I birded several areas along Blacklick Creek, from Reynoldsburg Civic Park south through BlacklickWoods and Portman Park, then made a side trip over to Pickerington Ponds.  The bitter cold temperatures seem to have pushed out most of the late migrants, and birding took on a very wintry flavor.  Berry crops in most of these area were very spotty, so the large Robin, Starling, and sparrow flocks around earlier in the month were not much in evidence today.  Best birds were a lingering Grey Catbird in a patch of honeysuckle along the Blacklick Woods Multi-use trail east of the Nature Center parking lot, and Fox Sparrows at several locations (Blacklick Woods east, Portmann Park, & Wood Duck picnic area feeder at Pick Ponds).


The cold temperatures froze most of the standing water, so Pick Ponds were largely frozen except for small patches of open water at Teal Pond and Ellis Pond.  Naturally, these attracted a good mix of dabbling ducks, with Teal being the better of the two.  The list included Mallards, Black Ducks, N.Shovelers, Green-winged Teal, Gadwalls (unusually common, with 75+), American Wigeon, and N.Pintail.  Another open patch at Ellis Pond had swans early in the morning, but I didn't get to see them.

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