On Saturday, a flock of 200+ cave swallows was reported from the S. Carolina coast near Charleston. Records like this preceded the species' invasion into the Great Lakes, during which they were seen in Ohio 5-16 Nov. Last year the first were not seen in S. Carolina till 29 Oct, with small numbers reported through the winter. These birds apparently have all been of the SW race P.f. pelodoma, not the Caribbean race. Might be worth keeping an eye out for them along the lakefront over the next several weeks. Cliff swallows are long gone, so anything that reminds you of one should be studied carefully. For readers who may have missed it, Ron Pittaway's informative yearly summary of projections for winter finches can be read at http:[log in to unmask] ; this useful web site also links to forecasts of past years. Bill Whan Columbus ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]