I started the New Year birding in southwestern Ohio, because last year this strategy was very successful in obtaining a good list of waterfowl and other half hardy species early in January. I started where I live in Madeira. An early morning errand produced 20 European Starlings (1), and then while eating breakfast on my front porch, an American Crow (2), a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (3) two Northern Cardinals (4), a Red-bellied Woodpecker (5), three House Sparrows (6), and two Mourning Doves (7). On my way to Camp Dennison/Grand Valley, I added six American Robins (8), three Rock Pigeons (9). I looked for the Greater White-fronted Goose at Miami Meadows Park along Route 131 without any luck, but instead found 50 Canada Geese (10) and ten Mallards (11). I checked out the area behind the cinema on Rivers Edge Drive in Milford, where I found a Ring-billed Gull (12), a female Hooded Merganser (13), two Buffleheads (14). Then, I headed to Camp Dennison and started scanning from the small park at the southern end, where I added 30 American Coot (15), ten Pied-billed Grebes (16), twenty Ruddy Ducks (17), three Lesser Scaup (18), a Blue Jay (19). Then I worked my way north along Route 126 stopping at the dirt pull offs without no parking signs and the AIM parking lot, and added fifteen American Wigeon (20), 55 Ring-necked Duck (21), ten more Hooded Mergansers, twelve Canvasbacks (22), a female or non-breading plumage Red-breasted Merganser (23) a Northern Mockingbird (24) and an Eastern Phoebe (25). The Red-breasted Merganser was in the north pond visible from the AIM parking lot. The Eastern Phoebe was in the bushes along the AIM building being chased by a competitive Northern Mockingbird. Then I headed east from Milford on Route 50 to Stonelick-Williams Corner Road in search of vultures, which I didn't find. Instead I found a Tree Sparrow (26) and a flock of 15 Cedar Waxwings (27). Then, I headed toward East Fork State Park (EFSP) via Route 32 east from I-275. In the vicinity of the Owensville-Batavia exit and Batavia, I found ten Black Vultures (28), a total of 50 Turkey Vultures (29), a Red-tailed Hawk (30), and on some sides streets in Batavia while searching for the vulture roost, I found two Dark-eyed Juncos (31), a White-throated Sparrow (32), and a Carolina Chickadee (33). Along Route 222 toward Route 125, I found one Wild Turkey (34), which in past January's I have had work hard to find. I stopped by the dam raceway and visitor center to check the feeder and the road out on the saddle dam. In these areas, I added a Downy Woodpecker (35), one Hairy Woodpecker (36), one Northern Flicker (37), three American Goldfinches (38) and two White-breasted Nuthatches (39) and three Tufted Titmice (40) as well as a large flock of 100 American Robins and 30 Cedar Waxwings and about five more White-throated Sparrows. At the far end of the saddle dam, I found one Common Loon (41), a very good bird for January and this area. I continued to Route 125 and entered EFSP at Bantam. I stopped at the prairie off the road to the beach and walked the trail around to the left. Near and beyond the boardwalk, I found five Song Sparrows (42) and 6 Field Sparrows (43). I stopped at the south beach, and found a small flock of diving ducks, which I identified through my telescope as scaup with 4 Greater Scaup (44) and a few Lesser Scaup. There was a flock of about 50 Ring-billed Gulls but nothing else on the beach. As I was leaving EFSP at the Bantam exit, a Sharp-shinned Hawk (45) flew over the road near the visitor center. I returned to route 32 and went east the first rest area seeking Red-headed Woodpecker. A beautiful male Red-header Woodpecker (46) was sitting on top of a dead sang above a hole. This tree is located to the right of the rest area building inside the black-topped path and about 20-30 feet out from the woods. Then I returned west on Route 32 and stopped at the North Beach of EFSP, where I found a Great Blue Heron (47) just before dark. It was a good start for my January '08 Century Run for Ohio. Jay Jay G. Lehman Cincinnati, OH [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. 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]