Hurshtown Reservoir
March 19, 2017
Twelve birders in five vehicles completed the four right turns required to circumnavigate the nearly three-mile length of Hurshtown Reservoir's mighty dikes in northeast Allen County. The third Stockbridge Audubon field trip of the season netted a decent variety of waterfowl, many in modest to excellent numbers, and a total of 38 species on this partly cloudy afternoon of light winds and modest temps (upper 40s).
The list:
Canada Goose- 3
Gadwall- 12
American Black Duck- 3
Mallard- 20
Northern Shoveler- 30
Redhead- 6
Ring-necked Duck- 30
Lesser Scaup- 20; no good candidates for Greater, but we tried
Bufflehead- 1 female
Common Goldeneye- 2, a pair
Red-breasted Merganser- 100+
Common Loon- 10, most in full breeding plumage with some vocalizing
Pied-billed Grebe- 1
Horned Grebe- 45
Double-crested Cormorant- 4; FOS for most of us
Turkey Vulture- 2
Red-tailed Hawk- 2
Killdeer- 2
Bonaparte's Gull- 4
Ring-billed Gull- 10
Herring Gull- 3
Mourning Dove- 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker- 1
Northern Flicker- 1
Blue Jay- 1
American Crow- 3
Horned Lark- 1 heard singing from lot as we completed our list
Tufted Titmouse- 1
American Robin- 5
Northern Mockingbird- 1 (thanks, Stephanie!)
European Starling- 20
American Tree Sparrow- 4
Song Sparrow- 5
Northern Cardinal- 1
Red-winged Blackbird- 200
Eastern Meadowlark- 1
Common Grackle- 50
House Sparrow- 30
Also of note: On his way to Hurshtown, John Winebrenner stopped to check on the Cedarville Bald Eagle nest and reported seeing an adult close to the nest, though not actually on it.
Eric Helfrich and Rodger Rang, co-leaders
March 19, 2017
Twelve birders in five vehicles completed the four right turns required to circumnavigate the nearly three-mile length of Hurshtown Reservoir's mighty dikes in northeast Allen County. The third Stockbridge Audubon field trip of the season netted a decent variety of waterfowl, many in modest to excellent numbers, and a total of 38 species on this partly cloudy afternoon of light winds and modest temps (upper 40s).
The list:
Canada Goose- 3
Gadwall- 12
American Black Duck- 3
Mallard- 20
Northern Shoveler- 30
Redhead- 6
Ring-necked Duck- 30
Lesser Scaup- 20; no good candidates for Greater, but we tried
Bufflehead- 1 female
Common Goldeneye- 2, a pair
Red-breasted Merganser- 100+
Common Loon- 10, most in full breeding plumage with some vocalizing
Pied-billed Grebe- 1
Horned Grebe- 45
Double-crested Cormorant- 4; FOS for most of us
Turkey Vulture- 2
Red-tailed Hawk- 2
Killdeer- 2
Bonaparte's Gull- 4
Ring-billed Gull- 10
Herring Gull- 3
Mourning Dove- 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker- 1
Northern Flicker- 1
Blue Jay- 1
American Crow- 3
Horned Lark- 1 heard singing from lot as we completed our list
Tufted Titmouse- 1
American Robin- 5
Northern Mockingbird- 1 (thanks, Stephanie!)
European Starling- 20
American Tree Sparrow- 4
Song Sparrow- 5
Northern Cardinal- 1
Red-winged Blackbird- 200
Eastern Meadowlark- 1
Common Grackle- 50
House Sparrow- 30
Also of note: On his way to Hurshtown, John Winebrenner stopped to check on the Cedarville Bald Eagle nest and reported seeing an adult close to the nest, though not actually on it.
Eric Helfrich and Rodger Rang, co-leaders