The cold weather of the last few days has pushed in good numbers of some of our irregular winter residents.  Yesterday I was scouting areas near 3-Creeks for the Columbus CBC, while today I led a Columbus Audubon trip to Scioto MetroPark and Greenlawn cemetery.  Both days had great weather, but very high water in the creeks and rivers, which limited duck potential.  Nearly every location had some interesting winter birds; the notables were:

Hooded Merganser - a flock of 50+ was playing and fishing in the bay at Scioto MP today

cormorant - 4 were sunning on a snag along the Scioto river at Scioto MP

Merlin - I didn't see it, but several folks we ran into at Greenlawn had seen one today, so it appears to be back

Sapsuckers - 1 was at Elk Run Park along Big Walnut Creek yesterday, while 2 were at Greenlawn cemetery today.

Brown Creepers - large numbers; almost every riverside woods had them both days.  We had 6-8 at each Scioto MP and Berliner today.

Kinglets - only 1 Ruby-crown (at Oxbow area of 3-creeks), but Golden-crowns were plentiful along the creeks (but strangely absent from Greenlawn cemetery).

Starlings - not normally a notable, but big roosting flocks are now forming in south Columbus.  I saw staging flocks several places around 3-Creeks, but for the full Hitchcockian experience, you need to go around Corr Rd or Marion Rd in south Columbus.

Tree Sparrows - small numbers at both 3-Creeks and Scioto MP; listen for them in weedfields at both locations.

Rusty Blackbirds - 10 were lurking in a woodlot along Alum Creek at 3-Creeks (near the park HQ) yesterday.

Grackles - small flocks in many areas along Big Walnut & Alum Creeks yesterday, but none along the Scioto today

Purple Finch - 1 was a flyby at Elk Run Park along Big Walnut Creek yesterday

Pine Siskin - 1 vocal bird was hanging around the Pit at Greenlawn cemetery today, but wait as we might, it never came down to the feeders.  Too many tree seeds in the form of hemlock, larch, and sweetgum cones are available there.

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