In the constant rain and balmy thirty-eight degree weather this morning, Saturday, from about 9:15AM to about 11:15AM, I visited The US224 Causeway at Berlin Lake on the Mahoning / Portage County line and then continued the short distance north to Lake Milton, also in Mahoning County. Both lakes were basically devoid of waterfowl, with Berlin's only highlight being four Ruddy Ducks, and Lake Milton having no waterfowl highlights. With the Mahoning River separating these two large lakes by less than three miles, strangely, at Berlin there were about 450 Double-crested Cormorants, while literally at Lake Milton there was not a one. At Milton, approximately 350 Bonaparte's Gulls were everywhere, while at Berlin just a scattering of them. Pretty weird! Lake Milton did have some birds of interest, with the most productive area being south of The Ellsworth Road Causeway. At this location, were some mudflats with 67 Killdeer, a single Great Egret, and five Dunlin. Of interest at the north end of Milton, were 3 Tree Swallows and 2 Common Loons. For anyone who has not birded at Lake Milton, it is a great place to bird in inclement weather from your vehicle. There are numerous pull-offs, affording wide angle views of all of the lake, as you do a driving loop around it. Where the heck are all the ducks?


Bob Lane / Mahoning County

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