Charlies Pond

Charlies Pond

Radcliff Road Circleville, Ohio 43113

Also, see all the hotspots at:
Pickaway County Birding Drive

Birds of Interest

Winter
Seldomly birded.
Spring
Migrant waterfowl, shorebirds, and grassland species.
Summer
The expected breeding species of small wetlands and agricultural settings including Henslow’s Sparrows and Dickcissel’s. A pair of Black Rails were probable breeders in the summer of 2008.
Fall
Similar to spring.

About this Location

This intensively farmed area, just a mile or two from the Scioto River, can still resonate with hints of the bird life of the former Pickaway Plains.

Less than 10 acres in size, most of it inaccessible without trespassing, Charlies Pond is a small remnant of the prairies of the old Pickaway Plains. This patch of wetland includes a cattail-ringed area of open water on the north, and a swampy area with tussocks, puddles, and small trees on the south.

There are no trails, and the area cannot be legally explored beyond the road without permission. Traffic is minimal, and the area can be surveyed by pulling off to one side of the road and looking around. Look for waterfowl, swallows, a few shorebirds, and blackbirds in the proper season and the usual denizens of agricultural areas in nearby fields. One interesting spot lies further west: take Radcliffe to its termination less than a mile ahead, turn right, and proceed a few hundred yards to a culvert where a canal extends to the right, with a marshy area on the left.

Waterfowl, such as Mallards and Hooded Mergansers, have bred here, along with Virginia Rails; decent numbers of shorebirds appear in migration, along with pipits, etc. The whole area was once productive for Smith’s Longspurs, but none has been reliably reported here for more than 25 years.

From the intersection of US-23 and OH-56 in Circleville, go about 4 miles south on US-23, and take a right (west) on Radcliffe Road. Less than a mile ahead, the wetland lies on either side of the road in a swale.

Open year-round.

This intensively farmed area, just a mile or two from the Scioto River, can still resonate with hints of the bird life of the former Pickaway Plains.

Features

  • Roadside viewing

  • Restrooms on site

Content from Ohio Ornithological Society