Greetings... just a couple notes about the Hamilton-West Chester area
sightings Dave mentioned, below. I couldn't find the greater scaup--or the
lessers, etc.,--on the Great Miami River early Monday morning, but there
were six killdeer. The scaup could still be around. Last winter a group of
greater scaup hung around this area for most of January and February.
Sometimes you could find a few on the river opposite Mercy Hospital, off of
Riverfront or Front Street, just north of Main Street. Usually they were
north of the low dam opposite Miami U-Hamilton.

For a while this winter, there were six short-eared owls at the VOA . . .
but there is also one great horned owl at the VOA, and he or she has a taste
for the occasional Asio flammeus paté, I guess you could say. Thus, today
there seems to be five short-eareds rather than the six that were there just
a week or so ago. Some birders have seen a greeat horned owl literally
stalking around in the grass at dusk, following the short-eareds when they
first come up for the evening.

Take care,
---Mike Busam
West Chester, OH

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Russell" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2004 11:37 AM
Subject: Weekend Birds


Greetings everyone!
Sorry the Audubon trip Sat was cancelled, but hopefully we'll have better
weather on a weekend in the next month or so and we can try our luck at
Golden Eagles again.  Couple quick reports.
--Jill and I found a Mute Swan in Whitewater Lake at Whitewater State Park
just south of Liberty yesterday. Also present were a dozen or so L. Scaup,
9 Redheads, 7 ring-necked Ducks and nearly 100 Canada Geese.
--A Black Scoter was reported at Covington Landing on the Ohio River all
weekend--this is a bird that has never been recorded by a Skyline Chili
team.
--There are reports of Greater scaup on the Great Miami River--near the dam
(waterfall) just about opposite Miami-Hamilton campus.
--Up to five Short-eared Owls are regularly seen at the VOA property off
Tylersville Rd exit of 75 each evening starting around 5 pm.

Cheers
Dave