Ohio University Ornithology: Field Trip 1: At The Hawking River and The Ridges

Date and time- 6 September 2014 and 7 am- 10 am

Name of field site- Hawking River and The Ridges

Weather- 72 degrees Fahrenheit, partly cloudy, humid

Habitats visited- shoreline, shrub, field, woods, and edge habitats

Who I was with- Ornithology lab group

On 6 September 2014 my Ornithology class and I departed Ohio University to the haunted Ridges and shoreline of the Hawking River in search of various bird species. Around 7:20 am we arrived on the shoreline of the Hawking expecting to see many shorebird species, especially since it was World Shorebird Day. The sun was just starting to rise so it was difficult to make out the few silhouettes fling over head. The threat of a storm seemed near as the warm weather and partly cloudy skies became humid and muggy as the morning pressed on. The lack of many species in the early morning made us wonder how soon the storm will be approaching. As the minutes ticked by and the sun began to rise, more and more species begin to present themselves. While at the Hawking we saw and heard many shore and non-shore bird species. We saw European Starlings, Song Sparrow, Blue Jay, Black Vulture, American Crow, Mallard Ducks, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, and Canada Geese.

European Starling

Song Sparrow

Blue Jay

Black Vulture

-these birds used to be rare but their numbers are greatly increasing

American Crow

Mallard Ducks

Killdeer

Spotted Sandpiper

- these birds are associated with fresh water habitats

Canada Geese

Around 8 am we decided to make our way to The Ridges where we were greeted by 42+ Black Vultures fighting over who knows what. We soon parked our vans where the Tuberculosis Ward of the old insane asylum use to lie and made our way through a cemetery to a pond and edge habitat. Once there we were able to see many more species and hear many bird calls in the trees and flying overhead. We identified many species there like the Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Chimney Swift, Red Bellied Woodpecker, and Gold Finch. After identifying these birds we made our way to the nature trail and all the way to Radar Hill which had many shrub, field, woody and edge habitats along the way. As we walked, we found and heard Eastern Wood-Pewee, Carolina Wren, Downy Woodpecker, American Robin, White-breasted Nuthatch, Northern Cardinal, Gray Catbird, Eastern Towhee, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, White-eyed Vireo, Morning Dove, Ceder Waxwing, and Turkey Vultures.