I hit several spots along Alum Creek in Columbus today, to search for unusual wintering birds and compare numbers with the CBC of several weeks ago.  I stopped at Mock & Innis Parks, as well as Tanager Woods.  The weather was great, but the berry crop is getting thin, so Robins and waxwings are on the wane.  Starlings, on the other hand, just seem to have switched to Bradford pears in the surrounding neighborhoods.  Other avian highlights included:

Bald Eagle - 1 adult flying south over Tanager Woods.  Is the Westerville Alum Creek nest active?  This is the second time in 3 recent Alum Creek trips that I've seen adults.  If the WV nest isn't active, I suspect they may be setting up shop somewhere else along the creek greenway, and you might keep an eye out for them.

Red-shouldered Hawk - an adult was calling from Strawberry Fields park, keeping this territory active for yet another year.  They were missing on the CBC, but did appear during count week.

Belted Kingfisher - 4 in perhaps an hour of creekside walking.  After low numbers on the CBC, they seem to have finally arrived.

Flickers - unusually common, with 2,4,and 5 at different stops.  The freezing ground may have concentrated them in certain areas.

Hermit Thrush - 1 was calling along the bikepath at Tanager Woods.  They may become more noticeable now that the big Robin flocks are thinning out.

Swamp Sparrow - 2 along the Tanager Woods bikepath continue the trend of these little sparrows moving into suburban areas.  We've had them become strong regulars on the CBC after several decades of low numbers and hit-or-miss.

Purple Finch - 1 was singing in the Malicote nursery adjacent to Innis Park.  This is a fairly reliable spot for them some winters, since there are lots of young fruit trees here.

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