Owner Bill Balkwill takes a daily walk in his woodland and frequently reports his sightings in conversations.
Bill Balkwill spotted Eastern Phoebes in his woodland and a Red-shouldered Hawk flying north on March 10, 2007. As well, a huge flock of Common Grackles, European Starlings and Red-winged Blackbirds was in the area.
On March 11, 2007, Bill observed a flock of 13 American Robins and 2 Killdeer. Bald Eagles have nested south of the Balkwill Lands for many years but this year Bill has observed courtship activity as the adult birds locked talons in flight and literally fell from the sky.
A Red-tailed Hawk is nesting somewhere within the Balkwill woodland, the first nesting Red-tailed Hawk in the immediate area since the 1960s. Red-tailed Hawks have nested west of the Arner Town Line regularly over the past ten years. Bill reports that the raptors have been seen around the Lands and at the pond.
Bill Balkwill reported April 13, 2007 that he saw three drake Wood Ducks in the vicinity of his pond. When he walked back to the pond he did not expect to find any other ducks so was surprised to find a female Wood Duck there. Plans to repair the floor of a duck nesting box at the pond became a priority with the arrival of these cavity nesting ducks. Four deer were seen in the woodland adjacent to the pond.
Bill found four Wild Turkeys on April 21, 2007, two females and two males, which were strutting and were particularly black and iridescent.
On April 28, 2007, Bill saw a Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warblers, White-throated and White- crowned Sparrows. A Mockingbird has been in the front yard for a week. The four deer have been lingering in the Balkwill woodland.