Hello all, This morning I was joined by Tom Bain, Kevin Shepherd, Jed and Pam Burtt, Marcia, and a few others whose names I've forgotten (sorry!). Several birders were lucky enough to get fleeting glimpses today of the Nelson's Sparrows inhabiting Snipe Marsh. We had at least FOUR NELSON'S SPARROWS in the marsh this morning, with several other secretive sparrows that were left unidentified. To get there, read Ben Warner's (GentleBen) wonderfully detailed post from yesterday. We know there were four because we saw two pair simultaneously fly in opposite directions! The best time for them has been 7:30-9:00am, with the best activity around 8:15 when the sun starts to creep deeper into the marsh. So far I have gained ~30 locations of birders across the state willing to participate. Map again here- http://tinyurl.com/27qs4k7 I'd like to say that this project is not mine. I may have sparked it, but it's YOU who are participating! This project is owned, organized, and succeeding due to YOU. This project will only succeed if the Ohio birders are willing to help. My goal is to have 100 locations across the state willing to attract a vagrant hummingbird. NOTE: This project has been undertaken by the state of Louisiana, and was a WILD success! Several years ago, Van Remsen, professor of Louisiana State University, was able to convince his neighbors, fellow birders, etc. across the state to leave their feeders up after the Ruby-throats had left. The result? HUMMINGBIRD BONANZA! It's not uncommon for some homes to host over 30 individual western hummingbirds! In addition to all of Ohio's hummingbirds, LA's state list includes: Green-breasted Mango Broad-billed Hummingbird Buff-bellied Hummingbird Blue-throated Hummingbird Magnificent Hummingbird (missed this one on the last email) Black-chinned Hummingbird Broad-tailed Hummingbird Admittedly, Louisiana has a more suitable climate to hummingbirds, but that does not necessarily mean that they don't visit Ohio either. Isn't it very possible that the White-eared Hummingbird in MI last year came through Ohio? What about the dozens of records of Black-chinned Hummingbirds (would-be 1st state record) on the east coast? They're HERE!! We only need to put the effort forward. Also, it's common belief that leaving your feeders up will not "stop" Ruby-throateds on migration, so if you're worried about that please don't worry. Here's a page everyone should at least skim by Louisiana Bird Records Committee members: http://losbird.org/los_news_196_01dec3.htm#10 Again, join me in OUR effort! Visit the map and add your location- http://tinyurl.com/27qs4k7 Or email me your location (can be labeled anonymously). See my post from Monday if you aren't familiar with this project. Good birding, Sean --- Sean Williams, '11 Undergraduate of Ornithology of Dr. Jed Burtt Ohio Wesleyan University HWCC 724 Delaware, OH 43015 617-470-4094 ______________________________________________________________________ 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]