*JANUARY 01, 2018* - CUYAHOGA VALLEY TOWPATH TRAIL CENSUS.
*HIKE*: Red Lock Trailhead south to Merriman Valley.  *TIME*: 7:30am -
3:50pm  *TEMP.*: minus 3-degrees ~ 11 ~ 10  *COND.*: Frigid; cloudy with
light snow falling, no noticeable accumulation; partly sunny with no snow
from 11:00am - 11:20am, then back to cloudy with very light snow; snow
ending at 2:50pm and partly cloudy, some blue sky, until end of census.
Dover Pond and Ira Beaver Marsh frozen over; even Brandywine Creek was
mostly frozen over.  *FT.MI.*: 13.41  *OBS.*: Douglas W. Vogus.
*TRAIL COND.*: About 3-inches of snow on trail at Red Lock, less continuing
south, with about 2-inches by the Ira Beaver Marsh, down to 1-inch from
Botzum Trailhead to Merriman Valley; uneven walking conditions. "Trail
Closed" signs positioned at every footbridge from Boston Trailhead south to
Furnace Run, but Towpath Trail still open. Future bridge replacements
coming?
*RIVER COND.*: Normal. Frozen edges along river and plenty of floating ice
due to recent cold-spell.

*I. MAMMALS: 5 SPECIES, 19 INDIVIDUALS.*

   1. Eastern Gray Squirrel - 2
   2. Eastern Fox Squirrel - 5
   3. Red Squirrel - 10
   4. Coyote - 1  *(in field at intersection of Towpath Trail & Buckeye
   Trail just south of Boston - First January Record on Census)*
   5. White-tailed Deer - 1 (doe)  *(bedded down on backside of Boston
   Cemetery - possibly injured)*


*II. BIRDS: 45 SPECIES, 1,365 INDIVIDUALS.*
*8-YEAR JANUARY AVG.: = 42.5 SPECIES, 1,503.0 INDIVIDUALS. LOW: 39 SPECIES
(2010) and HIGH: 48 SPECIES (2013),*
*LOW: 654 INDIVIDUALS (2011) and HIGH: 2,385 INDIVIDUALS (2013)*

*(NOTE: m = male; f = female; ? = bird was seen but not sexed; * = bird was
heard calling but not sexed)*

   1. Canada Goose - 451
   2. American Black Duck - 5 (2m,3f)  *(in Cuyahoga River along Riverview
   Rd. at Lock 25)*
   3. Mallard - 160 (96m,63f,1*)
   4. Common Goldeneye - 2 (f)  *(in Cuyahoga River at the Peninsula
   trestle - First January Record on Census)*
   5. Common Merganser - 27 (8m,19f)  *(scattered sightings in the Cuyahoga
   River between Red Lock and Lock 25)*
   6. Red-breasted Merganser - 1 (m)  *(in Cuyahoga River behind the Akron
   Compost Facility - First January Record on Census)*
   7. Pied-billed Grebe - 3  *(in the Cuyahoga River at the Boston
   Trailhead parking lot)*
   8. Horned Grebe - 1  *(with the Pied-billed Grebes. First January Record
   on Census. Tied Census High from 04/03/15)*
   9. Rock Pigeon - 1
   10. Mourning Dove - 2
   11. Ring-billed Gull - 69
   12. Great Blue Heron - 8
   13. Bald Eagle - 3 (2 adult,1 immature)
   14. Red-shouldered Hawk - 1  *(female along Dover Pond)*
   15. Red-tailed Hawk - 6 (1 immature)
   16. Belted Kingfisher - 4 (3m,1f)
   17. Red-bellied Woodpecker - 20 (3m,6f,2?,9*)
   18. Downy Woodpecker - 19 (7m,4f,2?,6*)
   19. Hairy Woodpecker - 10 (3f,1?,6*)
   20. Northern Flicker - 2 (1f,1*)
   21. Pileated Woodpecker - 3 (1m,1?,1*)
   22. Blue Jay - 19
   23. American Crow - 59
   24. Black-capped Chickadee - 22
   25. Tufted Titmouse - 13
   26. White-breasted Nuthatch - 19 (7m,12*)
   27. Winter Wren - 1
   28. Carolina Wren - 8
   29. Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2 (f)
   30. Eastern Bluebird - 35 (12m,14f,7?,2*)
   31. American Robin - 114  *(two biggest flocks were of 23 and 61 birds)*
   32. European Starling - 53
   33. Cedar Waxwing - 32
   34. House Sparrow - 32
   35. House Finch - 1 (*)
   36. American Goldfinch - 28
   37. Yellow-rumped Warbler - 2
   38. Eastern Towhee - 1 (*)
   39. American Tree Sparrow - 24
   40. Song Sparrow - 29
   41. Swamp Sparrow - 1  *(Stanford Swamp)*
   42. White-throated Sparrow - 25
   43. Dark-eyed Junco - 15 (9m,6f)
   44. Northern Cardinal - 25 (14m,6f,5*)
   45. Rusty Blackbird - 1 (m)  *(in canal behind Indian Springs trailer
   park)*

Unidentified Passerines - 6

Douglas W. Vogus - Akron, Ohio.

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