Cinnamon teal seen at the Killbuck Marsh
- Bruce Glick: Gone Birding
- April 6, 2018
- 2235
It’s always a memorable experience to find a really rare bird. That was the case on March 27 when a lovely male cinnamon teal was discovered near Wooster on the west side of the Killbuck Creek at the end of Force Road. This has long been a favorite place for birders to look for waterfowl. The best place to watch for rarity is from the little hill by the parking lot. There is no access to the old path east of the parking area. Please observe the signs and don’t trespass.
This cinnamon teal has been seen by most birders. People have traveled from all over Ohio to see this rarity. It was still being seen on March 31.
I was fortunate to see a male cinnamon teal near Wooster in 1989. I first saw the bird on April 11 at the Overton Marsh on the west side of Wooster. Three days later the bird was refound at Prairie Lane, a few miles from the initial sighting. I was able to take some photos of the bird, swimming close to blue-winged and green-winged teal.
Cinnamon teal are found in western states and rarely make their way this far east. This current one doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to head back west.
There have been many interesting reports this past week. Most interesting to me was a post by Kent Miller about waterfowl at Seneca Lake on March 30. Try to imagine 375 common loons, more than 100 horned grebes, more than 1,000 ducks, hundreds of four different species of swallows and at least one red-throated loon. Amazing! Red-throated loons also have been reported from several other lakes in Ohio.
New arrivals that have been showing up include golden-crowned kinglet, fox, field and chipping sparrows, eastern phoebe, great egrets and more.
Out here in the Goshen, Indiana area, we still have several snowy owls, lots of pine siskins and red crossbills. There are signs that the crossbills may be trying to nest. Speaking of nesting, a local mourning dove nest has nestlings. I drove over to Potato Creek State Park on March 27 and found three ospreys on nesting platforms. A very early Lincoln’s sparrow was found on March 30 near Goshen. Last week a long-eared owl was discovered in pines near a parking lot at a city park in Goshen.
At Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area east of Goshen, the northern saw-whet owl that was calling every night for weeks seems to be gone, although birders will keep checking the area.
Day after day of north winds during the last half of March precluded any serious hawk watching. However, Jenn Brumfield counted over 1,000 turkey vultures, plus some sharp-shinned and red-tailed hawks, all moving along the Lake Erie shoreline in Cleveland on March 30. Hopefully we will have better weather during the upcoming broad-winged hawk season.
Good birding!
Reach Bruce Glick at birderbruce@yahoo.com or 330-317-7798.