After two successful days in southwest Ohio, I decided to continue looking for birds most easily seen here in the south rather than heading north. After sleeping in, I started the morning rather late at Armleder Park, which is not too far from my house. First I found six Savannah Sparrows (65) along the path that heads diagonally east from the Trail Head. Then I found a Swamp Sparrow (66) very close to the Trail Head on the trail that heads toward the river in the area to the east before the trail bends to parallel the river. When I returned to my van, I met Dan Kendrick and Andrea Schlagle (correct spelling?) who were looking for the Short-eared Owls. I met Andrea last year at the OOS Owl Symposium and have met Dan in Adams County during International Migration Day on a Big Day. Dan had found White-crowned Sparrows along the main trail toward the river, so I headed there and found five White-crowned Sparrows (67) and a Yellow-rumped Warbler (68). When I returned, Dan and Andrea had not found the Short-eared Owls, but while searching near where I told them I had seen the birds the previous evening, they had found a flock of birds in the field. We searched and found a flock of about six Eastern Meadowlarks (69). Then I headed to St. Joseph's Cemetery to look for the Merlin reported there by Bill Zimmerman. I searched the new cemetery unsuccessfully, but found a Merlin (70) in old St. Joseph's Cemetery on top of a tree in an open area in the back of the cemetery in Section 25 and south of St. Stephen's Road. Then I headed north on I-75 hoping to visit Spring Valley and Caesar Creek SP before dark. I stopped at Union Center Boulevard at the field next to McDonalds looking for the Horned Larks and Lapland Longspur reported there. I found a flock of about thirty Horned Larks (71) but could not find the Lapland Longspur. There was an American Kestrel, a Red-tailed Hawk and several Ring-billed Gulls at the Allen Road retention basin, which was mostly frozen. Then I continued north on I-75 to Route 73 and headed north to the Roxanna Gravel pit on Roxanna-New Burlington Road. Finding nothing new there, only Canada Geese and Mallards and about six Black Ducks, I stopped by the parking lot for the boardwalk, which is still closed due to waterfowl hunting season. When I got out of my car to watch the feeders, I briefly heard a Sandhill Crane call. On the ground below the feeders I found an immature Brown-headed Cowbird (72). In the field directly opposite the entry road to the boardwalk parking lot, I found three SANDHILL CRANES (73). I stopped at the beach and the north boat ramp at Caesar Creek SP but found only the large resident flock of Ring-billed Gulls. Then I headed to the Melvin Gravel pits in hopes for same late evening waterfowl. I arrived at about 5 pm. There was nothing new for the year, but there were Canada Geese, Ring-necked Ducks, a Pied-billed Grebe, and a large number of Mallards and Black Ducks. I stayed for about 30 minutes and watched the flocks of Canada Geese returning for the evening. One flock had a single blue phase Snow Goose (74). I left Melvin at about 5:30 pm because it was getting too dark to see birds well. I stopped at Caesar Creek SP to listen for owls. I heard nothing at the north beach, but there was too much noise from Route 73. At Furnas Boat Ramp, I heard a Barred Owl (75) calling from across the lake. I headed home at about 6:00 pm, satisfied with a three day January in Ohio birding list of 75 species. 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]