Date: 10/3/26 10:32 am From: Douglas Vogus <vogeye...> Subject: [Ohio-birds] Cuyahoga Valley Monthly Towpath Trail Census
OCTOBER 01, 2026 - CUYAHOGA VALLEY MONTHLY TOWPATH TRAIL CENSUS. ROUTE: Red Lock Trailhead south to Stanford Trailhead parking lot, back to the Towpath Trail and south to Boston, detour the Stumpy Basin boardwalk via the Buckeye Trail to the Valley Trail to old Akron-Peninsula Rd. down into Peninsula. Lunch at Trail Mix in Peninsula. Towpath Trail south from Peninsula to Botzum Trailhead (Botzum Trailhead to Merriman Valley not finished due to time constraints). TIME: 6:55am - 4:30pm TIME AFIELD: 9:35 TEMP.: 66F ~ 82F ~ 81F COND.: Mostly cloudy most of the morning, turning partly sunny and warmer. TRAIL COND.: Good; Peninsula south to Bolanz Rd. was recently leaf-blown; newly paved section from Hunt Farm Visitor Center to Ira Beaver Marsh boardwalk now has rock chips. RIVER COND.: Low and cloudy. FT. MI.: 13.00 OBS.: John Henry & Douglas W. Vogus.
I. MAMMALS: 10 SPECIES, 125 TOTAL.
1. Eastern Cottontail - 1 (Fifth October Record on Census) 2. Eastern Chipmunk - 53 (plus one dead - Towpath Trail casualty) 3. Eastern Gray Squirrel - 28 (7 black morph) (New Census High - previous was 21 on 11/2025) 4. Eastern Fox Squirrel - 4 5. Red Squirrel - 27 6. White-footed Mouse - 5 (adult with 4 nursing, blind and naked young under a piece of cardboard under the Ohio Turnpike bridge - Second Record on Census, First October Record on Census & New Census High - previous was 1 on 11/2025) 7. Common Muskrat - 1 8. Coyote - 1 (First October Record on Census) 9. American Mink - 1 (Third October Record on Census) 10. White-tailed Deer - 4 (does)
II. BIRDS: 59 SPECIES, 1,008 TOTAL. (HISTORICAL - HIGH: 71 SPECIES (2016 & 2024) LOW: 48 SPECIES (2018) AVG.: 60.6) (NOTE: m = male; f = female; ? = bird was seen but not sexed; * = bird was heard calling but not sexed)
1. Canada Goose - 36 2. Wood Duck - 38 (17m,18f,3?) 3. American Black Duck - 4 (2m,2f) 4. Mallard - 20 (11m,6f,3?) 5. Northern Pintail - 1 (f) (Ira Beaver Marsh - First October Record on Census) 6. Green-winged Teal - 1 (m) (Ira Beaver Marsh - Fourth Record on Census, Second October Record on Census & Tied Census High from 10/2010, 11/2021 & 11/2022) 7. Rock Pigeon - 7 8. Mourning Dove - 18 9. Chimney Swift - 31 10. Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 1 (f) (First October Record on Census) 11. Killdeer - 3 12. Great Blue Heron - 4 13. Turkey Vulture - 56 (50 in one flock over Merriman Valley) 14. Cooper's Hawk - 1 (f) 15. Bald Eagle - 4 (adult) 16. Red-tailed Hawk - 11 (2 immature) 17. Belted Kingfisher - 3 (1m,1?,1*) 18. Red-bellied Woodpecker - 20 (5m,1f,1?,13*) 19. Downy Woodpecker - 13 (5m,2f,2?,4*) 20. Hairy Woodpecker - 5 (1m,1?,3*) 21. Northern Flicker - 11 (1f,5?,5*) 22. Pileated Woodpecker - 11 (5?,6*) (New Census High - previous was 10 on 09/2020) 23. Merlin - 1 (f) 24. Eastern Phoebe - 9 25. Blue Jay - 35 26. American Crow - 54 27. Black-capped Chickadee - 11 28. Tufted Titmouse - 15 29. Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1 (f) 30. Cedar Waxwing - 68 31. White-breasted Nuthatch - 13 (2m,1f,4?,6*) 32. Carolina Wren - 14 33. Gray Catbird - 11 34. European Starling - 57 35. Swainson's Thrush - 1 36. American Robin - 146 37. House Sparrow - 14 38. House Finch - 9 (1m,1f,5?,2*) 39. American Goldfinch - 9 40. Chipping Sparrow - 1 41. White-throated Sparrow - 9 42. Song Sparrow - 21 43. Lincoln's Sparrow - 1 44. Swamp Sparrow - 8 45. Red-winged Blackbird - 50 (26m,18?,6*) 46. Rusty Blackbird - 1 (m) 47. Common Grackle - 69 48. Tennessee Warbler - 1 (m) 49. Orange-crowned Warbler - 4 (New Census High - previous was 3 on 09/2023 & 10/2025) 50. Nashville Warbler - 1 (m) 51. Common Yellowthroat - 4 (1m,3f) 52. Cape May Warbler - 1 (f) (First October Record on Census & Tied Census High from 05/2013, 05/2014, 05/2019, 05/2020, 09/2020 & 09/2024) 53. Magnolia Warbler - 1 (f) 54. Bay-breasted Warbler - 5 (3m,2f) 55. Blackpoll Warbler - 5 (New Census High - previous was 4 on 10/2016 & 09/2024) 56. Black-throated Blue Warbler - 1 (m) (Third October Record on Census) 57. Yellow-rumped Warbler - 12 58. Black-throated Green Warbler - 2 (1m,1f) 59. Northern Cardinal - 28 (6m,7f,13*,2 immature*)
??. Unidentified Sparrow Species - 3 ??. Unidentified Warbler Species - 4 (fly-overs) ??. Unidentified Passerines - 9
IV. AMPHIBIANS: 7 SPECIES, (2 NEW TO CENSUS, 1 DEAD), 52 TOTAL.
1. Red-backed Salamander - 1 (New Species on Census - currently at 11 Amphibian Species since 01/2010) 2. Northern Dusky Salamander - 1 (New Species on Census - currently at 12 Amphibian Species since 01/2010) 3. Northern Two-lined Salamander - 1 (Fourth Record on Census & First October Record on Census) 4. Northern Spring Peeper - 36 (heard only) 5. Gray Treefrog - 2 (heard only) 6. American Bullfrog - 3 7. Green Frog - 8 (1 tadpole)
X. American Toad - 1 (dead - Towpath Trail casualty)
V. FISHES: 9 SPECIES, 122 TOTAL.
1. Eastern Gizzard Shad - 4 (Second October Record on Census) 2. Central Mudminnow - 54 3. Grass Pickerel - 3 (Fourth Record on Census, Second October Record on Census & New Census High - previous was 2 on 10/2024) 4. Common Carp - 1 5. Golden Shiner - 30 (Second October Record on Census) 6. Creek Chub - 1 7. Bluntnose Minnow - 20 8. Common White Sucker - 2 (Second October Record on Census) 9. Bluegill - 7
VI. BUTTERFLIES: 3 SPECIES, 8 TOTAL.
1. Cabbage White - 4 2. Clouded Sulphur - 2 3. Pearl Crescent - 2
VII. MOTHS/CATERPILLARS: 1 SPECIES, 1 TOTAL.
1. Isabella Tiger Moth - 1 (caterpillar) (Fifth Record on Census, Third October Record on Census & Tied Census High from 10/2024, 10/2025, 11/2025 & 09/2026)
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