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Located 40 minutes south of Columbus, Deer Creek Wildlife Area in south-central Ohio is easily accessible to wildlife watchers from anywhere in the state and is one of Ohio's official Watchable Wildlife viewing sites.
The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed the 1,277-acre Deer Creek Lake to help control floodwaters in the Scioto River watershed, and more than 4,000 acres of land bordering the lake is leased by the Division of Wildlife and managed for wildlife habitat.
"There is opportunity for all wildlife watchers with the diversity of grasslands, woodlands, and wetlands here at Deer Creek Wildlife Area," says Wildlife Area Supervisor, Ron Carter.
Deer Creek Wildlife Area is one of Ohio's official Watchable Wildlife sites.
The prime habitat attraction at Deer Creek Wildlife Area is grassland. A mosaic of various prairie grasses provides valuable cover for many songbirds whose numbers are declining in Ohio. For example, during the months of May and June you may hear the song of a Henslow's or grasshopper sparrow as they sing to attract a mate. Bobolinks and Eastern meadowlarks are also a delight to see and hear. The sedge wren, barn owl, and least bittern, all endangered species in Ohio, are also found at Deer Creek in the summer.
 Ring-necked pheasants are a common sight and sound, and on calm May mornings crowing males can be heard from any location. By mid-summer, broods of young pheasants feed on insects in openings and cropfields. Beginning about August, Northern harriers are seen frequently as they cruise low over fields in search of meadow voles. Many other birds of prey, including red-tailed hawks and kestrels, are spotted regularly throughout the year. Mammals, from foxes to woodchucks, also inhabit the grasslands. But take a close second look at that woodchuck, it may be a badger!
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Grassland is the primary habitat at Deer Creek
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Wildlife Area. Attracted to such cover are a variety
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of bird species including ring-necked pheasants
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(right) and Northern harriers.
A 75-acre wetland is located at the south end of Deer Creek Wildlife Area, along Dick Road, where wildlife watchers will find the great diversity of wildlife one would expect at a wetland. Spring peepers and leopard frogs overwhelm the night with their chorus as the weather warms in early spring. Migrating waterfowl rest and feed, and great blue herons wade the water's edges in search of fish.
As spring progresses, red-winged blackbirds tend to their nests, while turtles sun themselves on old, fallen trees. Male wood ducks wait patiently as their mates incubate eggs in nearby nest boxes. As summer heats up, water in the wetland recedes, exposing mudflats that attract a variety of shorebirds. Recent unusual avian visitors include both white and glossy ibis and American avocet.
Mudflats are also a great place to find animal tracks. If you have children, they will enjoy trying to identify the many wetland creatures present from the footprints they leave. Each fall, water levels in Deer Creek Lake are lowered, creating additional mudflats, which attract shorebirds and dabbling ducks. Remaining deep water near the dam attracts diving ducks in mid- to late-winter. But the most eagerly awaited fall visitors by local birders are the sandhill cranes. Numbering from a few to a few hundred, sandhills occasionally visit local cropfields and the barren lake bed in November and December.
"I love to come to Deer Creek in late fall," said John Switzer, columnist for The Columbus Dispatch newspaper and a regular birder at Deer Creek. "One year I saw over 300 sandhill cranes. That was a spectacular sight."
Look closely for sandhill cranes in harvested crop fields, as the large bird's gray plumage blends well with most backgrounds. You might also hear sandhills before you see them, as their call is a delightful series of haunting notes. Ospreys may be seen at Deer Creek Wildlife Area, plunging for fish. The lake is one of five sites the Division has chosen for its osprey reintroduction project. Hack boxes, where young ospreys are housed before learning to fly, are easily seen from Road D-58.
Perhaps Deer Creek will soon become home to a nesting pair of ospreys. In the fall, Grassland is the primary habitat at Deer Creek Wildlife Area. Attracted to such cover are a variety of bird species including ring-necked pheasants (right) and Northern harriers (above). these birds may migrate all the way to South America before returning in the spring.
 Often forgotten as a wildlife viewing location is Deer Creek itself, the area's namesake. Whether partially concealed with snow-covered ice in winter or flowing crystal clear beneath a leafy canopy in summer, Deer Creek is a beautiful, wildlife-rich stream. There are six parking lots along the water, making access easy. You are free to hike the banks or float the creek in a canoe. Either way, you might see a beaver leaving its lodge or catch sight of a white-tailed deer crossing a riffle. Or you may choose to just sit by the water and observe the day-to- day life along a stream. Kingfishers will chatter as they fly by and maybe a yellow-billed cuckoo will search a streamside sycamore for insects.
With the diversity of habitat at Deer Creek Wildlife Area, wildlife watchers are guaranteed to find a variety of wildlife. And plenty of interior roads make any type of habitat on the area readily accessible. So whether you prefer to watch wildlife from a road, trail, or the middle of a wetland or tall-grass prairie, Deer Creek Wildlife Area has it all–and it's all free, courtesy of Ohio sportsmen and women who helped purchase the area with their license fees.
If You Go…
- From Mount Sterling, Ohio, follow
- State Route 207 approximately
- three miles south to Deer Creek Wildlife Area.
- Call 1-800-WILDLIFE for a free area map.
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