We headed out for lunch watching waterfowl, but ended up with more winter birds. Just out the back door, a racket alerted us to 24 white-winged crossbills in the hemlock over our back porch. Ponds out in the western metroparks were all frozen, but we found a northern shrike in a honey locust about 50 yards from the vis. center at Prairie Oaks Metro Park west of town. A staff member came out to look at it through the scope, and reciprocated by telling us they have four short-eared owls in the surrounding fields this winter; we didn't see one, but they have been spotted by day. Never did see 57 degrees and sunny, either... 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]