Recent Sightings in the Oxbow

Date: Thursday, December 11, 2008
Location: Ohio River Christmas Bird Count circle
Reporter: Paul Wharton
I did a bit of scouting the territories of the upcoming Ohio River Christmas Bird Count that I will be compiling. The count is on Sunday, December 14, and I am still looking for birders to cover the whole circle. Meet us at the Shawnee Lookout Boat Ramp at 7:30 and join us! As I drove some of the territories I have never explored, I was happy over how much great habitat is in the circle. The area includes the Oxbow, Shawnee Lookout, along the Ohio River about 5 miles past Aurora, up to Manchester, Sparta, Guilford, Bright, Hidden Valley Lake, and all in between. I was mostly checking roads and habitat and not actively birding, but still managed to see 85 Wild Turkeys, 65 Sandhill Cranes flying out of the Oxbow, 22 Ruddy Ducks and 45 Coots at Hidden Valley Lake, 14 Redtails (low number), 13 Kestrels, Rusty Blackbirds, Grackles, Redwings and Cowbirds, and lots of other good stuff.

Date: Sunday, December 7, 2008
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Bruce Leonhardt
The newly mature Bald Eagle was perched on the north side of the bridge.
http://leonhardt.smugmug.com/photos/432192208_C3Vuu-L.jpg
The bird did not move the whole 3 hours I spent admiring it. I even disobeyed a no trespassing sign for this photo. Thanks for looking.

Date: Sunday, November 23, 2008
Location: The Oxbow
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Jack Stenger, Mark Gilsdorf, Connie, Chad
Jack and I led an Oxbow Inc. field trip in the Oxbow this morning. The 19-degree temperature at 7:30 this morning may have had something to do with our small turnout, as only 3 other hardy souls joined us. But the cold aside, it was a beautiful, clear, crisp morning with lots of bird activity. From 8:00 am to noon we managed to find 55 total species in the Oxbow area. Our highlights included 67 Sandhill Cranes, a Snow Goose (white morph), and 2 Bald Eagles as well as Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Fox Sparrow, Pine Siskin and abundant sparrows and other songbirds.

Water levels are still low in Oxbow Lake and it was completely frozen, as was Osprey Lake. Juno Pond, the Cement Pond and Jackpot pond were all about 60% open. Standing out on the ice in front of the Oxbow Lake Overlook at 8:00 am were 67 Sandhill Cranes, which gave us spectacular and close looks. The birds remained there until about 11:00 am, when we heard them take flight and saw them head south as they flew right over our heads while we were over at Jackpot Pond. Around that same time, 1 Snow Goose was seen on Oxbow Lake before it took off with a flock of about 40 Canada Geese. The 2 Bald Eagles (a sub-adult and a 2nd year bird) were seen along the Great Miami River at Lost Bridge around 11:30 am. We didn’t have a great diversity of waterfowl today, probably due to the ice and low water levels.

The complete list of the 55 species we had in the Oxbow area this morning included: Snow Goose (white morph) 1, Canada Geese 100+, Mute Swan 1, Gadwall 23, American Wigeon 2, American Black Duck 18, Mallard 125~, Northern Shoveler 3, Hooded Merganser 3, Pied-billed Grebe 1, Double-crested Cormorant 1, Great Blue Heron 40+, Bald Eagle 2, Red-tailed Hawk 7, American Coot 75~, Sandhill Crane 67, Killdeer 25, Ring-billed Gull 60+, Rock Pigeon 25, Mourning Dove 25, Belted Kingfisher 2, Red-bellied Woodpecker 4, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1, Downy Woodpecker 5, Hairy Woodpecker 1, Northern Flicker 3, Blue Jay 1, American Crow 300+, Horned Lark 4, Carolina Chickadee 12, Tufted Titmouse 4, White-breasted Nuthatch 2, Carolina Wren 6, Golden-crowned Kinglet 1, American Robin 30+, European Starling 300~, Cedar Waxwing 6, Yellow-rumped Warbler 9, Eastern Towhee 2, American Tree Sparrow 50+, Field Sparrow 1, Fox Sparrow 1, Song Sparrow 50+, Swamp Sparrow 25+, White-throated Sparrow 50+, White-crowned Sparrow 10+, Dark-eyed Junco 20+, Northern Cardinal 30~, Red-winged Blackbird 80, Common Grackle 15, Brown-headed Blackbird 10, House Finch 2, Pine Siskin 1, American Goldfinch 80+ and House Sparrow 2.

Date: Friday, November 14, 2008
Location: Lawrenceburg Rd at Miamiview Rd (Great Miami River)
Reporter: Steve Speidel
Other Birders: Roxana Jackson
We viewed a Bald Eagle in the shallow waters of the Great Miami River, on the north side of the bridge near the end of Lawrenceburg Rd. Watched it for about 3 mins while tryn not to be parked on the bridge. About half/dozen people and myself have seen an Eagle for the past 4 years in this area.

Date: Thursday, November 6, 2008
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
A quick run through the Oxbow turned up 12 Great Blue Heron, 3 Canada Goose, 5 Double-crested Cormorant, 2 Northen Shoveler, 2 American Widgeon, 1 Black Duck, 7 Mallard, 85 Ring-billed Gull, 2 Killdeer, 10+ Song Sparrow, 15+ American Goldfinch.

Date: Saturday, November 1, 2008
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
A drive through the Oxbow today was pleasant and yielded a few feathered friends. 1 Turkey Vulture, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 2 American Crow, 3 Double-crested Cormorant, 5 Great Egret, 2 Great Blue Heron, 35 Mallard, 4 Green-winged Teal, 2 Rudy Duck, 2 Northern Shoveler, 125 Ring-billed Gull, 6 Killdeer, 15 White-throated Sparrow, 6 Song Sparrow, 1 Swamp Sparrow, 30 Northern Cardinal, 10 Carolina Chickadee, 3 Song Sparrow, 7 Mourning Dove.

Date: Friday, October 17, 2008
Location: The Oxbow and Shawnee Lookout
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Jay Stenger
Jack and I took Friday off and went birding. We birded the Great Miami River bottoms around the Shawnee Lookout boat ramp, Lost Bridge and the Oxbow for a couple of hours in the morning. October represents the peak of fall sparrow migration and we ended up with 11 representatives of that family for the day, including our first juncos of the season. We saw 2 of them at Winton Woods on our way home and had 2 others in another location in the afternoon. We also saw a small flock of 6 juvenile plumaged peeps (Calidris species) at Lost Bridge that were not Least or either of the two long-winged species. If this were September we probably would have called them Semipalmated Sandpipers but this would be an extremely late date for that species and we couldn’t rule out Western Sandpiper. Western Sandpipers, while generally rare, are actually more likely on this date. But because they were a considerable distance from us we were unable to see the clinching field marks.

Some of the species we found included; Canada Goose 350+ (mostly at the LB gravel pit), Wood Duck 12, Green-winged Teal 22 (OX), Double-crested Cormorant 165 (one large flock flying south over the OX), Great Blue Heron 56 (50 OX, 6 LB), Great Egret 14 (OX), Bald Eagle 1 (LB), Cooper’s Hawk 1 (OX), Red-tailed Hawk 6, Killdeer 100+ (40 LB, 60~ OX), Spotted Sandpiper 1 (OX), Calidris peep sp. 6 (LB), Ring-billed Gull 1 (OX), Belted Kingfisher 1 (LB), Pileated Woodpecker 1 (SL), American Crow 300+ (at least 250~ on the river bank at LB), Tree Swallow 6 (LB), Golden-crowned Kinglet 2 (SL), AMERICAN PIPIT 5 (LB), Cedar Waxwing 3 (SL), Yellow-rumped Warbler 6, Common Yellowthroat 1 (SL), Eastern Towhee 2, Chipping Sparrow 1 (SL), Field Sparrow 6 (OX), VESPER SPARROW 1 (OX), Savannah Sparrow 2 (OX), Song Sparrow 25~, LINCOLN’S SPARROW 2 (SL), Swamp Sparrow 8 (6 SL, 2 OX), White-throated Sparrow 25+ (20 SL, 5 OX), White-crowned Sparrow 3 (OX), Indigo Bunting 3 (SL), and 200+ Red-winged Blackbirds.

Date: Saturday, October 4, 2008
Location: Lost Bridge on 10/3
Reporter: Bruce Leonhardt
2 Bald Eagles. Enjoy, I did!

http://leonhardt.smugmug.com/photos/385931701_NWq9L-M.jpg
http://leonhardt.smugmug.com/photos/385931756_znUnL-M.jpg
http://leonhardt.smugmug.com/photos/385931763_PdM4q-M.jpg

Date: Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Location: Shawnee Lookout
Reporter: Steve Bobonick
Other Birders: Owen Watson
Owen Watson from Leeds, England has returned to Cincinnati until Oct. 10. We paid a short visit to Shawnee Lookout (Lost Bridge and Boat Ramp, mostly). Owen added Merlin, White-throated Sparrow, Brown Thrasher and Tenneesee Warbler to his Cincinnati list. There were many Tree Swallows present at the bridge.
 
Date: Monday, September 29, 2008
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Joe Kappa
Made a stop Monday night at 7:30 pm to scan the mud flats at the far end. Counted 53 Gr. Wh. Egrets, 35 Great Blue Herons and more than 100 Canadian Geese. To dark to ID shore birds but did see a Coyote approaching the geese which created considerable honking. While watching the Coyote I noticed four Otter heads pop out of the water to see what all the commotion was about.

Date: Sunday, September 28, 2008 
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Steve Pelikan, Kani Meyer, GOW participants
Not really counting but some reports from the mornings viewing. Great Egret 15+, Great Blue Heron 30+, Black-crowned Night Heron 1, 15+ Canada Goose, 4 Blue-winged Teal, 4 Green-winged Teal, 3 Wood Duck, 4 Mallard, 30+ Double-crested Cormorant, 10+ American Crow, 3 Turkey Vulture, 1 American Kestrel, 20+ Indigo Bunting, 1 Bay-breasted Warbler, 1 palm warbler, 1 Semi-palmated Sandpiper, 2 Spotted Sandpiper, 20+ Killdeer, 4 Lesser Yellowlegs. Bird of the day was a close fly-in of a Peregrine Falcon straffing the mudflats at Jack Pot Pond and sending the Killdeer hustling out of the area. See Jay Stenger's earlier post from the other side of the valley. A Great Day to be down in the Oxbow area.

Date: Sunday, September 28, 2008
Location: Shawnee Lookout & The Oxbow
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Paul Wharton & Audubon participants
The field trip portion of an Audubon Society bird identification course today was spent around the Shawnee Lookout boat ramp parking lot. We didn’t arrive at Shawnee until about 11:30 p.m.; around the time songbird activity begins to decline, so expectations were low. Nonetheless we did manage to find a few interesting birds in the 1 hour we spent there. The highlight without a doubt was 8 BALD EAGLES! That’s not a typo. At one time we had 7 Bald Eagles in view at the same time soaring and circling in the sky above us for several minutes. An 8th bird was seen just minutes before, headed in the opposite direction. Six of the eight eagles were adults and two were immatures. These birds were all seen from the end of the parking lot at the Shawnee boat ramp and the group of 7 were moving in an easterly direction. We are all aware of the recent population increases of this species throughout the Midwest, and without a doubt the lower Great Miami River is a reliable eagle location, but seeing this many birds together on this date, away from known breeding densities such as along Lake Erie, seems unprecedented to me. Mid October through the end of November (with some over wintering) represents the normal peak fall migration period for this species in our area.

There was actually a pretty good raptor movement going on down there. Other raptors seen from that same spot over a 30-minute period included a Merlin, 2 Ospreys, 2 Red-shouldered Hawks and a Red-tailed Hawk. An American Kestrel and several Turkey Vultures in the general area rounded out the raptor show. Having co-leader and hawk spotter extraordinaire Paul Wharton along always increases the raptor tally.

Some other interesting species seen at the boat ramp included; a flock of 20 Double-crested Cormorants, 8+ Great Blue Herons along the river, Pileated Woodpecker 2, Eastern Phoebe 1, Blue-headed Vireo 1, Blue Jay 20+ (apparent migrants), Tree Swallows 4, Gray Catbird 1, a flock of 15 Cedar Waxwings, Tennessee Warbler 4 (all in sight at one time), Yellow-rumped Warbler 1, and only 1 Indigo Bunting.

A quick 30-minute visit to the Oxbow yielded little at around 1:00 p.m. but some species we did see included; Wood Ducks 6, Blue-winged Teal 4, Double-crested Cormorants 6, Great Blue Herons 25+, Great Egrets 4, Greater Yellowlegs 4 and Lesser Yellowlegs 3. Water levels at Oxbow Lake and Osprey Lake have come down somewhat in recent days and there is a pretty good amount of exposed shoreline and mudflats. While we saw little today, that could quickly change and the area might be worth checking for shorebirds over the next couple of weeks.

Date: Friday, September 26, 2008
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Driving through the main road picking up trash and not really counting. 20+ Great Egrets, 20+ Great Blue Heron, 1 Black-crowned Night Heron, 30+ Double-crested Cormorants, 2 Belted Kingfisher, 4 Wood Duck.

Date: Friday, September 26, 2008
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: John Hines
Other Birders: Mary Jo Hines
Two bald eagles, one adult and one juvenile spotted perched on a log just north of the bridge around 7:15 PM
 
Date: Thursday, September 25, 2008
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Shawn Harris
I had a little time to waste so I made a quick trip through the oxbow. The most surprising thing that I seen was a white pelican in the pond in the very back behind the soybean fields. I generally only look for waterfowl which i seen 3-wood ducks, 3-BWT, 2-GWT, 5-mallards and 1 drake black duck.

Date: Saturday, September 20, 2008
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Bruce Leonhardt
Other Birders: Michele Leonhardt
I spotted the older of the 2 immature Bald Eagles seen in the area. I did take a photo but I think he was a bit too far. They lost a favorite perch to last weekends wind storm, and adopted the next tree further from the bridge.

Date: Saturday, September 13, 2008
Location: Shawnee Lookout Park
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Cincinnati Bird Club, 13 participants
Thirteen members and friends of the Cincinnati Bird Club participated on this morning’s field trip to Shawnee Lookout. The weather was much more pleasant than the forecast predicted and an enjoyable time afield was had by all. The 10+ mph south winds last night was probably responsible for birding not being up to our expectations for this time of year, but we did find 66 species and some nice birds at several different spots.

Our highlights at Shawnee Lookout included a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, a Broad-winged Hawk, 8 species of warblers and a number of other migrant songbirds. Other birders we ran into at Shawnee that compared notes with us had a few other species we did not have. There were lesser numbers of shorebirds present this morning at Lost Bridge than in recent weeks, however our highlight there was an adult SANDERLING. Two Bald Eagles were also present at Lost Bridge, a first or second year bird and a near adult (4 yr) bird. With the adult bird that was seen yesterday, this means there are at least three different Bald Eagles hanging around Lost Bridge this weekend.

Paul Wharton and I went over our morning list to the best of our recollection and came up with the following species and numbers. It is quite possible we overlooked something someone else had.
Wood Duck 2, Double-crested Cormorant 1, Great Blue Heron 8, Turkey Vulture 30, Bald Eagle 2 (1 immature, 1 sub-adult), Broad-winged Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 2, Killdeer 15~, Spotted Sandpiper 1, Sanderling 1, Semipalmated Sandpiper 8, Least Sandpiper 5, Rock Pigeon x, Mourning Dove xx, Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1, Chimney Swift 8, Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1, Belted Kingfisher 3, Red-bellied Woodpecker 4, Downy Woodpecker x, Hairy Woodpecker 1, Pileated Woodpecker 1, Eastern Wood-Pewee 8, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 1, Least Flycatcher 1, Empidonax species 4, Eastern Phoebe 2, White-eyed Vireo 2, Yellow-throated Vireo 2, Warbling Vireo 2, Red-eyed Vireo 4, Blue Jay 20+, American Crow xx, N. Rough-winged Swallow 2, Carolina Chickadee xx, Tufted Titmouse x, White-breasted Nuthatch 5, Carolina Wren 12~, House Wren 1, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1, Swainson’s Thrush 1, American Robin xxx, Gray Catbird 5, Brown Thrasher 2, European Starling xx, Cedar Waxwing 10+, Tennessee Warbler 4, Nashville Warbler 2, Northern Parula 2, Black-throated Green Warbler 2, Bay-breasted Warbler 5, Black-and-White Warbler 2, American Redstart 4, Common Yellowthroat 2, Summer Tanager 3, Scarlet Tanager 2, Eastern Towhee 4, Song Sparrow x, Northern Cardinal xx, Rose-breasted Grosbeak 3+, Indigo Bunting 20~, Red-winged Blackbird xxx, Common Grackle x, Brown-headed Cowbird x, Baltimore Oriole 1 (fairly late), American Goldfinch xx, House Sparrow x.
 
Date: Thursday, September 11, 2008
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Bruce Leonhardt
What a spectacular sight. (1) mature Bald Eagle and (1) Bald Eagle almost mature. I will have pictures processed soon. http://leonhardt.smugmug.com/gallery/5066270_z4xZ9/1/367892560_jKpUT

Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Confirmation on the single sandhill crane seen flying low over the soybean fields toward Mercer Pond. 20 Great Egret and 21 Great Blue Heron at noontime. Also 1 Green Heron on Juno Pond.
 
Date: Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Location: Oxbow, Lost Bridge
Reporter: James Lundberg
Oxbow: 1 Sandhill Crane (an argument against global warming - about a month early by the Cinci Bird List), 5 Least Sandpipers, 3 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Solitary Sandpiper, 3 Black-crowned Night Herons, 2 Green Herons, Cormorants, Great Egrets, GBHs and Blue-winged Teals.

Lost Bridge: 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, a group of about 20 sandpipers; Semipalmated, Pectoral and, possibly White-rumped
 
Date: Monday, September 8, 2008
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Allan Claybon
Late post from Monday: 10-11AM - Had to wait for fog to lift to see anything....Jays's Sunday report got my attention. Shortly after I got there a Northern Harrier did a flyover and several dozen birds took flight. After they settled, it seemed that not much was near the Bridge. Saw 2 GB Herons, 1 Green Heron, 2 Belted Kingfishers (close views for most of the hour as they hunted fish and returned to spots just below the bridge), many Killdeer, and about 20 sandpipers and Lesser Yellowlegs, most too far away to itenfity without a scope. Took a few pictures.  http://www.pbase.com/nsxbirder/lost_bridge. Feel free to help with ID's.

Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Location: lost bridge
Reporter: Frank Frick
Some shorebirds this morning at lost bridge. both Yellowlegs, least and semipalmated sandpipers, and one stilt sandpiper.
 
Date: Sunday, September 7, 2008
Location: Shawnee Lookout and Oxbow
Reporter: Jonathan Frodge
Other Birders: Sam Sayre
Sunday birding highlights included an immature Bald Eagle at Lost Bridge, a Peregrine swooping amongst circling vultures near the Shawnee Lookout smokestacks and an immature Little Blue Heron at the Oxbow. According to their map this was in the northeast bend of Jackpot Pond (here's the map link-http://www.oxbowinc.org/images/officialMap.jpg)
I stopped where someone has dumped a couch and assorted other trash along the road and waded thru some poison ivy to get a better view of the diminutive whitey. Observed field marks include: bluish thick bill and yellow/greenish legs. Didn't catch dark primary tips, but if anyone sights this bird and could ID better with a scope, please post your findings.
 
Date: Sunday, September 7, 2008
Location: Shawnee Lookout & Lost Bridge
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Paula Stenger
We had nothing as rare as Paul’s Western Kingbird, but the boat ramp at Shawnee Lookout had a couple of good waves of fall migrant passerines move through this morning that yielded some uncommon species. Due to the dense foliage and the active nature of the beasties, I saw many warblers that I did not see well enough to identify. Shorebirds continue at Lost Bridge and a few uncommon species were among those as well. Our morning highlights included Western, White-rumped and Stilt Sandpipers at Lost Bridge and Olive-sided and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and a Philadelphia Vireo at the Boat Ramp.

Some of the species we found at Shawnee Lookout, almost all seen around or near the boat ramp parking lot, included: Great Blue Heron 6, Great Egret 2, Black Vulture 12, Osprey 1, Red-tailed Hawk 1, Hairy Woodpecker 1, Northern Flicker 3, Olive-sided Flycatcher 1 (at the top of the usual snag on the south east corner of the parking lot), Eastern Wood-Pewee 7, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 1 (parking lot), Least Flycatcher 1, empidonax flycatcher species 5, Eastern Phoebe 1, White-eyed Vireo 5 (apparent migrants), Warbling Vireo 2, Philadelphia Vireo 1, Red-eyed Vireo 2, Blue Jay 20+ (apparent migrants), House Wren 1, Swainson’s Thrush 2, Wood Thrush 2, Gray Catbird 5, Brown Thrasher 1, Cedar Waxwings 45, Tennessee Warbler 3, Nashville Warbler 1, Magnolia Warbler 3, Cape May Warbler 1, Black-throated Green Warbler 1, Blackburnian Warbler 1, Bay-breasted Warbler 2, Summer Tanager 1, Eastern Towhee 3, Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2, Indigo Bunting 20+, and a large mixed flock of 600~ blackbirds that included Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds.

A completely different mix of shorebirds from what I have seen during the past couple of weeks was working the riffles and exposed sandbars below Lost Bridge today. Many of these birds were quite close and virtually right below the bridge. At least 3 juvenile Western Sandpipers were present and gave me great comparisons with a large flock of 25~ Semipalmated Sandpipers (also mostly all juveniles) that they seemed to be associating with, although they remained very close to each other the entire time. A juvenile White-rumped Sandpiper was also seen at very close range and the larger size and longer wings were very obvious in comparison to the nearby smaller peeps. At least 1, maybe 2 juvenile Stilt Sandpipers were also present. I never saw more than one at a time but I got the impression there were two birds. 15 Least Sandpipers (outnumbered by Semipalmateds on this occasion), 5 Pectoral Sandpipers, 8 Greater Yellowlegs and 4 Lesser Yellowlegs were also present. The usual 25+ Killdeer were also seen. I did not see the usual Spotted or Solitary Sandpipers so my shorebird tally stayed in single digits with 9 total species. Other species seen at Lost Bridge included Great Blue Heron 6, Great Egret 1, Green Heron 3, Double-crested Cormorant 2, N. Rough-winged Swallow 2 and Barn Swallow 1.

If you go to Lost Bridge and don’t immediately see shorebirds look again very carefully. Many of these birds, especially the peeps, blend in with the gravel and sandbars and can be easily overlooked.

Date: Monday, September 1, 2008
Location: Lost Bridge
Reporter: Eric Burkholder
Other Birders: Kirk Westendorf
We were in search of shorebirds. At Lost Bridge we found Killdeer. 1 Semi-palmated Plover, 2 Solitary Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers and Semi-palmated Sandpipers. We also had 1 Great Egret, 2 Green Herons and an Osprey.

Date: Saturday, August 30, 2008
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: The Ohio Valley Photography Club
A group of 25 intrepid photographers and some hangers on toured the Oxbow this morning. No official counting done but it was a good morning. 20+ Canada Goose, 6 Blue-winged Teal, 3 Mallard, Cooper's Hawk 1, ADULT BALD EAGLE 1, 45+ Great Egret, 70+ Great Blue Heron, 5 Black-crowned Night Heron, 3 Green Heron, 1 Turkey Vulture, 3 Belted Kingfisher, 35+ Double-crested Cormorant, Lesser Yellow-legs 1, Killdeer 30+. Many small birds of the typical sort nothing unusual.

Date: Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: James Lundberg
I thought the cooler weather would send all the shorebirds south. Nope. Many waders though. Did see a small, dark brown rail flush near the SW end of Jackpot Pond. It flew about 15 feet then right back into cover. It didn't call. It didn't have a clean adult look - maybe a juvenile Sora.  The water level is still up at Oxbow. There are some small mudflats on the pond north of the main entrance road. Jackpot Pond has a fair margin of mud. A quick check of Lost Bridge yielded 2 Great Blue Herons, nothing else.
Enjoyable morning though.

Trip List: Wood Duck 5, Green-winged Teal 2, Double-crested Cormorant 7, Great Blue Heron xx, Great Egret xx, Green Heron 4, Black-crowned Night-Heron 5, Killdeer 11, Solitary Sandpiper 3, Greater Yellowlegs 1, Belted Kingfisher 4

Date: Saturday, August 16, 2008
Location: The Oxbow
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Twenty-one trip participants
On Saturday August 16th 21 members and friends of Oxbow Inc. participated in the monthly field trip in the Oxbow. Pleasant weather and a great group of folks made for a very enjoyable morning. Shorebirds are always hoped for during August in the Oxbow and we did see a few but unfortunately water levels are above average for this season and there is only moderate shorebird habitat at this time. However conditions can change quickly in the Oxbow so it should still be checked regularly. When we finished up in the Oxbow several of us went to the nearby Lost Bridge where the exposed sandbars are attracting a few birds. Below is a list I kept. I may have forgotten something or others may have had some additional species or numbers.

Species found in the Oxbow included: Canada Goose 40+, Wood Duck 15+, Mallard 15~, Double-crested Cormorant 70+, Great Blue Heron 50+, Great Egret 35~, Green Heron 12 (on the evening of Aug. 14 there were 11 Green Herons on Juno Pond alone), Black-crowned Night-Heron 9, Turkey Vulture 14, Red-tailed Hawk 2, Peregrine Falcon 2 (perched on top of I-275 bridge), Killdeer 20+, Spotted Sandpiper 2, Solitary Sandpiper 2, Lesser Yellowlegs 1, Least Sandpiper 6, Rock Pigeon 8, Mourning Doves, Chimney Swift 6, Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2, Belted Kingfisher 2, Downy Woodpecker 2, Northern Flicker, Warbling Vireo 1, American Crows, Purple Martin 2, Tree Swallow 80~, Northern Rough-winged Swallow 100~, Bank Swallow 20+, Cliff Swallow 10~, Barn Swallow 50~, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3, American Robins, European Starlings, Field Sparrow 3, Song Sparrows, Northern Cardinals, Indigo Bunting 20+, Red-winged Blackbird 400 (most in one flock), Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird 40, Baltimore Oriole 2, House Finches, American Goldfinch 30~, House Sparrows.

Species seen at Lost Bridge included: Double-crested Cormorant 6, Great Blue Heron 14, Green Heron 4, Killdeer 15, Spotted Sandpiper 3, Solitary Sandpiper 1, a flock of 22 peeps that included at least 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers the rest being Least Sandpipers, Belted Kingfisher and several Cliff Swallows. We also had some great looks at 3 basking softshell turtles (smooth or spiny?) right below the Bridge.

Date: Monday, August 11, 2008
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: none A quick drive through the Oxbow today netted 14 Great Blue Heron, 10 Great Egret, 2 Green Heron, 1 Turkey Vulture, 2 American Crow, 23 Double-crested Cormorants, 80 Canada Goose, 3 Mallard, 1 Wood Duck, 2 Belted Kingfisher, 2 Cardinals, 1 House Wren, 1 Prothonatary Warbler, 1 Indigo Bunting, 1 Mourning Dove, 4 Song Sparrows, 2 American Goldfinch, and absolutely NO shorebirds.

Date: Friday, August 8, 2008
Location: Shawnee Lookout and Oxbow
Reporter: Steve Bobonick
Other Birders: Owen Watson
Day two with Owen...First, note that the trip to Boone County Cliffs was on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, we hit Shawnee lookout and also the Oxbow for the last half hour of daylight. Owen's "Cincinnati list" is now at 53 species with about 39 as life birds. He is returning home and will be back in Cincinnati August 27. He will be here over the Labor Day weekend so we will have time to expand the list.

Trip List: Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Mallard, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawk, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Chimney Swift, Belted Kingfisher, Northern Flicker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, American Crow, Horned Lark, Tree Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Wood Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, European Starling, American Redstart, Prothonotary Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Orchard Oriole, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow

Date: Friday, July 25, 2008
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
More work in the Oxbow but this time I had binoculars with me. 23 Great Blue Heron, 16 Great Egret, 2 Green Heron, 26 Canada Goose, 2 Wood Duck, 77 Double-crested Cormorant, 2 Belted Kingfisher, 4 Turkey vulture, 5 Horned Lark, 3 Indigo Bunting, 3 Northern Cardinal, 9 American Goldfinch, 5 Song Sparrow, 2 Prothonatary Warbler, 1 Tufted Titmouse, 3 Carolina Chicadee, 2 House Wren, 25 mixed Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds, 75 mixed Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow, Rough-winged Swallow, and at least one Bank Swallow. Two shorebirds at a distance no ID.

Date: Sunday, July 20, 2008
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Joe Kappa
Other Birders: Wife Cathy
Trip highlights: Gr-Blue Heron 15, Great Egret 10, Green-Back Heron 2, Black Crowned Night Heron 6, Wood Duck 12,
Solitary Sandpiper 2

Date: Saturday, July 5, 2008
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Bob Hargrave
I'm visiting from SW Florida. This is a very helpful website. July 4th was too rainy and muddy. Today was too muddy to walk very far but highlight of the trip was a life first Prothonotary Warbler. Others: 10 Great Blue Herons, 7 Great Egrets, 3 Black-crowned Night Herons, 1 Green Heron, a mother Wood Duck with 8 ducklings swimming behind, Cardinals, Carolina Wren, Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers, Kingfisher, Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Cormorants, Song Sparrows, Canadian Geese, Robins, Mallards, Flicker, Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Phoebe and a Brown-headed Cowbird.

Date: Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Location: Oxbow, Lost Bridge, Campbell Lakes
Reporter: Bruce Leonhardt
Other Birders: Michele Leonhardt
At Oxbow we spotted 2 belted kingfishers and 3 river otters. Cormorant's and GBH at the lost bridge. We saw the Bald Eagle soaring over Campbell Lakes. Absolutely exciting to see.

Date: Monday, June 30, 2008
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Tom Sturgeon
Tom Sturgeon reports a pair of Sandhill cranes duet calling in the Juno Pond smartweed flats

Date: Sunday, June 1, 2008
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Lonnie Parker
Met Lonnie to show him some areas of the Oxbow. He is interested in photography so we were not really bird watching. However the Oxbow always provides. After telling Lonnie that June was usually the dullest month in the Oxbow we were presented with both a female Black Scoter on Oxbow Lake and a Cattle Egret in full breeding plumage in the Mercer Pond area. Other birds present were singing prothonatary warblers, warbling vireos, both male and female Baltimore Oriole, about 12 Great Blue Heron, 3 Great Egret, 35 Double-crested Cormorant, and a female Wood Duck with her brood. Nice day for a walk.

Date: Thursday, May 22, 2008
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Darlena Graham
Other Birders: members of Oxbow field trip
We had a nice evening if not exciting birds. Old friends joined us and some nice people whom I hadn't met. While the grounds in general were dry enough to walk easily, the waters were up enough to limit our access. We had great views of a gorgeous Prothonotary Warbler., Common Yellowthroat, dozens of Warbling Vireos, a few Baltimore Orioles, at least one Orchard Oriole and Indigo Buntings, BG Gnatcatchers, several Great Blue Herons were moving around as well as a pair of Green Herons apparently nesting there. We also had 3 sp. Swallows, Tree, Rough-winged, and Barn. The only shore birds we found were 2 Spotted Sandpipers in really nice plumage that seemed to be seriously bonded to a small runoff. 

Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Location: Oxbow Lake (by canoe)
Reporter: Joe Kappa
The fields were flooded creating a very large lake. Not many water birds to be found. Did, however, pick up a few:
Belted Kingfisher, 30+ DC Cormorants, 1 Great Blue Heron, 3 Bald Eagles (2 adult, 1 juvenile)

Also drove by the Lost Bridge and saw an adult Bald Eagle. (I suspect it was one of the eagles seen earlier). The Cliff Swallows are also nesting again beneath the bridge.
 
Date: Sunday, May 18, 2008
Location: Various Western Hamilton County
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Jack Stenger
Jack and I birded several local spots today. Some of our highlights included the following.

Lawrenceburg Rd. near Lost Bridge: 3 Black-bellied Plovers, seen in a sky pool in the fields about 100 yards south of Lawrenceburg Rd.

Shawnee Lookout: Canada Warbler, from the Miami Fort Trail parking lot.

Oxbow Area. 2 Bald Eagles. One adult Bald Eagle flew low across US 50, just south of State Line Rd., and landed in a tree in a front yard of a suburban home where it leisurely ate a fish while being mobbed by the resident Mockingbird. Another Bald Eagle, this one a 2nd year bird, was seen soaring over the farm fields between the Great Miami River and I-275.

Date: Sunday, May 18, 2008
Location: Various Western Hamilton County
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Jack Stenger
Jack and I birded several local spots today. Some of our highlights included the following.

Spring Grove Cemetery: 1 Alder Flycatcher, repeatedly singing in the extreme southwestern corner of section 131, which is located on the northwest border of the cemetery.

Lawrenceburg Rd. near Lost Bridge: 3 Black-bellied Plovers, seen in a sky pool in the fields about 100 yards south of Lawrenceburg Rd.

Shawnee Lookout: Canada Warbler, from the Miami Fort Trail parking lot.

Oxbow Area. 2 Bald Eagles. One adult Bald Eagle flew low across US 50, just south of State Line Rd., and landed in a tree in a front yard of a suburban home where it leisurely ate a fish while being mobbed by the resident Mockingbird. Another Bald Eagle, this one a 2nd year bird, was seen soaring over the farm fields between the Great Miami River and I-275.

Date: Saturday, May 17, 2008
Location: Shawnee Lookout & Oxbow Area
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Jack Stenger
Jack and I birded Shawnee Lookout and several other sites in the lower Great Miami River valley this morning and early afternoon. The Ohio River is at 42 feet and the Oxbow proper is flooded and for the most part inaccessible. The forecast has the Ohio River level rapidly receding to 30 feet by next Thursday, so there should be plenty of shorebird habitat in the Oxbow through the end of May and shorebird migration.

One of our highlights was a 1st summer FRANKLIN’S GULL, which we saw in a skypool in the farm fields on the east side of the I-275 underpass behind the old Miller Cemetery, which is accessed off of US 50. The Franklin’s Gull, which is a very rare spring migrant though our region, was seen among a flock of 75+ Ring-billed Gulls.

We found at least 1, probably 2, Dickcissels in the fields at the Tanners Creek Boat Ramp, the same place several summered last year. We didn’t experience a tremendous warbler fall out this morning in terms of diversity of species but we did have large numbers of certain species, notably Tennessee & Blackpoll Warblers and American Redstarts.

Some of the species we found in and around Shawnee Lookout today included; Great Blue Heron 16, Black Vulture 1, Red-tailed Hawk 5, Spotted Sandpiper 2, Franklin’s Gull 1, Ring-billed Gull 75+, Yellow-billed Cuckoo 5, Chimney Swift 75+ (downtown Lawrenceburg), Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2, Belted Kingfisher, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee 4, Acadian Flycatcher 9, Willow Flycatcher 2, Eastern Phoebe 2, Great Crested Flycatcher 6, Eastern Kingbird 3, White-eyed Vireo 2, Yellow-throated Vireo 3, Blue-headed Vireo 1, Warbling Vireo 6, Red-eyed Vireo 20+, Cliff Swallows, Bank Swallows, House Wren 15+, Swainson’s Thrush 6, Wood Thrush 6, Gray Catbird 5, Brown Thrasher 2, Cedar Waxwing 7, Tennessee Warbler 23, Northern Parula 6, Yellow Warbler 8, Chestnut-sided Warbler 1, Magnolia Warbler 2, Yellow-throated Warbler 4, Prairie Warbler 1, Bay-breasted Warbler 1, Blackpoll Warbler 9, Cerulean Warbler 3, American Redstart 21, Prothonotary Warbler 2, Ovenbird 1, Louisiana Waterthrush 1, Kentucky Warbler 3, Common Yellowthroat 6, Yellow-breasted Chat 2, Summer Tanager 5, Scarlet Tanager 4, Eastern Towhee 12, Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1, Indigo Bunting 40, Dickcissel 1+, Orchard Oriole 4 and Baltimore Oriole 15~.
 
Date: Monday, April 14, 2008
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Marco Dietrich
Other Birders: Jon Seymour
Jon introduced me to the area and we have made some good sightings. Around 2 hours we´ve been there in the early afternoon.  Mallard, Blue-Winged Teal, American Coot, Pied-Billed Grebe, D.-Cr. Cormorant. Herring Gull (1), Ring-Billed Gull, Bonaparte´s Gull, Red-Tailed Hawk, Osprey (1), Sharp-Shinned Hawk, Turkey Vulture, Great White Egret (10), Great Blue Heron, Killdeer (1), Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Tree Swallow, Purple Martin (1), Barn Swallow, Rough-Winged Swallow, Bank Swallow (1), Robin, American Crow, Car. Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Prothonotay Warbler, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, E. Starling, Red-Winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-Headed Cowbird, House Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, A. Goldfinch, Blue Jay, Cardinal

Date: Sunday, April 13, 2008
Location: Oxbow / Shawnee Lookout
Reporter: Marcia Alexander
Other Birders: Mark Alexander
American Coots 50+, Black Crowned Night Herons 5, Blue Winged Teals 6+, Double Crested Cormorants 100+, Great Blue, Herons 10+, Killdeer 2, Osprey 2, Pileated Woodpecker 1, Prothonotary Warbler 1, Ruby Crowned Kinglet 1, White Throated, Sparrows 6, Wild Turkey Female & Male in Full Display, Yellow Throated Warbler 1, Yellow Warbler 1.

Date: Saturday, April 12, 2008
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Joe Kappa
Other Birders: Paul Krusling
Saw 9 Great Egrets land near the I-275 entrance. The road was still to wet to drive on. We were able to see water birds in the distance but they were too far to identify. Also saw Ring-billed Gulls, Herrings and Bonapartes.
 
Date: Friday, April 11, 2008
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Bruce Leonhardt
Other Birders: Michele Leonhardt
Water is down. Spotted an Osprey, Pileated Woodpeckers (3), and a Kingfisher (1).

Date: Monday, April 7, 2008
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Aullwood Nature Center Volunteers
Volunteers and staff from the Aullwood Nature Center north of Dayton made their yearly pilgrimage to the Oxbow. While I did not really count today here are some highlights. 2 Great Egret, 1 Great Blue Heron, 2 Bald Eagle(1 A, and 1 immature), 1 Osprey, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 2 Hooded Merganser, 1 Osprey, and 70 Bonaparts Gulls mixed with a flock of 500 Ring-billed Gulls. Had a real good long look at a beaver floating in the flooded forested area.

Date: Saturday, March 29, 2008
Location: Lost Bridge/Oxbow Area
Reporter: Paul Krusling
Other Birders: Joe Kappa
In addition to what Jay and Paula saw, listed in the previous post. We saw 12 lesser yellowlegs in the wet fields south of the Lost Bridge. These birds were visible from the first gravel road that crosses the RR tracks S. of Lawrenceburg Road. Also add 1 Northern Pintail, 1 osprey and 1 possible eared grebe, which was seen among a group of at least four horned grebes and two pied-biled grebes.

Date: Saturday, March 29, 2008
Location: The Oxbow Area
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Paula Stenger
My wife Paula and I took a spur of the moment trip to the Oxbow area late this afternoon. The Oxbow proper is for the most part still underwater. Most of the farm fields from Lost Bridge south are still partially flooded and there are many sky pools and temporary ponds throughout the valley and most are covered with birds. Our highlights were 3 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS, 2 immature Bald Eagles, Common Loon, and many gulls and waterfowl, including 14 Greater Scaup.

The general area is attracting good numbers of waterfowl and water birds, particularly gulls, which numbered in the thousands. We ran into Paul Krusling and Joe Kappa at Lost Bridge and they told us they had a Bald Eagle when they first arrived there. I neglected to ask if it was an adult. Paul & Joe may also have had some different species and numbers as they were there longer than us. There were a lot of ducks of many species on both sides of Elizabethtown Rd. at Lost Bridge.

At least 1500+ Ring-billed Gulls, 300+ Bonaparte’s Gulls and 12 Herring Gulls were present and widespread throughout the valley this evening. I found the Lesser Black-backed Gulls in the flooded fields behind the old cemetery and under the I-275 underpass, which can be accessed from US 50. I saw these gulls around 6:00 PM on the sky pool closet to the expressway. The two immature eagles were also seen there, foraging in the shallow water for trapped fish, which is also apparently attracting all the gulls. The eagles first caught my attention but eventually flew off. I was scanning the gulls when I noticed the first Lesser Black-backed Gull, which was in first winter plumage (and maybe transitioning to first summer). This bird was cooperative and fairly close and I had a good long look. It seemed to be feeding on a small carp trapped in the shallow pool. While I was watching that bird, another identically plumaged gull flew in, and then another, and they all squabbled over the fish. Herring, Ring-billed and Bonaparte’s were all moving around in this same spot and good comparisons were had. Since the habitat looked perfect I was hoping to find some shorebirds but found none other than Killdeer. A better effort should turn some up.

Some of the species we saw in the Oxbow area from around 4:30-7:00 PM today included: Canada Geese. Mallards, Wood Duck 6, Blue-winged Teal 60, Northern Shoveler 20+, Green-winged Teal 11, Canvasback 2, Redhead 4, Ring-necked Duck 180+, Greater Scaup 14 (with 16 Lesser Scaup on State Line Pond), Lesser Scaup 50+, Bufflehead 8, Common Loon 1 (on State Line Pond), Double-crested Cormorant 200~, Great Blue Heron 30+, Black Vulture 6, Turkey Vulture 50~, Bald Eagle 2 (2 im), Red-tailed Hawk 4, American Kestrel 2, American Coot 250~, Killdeer 10, Bonaparte’s Gull 340+, Ring-billed Gull 1500+, Herring Gull 12, Lesser Black-backed Gull 3, Tree Swallow 20~, N. Rough-winged Swallow 1, American Crow 400+, American Pipit 12, Eastern Towhee 8, Rusty Blackbird

Date: Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Bruce Leonhardt
Windy today. Best sight was 2 Great Egrets

Date: Monday, March 17, 2008
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Steve Maslowski and Jim Simpson
The annual search for the Green-winged Teal on St. Patty\'s Day was successful and led to the consumption of the traditional Lorna Dune's.

Trip List: Canada Goose 7, Wood Duck 15, Gadwall 3, American Wigeon 5, American Black Duck 10, Mallard 150, Blue-winged Teal 5, Northern Shoveler 4, Green-winged Teal 30, Redhead 6, Ring-necked Duck 450, Bufflehead 2, Hooded Merganser 1, Horned Grebe 1, Double-crested Cormorant 1, Great Blue Heron 1, Turkey Vulture 1, Bald Eagle 2, Red-tailed Hawk 2, American Coot 200, Ring-billed Gull 600, Mourning Dove 15, Red-bellied Woodpecker 1, Downy Woodpecker 3, Hairy Woodpecker 1, American Crow 25, Carolina Chickadee 11, American Robin 80, European Starling 500, Yellow-rumped Warbler 5, Song Sparrow 8, Northern Cardinal 35, Red-winged Blackbird 50, Common Grackle 3, Brown-headed Cowbird 10

Date: Monday, March 17, 2008
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Tim Sheckels
At about 6:45-7:00 pm I saw a pair of bald eagles near the Oxbow. One male, one female it appeared.  They were on the east side of I-275. I stopped on the entrance ramp to I-275 from Lawrenceburg, heading towards Cincinnati. They were in the trees near the road there, in the rec area where the campers usually are. They were being harassed by the smaller birds.   

Date: Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Bruce Leonhardt
Other Birders: Michele Leonhardt
We were west of Oxbow Lake, south of what is now an island. I saw the following birds: Mature Bald Eagle 1, Northern Cardinal 1 (largest male I've ever seen yet), Robin 14, Red Chested W'pecker 3, Titmouse 4.
We took I-275 towards Ohio and spotted a Juvenile Bald Eagle in the trees just south of the campground.

Date: Monday, March 10, 2008
Location: The Oxbow and Lower Great Miami Valley
Reporter: Jay Stenger
Other Birders: Jack Stenger
Jack and I spent most of the day in the Oxbow area of the lower Great Miami River Valley. With the Ohio River stage at 50 feet, the Oxbow proper is completely under water and virtually inaccessible. All of the low-lying fields along the Great Miami River, US 50 and Lawrenceburg Rd. north to Cleves were flooded. There were thousands of waterfowl (19 species of ducks) and gulls present and scattered throughout this entire area. While we didn’t find anything particularly rare we did see a lot of birds. Our highlights included 19 species of ducks, a fairly early Common Loon and 2 Bald Eagles. Access to most spots was difficult, but not impossible. Traffic, distances, private property and the flood itself didn’t help much. Snow banks and muddy berms along the roadsides made parking a bit tricky. But we had a ball. There were at least a thousand ducks in the Oxbow proper but we were unable to get close. Thousands more were scattered in flooded fields throughout the valley and some of these were easier to see. We saw at least 5000 ducks and 3000 gulls but at least double those numbers were most likely present as we only covered about half of the flooded areas if that. The floodwaters are forecast to quickly recede over the next few days, but there should be plenty of sky pools left behind and birding should continue to be good for a while. The flooded fields along Lawrenceburg Rd. near Lost Bridge gave us some of our best views.

Our numbers represent only what we were able to identify as we left many birds unidentified due to distance, inaccessibility and back lighting. Some of the species we found today included; Canada Goose 50, Wood Duck 3, Gadwall 70, American Wigeon 50, American Black Duck 100, Mallard 2000, Blue-winged Teal 4, Northern Shoveler 20, Northern Pintail 50, Green-winged Teal 50, Canvasback 225, Redhead 250, Ring-necked Duck 225, Greater Scaup 2, Lesser Scaup 200, Bufflehead 15, Common Goldeneye 1, Red-breasted Merganser 12, Ruddy Duck 3, Wild Turkey 24 (2 flocks), Common Loon 1 (fairly early, breeding plumage and yodeling in flooded fields behind the old cemetery), Pied-billed Grebe 5, Horned Grebe 3, Great Blue Heron 4, Black Vulture 4, Turkey Vulture 30, Bald Eagle 2 (1 ad, 1 im), Northern Harrier 2, Red-tailed Hawk 12 (26 for the day), American Kestrel 1 (13 for the day counting other parts of W. Hamilton County), Peregrine Falcon, American Coot 400+, Killdeer 30+, Ring-billed Gull 3000+, Herring Gull 4, Belted Kingfisher, American Crow 800, Horned Larks, White-crowned Sparrow 40+, Field Sparrows (several singing), Dark-eyed Junco 125+, Red-winged Blackbird, 500+, Common Grackle 500, Brown-headed Cowbird 200, and Eastern Meadowlark.

Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Other Birders: Mark Anderson
An afternoon stroll in the Oxbow with access limited due to rising water. 800 Mallard, 300 Ring-necked Duck, 50 American Widgeon, 3 Gadwall, 2 Scaup (sp?)4 Northern Shoveler, 15 Black Duck, 8 Wood Duck, 350 Canada Goose, 1500 Ring-billed Gull, 4 Killdeer, 25 American Coot, 1 Great Blue Heron, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 600 Mixed Blackbirds (Starlings, Grackles, Cowbirds, and Red-winged Blackbirds), 9 Mourning Dove, 20 Song-Sparrow, 7 Cardinal, 2 Carolina Chickadee, 1 Northern Flicker, 2 Downy Woodpecker, 3 American Robin, 2 Horned Lark, 400 American Crow, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Northern Harrier, 4 American Bald Eagle (all immature but one with a 70% white head and tail) and 1 Merlin. As we watched one Bald Eagle circle low over a winter wheat field a Merlin Burst up from the ground and made straight for the eagle. There was a lot of noise and the Eagle started to do a lot of swerving to avoid the Merlin. After chasing the Eagle a distance of a few hundred yards the Merlin decided there were better things to do like return to a kill.

Date: Saturday, February 23, 2008
Location: Oxbow
Reporter: Peter Kavouras
Birded the Oxbow from 8:00am to 9:00am today, lots of fowl. Didn't walk much, so I didn't see a lot of non-fowl. First time I have seen a goldeneye at the Oxbow.
250+ Canada Goose,25 American Coot,2 Black Duck,10 Northern Pintail,40+ Mallard,15 Ring-Necked Duck, 4 Canvasback, 15+ Redhead, 1 Common Merganser, 1 Common Goldeneye, 2 Gadwall, 4 American Wigeon, 1 Pied Billed Grebe, 10+ European Starling, 10+ Northern Cardinal, 1 Dark-Eyed Junco, 70+ Ring-Billed Gull, 8 American Crow

Date: Saturday, February 16, 2008
Location: Oxbow, Lawrenceburg, IN
Reporter: Jon Seymour
Canada Goose - 368, Wood Duck - 1, American Wigeon - 2, Black Duck - 2, Mallard - 283, Northern Pintail - 2, Canvasback - 20, Redhead - 11, Ring-necked Duck - 272, Great Blue Heron - 8, Red-tailed Hawk - 1, American Coot - 8, Killdeer - 9, Ring-billed Gull - 720, Mourning Dove - 8, Red-bellied Woodpecker - 3, Northern Flicker - 6, Blue Jay - 2, American Crow - 3, Carolina Chickadee - 10, Tufted Titmouse - 2, White-breasted Nuthatch - 1, Northern Cardinal - 2, Red-winged Blackbird - 2, Brown-headed Cowbird - 40, American Goldfinch - 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler 3