I went birdwatching on a neighborhood trail with my 2 1/2 yr-old son this afternoon. He even has his own little pair of binoculars and is remarkably interested by the birds, squirrels, logs, mud and anything else we happen across--so it's a lot of fun to take him out. We ended up putting together a pretty darn good list for just a walk through the neighborhood woods and fields out here in Hilliard. Here are the highlights: At least 6 Rusty Blackbirds were hanging out in the flooded woods just north of the Hilliard Village clubhouse. They were very vocal, and allowed quite close approach. This species has been eluding me for the 2 1/2 years I've lived in Ohio, until today! There were 2 females and 4 males. One male I got very good looks at was almost entirely in breeding plumage: black overall with a greenish sheen and white eye, but with some remaining rusty tips on the feathers on his back. So cool. A Fox Sparrow was foraging on the ground with the Rusty Blackbirds and a bunch of robins. Field and Song Sparrows and Eastern Towhees singing, Chipping and White-throated Sparrows seen at various points. Four woodpeckers: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downies, a Red-bellied, and a Common Flicker. One fresh-plumaged Eastern Phoebe was feeding at the edge of the woods 2 pairs of Lesser Scaup, 4 pairs of Ring-necked Ducks, 1 pair of Redheads, and a pair of Pied-billed Grebes were on the pond (plus a lot of Mallards and Canada Geese) An Eastern Bluebird was feeding in the field along Steffi Rd. just north of the woods. It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon, and it was a great opportunity to spend some good time with my boy and get away from my books! Have a good one, -Nate Nye ______________________________________________________________________ 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]