Captina Creek Birding Drive
Birding Drives are routes for birding trips which can be accomplished in one day, stopping to walk and bird at various eBird hotspots. For each birding drive, a Google map is provided with the route and suggested stops at eBird hotspots. You may save the link to the Google map on your smartphone or tablet, or print a copy on paper to take with you. Links are provided with information about each eBird hotspot. Follow those links for more information about birding each location.
Captina Creek Birding Drive
Click on the hotspot names below to view the page about that hotspot.
Belmont County is one of Ohio’s “under-birded” counties (fewer than 1000 eBird checklists). This Birding Drive explores eBird hotspots in the county. When you submit checklists here you help to add to the data about birds in this region of Ohio.
Powhatan Point, Ohio 43942
From OH-7, turn onto Main Street in Powhatan Point and continue south on Main Street. Turn right to continue west onto Mellott Street. The Marina will be on your left.
Alledonia, Ohio 43902
From Powhatan Point, continue west on OH-148 for approximately 12 miles. Turn left to continue south onto Belmont County Road 86 in Alledonia. The stop is located along Belmont County Road 86 just south of Captina Creek and the railroad.
Beallsville, Ohio 43716
From Alledonia, continue west on OH-148 for approximately 5 miles. Turn left to continue south onto Belmont County Road 92 for approximately 1.5 miles. Turn left onto Wayne Township Road 804 (Crum Road) and continue on this road for approximately 2 miles. The stop is located on your left at the Raven Rocks trailhead parking area.
Jerusalem, Ohio 43747
From Raven Rocks, continue southwest on Wayne Township Road 804 (Crum Road) for approximately 1 mile. Turn left to continue north onto Wayne Township Road 41 (New Castle – Beallsville Road) for approximately 2.5 miles. Wayne Township Road 41 will turn into OH-26 in New Castle. Continue north on OH-26 for approximately 1.5 miles. Turn right onto School Land Road and continue east for a quarter mile. Park along this gravel road near the old barn. Continue on foot across the field to Captina Creek. The stop is located at the picnic area next to Captina Creek.
Belmont Centerville Road (OH-147) Belmont, Ohio 43718
From Rainbow’s End, continue north on OH-26 for approximately 10 miles. In Bethesda, turn right to go east on OH-147. Continue on OH-147 through the town of Belmont and continue east past Belmont for an additional 5 miles. Turn right to continue south onto Smith Township Road 234 (Cool Hill Road) and take an immediate right onto Smith Township Road 194 (Dysart Wood Road). Continue on Dysart Wood Road for approximately a half mile. The stop will be located at the Dysart Woods parking area on the left.
The Dysart Woods Laboratory is located in unglaciated southeastern Ohio. In contrast to the glaciated part of the state this area is characteristically hilly with local relief exceeding 200 feet. The sedimentary bedrock throughout the region is composed mostly of sandstone and shale with coal seams occurring variably from near the surface to hundreds of feet underground. The rainfall and temperature conditions are generally well suited for the development of deciduous forests. Dysart Woods, a 50-acre tract of old-growth oak forest located in Belmont County, is the largest known remnant of the original forest of southeastern Ohio.
