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Date: | Mon, 2 Apr 2007 19:03:00 -0700 |
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On the way back to Shaker Heights, I toured
the Sandusky Bay Region.
Ohms Rd (CR 265) off Rt. 6 just west of
Pickerel Creek W.A. in Sandusky County.
These private wetlands are quickly assessed
and are occasionally interesting in early spring.
at 8:00 am ...
Canada Goose - 11 (one on nest)
Trumpeter Swan - 2 (1A7 & one of the M class)
- the species nests here and chicks may be
photographed close by from the car.
Wood Duck - 3
Gadwall - 34
Mallard - 12
Blue-winged Teal - 18
American Wigeon - 38
Northern Shoveler - 64
Northern Pintail - 4
Green-winged Teal - 57
Ring-necked Duck - 1
Common Merganser - 24
Hooded Merganser - 4
Bonaparte's Gull - 110
Killdeer - 4
Wilson's Snipe - 7
Brown Thrasher - 1
Swamp Sparrow - 9 singing
moving west along CR 265 brings one to
Three Eagles Wetland Mitigation or so it was
once called. I now see a DOW wildlife area
sign present with a now legal pull-off. From the
road, I noted
Canada Goose - 2
Ring-necked Duck - 84
and just beyond is what promises to be one of
the more substantial wetland restorations in
Sandusky County. What I have been calling
Yellow Swale Wildlife Area for lack of an
official designation (correct me if I'm wrong)
currently involves two completed impoundments
holding water. Today I saw a half dozen adjacent
properties with survey markers. Two of these
were in the throws of being dug out with the
earthen mounds that look to be incipient levees.
The two existing wetlands (which form already a much
larger series as they are contiguous with substantial
private wetland acreage to the N) held this morning ...
Canada Goose - 5
Trumpeter Swan - 5
Gadwall - 2
Mallard - 2
American Wigeon - 2
Northern Shoveler - 4
Green-winged Teal - 2
Pied-billed Grebe - 1
Bald Eagle - 4
Wilson's Snipe - 1
Pickerel Creek W.A. - Headquarters Rd. (CR 254)
The marsh here, after going through a much needed
rehabilitation a couple of years ago, looks as good
as new.
Canada Goose - 26
Gadwall - 34
Mallard - 8
Northern Shoveler - 4
Blue-winged Teal - 11
American Wigeon - 1
Green-winged Teal - 36
Bald Eagle - 2
Killdeer - 1
Wilson's Snipe - 10
Great Blue Heron - 26
Belted Kingfisher - 1
Pickerel Creek from the Obs. Tower along Rt. 6
Canada Goose - 22
Mallard - 3
Northern Shoveler - 12
Blue-winged Teal - 16
Green-winged Teal - 6
Ring-necked Duck - 3
Common Merganser - 6
Hooded Merganser - 7
Bald Eagle - 4
Bonaparte's Gul - 170
Killdeer - 4
Greater Yellowlegs - 9
Lesser Yellowlegs - 1
already suitable water depth for yellowlegs ...
worth checking ... by 1 May this could be
suitable for peeps ... but I suspect a full
walkaround will be in order to asses the
shorebird presence given the height of the
vegetation. Also looks good for ibis.
Medusa Marsh
Mute Swan - 12
Gadwall - 57
Blue-winged Teal - 14
American Wigeon - 12
Green-winged Teal - 20
Bufflehead - 8
Red-breasted Merganser - 8
Great Blue Heron - 4
Great Egret - 14
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 1
American Coot - 240
Bonaparte's Gull - 170
Pectoral Sandpiper - 140 (winging overhead to the ENE)
Rt 269 N exit (off Rt. 2 - NW end of Sandusky bay bridge)
roughly ...
Redhead - 6
Lesser Scaup - 1350
Greater Scaup - 50
Double-creasted Cormorant - 50
Bonaparte's Gull - 600
Ring-billed Gull - 1400
Herring Gull - 100
East Harbor State Park .... held more scaup within
its harbors than I have previously seen in 25 years
of visiting this time of the year.
Mute Swan - 8
Canada Goose - 114
Wood Duck - 22
(hanging around a set of nest boxes that
appeared newly placed)
Mallard - 2
Red-breasted Merganser - 180
Merganser spp. - 200 (fairly distant in the sun)
Scaup spp. - 9800 (95% Lesser. 5% Greater)
this ratio has been more typical of a month earlier
in recent years ... but I spent some time
watching the many birds skittering out of the
way of newcomers vying for an open patch of
water. Of the total,
7000 occupied Middle Harbor, 1800 were off
the beach on Lake Erie, and the remainder were
on East Harbor. Scoping through the mass on
Middle Harbor, I picked out 210 Redhead.
Such a concentration out on Sandusky Bay in
early April would be trivial, but close inshore,
gleaming in the sun ... quite impressive.
Over the park, and Catawba Island, kettles of
Turkey Vultures numbered not less than 100
birds at one time.
cheers
Vic Fazio
Shaker Heights, OH
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