Held in Columbus by other things, I focused on birding some areas along these two urban creek corridors.  Along Alum Creek, I stopped by Innis Park and Tanager Woods, while along Big Walnut I visited Academy Park and the Hoover dam spillway.  Most of these areas had good helpings of early temperate migrants.  Highlights included

Wood Ducks - several pairs along both creeks, presumably prospecting for nest-sites

Red-br.Mergansers - 100+ scattered in lower Hoover Reservoir above Hoover Dam

Common Loons - 4 in lower Hoover Reservoir

Woodpeckers - lots of drumming Downies & Red-bellies, plus the occasional Flicker and Hairy, but no sapsuckers yet.

Phoebes - good numbers, with 2-3 at every stop.  There was hardly a moment when I wasn't within earshot of one.

Swallows - a small mixed group of Tree & Rough-winged were foraging over the Hoover dam spillway

Red-br.Nuthatch - a single bird was visiting a feeder in a yard bordering Innis Park

Brown Creeper - single birds were at Academy Park, Innis, and Tanager Woods

Wrens - 2 Winter Wrens were crawling through flood debris in Academy Park

Kinglets - good numbers of Golden-crowned, with small flocks at every stop

Sparrows - small flocks of White-throats at every stop.  A cluster of 4 Fox Sparrows were lurking in the brambles at Innis Park (a very reliable spot for them), while another was at Academy Park.  2 Towhees were singing on territories at Innis, as well.

Blackbirds - lots of redwings, grackles, & cowbirds all morning, but no Rusties.

______________________________________________________________________

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]