Greetings... Jim Michael told me about a roadside pull-off that gives decent 
views of the south end of a large gravel pit along River Road in Fairfield, 
and I checked it out this morning, along with Marsh Park, which is a retired 
gravel part that is now a Fairfield city park up the street from the active 
gravel pit Jim clued me in to. I also made a few riverside stops between the 
old Hamilton Mercy Hospital north of the High Street Bridge south to 
Hamilton Riverside Natural Area. I got the silly idea to try to get as 
complete a count as possible of all the birds I came across, rather than 
guesstimates, which is what I usually do when faced with hundreds and 
hundreds of Canada Geese and Mallards. Here's what I came across, more or 
less: 1,657 Canada Geese (507 of them in the grass at Miami University, 
Hamilton.), 2 Wood Ducks (male and female at Riverside), 20 Gadwall, 2 
American Black Ducks, 670 Mallards, 2 Northern Shovelers (Riverside), 7 
Ring-necked Ducks, 1 Scaup species, probably a lesser, 1 Hooded Merganser 
(female), 2 Common Mergansers (male and female, in river near Black Street 
Bridge), 1 Pied-billed Grebe, 2 Double Crested Cormorants (subadults, 
opposite Hamilton Mercy Hospital), 10 Great Blue Herons, 2 Northern Harriers 
(1 adult female, 1 juv. Riverside), 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 11 American Coots, 1 
Killdeer.

One Winter Wren in flood debris along the Great Miami just below the Water 
Treatment facility at Riverside; also 4 Horned Lark flyovers at Riverside.

The backside of the Riverside lagoon is open, but you have to walk back a 
ways to see it, and that's where the Wood Ducks and Northern Shovelers were. 
For January Century Mark lister fans, the stretch of river from the low dam 
above Riverside, south through Riverside is good every winter for Killdeer, 
sometimes Wilson's Snipe, sometimes American Pipits; and the lagoon, if it 
doesn't freeze over entirely, sometimes holds the odd Wood Duck, etc. Miami 
University, Hamilton, had a strange banner flying on a lamp post along the 
street in front of the campus. It read "ROCK THE FLOCK" above the "Red Hawk" 
mascot emblem. I guess they mean Canada Geese? I'm not sure. Must be a 
"Miami thing." ;-)

Take Care, and Merry Christmas,
---Mike Busam
West Chester, OH