I crisscrossed the weeds at Parson’s Pond yesterday afternoon looking for
Short-eared Owls but found none. I did kick up a few Savannah Sparrows and
spotted a Krider’s Red-tailed Hawk in a distant fencerow. Tangle of branches
around it confused camera focus, but the top of its head was clearly white.
Heard a few calls from Sand-hill Cranes but never spotted any.
Management of this area has changed from what it used to be. In the past,
renters used to row crop everything possible, including the pond bed once it
dried up. Now something like 75 acres has been left uncultivated entirely for
several seasons. This new style management will benefit some species but has
about ruined Parsons Pond as a shorebird stop off. When the water comes up,
there are no longer any mudflats when it recedes. Weeds throughout pond bed
also diminished the chances of finding any roosting Short-eared Owls.
https://ebird.org/checklist/S61760077 ;<https://ebird.org/checklist/S61760077>
Frank Lyne
frank@xxxxxxxxxxx - near Dot in Logan County, KY
