Cleveland birder in Columbus for Fri and Satmorning birding!today i took some Cbus birders' advice and checkedout the north end of Hoover as well.@ Dustin Rd i sawnothing out of the ordinary except some domestic geese @ Weise Rd up to the bridge i saw3 Bald Eagles - (1 mature) perched in 1 tree having quite a conversation (cool)2 Yellow-rumped Warblers
6+ E Phoebes5+ Tree Swallowsand a lot of the usual suspects then to Blendon Woods @/on way to Waterfowl Areainteresting birds included10+ Wood Ducks5+ Turkeys2 Coots2 N Shovelers10+ tree Swallows walk on Sugarbush Trail (very muddy) interesting included1 female Yellow-rumped Warbler10+ Field Sparrows6+ E Towhees3+ Phoebes1 Brown Creeper(naturalist told me of 4 Black-throated Blues spottedand photoed yesterday!!!!) i must admit that although i have been to Cbus over 100times in my life and have been a birder for 20+, i have never reallystopped and paid attention to the differences between "my" Black-capped Chickadees and "their" Carolina Chickadees - thank god for a little singing differences - enjoyed trying to findcontrasts i enjoyed my 614 birding!!timberdoodling tomorrow @ Holden?? buster    
> I spent the morning (and a bit of the afternoon) birding around first the northern portions of Hoover Reservoir, then Blendon Woods MetroPark in NE Columbus.  The weather was almost Summer-like, but the birding was definitely still very early Spring.  Waterfowl were thin at Hoover, a situation that wasn't helped by allowing Crew teams to practice in the formerly restricted north end of the reservoir.  Thoreau Pond at Blendon had more waterfowl diversity than all of Hoover.  Notables included:
> 
> Dabbling Ducks - a few Black Ducks, Shovelers, and Wigeon remain at Thoreau Lake along with a Wood Duck Pair.  3 pair of Wood Ducks were nest prospecting at Area I on Hoover's NW shore.
> 
> Diving Ducks - a small flock of 12 Ring-necks and a Bufflehead were at Thoreau lake, while 30 Ruddy Ducks remained off Oxbow Island.  Only a few Red-br.Mergansers were at Hoover.
> 
> Other waterfowl - about 30 cormorants were lounging around the north end of Hoover, one of the few birds nonplussed by the crew sculls.  Single Pied-billed & Horned Grebes were off Oxbow ISland, while another 2 Horned were off Area I at Hoover.
> 
> Raptors - Cooper's hawks were at several areas, including a displaying bird along Sunbury Rd at Medallion.  Small #s of Turkey Vultures were at most stops, but 30 were roosting around Twin Bridges at Hoover.
> 
> Gulls - not much, with 30+ Ring-bills and 2 Herring around Oxbow Island, and few elsewhere
> 
> Phoebe - calling birds were at Oxbow Island and Mudhen Marsh at Hoover, while 2 were at Thoreau Pond
> 
> Tree Swallows - small #s were at most stops, especially along the shore of Hoover
> 
> Brown Thrasher - an early bird was singing at Oxbow Island
> 
> Kinglets - Golden-crowns at several locations, topped by 5 at Oxbow Island
> 
> Warblers - Yellow-rumps at several locations, but no Pine Warblers at any spot
> 
> E.Towhees - 2 were calling at Hoover Meadows, while 3 were along the Sugarbush Trail in Blendon Woods
> 
> Field Sparrows - 2 were singing at Hoover Meadows
> 
> Blackbirds - Redwings at most stops, though no big flocks; no Rusties, even at Hoover Meadows
> 
                                          
______________________________________________________________________

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]