Yesterday morning I birded along the lake. I started at Metzger and watched the lake for about 45 minutes. The only things passing by there were a few Bonaparte's gulls and 2 late FORSTER'S TERNS. The only ducks I saw were to the west. they were in line from the Metzger parking lot to the water intake. The ducks were heading south and then near the crib they appeared to head west. Most were too far to identify, but the ones i was able to see were red-breasted mergansers and lesser scaup. The marsh at Metzger had more hunters than birds. Heading east I had a group of close to 300 tundra swans on Strange Road just south of Route 2. There were also 40-50 swans at the entrance to Ottawa refuge. Also there were 1 long-billed dowitcher, 1 least sandpiper, 1 lesser yellowlegs, 2 killdeer, and 6 dunlin. Walking the first couple dikes at Ottawa I did not see much. There were a dabbling ducks including gadwall, American wigeon, mallard, black duck, shoveler, and green-winged teal. Not much else. In southwest Ottawa County I had a group of 12 BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS. They were in a flock of about 100 cowbirds. Elsewhere in the area I saw several other blackbird flocks. Most were red-winged blackbirds, but a few grackles, cowbirds and rusty blackbirds. I saw no more Brewer's. Most of the blackbirds I saw were out this way. I saw only a small flock of red-winged blackbirds near Ottawa. John Pogacnik 4765 Lockwood Road Perry, OH 44081 (440) 259-2751 ______________________________________________________________________ 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]