Hi all,



Just back from another fabulous Amish Bird Symposium - the 4th one to date.
They had about 300 attendees this year, and the organizers do an excellent
job. The slate of speakers was phenomenal. This is held down in Adams
County, which is about as far south as one can go in Ohio. Lots of the early
migrants around, including calling Eastern Phoebes, tons of territorial
Red-winged Blackbirds, loads of Common Grackles, Killdeers everywhere as
well as migrant American Robins, and Friday night - which was much warmer
than tonight - we had maybe a dozen displaying American Woodcocks.



As Eric Reiner noted, the Scioto River is really flooded, and many of the
low-lying fields from Circleville all the way down to the Ohio River are now
mini lakes. These areas will be worth watching. Today at Adams Lake near
West Union in Adams County, there were Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Gadwall,
American Black Duck, Mallard, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser
Scaup, and Hooded Merganser. I'm sure someone working the Scioto River
tomorrow would pick up these and many more, and probably in pretty good
numbers, too.



On a non-bird sign of spring note, Lucy Miller related to me that massive
numbers of Spotted Salamanders were on the move in Adams County on Thursday
evening, when it was warm and rainy. We found time to hit a good vernal pool
down there today, and there were plenty of Jefferson's Salamander egg masses
in the water, and we caught one big adult.



Jim McCormac

Columbus, Ohio




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