Hi!

Yesterday (Saturday) I birded out at the Darby Creek Greenway Trail, mostly
in the Oak Savannah area.  It was a gorgeous afternoon...I was there from
about 2pm till 4pm.  It started out really slow and quiet, hardly a single
bird, and I didn't mind too much because the sun was so beautifully lighting
up the landscape out there.  But eventually I found the birds.  Highlights
included a small flock of ~15 American Pipits that flew in pretty close to
the trail and were feeding and calling in the short grass and weeds quite
tamely.  Also, a flock of 10 Bluebirds was in calling one of the strips of
woodland, and then flew off to the south.  Best bird of the day was a female
Northern Harrier hunting low over the grasslands as I drove away around
4pm.  Here's my list:

Red-tailed Hawk -1
Am. Kestrel -1
Northern Harrier -1
E. Bluebird -10
Am. Robin -1
Am. Pipit -15
Carolina Chickadee -2
White-breasted Nuthatch -1
Downy Woodpecker -1
Blue Jay -4
Am. Crow -5
Song Sparrow -6 (one of them singing!)
Am. Tree Sparrow -14
Am. Goldfinch -3
Northern Cardinal -2

Earlier in the morning, I drove out to Darby Bend Lakes at Prairie Oaks MP
to check out any waterfowl.  Two of the lakes were birdless, but the large
southernmost lake did hold one male Canvasback, 5 Ruddy Ducks, and a female
Belted Kingfisher.

Good birding,

Nate Nye
Hilliard, OH

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