hello all it's been a long time since I've had anything to add. I've been following the crossbill irruption for a while and of course keeping an eye on every cone-bearing tree for our latest visitors. I soometimes think my area of the state is a bit barren bird-wise when I see some of the postings going up. It seems a lot of avian friends pass just to the west of me. However today after hiking a couple of snow-covered miles through Mill Creek park in Youngstown, my wife and I spotted three female white-winged crossbills in the parking lot of Fellows Riverside Garden. We also saw several pine siskins earliers at the feeders at Ford Nature Center. The crossbill is a lifer for me and the siskins were a rare treat. Hoping for spring soon. Lou Loibl Liberty Township Trumbull County ______________________________________________________________________ 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]