Just spent a couple of days on Kelley's on a pre-count survey. Had 59 species. Highlights were: 1 Pied-billed Grebe 4 Horned Grebe 4 Double-crested Cormorant 6+ Tundra Swan 40+ Gadwall 40+ American Black Duck 200+ Mallard 1 Lesser Scaup 4 Black Scoter 1000+ Bufflehead 500+ Common Goldeneye 3 Hooded Merganser 4 Bald Eagle 1 Merlin (bird appears to be on winter territory as it has been there since early October - north quarry) 1 Ring-necked Pheasant 1 Northern Saw-whet Owl - calling bird 12/11 12+ Eastern Bluebird 50+ Hermit Thrushes - several were singing at dawn today !!! It's December, what are they thinking!!! 20,000+ European Starling on Sunday, today less than 2000. It is interesting to note that they seem to raid the islands in late fall-early winter. You can watch them fly back to the mainland in the evenings. I have to wonder what effect they have on wintering birds on the island as they are devouring dogwood berries, sumac, poison ivy berries, and even cedar berries. They denude the island of much of the food that yellow-rumps, hermit thrushes, waxwings, and robins depend on in winter. Master's thesis anyone??? 3 American Pipit 12+ Yellow-rumped Warbler Tom Bartlett Tiffin, Ohio [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ 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]