Hi All,

 

I stopped by Hueston Woods late this afternoon after a meeting in Dayton.  I was surprised by how much snow and ice still remain in the area.

 

I was in the park from around 4:00 p.m. through 7:00 p.m. and visited several old haunts.

 

Here's an abbreviated list  of some of the species I found.  This isn't in an exact order because I don't have a checklist in front of me at the moment.

 

-Canada Geese (many)--mostly concentrated at the northwestern end of the lake between the nature center and the group campgrounds, as well as the inlet in front of the Pine Loop & Sycamore Trails, though this latter group were too far to scan adequately to pull out a Cackling Goose if there were any mixed in.  There were a few groups of geese standing on the ice.

 

-Swans sp.--I'm pretty sure these were Mute Swans, but they were pretty far out and there was quite a bit of heat dispersion.  I took a few photos and there seems to be a lot of orange on the bill of one of the birds, which makes me think it's a Mute.  The second swan appeared to be a juvenile.

 

-Mallards (numerous)--mixed in with the Canada Geese, and staying mostly along the edges.

 

-American Wigeon (2)--in front of the boat ramp

 

-Common Goldeneye (2)--boat ramp

 

-Bufflehead (2)--boat ramp

 

-Lesser Scaup (8)--boat ramp

 

-Greater Scaup (1)--across from the nature center

 

-Black Vultures (7)

 

-Turkey Vultures (~20)

 

-Lesser Yellowleg (1)--in mudflat across from nature center

 

-American Woodcock--there were quite a few woodcock displaying along the Cabin Road

 

-Eastern Phoebe (1)--adjacent to the bird blind in the boat parking area near the nature center.

 

Before I left I stopped at a couple of places that were normally pretty reliable for Barred Owls and Eastern Screech Owls, but didn't hear any.

 

Of course there were quite a few Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, as well as many of the expected songbird species (i.e. Northern Cardinals, Carolina Chickadees, American Goldfinches, etc.)

 

All-in-all, it was a nice day to get out, and the Yellowlegs, Woodcock, and Phoebe were good signs that spring is on its way.

 

Thanks,

 

Casey

 

 

 

 

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