I spent a few hours this morning birding parks along the Scioto River in Columbus and suburbs, starting at Scioto Audubon Park downtown, then working northwest upstream to Marble Cliff and Griggs dam. Scioto Audubon had good waterbirds, but was virtually devoid of migrant landbirds. Marble Cliff & Griggs had fewer waterbirds, but were much better for migrant landbirds. Notables included
Herons & Egrets - 13 Great Egrets were in the bay along the river at Scioto Audubon, along with 3-4 Great Blue Herons. Great Blues were the only herons at Marble Cliff (4) and Griggs (3).
Cormorants - 40+ were fishing around the bay at Scioto Audubon, while another 5-10 were at Marble Cliff and Griggs. You could see small #s flying south at all 3 sites.
Other Waterfowl - aside from the expected groups of geese and mallards, the only waterfowl of note were a Pied-billed grebe and several Coots on the Dublin Rd quarries.
Raptors - Cooper's Hawks were on patrol at Marble Cliff and Griggs. Griggs also had 2 Red-tailed Hawks and 2-3 Turkey Vultures.
Chimney swifts - a flock of 40 were seen cruising over rooftops in German Village adjacent to Scioto Audubon, then going _into_ a chimney at 10 AM. I guess they had already given up on the day and were just going to wait out the bad weather.
Woodpeckers - despite the windy conditions, there were plenty of Downies and Red-bellies at all sites. Flickers were at Scioto Audubon and Griggs, while the only sapsuckers were 2 at Marble Cliff and 1 at Griggs.
Flycatchers,swallows - the only flycatcher was a Wood Pewee below Griggs dam. Swallows included a small flock of Rough-winged at Scioto Audubon and another flock of Tree Swallows over the Dublin Rd quarries
Vireos, Jays - no vireos were found, and Blue Jay #s were light, with 8 at Griggs dam the high for the morning.
Wrens, Kinglets - no House Wrens, but Carolinas were at several spots. Golden-crowned Kinglets were common at both Marble Cliff & Griggs, with over 20 between them, while the only Ruby-crowns were 4 at Griggs.
Thrushes,Mimids - no migrant thrushes other than Robins, while the only mimids were a few Catbirds found at each site.
Cedar Waxwings - only a few were at Scioto Audubon and Marble Cliff, but a flock of 60-70 was foraging in berrybushes below Griggs dam.
Warblers - flocks of Yellow-rumped dominated #s at both Marble Cliff and Griggs. Also found were Parula (1 at Griggs), Nashville (1 at Griggs), Tennessee (1 at Griggs), Magnolia (2 at Griggs, 1 at Marble Cliff), Cape May (1 at both Griggs and Marble Cliff), Black-thr.Green (2 at Marble Cliff, 3 at Griggs), Blackburnian (1 juv. at Griggs), Redstart (2 at Griggs), and Ovenbird (1 at Marble Cliff).
Sparrows - very light, with only a few Song Sparrows and Chipping at Scioto Audubon.
Blackbirds - a flock of 200+ grackles was foraging below Griggs dam, and a few redwings were also there. I didn't check Shrumn Mound Quarry, which often has a large roost of blackbirds forming around this time of year.
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