Friday, March 16: Drove east on Rt. 6 and watched 3 adult and 1 immature Bald eagles sailing several hundred feet above the road. Turned onto CR 265 off Rt. 6 to private marsh. Counted 16 Northern Shoveler, 4 Gadwall, 3 Canada Geese, 2 Hooded Merganzer, and 10 Mallards. Red-tail hawks flew over while Kildeer were singing in fields. Many Turkey Vultures seen all day long. A friend of mine, Tom Dye, reported Wolf Creek Bald eagle nest active, with each bird taking turns sitting on eggs. Saw two more Bald eagles at nest SW of Fremont. Drove on to Pickerel Creek WL area. Took TR254 off Rt. 6 to west boundary of PCWL area and drove to dead end by private entrance to Ottawa Hunt Club. A Great-Blue heron flew up; another GB heron stood atop a muskrat house. Counted 22 Mallards, 2 Canada geese were sitting atop a muskrat house while 18 more fed in the shallows, another RT hawk flew over, 1 adult Bald eagle flew over, coming from Lake Erie direction, 4 Ring-billed gulls, 1 Song sparrow sang excitedly, then 2 immature Bald eagles flew past. Saturday, March17: Took wife to Ottawa National WL Refuge Auto tour. We drove 7 miles into the remote area of the refuge. saw: over 100 Tundra swans, but swans in distance couldn't Id..Trumpeter? Saw many Northern Shovelers, Mallards, 7 Bald eagles with 4 doing the courting display in the air, 3 RT Hawks, 8 Buffle Heads, several dozen Ring-necked ducks, Black ducks, Common mergansers, Lesser and Greater Scaup, dozens of American Coot, Hooded merganser, 5 Ruddy ducks, Gadwalls, Northern Pintail, and Red-breasted Mergansers. It was an enjoyable experience...didn't know the Ottawa marshes were so extensive. I realized that If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes. Charles Lindbergh (1902 - 1974), Interview shortly before his death, 1974 ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. 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]