Though I have been visiting Sandy Lake, in Portage County, Ohio, since 1975, I did not begin reporting for eBird from this location until 2017. Reviewing my records since that year, I am somewhat surprised that I have only encountered 11 species of "water birds" feeding on or along the lake.
Some, such as Canada geese, mallards, ring-billed gulls and double-crested cormorants are seasonally abundant while others, such as pied-billed grebes have only been observed on occasion. Ospreys are reliably seen here during the warmer months and great blue herons stalk the shorelines throughout the year. Bald eagles, though observed during all seasons, are especially common during the winter. Rounding out the list are wood ducks, belted kingfishers and green herons.
Though I'm almost certain that I've seen common loons and great egrets at Sandy Lake in the past, they have escaped my eBird lists. Of course, bird sightings rely a great deal on seasonal timing and records are only as reliable as the diligence of the recorder. In that respect, my pre-2017 observations, however accurate, are questionable.
