Even in the sheltered areas of the preserve (north-east of Circleville on Hagerty Rd.), birdlife was limited almost completely to species that either cling to tree bark or feed on or near the ground. In about an hour, I found: Canada Goose - 12 Mallard - 3 Red-tailed Hawk - 4 Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2 Downy Woodpecker - 1 Northern Flicker - 1 Blue Jay - heard Carolina Chickadee - 2 Tufted Titmouse - 1 White-breasted Nuthatch - 1 Brown Creeper - 2 Am. Tree Sparrow - 8 Dark-eyed Junco - 6 N. Cardinal - 16 White-tailed Deer were also escaping the wind en masse and seeking a mid-day bedding area amongst the surrounding farm fields. I saw 20-25 in all. I also had 3 Red-winged Blackbirds at my feeders today. They have been largely absent all winter here. Maybe a sign of coming spring? Eric Reiner Ashville, OH ______________________________________________________________________ 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]