Greetings---spring is still way behind schedule in NE Ohio.  Considering that tomorrow is April, there are relatively few turkey vultures, killdeers, great blue herons, etc. about.  In a good day's searching in Mahoning, Trumbull, and Ashtabula Counties today I saw a grand total of 1 swallow (a tree), no blue-winged teal, 1 e. meadowlark.  Waterfowl are still present in good variety though.  A couple tundra swans were near Shenango.  A gathering of 300 horned larks was also spotted in northern Trumbull Co.  Orwell Marsh in Ashtabula Co. had 43 n. pintails, wigeon, green-winged teal, hooded mergs, and 2 greater yellowlegs.  At Pymatuning Res. (Ohio portion) were a few d-c cormorants and a bald eagle.  On to Ashtabula, the first stop at the big retention pond on the east flank of the Mall near Rte. 11/Rte. 20 intersection.  JP found this often-productive  spot several years ago, it's always worth a look.  It's right next to the Sears parking lots.  Here was a real nice and
 close imm. male black scoter, always tough to find in the spring.  Also a nice mix of ducks and grebes.  The Ashtabula lakefront had hundreds of red-breasted mergs and a couple great black-backed gulls.  Last stop at Conneaut Harbor, small numbers of greater scaup and Bonaparte's gulls were the only new finds for the day.  I thought I would find raptors moving this afternoon, but no luck.  Later, Craig

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