This evening (Tuesday January 18), John Sawvel, Kimberly Kaufman, and I made a slow sweep of the Magee Marsh causeway in the early evening. Between about 5:05 and 5:30 pm, we had repeated close views of at least 2 Short-eared Owls (possibly 3, but never more than 2 at once). The birds were foraging widely over the marsh on both sides of the causeway, and ranging along almost its whole length from the north end nearly to the south end, sometimes perching on posts right next to the road. There were also at least 4 Northern Harriers working over the marsh, perhaps coming in to roost, although we lost track of their locations after we began to focus on the owls. With the heavy overcast and misty conditions, the owls may have become active earlier in the evening than they would have on a clear day. We didn't find the Northern Shrike that had been here earlier in the season, although we might have been there too late in the day to see it. At the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, a single Common Redpoll was coming to the feeders between 4 and 5 pm today. The feeders are also hosting large numbers of White-throated Sparrows and American Tree Sparrows, and at least one Fox Sparrow is still present (two were here last week). At this season, the observatory is open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 11 to 5. For those who don't know the region, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area is located just north of State Route 2 between Toledo and Port Clinton in n.w. Ohio. The Black Swamp Bird Observatory is located just north of SR 2 at the entrance to Magee Marsh. A map of the area is available at this link: http://www.bsbo.org/birding/pdf/Magee_Marsh_Map.pdf If you visit the area, please let us know if you see the Short-eared Owls or other local specialties. Kenn Kaufman Oak Harbor, Ohio ______________________________________________________________________ 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]