I spent about 2 hours this morning looking around this MetroPark SE of Columbus, hunting for shorebirds, early waterfowl, and landbird migrants.  Only Ellis Pond and Teal Pond have any significant water left; both have good strips of mud.  The weather was blustery, with alternating periods of overcast and partial clouds, and the birds were diverse if not spectacular.  highlights included:

Herons: 10 Great Blues and 8 Great Egrets, along with 2 Green Herons

Waterfowl:  Low numbers but good diversity, with Mallard, Black, Shoveler, Green-winged, and Blue-winged teal, along with Pied-billed Grebes and a few Coot.

Raptors:  a striking 5 Cooper's Hawks were chasing each other through the treeline at Teal Pond, while a Kestrel pair sat along the road here.

Shorebirds:  small flocks at both Ellis and Teal Ponds included:
Semipalmated Plover(6), American Golden Plover (1 at Teal POnd), Kildeer (25), Greater Yellowlegs (2), Lesser yellowlegs (24), Solitary Spr (3), Pectoral Spr (6), Least Spr (8), Semipalmated Spr (20)

Swallows, Swifts: a few chimney swifts, Rough-winged Swallows, and Barn Swallows were at Ellis Pond

Flycatchers - very few, with a Pewee at Portmans and a Phoebe at Teal Pond

Vireos - 2 Warbling were still singing at Portman Park

Thrushes - a few Swainson's were hiding in the shrubbery at Portman Park

Warblers - only a few were stranded at Portman Park, including Magnolia, Blackburnian, Blackpoll, and Tennessee

BOBOLINKS - 10-12 were calling and flying around the fields around Teal Pond

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