Date: 4/24/25 6:15 pm From: Clayton Will <willcfish...> Subject: [ia-bird] Excellent sheetwater holding many shorebirds in Hamilton Co.
If you're going to Bjorkboda Marsh for the Virginia Rails and Sandhill Cranes a short loop North could be very productive with the additional rain coming in. I noticed the weather system training in that area last evening and was pleasantly surprised with what I found. There were several hundred shorebirds on two areas and less on at least three other smaller sheetwaters on farm fields. Two sheetwaters were in the 20 to 40 acre range and one stretched across the 1/4 mile section. I went North from Masterson wildlife area on Hammond Avenue to Highway 175 where most of them were. Then went East a mile to Inkpaduta and back South toward Bjorkboda Marsh and there was a very good area. There was one on P- Ave (hard surface) where I found a Semi-Palmated Plover and three Wilson's Phalarope along with several hundred Yellowlegs, Dunlin and Sandpipers. There is one farm field lane across from this one so you can pull off the road to scope. All of these are correct locations on my eBird entries. The cranes have been seen on the Boone County side of the road anywhere from Bjorkboda to the West side of McHugh Wetland. Most the time eating night crawlers near the old west log Ranch Gate. The Virginia Rails are on the South side of the road from Bjorkboda. Park either side of the blue tile that is 10 yards off the road and has two steel fence posts with a section of hog fence. They are in that general area and sometimes right next to the road. Another place to look is on the corner at McHugh Wetland directly kitty corner from Masterson Wildlife Area. The ditch is flooded and the area is loaded with Sora. The Bald Eagles in the nest on private property a mile North of Bjorkboda are half grown. It's only two blocks of the road and an open view into it. I had lunch there today and was able to video the female bring in a bundle of haystraw and spread it around. Likely from a nearby round bale. Dad just sat in the tree above.
