I really wasn’t expecting to go birding this weekend, what with the crappy weather on Saturday, and Kathy wanting to see how long it takes to drive to U.C. Clermont. So when I asked her when she wanted to go, she said, how about next weekend. Well throw on some clothes and grab your gear because I’m out the door.
I had a good feeling that Caesar Creek was going to be ice free, since the last time I was there. And I wasn’t disappointed. Well it may have been ice free, however the lake was really full. All this rain has raised the level to places I’ve not seen before.
This is a picture of the end of Harveysburg Road. Normally there is a 5 foot drop off from the end of the road. And about 10 feet of beach till you reach the water. Enough for a duck blind fit. Well today the water was right to the end of the road. This is where I spotted the bird for the day. 2 Eared Grebes. They were swimming with 6 Horned Grebes and a Red Head, so the side by side comparison was so helpful. After this great find I could have gone home and called it a successful trip. But not so fast.
2 Canadian Geese swimming back towards Merganser Bay, from the end of Harveysburg Road.
From there I drove over to North Pool and Furnas Shore boat ramps. Since they’re almost directly across from each other on Rt. 73 it doesn’t take me long to scope out both locations. After I left here it was onto the Visitors Center to see if the feeders were busy.
On the drive over to the Visitor’s Center, a Turkey Vulture took a moment from dining on some fresh road kill to pose for this photo.
This is the new expansion on the Visitor’s Center. I meet Rebecca who was on duty at the desk and informed her of the Eared Grebes. We started to talk about the expansion and she asked if i wanted to take a tour. With several offices and a conference room, the highlight was the large room at the far right side. The perfect spot to hold a Merit badge workshop. I asked her about the prospect of doing a Bird Study workshop there, and she told me it would be a problem. Score! Even though we’re doing this years merit badge at Fernald Preserve, we want to leave our options open. Maybe next year, and then rotate it around.
My next stop on the day was someplace I’ve not been to before. The Nature Center. It’s over by the Pioneer Village tucked away among some tall pines.
The area held a few ponds, which produced a couple of Wood Ducks, along with a very nice trail system which runs back into the woods and gives some nice views of the lake.
The trails aren’t very long, and they’re well marked.
A view of the lake from the trail.
Even with a dusting of snow this morning, and the bite of Winter still upon us, the signs of Spring are certainly a bright spot. As evident by these Daffodils.
A clump of Spring Snow Drops just about ready to bloom. Who would of thought that we could have flowers this early in March.
Despite the dreary sky and the cold wind blowing off the lake, this was a wonderful day all in all. I had a decent number of birds for the day and seeing the Lilies of the Valley within days of blooming was enough for me. And while I was leaving I was able to catch an American Kestrel that let me get somewhat close to him.
Notable birds for the day include:
- Dark-eyed Junco
- Common Crow
- Northern Mockingbird
- Downy Woodpecker
- Northern cardinal
- Grackle
- Turkey Vulture
- Carolina Wren
- American Robin
- Blue Jay
- Canada Goose
- Bonaparte’s Gull
- Horned Grebe
- Red Head
- Eared Grebe
- Red-shouldered Hawk
- White-crowned Sparrow
- Hooded Merganser
- Ring-billed Gull
- Ring-ed Neck Duck
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Killdeer
- Gold Finch
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Carolina Chickadee
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Tufted Titmouse
- Mourning Dove
- Pigeon
- Eastern Bluebird
- American Kestrel
- Cooper’s Hawk
- Wood Duck
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Belted Kingfisher
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Golden-crowned Kinglet
- White-throated Sparrow
- Brown Creeper
- House Finch
- Purple Finch
P.S. Thanks to my sharp eyed reader Tonya for the correction on the Lilies of the Valley to Spring Snow Drops. Where I lack in identifying wild flowers I try to make up in bird identifying. Anyway you look at it, seeing flowers ready to bloom after a long Winter is like they say, a breath of Spring.
A Birder's Notebook 