First refound and photographed by Alex Champagne on 2/11 (
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12929881), the Lincoln's
Sparrow that was hanging around with a few species of warblers through the
end of 2012 has returned to the small garden plots between Jennings and
Aronoff on the OSU main campus. These were presumably window strikes that
survived the mild winter conditions we had going into the end of 2012.

Here's a rundown of how long these birds were in the area:
 * Northern Waterthrush (NOWA): last reported by Irina Shulgina on
11/30/2012
    http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12192996

* Common Yellowthroat (COYE): 1 of the 3+ was last reported on the Columbus
CBC (12/16)
   http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12301348

* Ovenbird, and Lincoln's Sparrow (OVEN, LISP): also last reported 12/16 on
the Columbus CBC, seen by multiple observers.
  http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12305548

The holiday break (no birders) and coincident heavy snow and wintery
weather (which pushed the birds out of the area by flattening the limited
cover here) are how I would explain the lack of reports after the CBC. It's
unknown whether the COYE and OVEN have survived, but if they have, odds are
good that they're somewhere nearby in thick cover (Mirror Lake area? Other
suitable areas on campus?).  This LISP was either REALLY well hidden or
absent from this area during late January when I was looking for it. If it
found a nearby refuge, odds are decent that some of these other birds have
as well.

Good birding,
Paul Hurtado
Columbus, OH

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