Date: 4/4/26 5:31 pm From: Douglas Vogus <vogeye...> Subject: [Ohio-birds] Cuyahoga Valley Towpath Census 04/03
APRIL 03-04, 2026 - CUYAHOGA VALLEY TOWPATH TRAIL CENSUS. ROUTE 04/03: Merriman Valley north to Boston, with a stop at Indigo Lake, Szalay's corn fields along Bolanz Rd., and Trail Mix in Peninsula for lunch. ROUTE 04/04: Boston north to Stanford Trailhead, then Towpath Trail north to Lock 33 (Vaughn Rd. closed at Red Lock so no access via the Cuyahoga Valley) and back to Boston. TIME: 7:10am - 5:45pm / 6:45am - 10:00am TIME AFIELD: 13:50 TEMP.: 64F ~ 78F ~ 74F / 54F ~ 67F COND. 04/03: Overcast early as rain had just ended; clouds marching along from west to east; all day a clouds/sun mix and warming throughout the day, turning unseasonably warm; winds from southwest with welcome breezes, occasionally shifting to northwest; a brief light sprinkle from 2:46pm to 2:54pm, just enough to break out the umbrellas before quickly ending; occasional dark rain clouds, but all moved off to the east with downpours missing us. COND. 04/04: Overcast and calm. TRAIL COND.: Fair - wet, puddled, and muddy in usual low spots from recent flooding event; flooded but passable at the marsh just south of Ira Rd. RIVER COND.: River completely swollen, swift, and muddy - no rockbars or sandbars showing. OBS. 04/03: John Henry and Douglas W. Vogus. OBS. 04/04: Douglas W. Vogus.
I. MAMMALS: 10 SPECIES, 65 TOTAL.
1. Virginia Opossum - 1 (Second April Record on Census) 2. Eastern Chipmunk - 16 3. Woodchuck - 1 4. Eastern Gray Squirrel - 9 (3 black morph) 5. Eastern Fox Squirrel - 3 6. Red Squirrel - 17 7. Meadow Vole - 1 (First April Record on Census) 8. Common Muskrat - 2 9. Common Raccoon - 2 10. White-tailed Deer - 13 (3 does,4 yearlings,6 unknown)
II. BIRDS: 64 SPECIES, (1 NEW TO CENSUS), 1,174 BIRDS. (NOTE: m = male; f = female; ? = bird was seen but not sexed; * = bird was heard calling but not sexed)
1. Canada Goose - 86 (three nests - one on abandoned beaver lodge; one on a log pile; one on Lock 29 aqueduct) 2. Trumpeter Swan - 4 (pair flew by Stanford Trailhead and pair at Indigo Lake - Fifth April Record on Census & Tied Census High from 03/2024 & 03/2026) 3. Wood Duck - 10 (7m,3f) 4. Northern Shoveler - 1 (m) (Fourth April Record on Census) 5. Mallard - 31 (19m,12f) 6. Lesser Scaup - 13 (4m,9f) (fly-over headed north at Stanford Trailhead - Second April Record on Census) 7. Hooded Merganser - 2 (1m,1f) (fly-over at Ira Beaver Marsh - Fifth April Record on Census) 8. Common Merganser - 2 (f) (solo fly-over at Merriman Valley and solo fly-over at Stanford Swamp West) 9. Wild Turkey - 2 (m) (Fifth April Record on Census) 10. Rock Pigeon - 3 11. Mourning Dove - 29 12. Virginia Rail - 2 (dueling 'kik-kik-kik' calls at Ira Beaver Marsh - Third April Record on Census) 13. Killdeer - 6 14. American Woodcock - 3 (Second April Record on Census & Tied Census High from 06/2015 & 05/2021) 15. Ring-billed Gull - 15 16. Common Loon - 1 (adult on Indigo Lake - Third April Record on Census and first time not a fly-over) 17. Double-crested Cormorant - 39 (migrating flocks of 3, 7, and 29 - Fifth April Record on Census) 18. Great Egret - 1 (high-flying migrant heading northeast over Towpath Tennis facility - Third April Record on Census) 19. Great Blue Heron - 29 20. Turkey Vulture - 21 21. Bald Eagle - 1 (adult) 22. Red-tailed Hawk - 9 23. Eastern Screech-Owl - 1 (gray morph) (Fourth April Record on Census) 24. Belted Kingfisher - 2 (1?,1*) 25. Red-bellied Woodpecker - 18 (5m,3f,1?,9*) 26. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 2 (1m,1f) (Third April Record on Census & Tied Census High from 04/2010, 10/2010, 10/2013 & 10/2023) 27. Downy Woodpecker - 17 (6m,5f,1?,10*) 28. Northern Flicker - 24 (6m,5f,3?,10*) (New Census High - previous was 19 on 04/2025) 29. Pileated Woodpecker - 3 (*) 30. Peregrine Falcon - 1 (f) (new second-year female at Ohio Turnpike bridge nest site) 31. Eastern Phoebe - 6 (one with no tail feathers - that will make you do a double-take!) 32. Blue Jay - 26 33. American Crow - 18 34. Black-capped Chickadee - 28 (two nests under excavation in a dead box-elder limb and a dead box-elder stump) 35. Tufted Titmouse - 23 (nesting material being brought to a sycamore tree hole) 36. Tree Swallow - 21 37. Golden-crowned Kinglet - 3 (1m,2?) 38. White-breasted Nuthatch - 8 (2m,1f,1?,4*) (one pair going into a knothole in a silver maple) 39. Carolina Wren - 13 40. Winter Wren - 1 (in full song at Lock 32 north of Boston) 41. Brown Thrasher - 1 (singing along the treeline at Szalay's northeast field) 42. European Starling - 37 43. Eastern Bluebird - 6 (2m,3f,1?) 44. American Robin - 111 (one nest under construction in a crabapple tree) 45. House Sparrow - 22 46. House Finch - 15 (10m,2f,2?,1*) 47. American Goldfinch - 26 (11m,6f,7?,2*) 48. Chipping Sparrow - 9 49. Fox Sparrow - 5 50. American Tree Sparrow - 34 51. Dark-eyed Junco - 17 (6m,11f) 52. White-throated Sparrow - 20 53. Vesper Sparrow - 3 (one at Szalay's northeast field and two at Stanford Trailhead - New Species on Census - currently at 207 Bird Species since 01/2010) 54. Song Sparrow - 39 55. Swamp Sparrow - 11 56. Eastern Towhee - 6 (5m,1f) 57. Red-winged Blackbird - 59 (52m,7f) 58. Brown-headed Cowbird - 41 (29m,5f,7?) 59. Rusty Blackbird - 8 (6m,1f,1*) 60. Common Grackle - 46 61. Louisiana Waterthrush - 1 (Fourth April Record on Census) 62. Pine Warbler - 1 (m) (Third Record on Census, First April Record on Census & Tied Census High from 10/2020 & 05/2023) 63. Yellow-throated Warbler - 1 (m) (in sycamores along Riverview Rd. at Botzum Trailhead entrance - First April Record on Census) 64. Northern Cardinal - 75 (56m,16f,3*)
??. Unidentified Duck Species - 5 (flock of four high-up in bad light and a single flying away from us) ??. Unidentified Blackbird Species - 38 (too distant and fleeting) ??. Unidentified Passerines - 12 (distant or fleeting glimpses)
III. REPTILES: 4 SPECIES, 449 TOTAL.
1. Common Snapping Turtle - 7 2. Red-eared Turtle - 17 (New Census High - previous was 15 on 05/2018 & 03/2024) 3. Midland Painted Turtle - 421 4. Northern Water Snake - 4 (Fifth April Record on Census & New Census High - previous was 3 on 05/2018, 05/2021, 06/2021 & 05/2023)
IV. AMPHIBIANS: 7 SPECIES, HUNDREDS OF AMPHIBIANS.
1. American Toad - many* (26 seen and hundreds calling - Third April Record on Census) 2. Northern Spring Peeper - many* (hundreds calling) 3. Gray Treefrog - 4 (calling - Second April Record on Census) 4. Western Chorus Frog - 3 (calling) 5. American Bullfrog - 3 6. Green Frog - 4 7. Northern Leopard Frog - 1 (calling - Third April Record on Census)
V. FISHES: 1 SPECIES, 26 TOTAL.
1. Central Mudminnow - 26
VI. BUTTERFLIES: 6 SPECIES, 24 TOTAL.
1. Cabbage Butterfly - 11 (Fourth April Record on Census) 2. Spring Azure - 9 (Third April Record on Census & Tied Census High from 06/2010) 3. Eastern Comma - 2 (Fourth April Record on Census) 4. Mourning Cloak - 1 (Fourth April Record on Census) 5. Red Admiral - 1 (Second April Record on Census) 6. Painted Lady - 1 (Second Record on Census & First April Record on Census)
VII. DRAGONFLIES & DAMSELFLIES: 1 SPECIES, 11 TOTAL.
1. Common Green Darner - 11 (Second April Record on Census & New Census High - previous was 7 on 07/2024)
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