Hello!

Knowing that my weekends are "booked" starting next weekend through
mid-March, I decided to head up to Killdeer Plains today and brave the elements  to
see what was out and about.  I started at Washburn Road at ~ 12:30 PM  where I
was immediately greeted by a large flock of Lapland Longspurs with a few  Snow
Buntings mixed in, and a male Northern Harrier.  Pond 27 was frozen  over
except for a small area on the westernmost portion of the pond where ~500  Canada
Geese and about 62 swans (Tundras of the ones that had their heads up)  were
hunkered down. The upland reservoir was almost frozen over except for a  small
area around the island in the far portion of the reservoir.  In the  small
area of open water, there were ~50 Canada Geese and 7 divers which  appeared to
be Ring-Necked Ducks and/or Scaup (difficult to distinguish given  the
distance, some shimmer, and blowing snow).  I did not find any owls in  the ODNR pine
grove nor the Northern Shrike I last saw in December.  I sat  in my car at the
Sportsman's Center from 5:40-6:15 PM hoping to see Short-Eared  Owls but no
luck (they were smart enough NOT to be out).  A summary of  the birds observed
are as follows:

Rough-Legged Hawk: 1 just west of Sportsman's Center, saw another by ODNR
pine grove (may have been the same one)
Bald Eagle: 1 soaring in distance beyond reservoir
Red-Headed Woodpecker: saw 1 male at Pond 33
Eastern Meadowlark: saw ~40 including a flock of ~30 along CH-77 west of
TH-108
American Kestrel: 1
American Tree Sparrow: ~75 total scattered about
Horned Lark: 14 along Washburn Rd.
Lapland Longspur: ~200-250 total along Washburn in 3 flocks
Snow Bunting: ~10 mixed in with one flock of Longspurs
Northern Harrier: ~12 (2 males, 10 females)
Red-Tailed Hawk: 12
Ring-Necked and/or Scaup: 7
Tundra Swan: ~62 (presuming all swan bodies observed were  Tundra)
Crow (8), Flicker (4), Song Sparrow (5), Canada Geese (~500-700), Junco
(10), Cardinal (1), Blue Jay (2), Mallard (~15), Black Duck (1), Robin (4), and
Mourning Dove (3).

Directions to Killdeer can be found at the OOS and the ODNR web  sites.

Rob Lowry
Powell, Ohio


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