Date: 10/3/25 12:40 pm From: Douglas Vogus <vogeye...> Subject: [Ohio-birds] Cuyahoga Valley Towpath Trail Census
OCTOBER 02, 2025 - CUYAHOGA VALLEY MONTHLY TOWPATH TRAIL CENSUS. ROUTE: Red Lock Trailhead south to Merriman Valley, with a stop for lunch at Trail Mix in Peninsula. TIME: 7:00am - 4:20pm TIME AFIELD: 9:20 TEMP.: 47F ~ 78F ~ 77F COND.: Cool early, turning sunny and pleasant, warming throughout the day. TRAIL COND.: Good. RIVER COND.: Very clear with great visibility and low due to drought conditions. FT. MI.: 14.00 OBS.: John Henry and Douglas W. Vogus.
I. MAMMALS: 9 SPECIES, 193 TOTAL.
1. Eastern Cottontail - 3 (Fourth October Record on Census) 2. Eastern Chipmunk - 146 (Tied Census High from 10/2021) 3. Eastern Gray Squirrel - 13 (7 black morph,1 heard only) 4. Eastern Fox Squirrel - 1 5. Red Squirrel - 16 6. American Beaver - 1 (Third October Record on Census) 7. Common Muskrat - 1 (Fifth October Record on Census) 8. Red Fox - 1 (Second Record on Census & First October Record on Census) 9. White-tailed Deer - 11 (7-pt buck,6-pt buck,4 does,4 yearling,1 unknown)
II. BIRDS: 64 SPECIES, 1,773 TOTAL. (NOTE: m = male; f = female; ? = bird was seen but not sexed; * = bird was heard calling but not sexed)
1. Canada Goose - 35 2. Wood Duck - 24 (9m,14f,1*) 3. American Black Duck - 4 (3m,1f) 4. Mallard - 16 (3m,1f,12?) 5. Rock Pigeon - 2 6. Mourning Dove - 17 7. Chimney Swift - 71 8. Virginia Rail - 1 (at Ira Beaver Marsh - First October Record on Census) 9. Killdeer - 17 10. American Woodcock - 1 (Second October Record on Census) 11. Double-crested Cormorant - 2 12. Green Heron - 1 (Fourth October Record on Census) 13. Great Blue Heron - 7 (1 immature) 14. Turkey Vulture - 17 15. Cooper's Hawk - 3 (1m,1 immature m,1f) 16. Bald Eagle - 1 (adult) 17. Red-tailed Hawk - 12 (2 immature) 18. Belted Kingfisher - 2 (m) 19. Red-bellied Woodpecker - 29 (8m,5f,6?,10*) 20. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1 (m) 21. Downy Woodpecker - 21 (4m,6f,1?,10*) 22. Hairy Woodpecker - 6 (2m,3f,1*) 23. Northern Flicker - 10 (1m,3f,3?,3*) 24. Pileated Woodpecker - 8 (2m,1f,1?,4*) 25. Eastern Wood-Pewee - 2 26. Eastern Phoebe - 2 27. Blue-headed Vireo - 1 (Fourth October Record on Census) 28. Blue Jay - 54 29. American Crow - 99 30. Black-capped Chickadee - 29 31. Tufted Titmouse - 13 32. Cedar Waxwing - 232 (6 immature) 33. White-breasted Nuthatch - 18 (4m,2f,3?,9*) 34. Carolina Wren - 24 35. Gray Catbird - 5 36. European Starling - 83 37. Eastern Bluebird - 4 (3f,1 immature) 38. Gray-cheeked Thrush - 1 (Fourth October Record on Census) 39. Swainson's Thrush - 4 40. American Robin - 95 (2 immature) 41. House Sparrow - 14 42. House Finch - 5 (4f,1*) 43. Purple Finch - 2 (immature f) (Third October Record on Census) 44. American Goldfinch - 15 45. White-throated Sparrow - 10 46. Song Sparrow - 13 47. Lincoln's Sparrow - 2 48. Swamp Sparrow - 13 49. Eastern Towhee - 3 (1 immature m,2*) 50. Red-winged Blackbird - 623 (73m,6f,493?,51*) (New Census High - previous was 577 on 03/2019) 51. Common Grackle - 12 52. Tennessee Warbler - 2 53. Orange-crowned Warbler - 3 (Tied Census High from 09/2023) 54. Common Yellowthroat - 4 (3m,1f) 55. American Redstart - 1 (m) (Fourth October Record on Census) 56. Northern Parula - 1 (m) (First October Record on Census) 57. Magnolia Warbler - 1 (m) 58. Blackburnian Warbler - 1 (m) 59. Blackpoll Warbler - 2 60. Palm Warbler - 1 61. Yellow-rumped Warbler - 19 62. Black-throated Green Warbler - 3 (m) 63. Scarlet Tanager - 1 (m) 64. Northern Cardinal - 31 (5m,6f,17*,3 immature *)
??. Unidentified Duck Species - 2 (early morning - distant and backlit) ??. Unidentified Sparrow Species - 1 ??. Unidentified Warbler Species - 5 (backlit, chasing each other, fly-overs, too much foliage - the usual aggravations) ??. Unidentified Passerines - 9
1. Northern Spring Peeper - 13 (heard only) 2. Gray Treefrog - 1 (heard only - Second October Record on Census) 3. American Bullfrog - 2 4. Green Frog - 3
V. FISHES: 10 SPECIES, 249 TOTAL.
1. Eastern Gizzard Shad - 1 (First October Record on Census) 2. Central Mudminnow - 2 3. Common Carp - 12 (Fifth October Record on Census & New Census High - previous was 10 on 09/2015) 4. Golden Shiner - 6 (First October Record on Census) 5. Bluntnose Minnow - 177 6. Northern Hog Sucker - 1 7. Largemouth Bass - 7 8. Smallmouth Bass - 7 (Second October Record on Census) 9. Bluegill - 27 10. Pumpkinseed - 9
VI. BUTTERFLIES: 7 SPECIES, 27 TOTAL.
1. Cabbage Butterfly - 8 2. Clouded Sulphur - 9 (New Census High - previous was 7 on 07/2021) 3. Pearl Crescent - 5 (Fourth October Record on Census) 4. Mourning Cloak - 1 (Third October Record on Census) 5. Monarch - 2 6. Silver-spotted Skipper - 1 (First October Record on Census) 7. Peck's Skipper - 1 (First October Record on Census)
VII. MOTHS & CATERPILLARS: 3 SPECIES, 3 TOTAL.
1. Isabella Tiger Moth (caterpillar) - 1 (Second Record on Census, Second October Record on Census & Tied Census High from 10/2024) 2. Yellow Woolly Bear Moth (caterpillar) - 1 (Second Record on Census & First October Record on Census) 3. Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth - 1 (New Species on Census - currently at 55 Moth/Caterpillar species since 01/2010)
VIII. DRAGONFLIES & DAMSELFLIES: 6 SPECIES, 23 TOTAL.
1. Shadow Darner - 5 2. Common Green Darner - 1 (First October Record on Census) 3. Autumn Meadowhawk - 10 4. Slender Spreadwing - 1 (Second October Record on Census) 5. Powdered Dancer - 4 (First October Record on Census & New Census High - previous was 3 on 07/2022 & 09/2025) 6. Orange Bluet - 2 (First October Record on Census)
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