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8-10 mph SSE to WSW, overcast with brief sunshine at 3:00pm. 45 to 54 deg. F
10:00 to 10:25 - Cedar Point Chausee
Very little on the Sheldon Marsh side (to the east) but for one
immature Bald Eagle.
To the west (on the mudflats edging Putnam Marsh) were
521 Tundra Swans. Closer in were 6 Mute Swans.
A pair of Bald Eagles were also perched on the Putnam
Marsh property.
no waterfowl visible offshore on Lake Erie.
10:35 to 10:45 - Castalia Pond
Cackling Goose - 4
- located these birds immediately on the residential lawn with Canada
Geese. Resting and preening at first, two birds exhibited fierce
aggression toward a 'Giant' Canada apparently wandering
to close for comfort. Otherwise usual smattering of
waterfowl present.
10:55 to 11:10 - Willow Point W.A.
Wild Turkey - 5 (at roadside; my first Lake Erie shoreline obs.)
Mute Swan - 5
Bonaparte's Gull - 165
Ring-billed Gull - 1600 (incl. adjacent farm field)
White-crowned Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, and Song Sparrow in song
11:20 to 12:00 pm - Medusa Marsh
Great Blue Heron - 21
Mute Swan - 20
Gadwall - 430
Mallard - 760
American Black Duck - 80+
Northern Pintail - 6
Northern Shoveler - 27
American Wigeon - 41
BLUE-WINGED TEAL - 2
Ruddy Duck - 36
11:40 & 12:10 - briefly at Bay View
Double-crested Cormorant - 280+
12:20 to 13:00 - East Harbor S.P. (incl. West Harbor Trail)
Pied-billed Grebe - 56 (surprising number)
Great Blue Heron - 58
Mute Swan - 28
Tundra Swan - 9
Mallard - 110+
Gadwall - 185+
Ring-necked Duck - 4
Killdeer - 2
Snow Bunting - 1 (overhead)
13:10 to 13:30 - Catawba I.
Mute Swan - 47
[Mute Swan total for Sandusky Bay region = 106; the norm for the season]
13:55 - Toussaint River at Rt. 2
Great Egret - 4
14:10 to 13:45pm - Ottawa N.W.R. (walk out to estuary and back only)
Pied-billed Grebe - 3
Great Blue Heron - 4
Trumpeter Swan - 24
Tundra Swan - 129
Snow Goose - 26 (18 blue adults, 3 blue imm., 4 white adults, 1 white imm.)
Mallard - 500+
Gadwall - XXX
Green-winged Teal - 315 on estuary flats
Hooded Merganser - 48 on Crane Creek
Bald Eagle - 1 immature
Dunlin - 4
Ring-billed Gull - 1000+
Bonaparte's Gull - XXX
landbirds conspicuous incl.
Winter Wren, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker,
Swamp Sparrow - 10+, Song Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow,
4 blackbird species plus ...
Northern Shrike - a COOPERATIVE brown form immature (see Sibley)
the bird was seen repeatedly along the dike on the east side of the
channel as one walks out to the estuary.
Turtle Creek at 3 access points
Ring-billed Gull - 1000+
Toussaint River at confluence of Packer Creek (follow signs for Camp Sabroske)
- the upstream mudflat immediately west of the diked Toussaint
W.A. This expanse of mudflat was a natural
refugia for the birds resting off the Toussaint Fisherman's Access
between Lake Erie low seiche events. Now
3/4ths of the expanse has been diked as part of the Oak
Harbor Conservation Area (completed last year); a "licensed
hunting reserve". Still a small bit of mud persists and among
the 200+ gulls were ...
Great Blue Heron - 4
Dunlin - 58
WESTERN SANDPIPER - 2
Just north of Oak Harbor, Ottawa Co.
Bier Rd at Rt. 2 (the NW farm field has a history of attracting
sizeable gull flocks including thousands of
Bonaparte's Gulls in April. This evening I
watched as appx. 3500 Ring-billed Gulls lifted
off to return to Lake Erie for the night).
Little Portage River at Oak Harbor - SE Rd. just before sunset
held nothing.
cheers
Vic Fazio
Shaker Hts, OH