Date: 12/2/25 1:09 pm From: Douglas Vogus <vogeye...> Subject: [Ohio-birds] Cuyahoga Valley Towpath Trail Census
DECEMBER 01, 2025 - CUYAHOGA VALLEY MONTHLY TOWPATH TRAIL CENSUS. ROUTE: Red Lock Trailhead south to Botzum Trailhead (census cut short due to fading light), with a stop at Trail Mix in Peninsula for lunch. TIME: 7:20am - 4:35pm TIME AFIELD: 9:15 TEMP.: 25F ~ 32F ~ 31F COND.: Cloudy and cold; clouds/sun mix from 1:15pm to 3:10pm; partly cloudy until end of census; Ira Beaver Marsh mostly frozen except for one open pocket at south end of marsh; no snow cover. TRAIL COND.: Frozen and holding just a dusting of snow, thawing to no snow and sloppy; bridges from Red Lock to Peninsula were ice-covered and slick; Stumpy Basin boardwalk ice-covered and slick. RIVER COND.: Normal. FT. MI.: 12.00 OBS.: John Henry and Douglas W. Vogus.
I. MAMMALS: 8 SPECIES, 47 TOTAL.
1. Eastern Cottontail - 1 (Third December Record on Census) 2. Eastern Chipmunk - 1 (Fifth December Record on Census) 3. Eastern Gray Squirrel - 16 (7 black morph) 4. Eastern Fox Squirrel - 4 5. Red Squirrel - 17 6. American Beaver - 2 (Fourth December Record on Census & Tied Census High from 08/2014, 06/2015, 02/2019, 04/2023, 10/2023 & 05/2024) 7. American Mink - 1 (First December Record on Census) 8. White-tailed Deer - 5 (8-pt. buck,1 doe,1 unknown,2 yearlings)
II. BIRDS: 54 SPECIES, (1 HYBRID, 1 ESCAPE/EXOTIC), 1,969 TOTAL. (NOTE: m = male; f = female; ? = bird was seen but not sexed; * = bird was heard calling but not sexed)
1. Canada Goose - 194 2. Tundra Swan - 14 (one flock headed south over Brandywine "Ski Resort" - First December Record on Census) 3. American Black Duck - 46 27m,19f) 4. Mallard - 53 (29m,24f) 5. Northern Pintail - 1 (f) (at Ira Beaver Marsh - Second December Record on Census) 6. Common Merganser - 1 (f) (Fourth December Record on Census) 7. Rock Pigeon - 3 8. Mourning Dove - 40 9. Virginia Rail - 1 (at Ira Beaver Marsh - First December Record on Census) 10. Ring-billed Gull - 878 11. American Herring Gull - 44 12. Iceland Gull - 1 (adult) (in with a flock of gulls heading south - Second Record on Census, First December Record on Census & Tied Census High from 02/2014) 13. Great Blue Heron - 5 14. Turkey Vulture - 1 (soaring over Peninsula northeast of Terry Lumber - First December Record on Census) 15. Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1 (f) (Second December Record on Census) 16. Cooper's Hawk - 3 (1m,2 immature m) 17. Bald Eagle - 5 (3 adult,2 immature) 18. Red-shouldered Hawk - 2 19. Red-tailed Hawk - 10 (1 immature) 20. Belted Kingfisher - 2 (m) 21. Red-bellied Woodpecker - 18 (8m,2f,4?,4*) 22. Downy Woodpecker - 18 (7m,8f,1?,2*) 23. Hairy Woodpecker - 9 (1m,3f,5*) 24. Northern Flicker - 2 (1m,1*) 25. Pileated Woodpecker - 4 (2f,1?,1*) 26. American Kestrel - 1 (m) (Fourth December Record on Census) 27. Blue Jay - 29 28. American Crow - 162 29. Black-capped Chickadee - 13 30. Tufted Titmouse - 15 31. Golden-crowned Kinglet - 2 (f) 32. Cedar Waxwing - 70 33. White-breasted Nuthatch - 26 (9m,3f,4?,10*) 34. Carolina Wren - 11 35. Winter Wren - 1 36. European Starling - 37 37. Eastern Bluebird - 14 (4m,2f,7?,1*) 38. Hermit Thrush - 1 (First December Record on Census) 39. American Robin - 45 40. House Sparrow - 34 41. House Finch - 10 (4m,4f,2*) 42. Purple Finch - 1 (m) (Third December Record on Census) 43. American Goldfinch - 34 44. Fox Sparrow - 1 (Fourth December Record on Census) 45. American Tree Sparrow - 7 46. Dark-eyed Junco - 4 (2m,2f) 47. White-throated Sparrow - 14 48. Song Sparrow - 10 49. Swamp Sparrow - 2 50. Eastern Towhee - 2 (1m,1*) 51. Red-winged Blackbird - 3 (2m,1f) 52. Rusty Blackbird - 4 (3m,1f) 53. Yellow-rumped Warbler - 2 (Fifth December Record on Census) 54. Northern Cardinal - 37 (15m,18f,4*)
HYBRID: American Black Duck X Mallard - 1 (m) (at Ira Beaver Marsh) ESCAPE/EXOTIC: American Pekin Duck - 1 (at Ira Beaver Marsh - First Record on Census) ??. Unidentified Duck Species - 13 (backlit flock of puddle ducks - eleven "Mallard-sized" and two "teal-sized" - distant and never returned) ??. Unidentified Sparrow Species - 2 (brief glimpses on both) ??. Unidentified Passerines - 4
III. FISHES: 2 SPECIES, 23 TOTAL.
1. Central Mudminnow - 22 (in Lock 28 - aka "Deep Lock" - Fifth December Record on Census) 2. Bluntnose Minnow - 1 (Third December Record on Census)
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