She’s back! The photographer was released from her walking boot in late February, just a couple of days prior to our scheduled trip to Arizona. It had been 7 weeks since she had been hiking or exercising, and we wanted to get a trail in. I was interested in utilizing an all person trail which would have predictable terrain and a relatively smooth surface. And Google delivered.

Lake Barber Park was new to me but the description online was inviting. The park features a spring fed 52 acre lake that was created on a reclaimed limestone surface mine and the trail circles the lake.

From the parking lot the trail edges a wetland to the left, and then crosses a stout steel bridge that lies in the shadow of a very large Cottonwood tree.

Once across the bridge the visitor gets to take in the welcoming view of the lake.

Being the photographer’s first outing, and not wanting to re-aggravate her foot injury, we were not planning on doing the entire 1.5 mile loop around the lake. We chose to head clockwise, to the left, as it appeared to offer the best views onto the water. Almost immediately we were greeted by some Canada Geese, who looked peaceful and elegant on the water.

Shortly we saw this Killdeer feeding along the shoreline.

But what caught my eye were the large number of migratory waterfowl that had positioned themselves in several groupings out in the middle of the lake.

Unfortunately they were just out of range of the telephoto lens. I had a little more luck with my binoculars and could identify Canvasback, Ruddy Duck, Greater Scaup, and Blue-winged Teal. Clearly part of their survival technique is to stay away from the shore line. The Canvasback and Greater Scaup are Bay Ducks which dive below the surface to swim and feed underwater.

Male and Female Greater Scaup

Male Canvasback in the foreground

Two female Ruddy Ducks

We enjoyed watching this duck, who was a little closer to shore, repeatedly diving to feed.

It was also fun to watch a flock of Tree Swallows perform their quick moving acrobatics above the surface of the water. Despite their speed the photographer was able to get some in-flight photos. Tree Swallows frequently nest in tree cavities near water. Notice the identifying green on their backs in the second and third photos. This differentiates them from Cliff and Barn Swallows.

She also caught some others in flight.

Killdeer

Mockingbird

Ruddy Duck

Another interesting siting was this maturing Redcedar. It was displaying the more open and stately structure of an older specimen.

Redcedars are dioecious, meaning that they have male and female cones on different trees. This one had a yellow hue due to an abundance of yellowish male cones.

While we did not complete the entire loop around the lake, we could ascertain its route. What makes the path more ecologically interesting is how the setting varied along the way. At times it is in mowed parkland, but it also weaves through woodlands that are on the bank. In addition, visitors can kayak from the dock noted in the second photo below, or swim at the small beach noted in the third photo.

In summary, this outing was successful beyond our hopes. The photographer suffered no adverse pain on her limited first hike out of her walking boot, and we found another outstanding “all persons” trail. The lake and its shoreline are clean and the migratory waterfowl were an exciting surprise. It is a great site to take binoculars or birding scope for better visualization of the ducks away from the shoreline. We plan to utilize the entire loop when most hiking trails are too wet for trekking and we need to get some fresh air. Kudos to the city of Newtown for offering such an excellent facility.

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Photo credits to Peggy Juengling Burns

Overview:

Location – off of Edwards Road in Newtown, Ohio. 12 miles east of Downtown Cincinnati.

Parking – large asphalt lot with parking for about 30 cars.

Facilities – Porto-let in the parking area. There may be others near the beach area.

Trail Conditions – asphalt in good condition.

Print Trail Map Link – none.

Benches – a bench swing was noted overlooking the lake.

Picnic Tables – yes.

Kids – Kids of all ages should do well here. Great for strollers and kids bikes as well.

Dogs – Welcomed on a leash that does not exceed 10 feet.

Paired Hiking Trails – none.

Links:

https://newtownohio.gov/community/parks-rec/