Hoover Reservoir – Delaware County

Hoover Reservoir and Hoover Dam Park in Franklin and Delaware counties are a great place to check in the fall and winter for ducks, gulls, and other water bird rarities. Having a scope is highly beneficial, as the reservoir is pretty large and there’s often rafts of ducks pretty far out. In November 2018, a rare Black-legged Kittiwake was found here by David O’Ryan Donahue. All 3 Scoter species, in addition to some other uncommon ducks as well as uncommon gulls are regularly found here.

The top walkway of the reservoir dam is flat, paved, and easy to navigate, though as far as I know, the top dam walkway is closed for construction until 2022. It’s also possible to see some of the reservoir from your car in the parking lot! There’s multiple parking lots along the reservoir, allowing for many viewpoints. From my experience as a young woman birding here, I’ve always felt very safe at this hotspot.

Lake Cable (and others) – Stark County

This month, I will be searching for waterfowl. In the east central area of Ohio, there are many lakes and reservoirs, and therefore many options to choose from. Stark County has several natural lakes including Lake Cable and Sippo Lake. Over the years, Lake Cable has produced a nice variety of diving ducks including all 3 species of Scoters, and Red-throated Loons. In Wayne County, finding diving ducks is more difficult, however areas like Killbuck Marsh and Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area offer fantastic habitat for dabblers, including rare species such as Cinnamon Teal in 2018. I’ll also be keeping my eyes and ears on the sky, as we are into peak migration of Tundra Swans. Learning their flight call can payoff as a flock approaches an area to land or passes over your head on their journey southward. Seneca Lake, which touches Guernsey and Noble Counties (a Southeast Regional County), has held some remarkable numbers of waterfowl historically, including massive flocks of Loons, at times numbering into the hundreds of individuals. 

Lake Snowden – Athens County

Lake Snowden in Athens County remains a late fall SE Ohio hotspot, especially for migrating waterfowl including American Coot, Northern Shoveler, Common Loon, Ruddy Duck, and Grebes (Pied-billed and Horned). The bushes around the fish ponds have been very good for sparrows including White-crowned and Vesper, and also Wilson’s Snipe.

Strouds Run State Park has an accessible gravel trail named Blackhaw just off the last parking lot on the right before you turn into the main entrance off Strouds Run Road. It winds along the lake with some large pines that have been good for Red-breasted Nuthatch. There’s a nice little deck area from which you can look for herons and Belted Kingfisher.  Following the length of the trail about a half mile to where it ends at the next parking lot will give you a chance at  Brown Creepers, Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Hermit Thrush.

Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park – Franklin County

I could go to this hotspot any month of the year and be rewarded with plenty of birds, but Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park in Franklin county is especially good in October. The Wet Prairie Teal and Harrier Trails are one of the best places in central Ohio to find a rare “orange sparrow” – that is, a Nelson’s or LeConte’s Sparrow which are sneaky and rare through Ohio in migration in the spring and in the fall in late September and early October. You’re also likely to find large flocks of thousands of staging blackbirds, including Rusty Blackbirds. These can often be difficult to track down in Ohio, but are rather frequent at Battelle during certain parts of the year. Even in October, the Battelle wetlands could be a decent shot for some late-migrant shorebirds, or early-migrant waterfowl and Short-eared Owls!

Mahoning River/Berlin Lake – Stark County

This month, I will be birding the mudflats of the Mahoning River/Berlin Lake area of Stark County. This area is located along State Route 225 in eastern Stark County, north of Alliance. During October, we generally access the area by way of a small parking lot on Price St. 1/4 mile west of SR 225 on the north side of the road, just across the bridge over the river. Depending on the water levels, which vary according to the amount of rainfall and the amount of water allowed to flow towards the Ohio River by way of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the areas we search could be either north or south of that parking area. You can scope areas north of the parking lot from the lot itself. As the conditions dry up, the activity works further north, then east, so conditions can change here every few days. Earlier in the season, or if large rainfall happens as was the case a few weeks ago, the better mudflats are located to the south. From the parking area, we walk across Price and enter the woods. You will see the mudflats/river area on your left. You can make your way along there south, and then to the west facing towards Deer Creek Reservoir’s spillway dam. Sometimes the best habitat is to the west in that direction, even wrapping around back to the north in a cove.

When conditions are better to the north, folks access the mudflats from a couple of rugged pulloffs north of Price on the west side of SR 225 just past Lowe Rd. Walking down to the mudflats to the west from there gives access to areas further north that are hard to scope from the parking lot on Price. You can walk all the way north to scan those areas and eventually you will see where the river turns east and you will see the causeway of SR 225 over the river. Some walk all the way to that causeway, then climb the concrete structure to access the road to walk back south to the pull offs, but that can be a long walk, and the walk up the causeway is rather steep, then you are walking back south along a busy road to your car, so be warned that this is not an easy way to go. Many walk to the north, scope for birds, then walk the mudflats back south to their car at the pull offs.

A scope is an absolute must here as are boots for muddy conditions. Be extremely careful walking on mudflats. Many an intrepid birder has lost their boot or become stuck in the mud needing help to get out. Staying closer to the woods offers less muddy conditions, and the added benefit of spotting migrant warblers and other birds along your way. Bird smarter, not harder.

Lake Snowden – Athens County

Lake Snowden is the number one birding hotspot in Athens County. Owned by Hocking College, this 675 acre recreation park offers excellent birding throughout the year. There are two ways to access the park. Coming from Athens City, take SR 50 southwest about 6 miles and turn right at Enlow Road, take an immediate left and then another left past a small farm to where the road dead ends at the dam side of the lake. There’s a small gravel parking lot on the right. The fish hatchery ponds on the left are routinely flooded and drained and offer opportunities for show birds and waterfowl. The horse trail off to the right meanders up the hill and down to the lake and is good for warblers, sparrows, and flycatchers. A walk up to the dam might reward you with mergansers and teals along the shoreline or perhaps Common Loons in the middle of the lake.

The main entrance is about a mile further down SR 50. Once inside the park, turn left into the campground and park at the horse trail entrance where you’ll enter a more mature forest patch where Red-headed Woodpeckers are found. Further in, that trail opens up to a farm field on the left and a scrubbier area on the right where Bobolinks have been seen in the fall.

Other good birding spots include the boathouse/beach area which is great for winter waterfowl. While birding Lake Snowden, be sure to keep you eyes to the skies for Bald Eagles, Norther Harriers and perhaps a Peregrine Falcon.

Kandace Glanville – Central Regional Director

Blendon Woods Metro Park – Franklin County

Good for either spring or fall migration, Blendon Woods Metro Park (Franklin county) is my go-to place for fall warblers. The back trail leading from the Nature Center to Thoreau Pond is often stocked with migrants including warblers, vireos, flycatchers, and thrushes. As well, the Goldenrod Trail to the SE of the Nature Center is a good place to find migrants on the edges of the open meadow. If you happen to go on a poor day for migration, at least you’re guaranteed to see the Wild Turkeys that wander the Park!