Sorry for the use of 2008 in my previous post. I'll get the hang of the new year, 2009, soon! Yesterday, 01/02/09, was a work day. I was able to find Mute Swan (2) where I work in Mason and an American Kestrel along Tylersville Road near VOA at lunch-time. So, 01/02/09, ended at 59 species. At the end of today, 01/03/09, my list is 68 for two full days of birding in January. I started the day at Melvin Quarry, with 5 Snow Geese, Black Duck and 3 Northern Pintail. The Pintail were very hard to find and stayed hidden most of the time in the mass of Mallards at the far side of the lake along the shore. Ned Keller previously reported the large numbers of water-fowl at Melvin. I headed west from Melvin taking the back-country roads back to Rt. 72 by way of Starbuck Road. Along the way I saw about 20 Horned Larks. Then I headed for Hoover Dam. As did Ned Keller, I found a good count of American Kestrel. I had 4 in the circle route from the Rt. 72 interchange on I-71 to Melvin and back across country by a different route to Rt. 72 and I-71. At Hoover Dam at about noon, the Black-legged Kittiwake was near the spit, when I arrived, but had been seen and photographed below the dam on the spillway. Several of us, got relatively close to the kittiwake at the end of the spit, and I managed some reasonable digiscope photos. When I left, the bird was sitting on the ice not too far from the spit. There were diving ducks north toward the bridge, including several scaup. I was able to study them relatively closely at the Walnut Boat Ramp. I identified the two scaup as Greater Scaup due to the very rounded head profile, their relatively large bills and relatively large nail on the end of the bills. Then I headed for nearby Blendon Woods Metropark, where I saw the Dickcissel at the feeder, as well as 4 Brown-headed Cowbirds. On the lake, there were 2 Green-winged Teal, m + f. There was a single Red-winged Blackbird at the feeder by the lake. I tried for but did not find the previously reported Fox Sparrow or the Red-breasted Nuthatch. When I left Blendon Woods, there were 15 Brown-headed Cowbirds in a tree near the Nature Center. I stopped by John Herrick Drive. Bridge near Ohio State campus, and found 10 Black-crowned Night Herons. Perhaps, I will head north tomorrow to look at gulls. Jay Jay G. Lehman Cincinnati, OH [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ 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]