Short-eared Owl
These medium-size owls are crepuscular, hunting at the first and last light of day over open fields. They are the most widely distributed owl in the world, eating mostly small mammals.
Author: Sharon Swaney
Rough-legged Hawk
Born on the tundra and raised on a diet of lemmings and other small mammals, Rough-legged Hawks come to ‘the lower 48’ for winter and enjoy a diet of voles, mice and shrews caught on large, open expanses like prairies and even airports.
Northern Harrier
Widely distributed over N. America, we see more harriers during winter, coursing low over fields in search of small mammals and birds of all types.
Merlin
This small falcon specializes hunting small birds. In winter it is often found in large, old cemeteries that have a variety of vegetation, and which are bordered by neighborhoods containing lots of bird feeders.
Snowy Owl
Another raptor born on the open tundra and fed large numbers of lemmings. Winter sends most of the young birds south across Canada and the bordering US states where they inhabit large, open fields, airports and break walls along Lake Erie.
Wood Duck
Photo by Matt Valencic
Wood Duck. Woodies are a tree duck, using a hollow cavity in a tree for their nest site, but will also use artificial nest boxes. Once the babies hatch the mother calls to them from the ground, and the babies jump out, sometimes fluttering...
Bank Swallow
Photo by Matt Valencic
Bank Swallow. Often nesting communally, Bank Swallows dig a borrow into the soil of a natural bluff, eroding riverside cliff, or even a gravel yard. They exclusively eat insects caught in flight over fields or water. In fall they join other species of swallows...
Yellowed-billed Cuckoo
Photo by Matt Valencic
Yellow-billed Cuckoo. About 12” long with large white spots under its tail, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo specializes in eating hairy caterpillars. They are a secretive forest bird, preferring dense cover near water. You are more likely to hear a cuckoo than to see one.
Osprey
Photo by Matt Valencic
Osprey. Osprey diet consists of live fish they catch with their sharp talons. Soaring overhead until they spot a fish, they dive feet-first into the water, emerging wet but victorious about 25% of the time. In NE Ohio their favorite nest site is the...
Bobolink
Photo by Matt Valencic
Bobolink. Traveling over 4,000 miles from central South America, Bobolink’s prefer a hay field for their ground nest, but will settle for a mixed forbes meadow in a pinch. Their song is unlike any other bird. Find them reliably at South Russell Village Park...
