I ran through several areas around both 3-Creeks and Pickeringon Ponds Metroparks while the weather was nice, looking for irruptive and waterfowl.  Water levels were high at both places; this depressed 3-Creeks waterfowl but appeared to have little effect on Pick Ponds waterbirds.  The 9 Sandhill Cranes remained loafing around Arrowhead Marsh at Pick Ponds, easily seen from the Glacier Knoll viewing area.  Other highlights included:

Dabbling Ducks - mostly Mallards at Pick Ponds, but also had small flocks of Shovelers (20), Green-winged Teal (30), Gadwall (5), and Pintail (10).  One male Wood Duck persists appropriately at Wood Duck marsh.

Diving Ducks - far fewer, with only 6 Redheads, 3 Ruddies, and 1 Ring-necked; all but the last were in Mallard Marsh.

Other waterbirds - Small #s of Pied-billed (5) and Coots (4) at Pick Ponds, mostly around Wood Duck & Mallard Marshes.

Geese - oddly, no Canadas at Pick Ponds.  They were all in small ponds near Blacklick & Alum Creeks, including 70+ in 3-Creeks at the Borrow Pits area.

Pileated Woodpecker - 1 was in the woods at the Confluence area

Brown Creeper - continued strong numbers with 1-3 birds at every stop, even at Pickerington Ponds!

Kinglets - no Ruby-crowns, but continued good numbers of Golden-crowns, topped by 5 at the Confluence area of 3-Creeks.

E.Towhee - birds at both the Confluence area at 3-Creeks and at Ellis Pond of Pick Ponds.

Tree Sparrows - small #s at several areas at 3-Creeks (Confluence) and Pick Ponds (Meadowlark Trail)

Fox Sparrow - 1 was calling from the powerline right-of-way at the east side of the Confluence area

White-crowned Sparrows - increasingly rare near Columbus, 2 were hanging around the Wood Duck picnic area feeder.

Grackles - only 2, both flying over the Confluence area of 3-Creeks.

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