Greetings:

I spent the day tooling around a few different locations, and ended with 88
species. Highlights are as follows.

Bolton Field, 7am: I heard the Upland Sandpipers clearly calling twice but
never managed to visually locate them - there were planes and helicopters
taking off and landing, which may have kept their heads low. An American
Kestrel was hunting the edge of the airstrip as well.

Battelle-Darby Metropark, new property south of Kuhlwein road -7:30am: This
area is planted in winter wheat and has some nice puddles. Shorebirds were
scarce, but included two Lesser Yellowlegs, about half a dozen Least
Sandpipers, a Semipalmated Sandpiper, and the obligatory handful of
Killdeer. A pair of Northern Shovelers were present, suggesting a breeding
pair, and Blue-winged Teal were here as well. Somewhat unexpected, I had a
White-crowned Sparrow in the parking lot. A Great Egret flew over as I left
and made my way to Blendon Woods, where I spent about 3 hours, and had a
great variety of birds.

Blendon highlights:
Got Chesnut-sided Warbler and Northern Parula right away at start of Lake
Trail. Best variety was right around 8 am on the Lake Trail at the gas line
cut-Orange-crowned warbler, Hooded Warbler, Black-throated Green,
Black-throated Blue, Blue-winged, Black-and-White,Yellow-rumps,  female
Cerulean, Blackburnian, Nashville; also Indigo Bunting, Scarlet Tanager,
and Warbling, Red-eyed, and Blue-headed Vireos. A Palm Warbler, Yellow
Warbler, and an Eastern Phoebe was at the east blind, and on the way back
through the Lake Trail, I added Bay-breasted Warbler, Rose-breasted
Grosbeaks, and Baltimore Orioles. A short jog partway down the pet trail
yielded a small empidonax sp. (gut feeling was Least, but it was silent and
temporary), a female Magnolia Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Warbler,
Black-throated Green, and Yellow-rumps. A cruise around the Overlook trail
was good for Swainson's Thrush, Wood Thrush, Yellow-throated Vireo, several
Red-eyed Vireos, a couple of Blackburnian Warblers, and a Barred Owl.
Notably lacking were the thrushes here; the single Swainson's was the only
migrant thrush I had.

I made a brief stop at Pickerington Ponds -while there is seemingly good
shorebird habitat right in front of the blinds, only a Killdeer was
occupying it. The feeder hosting the Harris's Sparrow has been taken down
and presumably the bird has found its way to where it needs to be.

Finally, I drove by the Yellow-crowned Night-heron nests on Preston Road in
Bexley, and observed a pair tending the large nest.

If you didn't get out today, I highly recommend getting out to a good
migrant spot first thing in the morning tomorrow!

Good birding,
Andy Sewell
Columbus

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