As of yesterday around lunch time there was still a group of 38 (possibly more) golden plovers in the field/wetlands off of Veler Road, just east of Metzger Marsh (some in beautiful full breeding plumage). There was also a small flock of pectoral sandpipers and a few snipe & yellowlegs. A scope is helpful (probably necessary to positively ID anything). With all the rain, the Magee boardwalk was a tad slow: Magnolia (only 1), Northern waterthrush, Nashville, Common yellowthroat, Palm, and hundreds of Yellow-rumps; Red-eyed and Warbling vieo; Swainsons, Hermit & Wood thrushes; Eastern phoebe, and nice looks at green herons (probably forgetting something, sorry). There were also some wood ducks WAY up in the trees (about 60 feet?) making a ruckus. I think it's fun to observe ducks trying to hang out in trees. At the beach trail I added B&W warbler, Baltimore oriole, and Eastern kingbird. Probably would have seen more if the deluge had ceased and more birds were singing (seeing the mag. was pure luck). Thanks to everyone for the Arizona advice! I saw 67 life birds, over 100 new birds for the year, and almost 200 overall (my 2009 ABA list is around 400!). Highlights include: blue mockingbird, rufous-capped and red-faced warblers, williamsons sapsucker, whiskered schreech owl, and a gorgeous pair of elegant trogans (and lots more local specialties). Wonderful hiking trails & excellent birding- a highly recommended trip! Before I left for AZ someone e-mailed me and asked for TX info- please e-mail me again & I will probide you with the places I visited and species observed (I think I accidentally deleted your last e-mail). Good birding, Heather --- On Thu, 4/30/09, Adam Cirone <[log in to unmask]> wrote: From: Adam Cirone <[log in to unmask]> Subject: [Ohio-birds] Blendon Woods - Black-billed Cuckoo, Palm Warbler, Blue Grosbeak? To: [log in to unmask] Date: Thursday, April 30, 2009, 1:09 PM This morning I visited Blendon Woods Metro Park in Northeast Columbus with my roommate. The rain had just let up when we arrived, and we saw the following birds along the path to the waterfowl viewing blinds... Black-billed Cuckoo (in the trees nearby the view blinds) Palm Warbler (several near the right view blind, back in the woods) Eastern Phoebe (perching in a tree on the left side of the right viewing blind) Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Eastern Towhee (near the nature center) House Wren (several along the trails, one near the nature center) Wood Duck (pair of males on the lake) Yellow-rumped Warbler White-throated Sparrow Great Blue Heron Tree Swallow Gray Catbird Downy Woodpecker (there is a nest in a tree close to the trail) Red-bellied Woodpecker Brown-headed Cowbird Red-winged Blackbird Song Sparrow American Goldfinch Carolina Chickadee Northern Cardinal Tufted Titmouse American Robin Blue Jay Canada Goose House Sparrow Mallard At the nature center, we also saw these birds... Blue Grosbeak (I think... I know that someone else saw one there, but it could have been an Indigo Bunting, because I didn't get a great look) Rose-breasted Grosbeak Wild Turkey (two males displaying in the woods... you could see them from the window) Red-eyed Vireo Mourning Dove Adam Cirone B.A. in Biology from Muskingum College Senior Reseach on Grassland Birds Columbus, Ohio [log in to unmask] (330) 257-9533 ______________________________________________________________________ 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] ______________________________________________________________________ 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]