Big Island SWA was hopping with bird life but this is normal for this wonderful natural area. The wetlands along Larue-Prospect Road are very active with many species of wetland birds. Some of the highlights include: Short-eared Owl (one flying over marsh near the headquarters building) and still a few northern harriers as well. Many species of waterfowl (all of the dabbling ducks are still being found in good numbers, particularly green-winged teal, blue-winged teal, American wigeon and northern pintail plus ring-necked ducks, hooded mergansers, wood ducks and a few redheads. Unbelievable diversity for this late in April) A good variety of shorebirds (killdeer, lesser yellowlegs, greater yellowlegs, and Wilson's snipes in good numbers throughout the marsh plus spotted, pectoral and least sandpipers mixing in as well. Unfortunately, American golden-plovers were strangely absent. Big Island seems to have some of the best shorebird habitat in this region for April although some of the best sites can be hard to observe.) Also a large flyover of Lapland longspurs (calling all the way with their characteristic rattle), many American pipits and horned larks in the farm fields along the wildlife area, and a great view of ring-necked pheasants feeding in the corn fields. A large group of great egrets also are mixing with the many great blue herons in the marsh. Finally, the bald eagle nest has several young and they are easy to observe from the parking areas along Larue-Prospect Road. ______________________________________________________________________ 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]