I spent this cold morning hitting some forest patches along Big Darby Creek in Prairie Oaks MetroPark west of Columbus.  I stopped at the US40 bridge, Sycamore Plains, Darby Bend lakes, and the North Canoe launch.  Most of these spots are somewhat sheltered by the bluffs along the creek, so they functioned as small traps for birds looking to evade the cold wind.  There was some aggregation of winter birds that seemed to be the start of migration for them.  Included among the haul were:

Waterfowl - a few pairs of Black Ducks were in the Creek at US40 and Sycamore Plains, while a Hooded Merganser pair was at the Canoe launch.  Darby Bend Lakes was fairly dull, with a few Canada geese and a flock of 35+ Coots.

Raptors - Red-tails at many locations, but I also had an out-of-place Red-Shouldered at Sycamore Plains.  These birds are rare along the Darby Creeks, so this bird may have been prospecting for a new territory or be an early migrant.

Turkey Vulture - none along Darby Creek, but one was soaring around Hilliard on my way back.  Perhaps it's waiting for the 15th, so it can safely head north :-).

Woodpeckers - a Pileated was north of the US40 bridge, while Downies and Hairies were fairly ubiquitous, being sighted at every stop.  No Red-headed at any stops, but they're rare early migrants here.

Brown Creepers - fair #s, with 1-2 at every stop.

Thrushes - no Bluebirds, but small flocks of Robins were at every stop, often foraging on open ground or grass.

Horned Larks - a few were flying north even in this cold wind.  It might not have felt too cold for these tundra birds.

Sparrows - a few Tree Sparrows remained at Darby Bend Lakes, but they had disappeared from the other spots.  Small flocks of White-throated were at Sycamore Plains and US 40 bridge; neither spot had many earlier in the winter, so they might be early migrants.

Blackbirds - no Rusties, but there were a few Redwings at most of the stops

Finches - no real movement at all, with only a few Goldfinches, mostly around Darby Bend Lakes

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.

You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]