Ellen Armstrong did a fine job of posting the morning sightings by Robin, Sharon and me -- see her posting below. The only addition since has been a House Sparrow, which brings our species count to 33. All of these were at the OSU Research Wetland. We also spotted a hawk about halfway up the huge OSU TV tower in the distance, but it was too far away to identify the species. Our best guess was a Cooper's Hawk. Hopefully we will get a close-up look at a Cooper's this afternoon.
Attached are three photos from this morning. One shows a Great Blue Heron and a Mallard out on the wetland; one shows what we believe is an Oriole nest; and one shows a male Wood Duck that we spotted just before lunch.
I must say that birding at the Wetland requires a lot more work than birding at Magee Marsh. I know our species count would be a lot higher if we were up there, but on the other hand we have not released any CO2 (other than by exhaling). We also should step back and appreciate the fact that a small wetland in the heart of a major metro area is capable of producing 33 species on a lovely spring morning.
The plan this afternoon is to work Northmoor and Whetstone Parks and nearby ravines. I know of an active Red-Tail Hawk nest in Northmoor, and we still have a few common birds to pick up, such as Crow and Turkey Vulture. We will end the day in the back yard of our board member, Greg Cunningham, who has an active Eastern Screech Owl nest there. Wish us luck!
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