I spent part of New Year's morning dodging rain squalls at Alum Creek Lake Park, looking for late landbirds and stray waterbirds.  Hunting (which is allowed in the park) suppressed waterfowl numbers, and what the hunters didn't scare away, the wind scoured away.  Only gulls were abundant this morning.  Notables included:

Lesser Scaup - 3 were bobbing in the waves just north of the dam, the only place lacking hunters
Common Goldeneye - 9 were just north of the dam
Grebes - a few Horned were tucked into shletered coves, while 1 Pied-billed was at Hollenback marina's cove
Gulls - 500+ Ring-bills were scattered around the many sandbars in the southern reservoir; only 15 Bonaparte's and 10 Herring were mixed in with them.  The biggest flock was about 330 birds near the beach area.
Raptors - in a familiar pattern, I had 3 Cooper's in different spots along the outerbelt (I-270) in Columbus, but none around ACL
Woodpeckers - good #s of Downies and Flickers, plus a few Hairies, but nothing rarer.
Mockingbird - 1 was still hanging around the fields of the ACL Visitor's Center
Yellow-rumped Warbler - warm weather has allowed good numbers to infest the forests here.  I had small flocks both at the east dam area and along Plumb Road access, but nothing was mixed in with them.
Sparrows - Tree Sparrows were widespread, found at every stop I made; White-throated were a weak second.  No big #s anywhere.
Finches - no winter finches other than the expected Goldfinches, and they were scarce.

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