The Clear Creek Valley is located in northern Hocking and southern Fairfield counties. It is a beautiful place, the centerpiece being a meandering, shallow stream which is set in a landscape of lowland meadows surrounded by solemn wooded hills and hollows which are accented every now and again by startling and dramatic outcroppings of Blackhand sandstone. I can truly say without fear of contradiction that this valley is one of the most beautiful sites in the state of Ohio. The headwaters of the lovely creek are in the vicinity of Amanda, Ohio, and the stream empties into the Hocking River approximately 15 miles from its source to the east (82û 33' 2" W. longitude; 39û 36' 00" latitude).

The easiest way to get to the valley is to take U.S. Route 33 to Hocking County Road 116. This is the Clear Creek Road and it is about 8.8 miles south of Lancaster, Ohio. There is a Shell Station and convenience store on the corner. From here, the Clear Creek road follows the stream westward.

If you are coming from Lancaster, Ohio, when you are in the vicinity of the small village of Sugar Grove, scrutinize the utility pylons in the vicinioty of that village for Black Vultures. These electric utility towers are favorite roosting places for birds of this species although an occasional Turkey Vulture sometimes joins them. The Black Vultures will look like little black nubbins setting on various parts of the towers, sometimes low, sometimes high, sometimes as many as a dozen or more on one structure.

Sugar Grove is also noteworthy in that it marks the southernmost advance of the Wisconsin ice sheet in this part of the state. This glacier as well as others that preceded it had a tremendous impact in shaping the Clear Creek Valley. But the Wisconsin most of all, not only because it was the most recent of these events, but because it was truly the progenitor of the valley, the shaping hand, the sculptor that bequeathed us the treasures we cherish today. Consider these facts. Less than a dozen millennia ago this glacier had smothered two-thirds of Ohio under its awesome weight of ice. Where Columbus is located it towered higher than the tallest buildings there now; in Cleveland it was an unbelievable half a mile deep. Sweeping down from Canada it destroyed or pushed before it every major vestige of life: ferns, flowering plants, shrubs, trees, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals. And this continued for many millennia, how many we are not exactly sure, but not withdrawing until somewhere around ten or eleven thousand years ago.

I don't believe in flying saucers, but if there were such things, I would prefer to think of them as visitors from our far-distant future, manned ships from our own planet coming back through time, checking us out, as it were, sometimes now, sometimes at Gettysburg, sometimes at Waterloo, sometimes in biblical times. Checking out their own past, their own history, probably wondering how they ever made it, considering they evolved from such barbarions. If I ever encounter such a craft and its inhabitants and they invite me for a ride, I'll happily accept. And when they ask me where I would like to go, I will have my answer ready: "Let's go to the edge of the Wisconsin glacier about 12,000 years ago," I will reply. "Somewhere down near Sugar Grove, Ohio, just north of what we now call Clear Creek, and let us go in the springtime, perhaps in late April or May, if that is possible." What a wonderful fantasy this is!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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From 1970 through 1999, with the exception of 1973, I conducted a breeding bird
population study in the valley which has resulted in a total of 115 species and
one sub-species being recorded as nesting birds.

The study area extended from Route 33 to the covered bridge west of Revenge,
a distance of 7.5 miles. It was divided into convenient segments of about one-half mile in length, each of which was transversed on foot at least twice during each breeding season, sometimes
more often if peculiarities in weather or temperature seemed to be inhibiting
bird movement or song. All of these trips were conducted during the early morning
hours, usually between 6 A.M. and 9 A.M.

The method used in taking the census was to include sight observations of pairs
of birds, the occasional discovery of nests, observations of parent birds
feeding their young and, most commonly, the counting of male
birds singing on territory. The latter method was certainly most practical in counting
the more common species which were recognized breeding birds in the valley.
In the case of rare nesting birds, including new species added to the list of breeders,
every effort was made to substantiate evidence of breeding by finding the nest,
observing the parents feeding the young, or the observation of fledglings.

The reliance placed on singing territorial males was felt to be more than justified, especially so as
to limit interference in nesting activities that might occur from searching for nests, and
it is a widely used technique in conducting breeding bird surveys. Years of

Yarrow, Achillea millefolium

 

experience in the field made it possible for me to identify the songs of most birds heard.
Even so, it is very likely that not all breeding birds were counted. Many variables are possible
such as non-singing birds, the degree of a birds secretiveness, and other behavioral characteristics.
The weather and the time of day, as already noted, were factors that had to be taken
into consideration. There were other things to be considered, including elements, known and unknown,
that could tilt the census numbers one way or another.

Just a few considerations on any given day might include the presence of raptors, the ease or
difficulty in obtaining food, the ratios of dominant males to less dominant ones, the presence
of non-breeding males and, possibly, females; wind and storm damage done previous
to a count day and, of course, random chance.