Hoover Reservoir looked like it was on fire, with the mist rising off the lake, and we were almost to Hoover Meadows early in the morning. When we got to Hoover Meadows we met Rob Thorn who led us on the first half of our field trip through the Meadows. Rob is a superb birder and educator who was so generous to spend his day with OYBC.
When we were at the Meadows we saw birds, deer and a hot air balloon that landed in the backyard of the house next to us! After that little bit of excitement was over, we checked out some nest boxes and learned from OYBC Advisor Darlene Sillick how to tell what bird lived there. If the nest was made of sticks, then a House Wren probably lived there. If the nest was made of grass, then an Eastern Bluebird likely lived there. If the nest had lots of soft feathers in it, chances are it was a Tree Swallow. Sometimes there were layers of nests where there was a fight over who got the nest box.
Then we heard a Red-shouldered Hawk (it took some time to figure out what kind of bird it was). After that, we spotted a dead tree that looked kind of funky and we soon found out that it was a tree full of Turkey Vultures, sunning themselves!
After the wonderful morning walk led by Rob, we set out to Hoover Boardwalk where we ate our lunch on the trunks of our cars. After lunch, expert birder and naturalist Tom Bain taught us about bird “toolboxes.” That’s when we noticed that the Reservoir was… well, not exactly a Reservoir any more. It was more like one or two rivers — with lots of grass where there should be water — that flow into a very low lake (the lake was more like a pond, if you ask me). Tom told us that sections of Hoover had been dry since June, with grass and brush replacing the usual deeper water. As we walked along the boardwalk, we got to practice finding birds hidden in the grass and, after finding a bird, identifying it.
When the tour was over and we were just loading up to leave, we spotted a Peregrine Falcon circling overhead! It was an awesome bird to end a field trip on, but it was also fun to have ice cream before heading home.
For the day, we saw the following 46 species:
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Turkey Vulture
Canada Goose
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Lesser Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Common Snipe
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Tennessee Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Chloe Degitz is a Central Ohio OYBC Youth Advisory Board member. Check out the photos from this event.