I grew up in Massachusetts and my wife grew up in Maryland, so we're used to seeing mockingbirds all the time when we visit our familes. I hardly ever see them here, though, so I was surprised today to see one in the grassy area near the Q's parking garage in downtown Cleveland. It was eating berries from the trees and looking around on the ground for food. I saw it on my way to lunch, and it was still there about 45 minutes later when I returned. Was there a time when they were more common in Ohio, or are they primarily coastal birds? Also, I didn't post about it at the time, but while out running Saturday night I saw a screech owl in Lakewood, on Nicholson Ave, between Detroit and Clifton. It let me watch it for about ten minutes, quite close. It was the best view I'd ever had of an owl, even without binoculars. It was dark, of course, but the street was lit and when cars came down the street I got a very nice view of it. After all of the time I've spent looking for owls in the woods, it was quite a surprise to see one on a populated residential street. Still no horned larks or snow buntings this winter, though. Has anyone seen them in Cuyahoga or Lorain 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]