Tuesday, March 5

Today is going to be a long day.  I am going up and work at the zoo for several hours to chop the aviary diet and then I'm going to meet with a friend who was a docent and North America Region Leader when I became a docent.  He is an eagle "nut" and follows them throughout the year.  Today we are going to visit several nests that are in the central Ohio area.  At 7 pm I will return to the zoo for our North America Region meeting. We are having a guest speaker, Jim McCormac who writes for the Columbus Dispatch twice a month.

I pulled up to Dave's house around 10:15, we loaded into his van and we were off on our adventure.  Dave and his wife Candy visit many of the Metro Parks so we began with Blacklick.  I have not been to many of the Metro parks on the east side of Columbus so this was a special treat for me and Dave was a wonderful guide.  Unfortunately, the nature center didn't open until noon so we headed out and our next stop was Pickerington Ponds.  I wish it had been a little sunnier and less windy but at least it wasn't raining or snowing.  At our first stop we could see an eagles nest but it didn't appear to have any activity so we went across the road to a pond that also had a duck blind.  Here I could clearly see a heron rookery and I picked up 4 ducks to add to my life list.  The redhead duck, we have one in the aviary who is in permanent time out right now for beating up on the other birds, a northern pintail, an American Wigeon and a Ring-necked duck.

Northern Pintail

American Wigeon

Redhead (left & back), Ring-necked duck (front right)

Heron nests (called a rookery)

We visited Three Creeks Metro and also went past a newer park Walnut something, can't remember and then parked in a church parking lot where we could view another eagles nest.  Again we could not see any activity but it was very windy so if they were on eggs they would more than likely be laying low in the nest.  From here we went to Greenlawn Cemetery in hopes of seeing a Great Horned Owl that has nested there for the last few years.  We found the nest, or beginnings of it but no owl in the vicinity that we could see.  Next we got on Rt 104 and got off at Anderson's Concrete where there are two eagles nests.  The one didn't look as though it was occupied but the other had an eagle sitting in it.  When we first got there we could see her, or him, moving around but after they settled in it was hard to see.  Once in awhile we could see a head pop up above the edge of the nest but that was about it.  I did see a mute swan on the lake while we were there.

tree where the Great Horned Owl nested last year

Greenlawn Cemetery

Eagles nest near Anderson Concrete

Mute Swan

By now we were ready for lunch, I was famished because it was 2:30.  We stopped at Bob Evan's to recharge and then drove out to Granville for our last nest.  From old 161, far off the road in an old sycamore tree, there is an active nest.  We could see the head of an eagle but I had my eye on the traffic as we were watching from the side of the road.  We had a great time and I know Dave enjoyed getting out as much as I enjoyed seeing everything he had to share about the parks and eagles. 

Eagles nest near Granville, old 161

Our region meeting was fantastic, Jim talked about migration and the facts he shared with us were amazing.  Did you know that a ruby-throated humming bird, the ones we have here in Ohio, migrate across the Gulf of Mexico?  They take off from points near Gulf Port, Texas and fly 500 miles non-stop at speeds of 30 mph.  The trip takes them about 16.5 hours.  And now you know!  The trip home following the meeting was less than amazing unless you count the fact that I was amazed to make it home.  It was raining when I left Dublin at 9:15 pm but the farther west I went the more snow and by the time I got to Rt 42 I couldn't even tell where the road was.  It took me an hour to get home!

Jim McCormack, ODNR & Columbus Dispatch columnist.