*DECEMBER 02, 2017* - CUYAHOGA VALLEY TOWPATH TRAIL MONTHLY CENSUS. *HIKE*: Towpath Trail from Red Lock Trailhead south to Merriman Valley. *TIME*: 7:40am - 4:20pm *TEMP.*: 27 ~ 49 ~ 46 *COND.*: Brief sun in the morning at sunrise and cold, turning partly sunny at 12:50pm; warming to mostly sunny from 1:45pm on; Dover Pond ice-free; Lock 29 Marsh was mostly skim-ice with one small opening; Ira Beaver Marsh ice-free, but canal had skim-ice; no snow cover. *TRAIL COND.*: Frozen early, thawing to wet and mushy in some spots; many wind-blown trees down from Red Lock to Boston from previous week's high winds. *RIVER COND.*: Low but muddy. *FT.MI.*: 13.43 *OBS.*: John Henry & Douglas W. Vogus. *I. MAMMALS*: 5 SPECIES, 36 INDIVIDUALS. 1. Eastern Gray Squirrel - 4 (1 black morph) 2. Eastern Fox Squirrel - 2 3. Red Squirrel - 23 4. Common Muskrat - 1 5. White-tailed Deer - 6 (does) *II. BIRDS*: 48 SPECIES, 980 INDIVIDUALS. *(New Census High for Species - previous was 47 in 2013 & 2016; Previous Average for Individuals was 1,169 Total)* *(NOTE: m = male; f = female; ? = bird was seen but not sexed; * = bird was heard calling but not sexed)* 1. Canada Goose - 33 2. Wood Duck - 1 (m) *(Lock 29 Swamp)* 3. Gadwall - 1 (f) *(Ira Beaver Marsh) (Tied Census High from 09/2017 - first December Record on Census)* 4. American Black Duck - 19 (10m,9f) *(Ira Beaver Marsh)* 5. Mallard - 37 (18m,12f,2?) 6. Bufflehead - 1 (f) *(Dover Pond) (First December Record on Census)* 7. Pied-billed Grebe - 1 *(Ira Beaver Marsh)* 8. Rock Pigeon - 4 9. Mourning Dove - 17 10. Ring-billed Gull - 18 11. Great Blue Heron - 4 12. Bald Eagle - 1 (adult) *(Cuyahoga River at Bath Rd.)* 13. Red-tailed Hawk - 5 (1 immature) 14. Belted Kingfisher - 5 (4m,1*) 15. Red-bellied Woodpecker - 15 (6m,3f,6*) 16. Downy Woodpecker - 23 (8m,8f,1?,6*) 17. Hairy Woodpecker - 8 (1m,3f,4*) 18. Northern Flicker - 3 (*) 19. Pileated Woodpecker - 4 (*) 20. Peregrine Falcon - 1 (f) *("Gatewood" at the Ohio Turnpike bridge)* 21. Eastern Phoebe - 1 *(Ira Beaver Marsh) (First December Record on Census)* 22. Blue Jay - 32 23. American Crow - 315 24. Black-capped Chickadee - 42 25. Tufted Titmouse - 24 26. White-breasted Nuthatch - 21 (8m,1f,2?,10*) 27. Brown Creeper - 2 28. Winter Wren - 1 29. Carolina Wren - 15 30. Golden-crowned Kinglet - 6 (2f,1?,3*) 31. Eastern Bluebird - 21 (10m,6f,3?,2*) 32. American Robin - 8 33. European Starling - 96 34. Cedar Waxwing - 20 35. House Sparrow - 13 36. House Finch - 3 (1m,2*) 37. American Goldfinch - 32 38. Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1 39. Eastern Towhee - 5 (3m,1f,1*) 40. American Tree Sparrow - 33 41. Fox Sparrow - 1 42. Song Sparrow - 24 43. Swamp Sparrow - 4 44. White-throated Sparrow - 28 45. Dark-eyed Junco - 2 (1m,1f) 46. Northern Cardinal - 20 (10m,7f,3*) 47. Red-winged Blackbird - 1 (m) 48. Common Grackle - 1 (m) Unidentified Passerines - 7 *III. REPTILES*: 1 SPECIES. 1. Midland Painted Turtle - 1 *(First December Record on Census)* *IV. FISHES*: 1 SPECIES. 1. Creek Chub - 76 Douglas W. Vogus - Akron, Ohio. ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]