With spring migration well underway, there are many opportunities to share sightings that lead to knowledge as well as ticks on the old year list. As always, one way to learn is to look more carefully. Check out David Sibley's neat post about subspecies of great blue herons seen in Florida identifiable by season--see http://www.sibleyguides.com/ . If any Ohio observers can add similar possible discriminations possible here locally, please post them here. Some possibilities include robins, Canada geese, Iceland/Thayer's gulls, horned larks, chickadees, etc. For those happy simply to be reassured migration is progressing, there are the usual sites for popular species like that for purple martins at http://purplemartin.org/scoutreport/ and hummingbirds at http://www.learner.org/jnorth/humm/spring2009/Update043009.html . I see on the Carolinas list that it was perhaps bad weather, rather than good, that kept quite a few migrant ruby-throated hummingbirds and orioles there for the entire winter at feeders, when they might otherwise have flown to central America, or perished in the attempt. Finally, Angus Wilson asked an interesting question about this winter's ivory gull invasion which has yet to be answered on the Seabirds list, though a link has been provided to many observations and stunning photos of ivories (uncharacteristically predominantly adults) and gyrfalcons in Newfoundland at http://peregrineprints.com/ind__WhatsNew.htm , for those still nostalgic for winter birds soon to retire to what remains of the Arctic. 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]