Hard as it is to believe, I think the first glimmers of Spring migration are upon us.  I visited several parks around the northern fringe of Dublin (a NW Columbus suburb) and found winter irruptives on the move.  The major stops were at O'Shaughnessy dam, Twin Lakes, and Glacier Ridge MetroPark.  Highlights included:

Waterfowl - still large numbers of Canada Geese, Mallards, & Black Ducks clustered below the dam, but they're getting antsy, with lots of calling and small flocks flying around.  Joining them today were 1 beautiful male Canvasback, 6 Common Goldeneye, and 1 Hooded Merganser.

Raptors - Cooper's and Red-tails at several stops were expected, but Barred Owls at two stops (Twin Lakes and Brandon Woods) were a treat.  Large Owls seem much more noticeable during the cold weather this year.

Field 'migrants' - with the thawing temperatures, some of the winter field birds are already heading out.  I had north-flying Horned Larks at almost every stop today.  I also had a north-flying Lapland Longspur over Twin Lakes, and a Snow Bunting flying north over the multipurpose trail loop in Glacier Ridge.

Finches - no Purple Finches, but a Pine Siskin was in the trees at Frink park next to the O'Shaughnessy dam.  Even more unexpected were 2 White-winged Crossbills that flew up out of a pine grove at Twin Lakes.  There are lots of spruces in the neighborhood, but no obvious hemlocks, so perhaps they were resting for a bit.

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