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Deer Creek Seasons
2014-2015

I always hope to add more to this part of the website than I actually ever do. Giving seasonal summaries from my most frequently visited birding site, the Deer Creek Wildlife Area, is something I have wanted to do for a while. But the seasons just pass by and I never get around to it. This past year has been as interesting and unique at Deer Creek as any other. At this point in time I'll just post some photos and try offer some general summaries from recent months. This page is somewhat disorganized with the text and photos both jumping around between different seasons and different places. It would have been better to break it up between seasons, but it's too late now. The ODNR map for Deer Creek can be downloaded below. Keep in mind that the map is oriented with the N on the left side and not on the top as is usually the case.

Deer Creek Wildlife Area and State Park Map

The Deer Creek area remains my most visited birding area for the same reasons it has been for the past ten years or so. First of all it it conveniently located to me. I can get there in about a half an hour with little traffic to deal with.  It is very lightly birded in spite of being so close to a metropolitan area with a lot of birders like Columbus. There are many habitat types that can attract a wide variety of species along with the reservoir itself. These habitats change annually and nothing is predictable really. The weather, of course, is also big deciding factor both in the amount of rainfall and when the timing of when the reservoir thaws and freezes.  The winter of 2013-2014 was one of the coldest ever which delayed the spring a bit. The summer of 2014 was fairly dry. The fall of 2014 was typical, and the 2014-2015 winter also started off typically with a cold January with some thawing in early mid-February. After that things went crazy with a brutally cold three weeks in late February into the first week of March. Right now is mid-March and the past week has seen a rapid rise in temperatures and an ushering in of spring.

Spring is the season I usually spend the least amount of time at Deer Creek. I usually do some traveling at that time of year and when home I more often head to one of the state forests than Deer Creek.  Ever since I did work there for the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas in 2007, I have tried to cover at least some of the area in June while the nesting species are still singing to see what is around. That's where I'll start. After getting back from my road trip northward into Michigan and Ontario last June the Columbus Symphony summer season started, but I did have a few chances to get to Deer Creek. The first thing I usually look for is Bell's Vireos, which are somewhat erratic nesters in Ohio and always scarce. I doubt that more than 10 or so are ever found in all of Ohio any year. When I did my OBBA work in 2007 I found 2 singing males, but only one found a mate and stuck around. Since then I have found single singing males in 2008, 2009, and 2012.  Much to my delight on June 23rd, 2014 I found two singing males on territory in the same area where I had previously found them. They both continued singing persistently well into July, so I can only presume they both found mates. On top of that I later found two additional singing males in an area that I seldom check out for a total of four.  It was already July by the time I found those others and I have no idea whether they were paired up or nested successfully. Another species I usually look for is Blue Grosbeaks. When I started birding in Ohio in the 80's that species was seldom seen away from the southernmost tier of counties in the state. That has changed recently and they can now be found locally in many locations in central Ohio. When I did my atlas work I think I found 5 or 6 pairs clustered in the southern part of the Deer Creek Wildlife Area. This year I found at least two additional pairs in an area in the northern parts of the DCWA in Fayette County in atlas blocks where they weren't previously recorded. It's nice to see their population continue to grow. Less explainable to me was the presence of numerous Rose- breasted Grosbeaks throughout the DCWA in June and July in 2014. They apparently nested in decent numbers there this year, but I didn't find one single singing male there during the 2007 nesting season when I did the atlas work. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are always common migrants along the Deer Creek every spring. Why did they stick around to nest in good numbers this year? I have absolutely no idea. 2014 wasn't a good year for Dickcissels in Ohio, but in July a couple of pairs took up residence in a field just west of the northern part of the Deer Creek Reservoir. They stayed through September where they could be seen regularly with their young. Those birds were in the Fayette County part of the DCWA and a local birder who was doing a Pickaway County big year never managed to find any in the county for her list in 2014.


Bell's Vireo, June 27, 2014
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 800mm f5.6 L IS lens + 1.4x
f11, 1/1000th sec., ISO 400

In the wetlands there were few noteworthy birds nesting from what I could tell. I suspect that much of that had to do with the brutal winter before. There were basically no dead cattails still standing in early spring when a lot of marsh nesting birds take up residence on their nesting territories. Early spring looked like a tornado had just swept through the whole area. To my knowledge not even Marsh Wrens nested there, but migrants were regularly noted in the fall and hopefully will return again in 2015 to nest. Sedge Wrens also didn't nest at all in the DCWA in 2014. That is always an enigmatic species in Ohio. They typically arrive in Ohio for a second nesting late in the season during July. By then the conditions in the grasslands looked ideal for them. In 2012 and 2013 there were over 30 pairs nesting in the area, but not a one in 2014. Soras, Virginia Rails, and Common Gallinules all nested in the wetlands in 2014 but in smaller numbers than in recent years and no King Rails were recorded. In the northern part of the wetlands a local birder found a Yellow Rail in migration making a nice addition to the Deer Creek list.  A Least Bittern was seen once, but I have no idea if they nested there in 2014 as they almost certainly did in 2012. I must admit that I really don't spend a whole lot of time birding off the beaten track in summertime. Not only are ticks everywhere, but so are chiggers. Even wearing long pants and shirts, which is never a pleasure during the hottest and most humid days of the year, chiggers always manage to get me. As far as photography goes I don't like to disturb birds that may be nesting and after nesting begins many species can start looking pretty scruffy with many worn and missing feathers.


Indigo Bunting, August 7, 2014
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 800mm f5.6 L IS lens + 1.4x
f11, 1/800th sec., ISO 400

Once August begins only a few species are still singing much. Indigo Buntings are one of them. Even though this particular bird was starting to lose some feathers it wasn't difficult to digitally enhance his appearance by cloning over a few black bald spots. The same can't be said of the intricate patterns on Henslow's Sparrows nearby in the grasslands of the extreme SW corner of the DCWA.


Juvenile Henslow's Sparrow, August 7, 2014
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 800mm f5.6 L IS lens + 1.4x
f10, 1/1250th sec., ISO 400

If you are willing to deal with the ticks and chiggers, wandering around the grasslands near New Holland in the summer can be rewarding with numerous sightings recently fledged Henslow's Sparrows in fresh juvenile plumage. These youngsters can be curious and allow close approach.


Female Henslow's Sparrow in worn adult plumage, August 7, 2014
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 800mm f5.6 L IS lens + 1.4x
f10, 1/1250th sec., ISO 400

While the youngsters are out exploring the world for the first time, Mama Henslow's keeps an eye on them from the distance. By August she is looking far from her springtime finest. Equally worn, Pappy is still singing and would continue to do so for a few more weeks. In 2014 Henslow's were quiet by September. In other years they have continued singing well into October probably due to later nesting attempts. In 2014 some Henslow's did linger into October, but became as quiet and secretive as mice scurrying around in the grass by the time they departed.


Middle Wetlands, September 29 , 2014
Canon EOS 1D X, Canon 16-35 f4 L IS lens at 16mm
f14, 1/30th sec., ISO 200

The middle wetlands area in recent years has been the best place in the DCWA to see shorebirds in the fall before the water levels of the reservoir drop in October. All started out well again in 2014 with large numbers of the usual common species already present in late July. In early August it became apparent that the party wasn't going to last long. By mid-month the heat and sun dried the place up completely. There was a welcome brief period of rain at the end of August and the area again became muddy with some shallow pools for a few days. That was enough to attract some Buff-breasted Sandpipers on September 3rd, another welcomed addition to the Deer Creek species list.


Impenetrable Smartweed Jungle at Middle Wetlands, September 3, 2014
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 28mm f2.8 IS lens
f11, 1/250th sec., ISO 200

On the entire east side of the middle wetland tract a huge dense wall of smartweeds took over in August when the water receded. The area was mudflats at the same date in 2013 and hosted shorebirds in excellent numbers. The smartweeds, though, have since provided plenty of food for a large number birds as the seasons have passed.


Bobolink in Smartweeds, September 5, 2014
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 800mm f5.6 L IS lens + 1.4x
f11, 1/800th sec., ISO 400

As many as 200 Bobolinks were present in the smartweeds on Sept. 5.  Bobolinks to my knowledge don't actually nest anywhere specifically on DCWA land. I never found any when doing my OBBA work and haven't found any since. They do nest in hayfields in farmlands on the periphery of state land where they are at the mercies of the local farmers. Since all my atlas blocks during the OBBA II also included at least a little bit of land outside the official boundaries of the Deer Creek Wildlife Area or State Park, I found nesting Bobolinks in the whole area. I didn't say that I actually saw all the birds fledge. In fact most of the nesting pairs I found in the hayfields had their nests mowed over before that could happen. Every year in the fall Bobolinks can be found throughout the grasslands surrounding the southern wetlands. Some years there are as many as 75 or so present at peak times, while other years that number is far fewer. This has been going on since I started observing the area a decade ago. This year, however that number exploded. I saw the first Bobolinks flocking in the area already in non-breeding plumage in early August. Their numbers grew through the month and by early September not only were there 200 Bobolinks in those smartweeds or nearby, there was another impressive flock of 100 birds on the west side of the reservoir in a weedy field in the Fayette County part of the DCWA.  After that their number dwindled until they had all left by the first week of October. The question I have is where do those birds all come from and why was there such an unusually large number in 2014 in particular? While some of those Bobolinks may be be true migrants from their nesting range further north, my guess is that many of them gather into flocks at DCWA after breeding nearby. After the cold winter vegetation was late in developing everywhere in the spring of 2014 and it was drier than usual too. My guess, and it is only a guess, is that more Bobolinks in the area were able to complete their nesting cycle because the hayfields were mowed later in 2014 than is usually the case.


Swamp Sparrow in Smartweeds, October 25, 2014
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 800mm f5.6 L IS lens + 1.4x
f11, 1/320th sec., ISO 500

Back to the smartweeds. By October they turned red and golden brown and began to crumble down, making the area at least possible to get through with some difficulty. The area hosted hundreds and hundreds of sparrows, and continued to do so right through the winter. I'm sorry to say that I never did see anything unusual in there, but all sparrows of the particular seasons that are usually present in the area occurred in huge numbers. Savannah Sparrows in early October were the first to use the area. They gradually disappeared by the end of the season, although a few did overwinter and I was able to add them to my 2015 January list there.  Field Sparrows were numerous in there until they departed as well. Song, Swamp, and White-crowned had the most conspicuous presence through the fall and winter. American Tree Sparrows also became abundant in the winter. That area could have been a fantastic place to photograph sparrows last fall, but "heat shimmer" was a big problem. When the sun was well up the air was always a lot warmer than the temperature of the dense mat of smartweeds close to the ground. Only when the sun was setting in the photo above did the air cool off enough to be more equalized with the smartweeds and a sharp photo was possible.


Middle Wetlands, March 12, 2015
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 28mm f2.8 IS lens
f14, 1/200th sec., ISO 200

After the real thaw started taking place during the second week of March 2015, the smartweeds became flooded over, but they continued to provide food for hundreds of ducks. The ducks, of course, flew off into the distance when they spotted me and can't be seen in the above photo. There is no hunting in Ohio in the spring, but the ducks don't know that.


Black Tern, September 5, 2014
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 800mm f5.6 L IS lens + 1.4x
f11, 1/1250th sec., ISO 400

For most of September the only place where migrant shorebirds plopped down was on the beach of the state park.  Central Ohio novelties such as American Avocet and Hudsonian Godwit are among the many shorebird species noted with brief appearances, but terns stayed longer. Black Terns were present much of September with counts of over a dozen on occasion. Franklin's Gulls also dropped in on a few occasions in October and November.  By early October the north pond at the wetlands also began drying up which hosted Stilt Sandpipers later than usual right through the end of the month. In mid-October the reservoir was drawn down and good shorebird habitat was again widely available for the regular late migrants, namely Killdeers, both yellowlegs, snipe, and Least and Pectoral Sandpipers.


Southern Wetlands, October 23 , 2014
Canon EOS 1D X, Canon 16-35 f4 L IS lens at 26mm
f14, 1/200th sec., ISO 200

In October looking for migrant Ammodramus sparrows (namely Nelson's and LeConte's) in the southern wetlands has become one of my favorite birding pursuits in recent years. October 2014, as you can see above, offered ideal habitat for them. Unlike the middle wetlands, the southern area continued to hold some water in parts of the marsh through the season. Unfortunately it was wasn't a great year for them. I never did locate a LeConte's.  Nelson's didn't appear until October 19th. Although several were in the area for the rest of the month, they were difficult to locate, and I never even got a bad photo of one let alone anything decent. I'll be back trying again next October in any case. It is always a fun area to explore. The habitat above also shows what good Sedge Wren habitat was available. Although other birders mentioned seeing one at various times, I never saw one myself and none were singing.


Southern Wetlands, February 5, 2015
Canon EOS 1D X, Canon 16-35 f4 L IS lens at 35mm
f14, 1/320th sec., ISO 200

Unlike the harsh winter of 2013-2014, the cattail tract remained largely intact into early 2015. As of this writing in mid-March 2015, the area is already alive with the songs of abundant Song Sparrows and Red-winged Blackbirds back on territory. Hopefully this will be an inviting place once again when other species arrive over the course of the next couple of months.


Grasslands in SW Corner of DCWA, March 9, 2015
Canon EOS 1D X, Canon 16-35 f4 L IS lens at 20mm
f14, 1/250th sec., ISO 200

Surrounding the southern wetlands are the grasslands.  This particular area at the New Holland entrance west of the marshes above has become a favored nesting spot for Henslow's Sparrows in recent years. The above Henslow's Sparrows were photographed in this area 7 months before this photo. Henslow's need that dense mat of dead grass to nest in. This area certainly offers that, but it has also become overgrown in weedy vegetation. ODNR has slated this spot for a burn in the near future and will probably do so when it becomes dry enough. It has to be done. If not then woody vegetation will take over making it completely unsuitable for Henslow's. It was burned a few years ago also and that is the only reason that this area is still grassland. There will still be plenty of similar habitat on the east side of the marsh for Henslow's Sparrows, but the mat of dead grass will be gone when they arrive. It will be interesting to see what takes up residence here this year. Maybe Grasshopper Sparrows will return after an absence of several years. Will Henslow's just move into the east side or leave the area altogether? By July this area no doubt will be green and lush. Will Sedge Wrens come back again? We'll find out soon enough.


White-breasted Nuthatch, November 2, 2014
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 800mm f5.6 L IS lens + 1.4x
f11, 1/320th sec., ISO 400

After the leaves disappear can be a good time to photograph the common permanent resident songbirds of wooded areas. Most of them are in fresh plumage.

The fall of 2014 in late October and early November produced many sightings of Pine Siskins migrating through the state including the Deer Creek area. I encountered them several times at expected spots such as pine groves in the state park. I also found them along the creek. While poking around the southern wetlands in October I even heard them flying overhead giving their distinctive calls along with the goldfinches. On November 2nd I came across the largest flock of them I have ever seen in Ohio. About 100 of them were feeding in a tract of sunflowers that had gone to seed in a part of the DCWA between the reservoir and the wetlands. Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks in the area kept the flocks of feeding birds jumpy and I never got very good photos thanks to them. On my next visit only a few siskins were still there and that's the last I saw of them. I was definitely expecting Pine Siskins to be widespread and common in Ohio through the winter. It's already mid-March and I have yet to find even one anywhere in the state year for 2015.  In January I visited a lot of suitable habitat for them such as the Zaleski State Forest and adjacent Waterloo Forest, but never saw or heard one anywhere I looked. Where all the siskins went I have no idea. Maybe they will pass by again in April and May when they move north again or maybe they'll just move through the Appalachians and never venture into Ohio at all. We'll find out soon enough.


Red-bellied Woodpecker (female), October 29, 2014
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 800mm f5.6 L IS lens + 1.4x
f11, 1/1000th sec., ISO 400


American Tree Sparrow, March 2, 2015
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 800mm f5.6 L IS lens + 1.4x
f11, 1/500th sec., ISO 400

Like every winter, the American Tree Sparrow was the most abundant species present during the coldest part of the winter from December through February in the Deer Creek Wildlife Area. While widespread flocks were present over the entire area, there were two consistently especially dense concentrations of them. One was at the previously mentioned smartweed jungle on the east side of the middle wetlands. The other was in the far northern part of the DCWA where there was a tract of sorghum. Just between those two spots alone there were probably 500 American Tree Sparrows during midwinter. Some years Field Sparrows remain in good numbers through the winter and can be found in small numbers in the mix of most Tree Sparrow flocks, but that wasn't the case this winter. Most Field Sparrows departed the area entirely before the end of November, 2014 before the main influx of Tree Sparrows. They apparently knew a cold winter was coming.  Field Sparrows, however, seemed fairly numerous and easy to find in regenerating clear cuts at the Zaleski and Shawnee State Forests when I visited those places in January.


North end of Reservoir, October 26 , 2014
Canon EOS 1D X, Canon 16-35 f4 L IS lens at 18mm
f11, 1/100th sec., ISO 200

The north end of the reservoir gets nice afternoon light throughout the year.  This spot above is under water for about 7 months of the year from when it floods in the spring to when it is drawn down in October. The usual late shorebirds became widespread in the late fall of 2014 with most departing after the first freeze in November.  Killdeers, which numbered in the hundreds in late October and early November remained in the area right through the end of the year. A few were still present on Dec. 31, 2014. A least one each of Peregrine Falcon and Merlin patrolled the area at the peak of the shorebird numbers. And just a bit further upstream from here is where the Black-legged Kittiwake dropped by in late November. Sandhill Cranes didn't utilize this area in the fall of 2014 as they irregularly have in the past. Over a hundred did plop down in the middle and southern wetlands in late November. It wasn't until January 16th until I saw four Sandhill Cranes very close to this very spot in was then a mostly frozen reservoir. They didn't hang around long.


North End of Reservoir, March 7, 2015
Canon EOS 1D X, Canon 16-35 f4 L IS lens at 26mm
f14, 1/125th sec., ISO 200


North End of Reservoir, March 7, 2015
Canon EOS 1D X, Canon 16-35 f4 L IS lens at 16mm
f14, 1/60th sec., ISO 200

The sign of thawing began on March 7 when some flood water from the Deer Creek began flowing into the drawn down area at the north end. This little bit of thawing brought back the first Killdeers into the area since Dec. 31st which quickly became widespread in the area and nearby fields within days.


Reservoir at Miller Park, March 9, 2015
Canon EOS 1D X, Canon 70-300 f4-5.6 L IS lens at 221mm
f16, 1/200th sec., ISO 400

Two days later in the early morning the open water had moved another mile downstream to the Miller Park area. 101 Tundra Swans, 4 Greater White-fronted Geese, and a wide variety of ducks were gathered here. When I returned in the evening to photograph it in nicer light the open water had moved further south past the marina and only flowing ice chunks were left.  There was also a variety of new arrivals for the year on the 9th with birds such as Wood Duck, Tree Swallow and massive flocks of Common Grackles suddenly appearing. All three scoters have been hard to find in Ohio so far in 2015, but 3 White-wingeds were seen from this spot on March 18. By then the last of the floating chunks of ice were long gone everywhere in the reservoir.
 
 


Still Frozen SE Corner of Reservoir, March 12, 2015
Canon EOS 1D X, Canon 16-35 f4 L IS lens at 16mm
f16, 1/250th sec., ISO 160

The above area, clsoest to the dam wall and furthest from where the creek enters the reservoir is usually the last area to become ice free. Less than a week after this photo was taken the entire reservoir would become totally ice free and over a thousand ducks of many species could be seen from this same spot. The reservoir is one of the main birding attractions from the fall through the spring. Starting with the north end in late October when mudflats appear there is usually something worth pointing your spotting scope at. Duck hunting in the area doesn't end until the end of January and the reservoir is often frozen by then. While an interesting variety of waterfowl do show up on the reservoir in the fall and early winter, once the flocks get shot at a few times they tend to take off and the turnover is quick.  Gulls are always worth looking through. I have already posted here about the kittiwake in November. Through the rest of the fall were huge numbers of Bonaparte's and Ring-billed Gulls and with a handful of Herring Gulls in the mix. Like every recent year, the fall of 2014 brought in a several Franklin's Gulls that never seem to stay around very long. By mid-January most of the reservoir froze and every last one of the Bonaparte's Gulls took off. Still, they lingered at Deer Creek later into the season and in larger numbers than elsewhere in Central Ohio. Even when the reservoir is completely frozen over there are always at least some Ring-billeds in the area at the dam spillway or where the creek is still running at the N end of the reservoir. In early Feb. this year there was a mini thaw, a false spring, where parts of the reservoir opened up. That brought in massive numbers of Herring Gulls, well over a thousand, and with them were novelties such as Iceland, Lesser Black-backed, and Great Black-backed Gulls. The appearance of those species in Ohio away from Lake Erie is something that has only been occurring recently. Many work their way south to feed at landfills. With Lake Erie frozen over again this year many were recorded through the state. A large landfill between Columbus and Deer Creek was probably the source for those birds. Unfortunately that thaw was short-lived and the entire reservoir was completely frozen over again by the middle if February and it remained so until the second week of March.  A few Herring Gulls returned immediately and were as numerous as Ring-billeds. Their numbers have increased in the past week and both a Lesser Black-backed Gull and a Great Black-backed Gull have been seen in the mix. If the reservoir didn't completely freeze up when it did in February I would have expected to see many more of those species and probably Glaucous Gulls as well. Now that's it's mid-March it's getting kind of late for Glaucous Gulls in Ohio, but Lesser Black-backeds have turned up late into the spring and early fall at Deer Creek in the past.


View of reservoir from beach, February 2, 2015
Canon EOS 1D X, Canon 70-300 f4-5.6 L IS lens at 214mm
f14, 1/250th sec., ISO 400

The main reservoir is never very photogenic, but the above scene of a small portion of it gives and idea what it looked like from the state park beach during the early thaw in February. Besides the gulls there were some interesting geese in the reservoir during this period with a few Cackling Geese mixed in with an enormous Canada Goose flock on Feb. 2, and a very high count for Ohio of 49 Greater White-fronted Geese on Feb. 10. (Both Snow and Ross's Geese made appearances in the reservoir last fall, but have not yet been noted in 2015.)


Ring-billed Gull, February 5, 2015
Canon EOS 1D X, Canon 300mm f2.8 L IS II lens +2x
f7.1, 1/3200th sec., ISO 640

During the period when so many interesting gulls were present, only Ring-billeds showed up at the spillway of the dam and came into camera range.


Southwest Corner of Reservoir, February 5, 2015
Canon EOS 1D X, Canon 16-35 f4 L IS lens at 16mm
f16, 1/320th sec., ISO 200

I have no real comment on the above photo. I was just poking around and having fun with my 16-35 zoom at its widest setting. This lens really is terrific I must say, razor sharp into the corners of the full frame 1DX. It really blows away every previous wide angle zoom by Canon that preceded it. It does remind me that we never did have too much snow this winter. While the temperatures were brutally low at times, there was never any deep snow lingering for long. Early 2014 brought many flocks of Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs into the surrounding cornfields and occasionally Deer Creek state land as well. This winter neither were present as far south as Deer Creek from what I could see. I did see some longspurs a couple counties further north near Johnstown in Licking County, but I only saw Snow Buntings near Lake Erie. Apparently it's the snow cover further north that drives them southward. We had the cold temperatures for sure.


Ice along Deer Creek, February 5, 2015
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 100mm f2.8 L IS macro lens
f10, 1/250th sec., ISO 250


Ice along Deer Creek, February 5, 2015
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 100mm f2.8 L IS macro lens
f11, 1/500th sec., ISO 250


Ice along Deer Creek, February 5, 2015
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 100mm f2.8 L IS macro lens
f11, 1/500th sec., ISO 250
 


Canvasback, March 2, 2015
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 800mm f5.6 L IS lens + 1.4x
f10, 1/1600th sec., ISO 500

Aside from Lake Erie of course, I consider the Deer Creek Reservoir and wetlands to be one of the the best places to view large numbers of waterfowl in the state. That observing is with a spotting scope and not a camera. If you already saw my page here from last year at the dam spillway, you know there are some exceptions. This winter there were fewer ducks in the spillway despite the frozen reservoir. In late February and early March Canvasbacks were the most plentiful duck there. They were joined by only a handful each of Redheads and both Greater and Lesser Scaups.  As soon as the reservoir opened back up the ducks left the spillway. 300 Redheads were counted in the reservoir on Feb. 10 right before the big freeze up. A similar number was counted on March 11 soon after enough open water reappeared and that number grew a few days after that. March 11 also hosted 450 Ring-necked Ducks. Scaup got off to a slower start, but by March 15 there were over 500 Lessers. Most of the expected duck species have put in an appearance in the reservoir during the week after it started thawing, except so far there have been no Long-tailed Ducks seen in the Deer Creek area in the spring of 2015. There is still time left for them. In the fall of 2014 there were several Long-tailed Ducks seen in the reservoir at various times. Two even lingered into early January for a few days to barely make it onto my January year list, but haven't been seen since.  Tundra Swans maintained a conspicuous presence in the Deer Creek area through the winter. 100 or so kept a small hole of open water free in the reservoir through much of February. And even when there was no open water besides the spillway some Tundra Swans remained in the area just roosting in cornfields.


Song Sparrow singing on territory, March 9, 2015
Canon EOS 1D MarkIV, Canon 800mm f5.6 L IS lens + 1.4x
f10, 1/1250th sec., ISO 500


Mullein Stalk in northern DCWA field, March 12, 2015
Canon EOS 1D X, Canon 35mm f2 IS lens
f2, 1/4000th sec., ISO 100

When Song Sparrows (and Red-winged Blackbirds) take up their territories in early March in weedy fields, mullein stalks still standing from the previous year are the tallest and stiffest singing perches available. I also included the above photo because I wanted to show something with every lens I currently own.  When I got the fantastic new 16-35 f4L IS lens last summer I sold off most of my single focal length wide angles. I did keep the two relatively inexpensive ones, this 35mm and my much loved little 28mm. While the new zoom covers those 2 focal lengths very well, these two lenses are still handy to have and offer great quality for the price. The big virtue of the 28mm is really its size. It's very small and light so it goes with me everywhere. Since it's always readily on hand I use it. The 35mm lens is 2 stops faster than the zoom being a f2 lens, currently the fastest that I own. I have owned the 24mm f1.4 L II and also had the 50mm f1.2 L for a while. Those are both excellent and serve a good purpose for those who might really need them such as wedding photographers. For my uses this 35mm is really just as good and more practical.  For outdoor use I like to use it wide open to photograph something up close and have the background melt like butter. I like the bokeh of this lens better than the 24L I had for years and cost 3 times as much. The 24mm focal length worked well for the same general purpose with the 1D Mark4, but on the full frame 1DX the 35mm is a better choice I think. Like many people, I would like Canon to come out with a 50mm lens to go along with these lenses.


LATE MARCH UPDATE


North end of Reservoir, March 28, 2015
Canon EOS 1D X, Canon 16-35 f4 L IS lens at 20mm
f13, 1/60th sec., ISO 160

First of all you're probably wondering why I take so many photos from this general vantage point. The answer is pretty easy actually. As I leave the area heading north in the late afternoon it gets nice light. I was able to make a couple more visits in late March on the 22nd and 28th. They will be my last for a while since I will be out of the state for much of April and May this year. In the 2 weeks after writing and posting this, spring has progressed  a bit more. As you can see above the water level of the reservoir receded once more after its initial flooding. By the 22nd both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs had arrived when the water level receded and fresh mudflats appeared, and Ospreys arrived back on their nesting territories along this stretch. Bonaparte's Gulls also reappeared on the 22nd with 6 counted. By the 28th there were over 800 present, all in mudflats further upstream. The biggest treat on the 22nd was the presence of two Eared Grebes in the main pond of the southern wetlands. One was nearly in full breeding plumage while the other still had a ways to go. They represent a first occurance (at least the first that anybody noticed) for the Deer Creek area. It was a long overdue first record, though, since there have been numerous sightings at the relatively nearby C.J. Brown (Buck Creek) and Caesar Creek Reservoirs. Only a few new passerine arrivals such as Eastern Phoebes were noted by the 28th. Spring still has a long way to go. I wish could catch it all, but you can't be two places at once. Spring happens everywhere at the same time. This year I can only look forward to visiting again in late May.