In spite of the rather dismal forecast, Joan Frederick and I headed out to Blendon Woods this morning….and had a fantastic 3 hours of birding! We checked out the feeders near the Nature Center, walked out to Thoreau Lake and the observation blinds, and tramped around Overlook Trail. Here’s what we saw: Tufted titmouse (everywhere!!) House sparrow Downy woodpecker Red-bellied woodpecker Carolina chickadee (also everywhere!) Dark-eyed junco (a few) Northern cardinal (so brilliantly red -- they were a delight everywhere we looked!) Song sparrow American goldfinch Field sparrow Mourning dove White-breasted nuthatch Hairy woodpecker Blue jay Great blue heron American robin (small flocks in the mowed areas) Canada goose Brown creeper (about 6 throughout the morning) PALM WARBLER – This was the highlight of our trip! Very easily identified and very cooperative, giving us about 10 minutes of gawking time! It was hopping around the base of trees at the edge, where meadow meets tree line, off to the right of the path leading to Thoreau Lake. We probably got within 20-30 feet of it. Very exciting sign of spring! Eastern bluebird Mallard Red-winged blackbird Wood duck Cooper’s hawk Red-tailed hawk -- We were fortunate enough to witness the “changing of the guard” at the RT hawk nest on Overlook Trail near the memorial bench. We spotted the nest, then spotted one of the adults, preening in a nearby tree before swooping over to the nest. The adult that was already in the nest appreciated the break from nest duty and swooped off through the trees while its mate immediately settled down into the nest for a sit. Very fortunate timing for us and a lovely family moment for us to witness! Tree swallow Greater scaup American crow Pileated woodpecker – This noisy guy was feeling his oats today, drumming and laughing and putting on quite a show. His shock of red was fantastic to see on this gray and drizzly morn and he posed for us quite cooperatively in several trees along the paths. Yellow-bellied sapsucker Black & white warbler Sharp-shinned hawk Turkey – Down in the ravine near the stream on Overlook Trail, we spotted 3 or 4 hens strutting around and clucking. Turkey vulture Rock pigeon Then the rain picked up ferocity, so we headed over to Highbanks Metro Park (Rt. 23 north of 270), hoping it would lighten up and we could maybe sneak a peak at the resident owls. But the rain continued its intensity, so we birded the feeders at the Nature Center instead! There we enjoyed large numbers of cardinals and woodpeckers (hairy, downy, red-bellied), nuthatches and sparrows (house, white-throated, chipping, American tree, white-crowned, and field). The goldfinches were showing off their bright yellow plumage in large numbers and the mourning doves were crowding the feeders. Then the real star took center stage as a very soggy-looking pileated zoomed in and fed at the suet feeder. What a magnificent bird and how small the other woodpeckers suddenly seemed! Not a bad morning for a rainy day! We felt so grateful for the wonderful park system in our own Columbus! Gerry Brevoort Columbus --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.859 / Virus Database: 585 - Release Date: 2/14/2005 ______________________________________________________________________ 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]