The frigid weather of the last few days and the freezing of many water
bodies to the north has finally forced water birds to move south. This
morning in Washington County, Ohio and Wood County, WV:

Ring-billed Gull--2,000 at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers
at Marietta. 900 in Ohio on the shore by the Lafayette Hotel, the remainder
out in the Ohio and thus in WV. Much flying back and forth between the 2
locations.

Earlier there were 160 in the Ohio River and thus WV off River Lane about
1.5 miles south of Marietta. There were 13 on shore at Civitan Park in
Belpre, 3 off Joe Skinner Road.

I could only pick out 2 Herring Gulls in the mass at Marietta.

About 200 Canada Geese in the channel off Blue Knob Road; 325 at Civitan
Park.

Ducks:
Civitan Park--5 Canvasbacks, 2 Redheads, 2 Buffleheads, 10 Lesser Scaups, 2
Common Goldeneyes including a dark immature male just starting to molt in a
few white feathers, 2 Hooded Mergansers, 5 Mallards.

Along the WV shore across from Civitan Park--86 Mallards, 3 Ring-necked
Ducks, 1 Redhead, 4 Common Mergansers, 4 Lesser Scaups, 2 American Black
Ducks.

WV channel between 9th Street in Vienna and Neal Island--57 Mallards.

Also:
14 Yellow-rumped Warblers along River Lane in Ohio.
1 Bald Eagle adult on the island off Joe Skinner Road.  The nest looked
empty. Another adult on Blennerhasset Island south of Belpre.

1 adult Peregrine Falcon on the WV tower of the Parkersburg-Belpre Bridge.
An immature swooping among the gulls in the river at Marietta.

1 adult Cooper's Hawk at Civitan Park. 1 immature along the Neal Island
channel in Vienna.

Terry Bronson
Marietta, OH

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