Discovering Oxbow Nature Conservancy
This weekend I headed one hour north of Lexington to the Oxbow Nature Conservancy. This wildlife area is on the Indiana side of the Ohio River in Lawrenceburg, just outside of Cincinnati. There are two main lakes. The larger of the two lakes is called the Old Channel Lake. It’s a large sickle-shaped lake. Next to it is Osprey Lake. This man-made lake is smaller and has several small islands in it. Between these two lakes is a gravel access road that you can drive down. I didn’t feel confident driving down it in my camper van so I walked it. The trailhead comes off this access road and is a 1.2 mile loop around Osprey Lake. For the whole weekend I was in the area, most people stuck to the gravel road and I was the only person on the trail. The trail is somewhat overgrown so perhaps people were were missing it. Just as well, I enjoyed having the trail to myself. :-)
Before I got to the trail, I caught sight of four American While Pelicans in Channel Lake. Seeing pelicans in this area was a complete surprise. I suppose they were taking a rest while migrating north.
American White Pelicans. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1000 sec, ISO 560.
American While Pelican. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1000 sec, ISO 250.
Further up the road I incidentally spooked a Green Heron. He flew into some brush and got real still hoping I didn’t see him.
Green Heron. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 5600.
Tree Swallows were in great abundance. Open farm fields running next to the lakes provide lots of room for the swallows to feed on the innumerable insects in the air. There are nesting boxes throughout the park, and plenty of trees with woodpecker holes for the swallows to nest in.
Tree Swallow. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 2800.
Tree Swallow. Another Tree Swallow was approaching, and this one apparently didn’t like that too much. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/2000 sec, ISO 560.
On the Osprey Trail, the first bird I found was a Song Sparrow. They were typically deep in the trees, along with the House Wrens, but this one perched nicely on a small branch.
Song Sparrow. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 2200.
One section of the trail was particularly productive. It seemed all the birds were congregating in one area and my Merlin app was lighting up as it identified the songs of Yellow Warblers, Song Sparrows, Indigo Buntings, Orchard Orioles, Common Yellowthroat, American Goldfinch, and a new bird for me, the Yellow-breasted Chat. This bird might be my new favorite bird. It has a very distinctive, somewhat eccentric song, and I was just awed at how beautiful it is. The only issue I had was that it tended to stay high in the tree tops, almost always picking the highest point in the tree to perch and sing its song. I struggled to get a good shot, but I’m excited to find this bird.
Yellow-breasted Chat. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 1400.
Yellow Warbler. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1250 sec, ISO 800.
Common Yellowthroat. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 4500.
American Goldfinch. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/1600 sec, ISO 5000.
A few field notes:
Getting to the park: Set Google Maps for “Oxbow Nature Conservancy.” Address is 17160 Reardon Dr, Lawrenceburg, IN. The area you’ll pull into is an industrial area. You’ll go through this area and turn right onto Reardon Dr and enter the park. There is a parking area at the entrance which is where I parked my camper van. If you’re in a smaller vehicle, like a car or truck, you can continue past this and park in the area about 200 feet further down the road. The road splits into a Y. The road to the left only goes about 1000 ft and dead ends at a farmer’s field. The right Y is the gravel access road that runs between the two lakes. You can drive down this road, but it does get rough in places, especially after a rain. About a third of the way down this gravel access road you’ll see a sign on the right for “Osprey Nature Trail.” This is the trail head. It’s a 1.2 mile loop around Osprey Lake. It’s just before the boat launch.
There will be lots of mosquitos and, with long grass, expect ticks. Wear long pants, long-sleeved shirt, and put on lots of insect repellent. Wear good hiking shoes and a hat.
The “sweet spot” for birds seemed to be on the trail on the opposite side of Osprey lake. While most of the trail felt closed in with encroaching foliage, a few areas open up and you can get clear shots of birds. I imagine fall and early spring will be best when foliage is not so dense, and I bet this place will be absolutely fantastic for warblers in late April and early May.
Be prepared to walk, a lot. The miles will go by quickly though because the birding is good!
Happy birding!
