Robert Epstein and I birded in Northwest Ohio today. It was still a wintry setting with almost complete snow cover and most areas still frozen, including Lake Erie to the horizon at places like Metzger Marsh and Crane Creek. Some of our misses were interesting. We had no Killdeer, Green-winged Teal, Snow Geese, or Rusty Blackbirds, among expected birds at this time of the year. We did not note any hawk flight. Given the forecast for progressively warmer days over the next couple of days, birding conditions should change considerably by the weekend in this area. Here are some of the birds we found today: Pied-billed Grebe--One at Ottawa NWR Double-crested Cormorant--9 at the Bayshore Power Plant on Maumee Bay Great Blue Heron--widespread already Tundra Swan--100 plus in fields along Rte 2 three miles east of Pearson Metropark. Wood Duck--one female at Metzger Marsh Gadwall--hundreds at Metzger Marsh and at Ottawa Refuge A. Wigeon--small numbers at Metzger Marsh and Ottawa Refuge Pintail--only 2 males at Metzger Marsh Canvasback--approx 200 at Metzger Marsh Redhead--2000 at Metzger Marsh (I counted 522 and estimated the rest) Ring-necked Duck--500 Metzger Marsh Peregrine--two in flight at Bayshore Power Plant Coot--300 Metzger Marsh Robin--relatively few seen Mockingbird--one at Ottawa Refuge Fox Sparrow--one at Nature Center at Maumee Bay State Park--not at the feeders Song Sparrow--numbers up today as species is obviously migrating White-throated Sparrow--one at Crane Creek boardwalk E. Meadowlark--two at Ottawa Refuge Cheers, Karl Overman Farmington Hills, Mi. ______________________________________________________________________ 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]