada Geese, 7 Mallards and 5 Gr Blue Herons.
Date: Saturday, May 28, 2011
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Ron Dressman
I thought it might be of interest to the fellow members to know that a Prothonotary Warbler is nesting in an old woodpecker cavity in a dead tree trunk standing in the middle of the pond at the southern end of Jackpot Pond - which now has water right up to the road that leads to the casino. The tree trunk - shortest of those dead trunks standing in the water - was out of the water about 8 feet as of May 28, situated about 25 to 30 feet off the road. The woodpecker hole was about 4 feet from the top and facing the road. Very easy to spot. With patient, quiet waiting (one can sit on the huge log across the road) the warbler can be observed coming and going. Quite exciting to see such a colorful warbler (only cavity-nesting warbler east of the Mississippi) nesting in the Oxbow. I expect if the water recedes rapidly there will be no water standing that close to the road for long.
Date: Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Brian Wulker
Started the morning at Lost Bridge at about 9:30. Absolutely no shorebirds in the mud, but the Martin Marietta Pit had a lot on it. More than a dozen great egrets as well as 2 Snowy Egrets, Cormorants, and nearly 70 (conservative est.) terns actively feeding, flying, and fighting over food above the gravel pit. The majority of them appeared to be Common, all in breeding plumage, but there were a few Forster's mixed in. No sign of the Least Tern... As time went on, the tern density started to ease off, and by the time I left 45 minutes later, there were only 20 or 30 birds left.
Date: Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Jason Cade
Lost Bridge- Highlights: 1 SNOWY EGRET in the gravel pit along with a Great Egret. Skypool across the street held 1 Black-bellied Plover & 1 unid shorebird flew before I could identify. 1 Ring-billed Gull but no terns. Good birding!
Date: Monday, May 23, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: William Hull
Follow up to yesterday's post. 2nd tern was Common in non-breeding plumage.
Date: Sunday, May 22, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: William Hull
I saw the Least Tern twice. It flew in and landed with the shorebirds. At one point they all flushed, the shorebirds landed behind a big dirt mound but the tern did not land with them. About ten minutes later I saw it again for about 30 seconds in flight and then lost it as I was unsuccessfully trying to get my camera to focus on it. I did not see it again after that. On the gravel pit side of the road there was a second interesting tern present associating with the handful of gulls. I did not have time to scope it but it appeared to be a Forster's/Common in non-breeding plumage but I can't yet rule out other species. From the angle that I had it appeared that there was a good amount of white on top of the head. I was able to get a few photos while it was on the ground that I will look at later tonight.
Date: Sunday, May 22, 2011
Location: lost bridge
Reporter: William Hull
11:10 Least Tern (dainty, yellow bill, white forhead) just flew in
Date: Sunday, May 22, 2011
Location: lost bridge
Reporter: William Hull
3 Black-bellied Plovers, 2 Dunlin
Date: Saturday, May 21, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Paul Krusling
Other Birders: Jessica Angel, Oliver Forton
Lots of Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons, many (50+)Double Crested Cormorants and a single SNOWY EGRET! All in or surrounding the large gravel pit.
Date: Friday, May 20, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Brian Wulker
Lost Bridge: Only shorebirds down were about 10 Semipalmated Plover, but as I was about to leave, 26 Black-bellied Plover flew over towards the Martin-Marrieta pit. Couldn't find them on the ground though...
Date: Saturday, April 16, 2011
Location: Shawnee Lookout
Reporter: Ned Keller
Other Birders: Oxbow, Inc. field trip
The Oxbow was completely flooded, so we headed for Ohio. Lost Bridge had 1 each Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal, plus an unidentified female teal, along with about 50 Ring-billed Gulls. The Cliff Swallows were back in force near the bridge, and the gravel pit across Lawrenceburg Road had a dzen or so Ring-necked Ducks, a Redhead, and a Pied-billed Grebe, plus a brief appearance by an adult Bald Eagle.
The two gentlemen who were still with me in the drizzle then went on to the Fort Trail at Shawnee Lookout. We found a Wood Thrush, a Hermit Thrush, at least a dozen each of Northern Parulas and Yellow-rumped Warblers, several Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and a Yellow-throated Vireo. We met Dave Russell and his crew as we were leaving the trail; he reported a White-eyed Vireo on the road just before the turnaround, which we were not able to relocate.
Date: Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Allan Claybon
Other Birders: Laura Keene
Unable to locate the Marbled Godwit late this morning. 4 Caspian Terns remain along with 100's of Double-crested Cormorants. 1 Snowy Egret, along with about 10 Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons. Immature Bald Eagle stirred up the 20+ Ring-billed Gulls, mostly immatures, but the cormorants and 10+ Ring-necked Ducks didn't seem to mind the eagle circling low over the water for several minutes. Dozens of swallows including at least 1 Barn Swallow. Did not see any shorebirds except Killdeer. Images at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nsxbirder later this evening.
Date: Monday, April 11, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge Elizabethtown
Reporter: Frank Frick
I went looking for the Marbled Godwits that Andy Bess had reported earlier today. I got there about 11:30am and found one. It was still there at 12:00 when I left.
Date: Monday, April 11, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge Elizabethtown
Reporter: Andy Bess
There were 4 Marbled Godwits in the flooded field before the bridge. There were 200 Cormorants 6 Great Egrets and 2 Bonaparte Gulls in the same field. This was at 10 AM. At about 10:30 I went back and did not see the Godwits. The cormorants had moved to the large reservoir across the road.
Date: Monday, March 28, 2011
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Joe Kappa
The Cormorants are back. I counted over 230, most in the trees along Jack Pot Pond. Also saw more than 200 Coots and hundreds of ducks. Here is what I was able to count: American Widgeon 6, Shoveler 14, Gadwall 4, Ring-neck Ducks 15, Scaup 150, Mallards 12, Blue-winged Teal 4, Wood duck 4, Pied-billed Grebe 5, Canada Goose 6
Date: Sunday, March 27, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Laura Keene
The Little Gull finally showed up this afternoon, and is currently present in the same area as previously reported.
Date: Saturday, March 26, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge - Little Gull
Reporter: Don Martin
Little Gull present in flooded field on south side of road at 9:00 this morning. Several Lesser Scaup and one Greater Scaup present also.
Date: Friday, March 25, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Allan Claybon
Here's a link to an image of the Little Gull side by side with a Bonaparte's Gull. An immature Bald Eagle captured a duck while we were watching the gulls and flew to a distant tree. More images on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/nsxbirder/5559849454/
Date: Friday, March 25, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Leslie Houser
The Little Gull was still there at 2:00pm, however it wasn't content with sitting with the other gulls, it flew back and forth across Lawrenceburg Road several times before I lost sight of it.
Date: Friday, March 25, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Jason Cade
Little Gull still there when I left at 1130.
Date: Friday, March 25, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: William Hull
Other Birders: 8 others
Was there from about 8:00-10:00 this morning. , Canada Goose 23, Wood Duck 3, Mallard 4, Northern Shoveler 19, Northern Pintail 1, Green-winged Teal 4, Greater Scaup 6, Hooded Merganser 2, duck sp. 25, Double-crested Cormorant 1, Great Blue Heron 6, Bald Eagle 1, Cooper's Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 1, Killdeer 7, Greater Yellowlegs 1, Lesser Yellowlegs 1, Pectoral Sandpiper 78, Bonaparte's Gull 30, Little Gull 1 (1st winter), Ring-billed Gull 15, Herring Gull 1 (2nd winter), Rock Pigeon 6,
Mourning Dove 2, Belted Kingfisher 1, Eastern Phoebe 1, American Crow 8, Horned Lark 2, American Robin 8, European Starling 4, Red-winged Blackbird 2
Date: Thursday, March 24, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge, Elizabethtown, Ohio
Reporter: Jeff Rowe
Other Birders: Andy Bess
Thanks to Frank posting and Jonathan Frodge for helping us find the Little Gull. The view was distant, but the size of the Little gull was easily observed in flight as it flew with the bonnies. Shortly after Jonathan left, a large swan (guessing mute) got all the bonnies into the air and they (assuming the LG included)flew to the south. Hopefully they will return in the morning? As I was leaving, one more surprise dropped in, one not so rare (this year) White pelican. It was still there at 7:30 pm.
Date: Thursday, March 24, 2011
Location: lost bridge - martin-marietta parking
Reporter: Jonathan Frodge
LITTLE GULL - yes. Moved into fields w Bonies after a Redtail spooked them but good looks and perhaps diagnostic photos (though they certainly won't. Be pretty). Also 100± Pectoral Sanpipers and a Gr Yellowlegs and Bald Eagle.
Date: Thursday, March 24, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge area
Reporter: Frank Frick
At lost bridge area,coming from route 50 on right side before getting to bridge in flooded field at 11:00am this morning I saw a Little Gull. It was an imm. bird. When seen in same scope view with Bonaparte's it was smaller with a smaller bill. Top of wing forward had a black pattern and aft a white trailing edge. Also 14 Bonaparte's Gulls and some Ring-billed gulls.
Date: Sunday, February 27, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge and The Oxbow
Reporter: Paul Krusling
Lost Bridge: Canada Goose 10, Gadwall 14, American Wigeon 10, American Black Duck 8, Mallard 45, Northern Shoveler 12, Green-winged Teal 5, Canvasback 2, Ring-necked Duck 6, Lesser Scaup 8, Bufflehead 2, Hooded Merganser 2, Red-breasted Merganser 1, Wild Turkey 12, Great Blue Heron 2, Black Vulture 1, Turkey Vulture 6, Bald Eagle 1, Red-tailed Hawk 2, American Coot 2, Killdeer 4, Ring-billed Gull 25, Rock Pigeon 15, Mourning Dove 2, Red-bellied Woodpecker 1, Downy Woodpecker 2, American Crow 20, Horned Lark 1, Carolina Chickadee 45, Tufted Titmouse 30, White-breasted Nuthatch 6, Carolina Wren 2, Golden-crowned Kinglet 2, American Robin 6, European Starling 30, American Tree Sparrow 1, Song Sparrow 2, White-throated Sparrow 5, Northern Cardinal 4, House Sparrow 2
Oxbow: Snow Goose 65 I watched several flocks of geese land in the field north of the Horseshoe Bottom Campground. An immature Bald Eagle flew over and scattered them. After a few moments, the geese settled back down in the field. Canada Goose 30, Gadwall 59, American Wigeon 25, American Black Duck 25, Mallard 15, Northern Shoveler 30, Green-winged Teal 12, Canvasback 9, Redhead 17, Ring-necked Duck 51, Lesser Scaup 29, Bufflehead 4, Hooded Merganser 4, Great Blue Heron 4, American Coot 12, Killdeer 6, Ring-billed Gull 30, Rock Pigeon 20, Mourning Dove 2, Red-bellied Woodpecker 2, Downy Woodpecker 4, Northern Flicker 1, Pileated Woodpecker 1, American Crow 100, Carolina Chickadee 45, Tufted Titmouse 20, White-breasted Nuthatch (Eastern) 6, Carolina Wren 2, Golden-crowned Kinglet 2, American Robin 12, European Starling 8, Eastern Towhee 1, American Tree Sparrow 11, Song Sparrow 1, White-throated Sparrow 6, Northern Cardinal 5,Turkey Vulture 8, Bald Eagle 1, American Kestrel 1, Red Tailed Hawk 3
Date: Saturday, February 26, 2011
Location: The Oxbow area
Reporter: Paul Wharton
Other Birders: 13 Oxbow Inc. members & guests
With the Ohio River projected to be at 45.5 ft. on Saturday morning, I knew the monthly Oxbow Field Trip would have to circle the perimeter of the area rather than hit the flooded Oxbow Lake. Waterfowl were very scattered and thin in the areas we could see, but we managed to find 12 species: Canada Goose, Mallard 50, Black Duck 2, Wigeon 5; N.Shoveler 2, Green-winged Teal 4, Wood Duck 40, Gadwall 10 Hooded Merganser 6, Redhead 35, Ring-necked Duck 20, Lesser Scaup 6. Other birds seen included Pied-billed Grebe 1, Great Blue Heron 4, Ring-billed Gull 250, American Pipit 4, Horned Larks, Killdeer, Kestrel 1, Red-tailed Hawk 4, and 9 Bald Eagles. The 9 Bald Eagles was a personal high for me in the area, and included 7 seen at 1 time in the area of the campground beyond the Miller Cemetery. There were 8 immature and 1 adult. We got to watch and hear upclose as they interacted...very cool. I am sure that there were many more ducks than we saw, as the water level created lots of shallow flooded areas that we couldn't access, but it was still a nice day. Surprisingly, we didn't have any Sandhill Cranes.
Date: Saturday, February 19, 2011, 4pm
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Jeff Quatkemeyer
6 Canada Geese, 4 Tufted Titmice, 2 Carolina Wrens, 2 Robins, 6 Chickadees, 2-3 each Red and Gold Finches, 1 Worm-eating Warbler, 20+ Pine Warblers, 1 Hairy Woodpecker (female), 2 Downy Woodpeckers, 6 Cardinals, 2 Red-bellied Woodpeckers, 1 Yellow-Shafted Flicker, 1 Chipping Sparrow, 18 or 20 Ring-necked Ducks, 12 Mallards in flight, 6-7 Mourning Doves … more Fishermen than birds … , nothing at Lost Bridge or Shawnee Boat Ramp.
Date: Sunday, January 30, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Paul Wharton
This morning I made a quick drive down to Lost Bridge following SR 128 to Rt.50. I had an adult Bald Eagle along the Great Miami in Miamitown, another adult opposite the RiversEdge Soccer facility along 128, then an adult and an immature at the Lost Bridge. 1000+/- Canada Geese were on the frozen gravel pit, along with about 350 Mallards, 40 Black Ducks and 7 Pintails. An adult Peregrine falcon was a nice surprise at the bridge, and 3 Black Vultures were also in the area, along with about 20 Horned Larks in the nearby corn stubble.
Date: Sunday, January 30, 2011
Location: Various
Reporter: William Hull
Some highlights from Sunday and Monday:
Lost Bridge (birds on river upstream and downstream of bridge): Common Goldeneye - 8, American Black Duck - 26, Northern Pintail - 8, Common Merganser - 6
Shawnee Lookout (canoe launch): Northern Bobwhite - 1
Date: Sunday, January 23, 2011
Location: lost bridge
Reporter: John Hill
Other Birders: Maryann Morris
1000's of Canadas today at both sites with assorted ducks intermixed. 1 Mute Swan at Lost Bridge and a Red Shoulder.
Date: Sunday, January 16, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Leslie Houser
After the winter bird walk, made my way over to Lost bridge to scope out the gravel pit. It is almost entirely ice free. Incredible number of Canada Geese and Mallards. Also spotted 2 Cackling Geese and Northern Pintail, and Common Merganser. Stayed for about 30 minutes, it was real cold and windy.
In the following posting it is not known what observations come from the Cleves Community Park. The other two sites are part of the Oxbow Area.
Date: Sunday, January 16, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge, Cleves Community Park and Shawnee Lookout
Reporter: Paul Krusling
Other Birders: Jeff Davis
Jeff and I checked out the Lost Bridge this morning, then walked the beach at Shawnee Lookout, and ended the day at Cleves Community Park. We saw the following: Snow Goose 2, Cackling Goose 2, Canada Goose 3000, Mute Swan 1 (In the Miami River), Gadwall 40 (all were at Cleves Community Park), American Black Duck 2, Mallard 120, Lesser Scaup 2, Bufflehead 4, Common Goldeneye 2, Hooded Merganser 2, Common Merganser 1, Ruddy Duck 2, Great Blue Heron 1, Bald Eagle 2 (One adult seen from the Lost Bride, One third year juvenile seen from the beach), Cooper's Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 5, American Kestrel 1, American Coot 12, Mourning Dove 6, Red-bellied Woodpecker 2, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1, Downy Woodpecker 2, Northern Flicker 3, Pileated Woodpecker 1, Blue Jay 6, American Crow 45, Carolina Chickadee 30, Tufted Titmouse 20, White-breasted Nuthatch 6, Carolina Wren 2, American Robin 25, Northern Mockingbird 1, European Starling 300, Eastern Towhee 1, American Tree Sparrow 1, Song Sparrow 10, White-throated Sparrow 12, White-crowned Sparrow 1, Dark-eyed Junco 4, Northern Cardinal 8, American Goldfinch 2, House Sparrow 8
Date: Friday, January 14, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge Gravel Pit
Reporter: Joe Kappa
Other Birders: Paul Krusling, Tom Zimmerman
Another interesting evening at the Lost Bridge. The BLACK SCOTER was swimming on the South side of the pond with the Common Mergansers. The ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK flew in over the gravel dune and landed in a tree on the North side of the pond. It only stayed around for a few minutes. Paul also saw beavers from the bridge. 1 Cackling Goose, 3500 Canada Goose, 2 Gadwall, 7 American Black Duck, 45 Mallard, 1 Lesser Scaup, 1 BLACK SCOTER, 2 Bufflehead, 14 Common Goldeneye, 6 Common Merganser, 2 Great Blue Heron, 1 Bald Eagle, 1 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, 21 American Coot, 18 Rock Pigeon, 7 Mourning Dove, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 32 American Crow, 17 Horned Lark, 2 American Robin, 1 Northern Mockingbird, 16 European Starling, 3 Song Sparrow
Date: Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Location: Lost Bridge Gravel Pit
Reporter: Joe Kappa
Arrived around 5:00 and watched the ducks and geese fly in. The water is nearly half frozen. At 5:40 as I was about to leave I saw at least 30 flocks of geese flying in at the same time. At least a thousand geese in the air at once. Neat site.
Following is a list of what was seen: Canada Goose 2200, SNOW GOOSE (blue phase) 2, CACKLING GOOSE 2, Bufflehead 4, Ring-neck Duck 3, Red-Breasted Merganser 2, Common Merganser 6, Gadwall 4, Ruddy Duck 2, American Goldeneye 11, Mallard 50, Black Duck 3, Coot 32, Horned Lark 7
Date: Saturday, January 8, 2011
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Jonathan Frodge
A couple of Gadwall remained on a small open patch of the lake and in the distance I was treated to 2 Bald Eagle soaring in what appeared to be a courtship flight. They tailed each other closely for awhile and briefly locked talons and tumbled downward.