I spent the cold morning driving & hiking around several areas along Big darby Creek (SW of Columbus).   I hiked around trails in both Prairie Oaks and Battelle-Darby MetroParks, and drove the back roads between them.  The beautiful but cold weather was highlighted as much by what wasn't there as what was.  Sparrows and field birds like horned larks & longspurs were virtually absent (or very well hidden).  Even along the trails, I didn't find White-throated sparrows & juncos until almost noon.  3 E. Towhees continue to haunt the Terrace Trail in Battelle-Darby MetroPark, although I couldn't relocate the Brown Thrasher that was here 4 weeks ago.  Yellow-b.Sapsuckers were at 3 different locations, so the cold weather has either pushed them into the area or flushed them out of hiding.

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.

You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]