Hi all, The Merlin at Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus: http://www.ohiobirds.org/birdingsites/showsite.php?Site_ID=58 was prominent this morning around 10 am. She was sitting atop the summit of a dead spruce tree, dismantling some luckless songbird (couldn't make out the victim's identity). This spruce is next to the Powell obelisk, the giant white column near the pond and just southeast of the large chapel near the center of the cemetery. From my experience, this is a good area to search for the Merlin. I managed some so-so shots, and will post them to my blog - address in signature line below - a bit later. A quick run through of the cemetery failed to produce any crossbills. I hit some, but not all, of the largest concentrations of conifers, but with 360 acres to roam and fruit-bearing conifers scattered throughout, the x-bills may well still be present. There were several quite vociferous Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, possibly objecting loudly to the Merlin in their midst. Most surprising was a squadron of six beautifully flying Egyptian Geese that winged right overhead. Seems to be a run on this species lately; I've heard of a few other free-flyers. Someone must have left the gate to the aviary open, somewhere. Jim Jim McCormac Columbus, Ohio Like nature? Visit my blog: http://jimmccormac.blogspot.com/ Like birds? Join the Ohio Ornithological Society: http://www.ohiobirds.org ______________________________________________________________________ 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]