I visited several areas along Alum Creek near Columbus, starting at Innis Park in Columbus, then moving north to Heritage Park in Westerville, and finished at the Beach area and New Galena at the south end of Alum Creek lake.  There was a good variety of very early migrants, though waterfowl were scarce.  Notables included:

Bufflehead - a quartet were above the dam at Alum Creek Lake
Red-br.Merganser - singles were off the dam and at New Galena at Alum Creek Lake
Grebes - 2 Pied-bills were off the beach at Alum Creek Lake, while 2 Horned were off New Galena
Sapsucker - a juvenile was tapping budding cottonwoods at New Galena
E.Phoebe - singles were at every site exccept Innis Park, which had 2
Tree Swallows - a flock of 25+ were foraging over the reservoir off New Galena
Kinglets - singing Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned were at New Galena
Hermit Thrush - 1 was lurking in a wintercreeper tangle at Innis Park
Yellow-rumped Warbler - widespread, with several singing
E.Towhee - 2-3 at every stop; Innis Park had 4
Field Sparrow - at least 1 was singing in the scrubby field near the Alum Creek Lake Visitors Center
Fox Sparrow - 1 was singing at New Galena
Blackbirds - all 3 common types were indeed common

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