By Charla Wurm-Adams
cwurm@wbcowqel.com
Winter’s chill wasn’t the only thing in the air Sunday afternoon. There were numerous species of birds and the snowy background made them easy to spot in Sears Woods. Crawford Park District Naturalist Warren Uxley led the bird watching hike.
Among the birds sighted were various types of woodpeckers, a barn owl, blue jays, nut hatches and juncos, not to mention tracks from ground-bound animals like deer, fox, rabbits and coyotes. Uxley talks about the afternoon of bird watching.
“We had a lot of red-headed woodpeckers in Sears Woods today. There is a huge crop of acorns and beechnuts this year,” Uxley said. “Hence, I have never seen so many red-headed woodpeckers in Sears Woods than this year. It’s been a good a good day for that. They are beautiful birds, black and white body, all red heads.”
Uxley explained the difference in birds and the ones that live here all year long versus the ones that are just passing through. He also shared that snow owls are doing quite well this year. With the permission of the Ohio Department of Transportation, boxes for American kestrals are being placed on raod signs on US 30.
Sears Woods is owned by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources who jointly manages the property with the Crawford Park District.