WATERFOWL RETURNING TO NW OHIO!

Sunday, March 15, 2015

     Hiked the Eagle Point Nature Preserve in Erie County. Its 88 acres of marshland connects to the East Sandusky Bay and is part of the NW portion of 1,200 acres along Lake Erie's coastline known as the East Sandusky Bay MetroPark. A naturalist from the Erie MetroParks, Cheryl Kilmer, took the small group to an observation deck where we could look out into the East Sandusky Bay. The duck, geese and swans are making their way to their northern breeding grounds. On the way home, I stopped at Castalia Pond in Castalia, Ohio and at the Lighthouse Pier bird walk site in Huron, Ohio. Below is a Watch List of the birds seen today, along with a video I made of today's sitings. How many in the list can you identify on the video?

Watch List

1. Bald Eagle
2. Trumpeter swans (10)
3. Tundra swans
4. Canada geese
5. Am. Black Ducks- only a few
6. Mallards
7. Northern Shovelers
8. Northern Pintail
9. Canvasbacks- abundant
10. Redheads- abundant
11. Lesser Scaup- abundant
12. Buffleheads
13. Barrow's Goldeneye
14. Hooded Merganser
15. Common Merganser
16. Green-winged Teal
17. Great-blue Heron
18. American Robin
19. American Coot
20. Black-backed Gull
21. Herring Gull
22. Ring-billed Gull
23. Red-winged Blackbird

      On the way home, I spotted a Green-winged Teal in a flooded field off Rt. 250 south of Sandusky. Unfortunately, it is not in the video. The close-up photos I took of the Tundra and Trumpeter swans will help you identify which is which! This Sibley guide site will help you distinguish between them. How many birds on the list can you identify in this video?

 





Video of Watch List

 

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