With the cold, windy conditions of the past few days, I focused on birding the Olentangy ravines, mostly windless, comfortable refuges.  Yesterday I visited the wild ravines of Shale Hollow and Highbanks, while today's menu was more urban - the ravines of Beechwold and Worthington (Rush Creek).  There were plenty of early temperate migrants - probably stranded there by the cold front - but little in the way of late temperate or neotropical migrants.  The list included:

Red-shouldered Hawk - not really a migrant, but 1 was in Rush Creek Ravine, where they've nested before
BaldEagle - at least 1 juvenile was soaring down the Olentangy at Beechwold
Sapsucker - the only 1 was one calling at Highbanks, so their big push hasn't arrived yet
Red-headed Woodpecker - 1 continues to hang out in the gypsy-moth killed area at Highbanks
E.Phoebe - singles in many locations
BrownCreepers - 1-2 present at every site, more then were here in winter
WinterWren - 1 was singing from a ravine along the Dripping Rock Trail at Highbanks
Golden-crownKinglets - they were the most abundant early migrant here - Shale Hollow had 10+
Ruby-crownKinglet - 1 was foraging in Rush Creek Ravine in Worthington
HermitThrush - 1 was calling in a side ravine of Rush Creek in Worthington
E.Bluebirds - fairly common, with 1-2 at every site, even in the urban ravines
Warblers - only Yellow-rumps, and they were scarce, with singles only at Highbanks and Rush Creek
FieldSparrows - widespread, at most meadows abutting the ravines; Highbanks had 7+,Shale Hollow,4
FoxSparrow - 1 was still hanging around the Nature Center feeders at Highbanks

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