During migration, you can rely on schedules worked out over the decades to indicate when certain species are likely to be seen. Roughly, anyway. There are a couple of resources on the Publications/Checklists pages of http://www.ohiobirds.org/ of this kind: the Annotated Checklist shows typical dates of arrival/departure across the calendar year; the Weekly Checklist is a unique feature (based on the Annotated Checklist) that shows chances of seeing all species probably present in any given week--nifty to take along into the field. Of course, these represent only averages. Temporary factors like weather systems can alter arrival dates and especially numbers, and recent climatic changes are gradually exerting effects. You can learn to read weather radar imaging to assess mass bird movements; in my opinion this is far from predictive of what you will see in the field, but it can help. The best information is reports from people who've been out in the field, of course. This time of year there are several spots outside Ohio that have reliably provided excellent premonitions of the Ohio migration of, for example, waterbirds. Here are some: (1) Check the Indiana list for reports from Miller Beach. A map will show you how little Great Lakes shoreline Indiana possesses. However, this narrow southern end of Lake Michigan concentrates southbound birds, and bird observers in a big way, and checking reports from this spot gives an excellent snap-shot of lake movements. Jeff McCoy's reports from yesterday there included all three scoter species and a jaeger--surely a hint of what was to come here today. (2) Check the PA list for reports from Presque Isle. This spot is a few miles from Ohio's eastern corner, where movements along the Lake Erie shore have been well monitored and reported by folks like Jerry McWilliams (his report the day before yesterday featured two scoter spp and a jaeger). (3) Look into the SE Michigan list (two jaegers reported yesterday in southern Lake Huron along with four long-tailed ducks), or the Ontario list (brant, all three scoters), for other nearby areas of Lake Erie. Lake Erie sightings from nearby states and Ontario will compose a snapshot of movements, especially of young inexperienced birds headed south to wintering areas in the oceans. Jaegers, for example, seem to prefer to follow large bodies of water in fall migration, but when they're headed toward the ocean from Miller Beach, some set off overland, where they can be seen by sharp observers over inland reservoirs along the way; others end up in Lake Erie headed east. Scoters showed up in southern Ohio for the first time this year this morning. I bet some jaegers were missed along the Lake Erie shore, or perhaps inland, too. Bill Whan Columbus ______________________________________________________________________ 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]