Guessing not many first-hand reports from today will come in, and since
winter's almost past, I offer news from winter 2001 for a different
perspective.


--this was the year a Townsend's solitaire was easy to see at Holden
Arboretum in Lake Co, from 1/17 through 2/21, a fifth Ohio record.

--a varied thrush, present since 12/12 in Findlay, remained through 9
April for Ohio's longest stay by the species

--a Harris's sparrow stayed through Jan and Feb near Apple Creek in
Wayne Co.

--Ross's geese were seen 18-20 Feb near Buck Creek SP and 4 Feb at
Hoover Reservoir near Columbus; this was in the day when they were still
quite rare, and hybrids with snow goose less likely

--golden eagle sightings came from The Wilds in EC Ohio, among the first
few from what later became more or less routine wintering birds

--spring migrant sandhill crane reports began on 19 Feb, much as this year

--during the winter 11 long-eared owl reports emerged, from Wayne,
Franklin, Summit, Cuyahoga, Clark, Stark, and Lucas counties. 85
short-eared owls were reported from 17 counties. Thirteen snowy owls
were reported, including the marathon stay by an accommodating
individual down near Wilmington that ended a nine-week stay on 9 Feb

--an indigo bunting spent the winter at a Cincinnati Nature Ctr feeder

--a harlequin duck spent 30 Dec-6 Mar in the Maumee River, eventually
molting into alternate plumage

--many woodcocks were reported arriving in the state as early as 7 Feb

--a decent gull year at the Lake, with a flock of 10,000 herring gulls
on 1 Jan, and accumulated sightings of 40 Thayer's gulls, 32 Iceland
gulls, 92 lesser black-backed gulls, 89 glaucous gulls, and a couple of
kittiwakes

--ten northern shrikes reported, with nine (some others) on CBCs

--70,000 American crows estimated at the Cincinnati roost, and 20,000 at
that in Springfield

--birders scouting for the Hamilton CBC located 3034 Lapland longspurs
in the western part of the county

--a rose-breasted grosbeak visited a feeder in Holmes Co on 9 Dec

--20+ red crossbills were reported, mostly in the NE, but one in
Cincinnati; birds at Holden Arboretum were quite possibly of an unusual
subspecies, as they were eating ponderosa pine seeds; a specimen was
found, but later lost.

Bill Whan
Columbus

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