I spent the cold morning checking through parks along these 2 streams in east Columbus & Gahanna.  Despite the low temperatures and the meager wild food crop, I found lots of birds out and territorial.  Today I stopped at Innis Park & Tanager Woods along Alum, and Cherrybottom & Woodside Green along Big Walnut.  I also visited Big Walnut Park yesterday, and had similar lists.  Notables included:

Barred Owl - one was calling in Woodside Green, a fairly reliable location for them

Pileated Woodpeckers - pairs at Big Walnut and Innis, and a single at Cherrybottom.  These big woodpeckers seem to be prospecting for nesting territories now.

Hairy Woodpeckers - 1-2 at every park. They're having a great winter in this area, possibly following the crest of the Emerald Ash Borer infestation as it moves through Columbus.

Sapsucker - 1 juvenile at Cherrybottom Park.  None of these parks have lots of conifers that they like in the winter.

Carolina Chickadees - unusually large numbers, with 12-14 in each park.  Many were singing and fighting, so the cold doesn't seem to have much effect on them here.

Brown Creepers - 1-2 at every park, continuing the strong winter that they're having.  This will be a good Spring to look for extralimital nesters.

Carolina Wrens - 3-4 at each park, they don't seem stressed by the cold yet.

Winter Wren - very scarce, with only 1 at Big Walnut.

Kinglets - only a few Golden-crowns at Innis.  None of the other sites had them.

E.Bluebirds - 3 were at Big Walnut, 4 at Innis, and 2 at Woodside Green.  They seem to be trying to wait out the cold around feeders and wintercreeper & poison ivy berry patches.

Robins - very few; I only had 1-2 at Innis and Cherrybottom

Sparrows - not much.  A few Songs and White-throats, along with small flocks of Juncos near houses with feeders

Finches - no stray siskins, but quite a few Goldfinches at nearly all of the parks, especially near houses with feeders.

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