Kevin Kline found an adult Least Tern in breeding plumage on the north side of Wilderness Road at the Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area. Kevin discovered the bird on Friday evening and immediately biked home. He called me and I drove to his house (30 minutes) and picked up a car load of Klines. We arrived at Wilderness Road about 7:15-7:30 pm. A second load came in a rented van 20 minutes later.

The bird was actively flying around two of the small lakes created by extraction of peat on the north side of Wilderness Road . It dove into the water at least twice while we watched and called at least three times as it flew by. At times it was quite close and other times quite far away, but never stopped flying. All field marks could be seen well. About the time the second load of birders arrived, the tern flew further to the north where it could be seen briefly and then disappeared. We stayed another 30+ minutes and did not see it again. Su Snyder saw the bird with us and then drove up to Rt. 95 and checked all along that side of the wildlife area but didn't see it again.

I called about 25 people and only a few answered - July 4th evening. I have a feeling the bird left but hopefully it went to roost for the night and will be found again tomorrow (Saturday).

Funk Bottoms W.A. is about 10 miles southwest of Wooster on Ohio Route 95, in western Wayne County. Wilderness Road runs east-west about 2 miles south of Ragersville and Funk (both of Rt. 95). It's on Page 44, B-C-1 in the new DeLorme. (page 50 in old edition)

Bruce     Bruce Glick  [log in to unmask]  Millersburg, Ohio


 
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