3 more Pine Siskins were hanging out with flocks of Goldfinches along the east side of Shrock Lake in this Westerville MetroPark.  This is a very good trap for them even in off-years, so it's likely they'll stay, and their numbers may increase.  Look for them either in the European Alders along the lakeshore here or in the nearby prairie meadow, as the flocks seem to commute between the two adjacent areas. Make sure to listen for the siskins' raspy 'zreee' call, otherwise you'll be searching through a LOT of goldfinches.  The numbers here were over 100 this morning, and can easily double that.

Other birds of note here:

Pied-billed Grebe - 4 are on Shrock Lake now; it always attracts them during migration

Sharp-shinned Hawk - yet another was stalking the edges of the goldfinch area mentioned above

Hermit Thrush - 3 were scattered along the forest areas of the nearby Thomas trail.

Warblers - Yellow-rumps were everywhere, but I didn't find anything with them.  The edges of the fields and lake here have history of turning up late Nashvilles and Orange-crowns, just not today.

Sparrows - many were mixed into the goldfinch field as well as in the fields north of the Lake.  Song and Field were the most common, with 20+ apiece, but there were also Chipping, White-throated, White-crowned, and Swamp.  This is a very goood sparrow spot, and birders should be alert for rarities here.

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