Anyone ever heard of owls riding thermals?

[baileyn45]

I'm in Ohio as well and was seeing Bald Eagles migrating well into December. I was working right on the lake front and was amazed to see sometimes 2 & 3 at a time. Normally only see such things in Sept - early Oct.

Ohio here, too.
Bald Eagles are a definite possibility, since their numbers are increasing. I've seen one in Columbus, OH, and one over Deer Creek State Park. I actually saw one eating on a road-kill deer in Ross Co. Ohio last winter. I can't find the photo at the moment, or I'd post it.

I'm in Cleveland and used to go out west to the Magee Marsh area (world class birding) to see eagles. They've been steadily moving my way. I live west of cleve now (N Ridgeville) and we have at least one nesting pair returning yearly. I've heard people in a town called Lakewood which is the first suburb west of Cleve say there is a resident pair around all summer. I'd have to wait for a nest sighting to confirm but it is exciting.

About 7 or 8 years ago I was at Maggee and saw 7 bald eagles sitting in one tree and 4 more in the next tree over.
Unbelievable.

I've been to Magee - great place, for certain.
From what I've heard from first-hand reports, eagles are becoming more common along the Scioto River, with a couple of nests being seen as well.
Makes sense, since their primary diet is fish.
Highbanks Metro Park even has its own eagle nest now.
To think that Ospreys used to be exciting... lol

That's funny. I got into birding by accident, wandering into Magee when part of it was still called Crane Creek ST Park. I was going to hike with my dog then realized the "park" was pretty much just the board walk. From going out there for years eagles were no big deal. It wasn't until years later that I saw an osprey in Athens, Ohio. At that time it was as exciting as my first eagle.

It can be funny what difference only a couple of hundred miles makes.
When I went to Magee, I ran into this photographer that was going the same direction as me and we walked together for a bit. I was admiring the eagles and he said they have them all the time. Then he's see birds such as the Red-tailed Hawk or Eastern Bluebird and get excited. I had to laugh at that - in my area, it's rare that those aren't seen at that time of the year.
Really need to get back there this year.

As I mentioned earlier my first trip was to hike with a dog. It happened to be during the warbler migration and there were 350 people on that boardwalk. Blew my mind. A few years later I spent an afternoon with a couple from Germany. I asked why they were here and they said to see the warblers, I said no I mean why are you in the US.
They said, TO SEE THE WARBLERS. I couldn't believe it. I grew up in Cleveland, who knew?