A lot of birds already mentioned do spend the winter in Ohio, at least in my neck of the woods. Turkey Vultures, robins, meadowlarks, phoebes, even killdeer have all been found in sw Ohio this winter. Great Horned Owls are on their nests by December or January. I had Mallards mating at Winton Woods earlier this month, and Red-tailed Hawks are pairing up.


Our part of the state has also seen its first woodcocks already, and then we get a brief snowstorm (< 1"). 


When I think of spring, I think of birds that are arriving just as buds are showing up on the trees and wildflowers are starting to bloom. When spring peepers are peeping. When these things begin to happen, I begin yearning for birds such as Louisiana Waterthrushes, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and Yellow-throated Warblers. These, to me, are the true harbingers. Yet I feel that spring is in full swing when the Chimney Swifts return.

By the way, on a non-avian note, I saw lots of Winter Cress in bloom at Spring Grove Cemetery yesterday, adjacent to the woodland area near section 117. Also Striped Skunks have come out of hibernation as evidenced by a roadkill that I have seen and smelled already in Boone Co., KY (just across the Ohio river from Hamilton Co.).


Good Birding to all,

David

 
David A. Brinkman
Master of Education, Xavier University
Cincinnati, OH


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