Spent the afternoon at Hoover Area S looking for the Purple Finches they found during the Xmas Count. No Purples, but this is a very birdy spot. Lots of American Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, White-throated Sparrows, Red-Bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatches, etc. A Hermit Thrush jumped into a bush to check me out and gave me a thrill over in the woods at the north-west corner. He looked especially rufous, but that might be because he's the first I've seen in the winter. I also had a Golden-crowned Kinglet dance around me in the pine forest. Another first for me in the winter. RaySilvey North 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]