I stopped by Pickerington Ponds MetroPark (SE of Columbus), as well as nearby areas along the Blacklick Creek Bikepath, to look for early migrants - shorebirds and passerines - that may have started to move.  The bikepath, which I rode from Portman Park to Chatterton, was very birdy, although mostly with residents rather than migrants.  I stopped at nearly all of the large wetlands in the vicinity, even the hard-to-reach Pintail Marsh.  Water levels are still depressingly high in most of the wetlands here, although promising amounts of mud are emerging at Wood Duck marsh and the Chatterton Wetlands.  Highlights included:

Herons - 20 Great Blues, 6 Great egrets and 3 Green Herons all around Teal Pond at PickPonds

Waterfowl - nothing but lots of Canada Geese and eclipse Mallards

Raptors - Young Cooper's were following adults at Portman and Chatterton, and Red-tails at everywhere. A single Osprey was still haunting Arrowhead marsh, but the nesting platform appeared empty. Best was an early MERLIN cruising by Pintail Marsh.  He was doing what I was -- scoping out the area for shorebirds --, although I think he had a different agenda in mind.

Shorebirds - slim pickings, with Chatterton the best (2 L.Yellowlegs, 4 Kildeer, 6 Least Spr).  At Pick Ponds, only Wood Duck marsh had much exposed mud, and it had 6-8 Kildeer and a Solitary Spr.  Both of these spots probably bear watching over the next few weeks.

Screech Owl - 1 was in the fork of a sycamore, being harassed by chickadees & titmice, in Portman Park.  This is one of several recent records here that suggest a small breeding population of them in and around this park.

Flycatchers - Pewees were calling in many locations along the bikepath, and Acadians were still calling around the deeper forest of Chatterton.  Small groups of E.Kingbirds were at several locations.

Vireos - White-eyes, Warbling, and red-eyed were at several spots along the bikepath, mostly around either Portman or Chatterton areas

Swallows - Pick Ponds had fair #s of 5 species, including Bank Swallows and a few Purple Martins

Thrushes - little unusual save for some juvenile Bluebirds along the bikepath

Warblers - nothing other than singing Common Yellowthroats and a few migrating Yellow Warblers

Buntings,Grosbeaks - Indigo Buntings everywhere, singing, molting, shepherding young.  A female Rose-br.Grosbeak was warming herself in the early-morning sun at Chatterton, one of the few locations near Columbus that has likely breeders of this species.

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