Thanks to all the folks who shared observations for the Franklin County year list. We found 102 species in the county in January. This will be our biggest monthly number of the year, as it includes all the common resident birds. We did very well, without missing any of the expected species. The Columbus Audubon Society will keep a running total of this list on the Avid Birders page at http://columbusaudubon.org/production/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=634&Itemid=216 or you can go to the CAS site at http://www.columbusaudubon.org/ , then to Groups, then Avid Birders, where you can select "Franklin County Year List" from the menu on the right. We challenge other counties to give this a try this year! Our February list will be a lot shorter, among the shortest of the year. We'll add a few of the earliest northbound migrants, mainly waterfowl but also cranes & woodcocks & snipes, etc. later in the month, and with luck we may add a few of the remaining scarce winter visitors (golden eagle, various white-winged gulls, snowy owl*, black-capped chickadee, crossbills, etc.) before things get too warm for them. You can see what we have and what we need by checking the list, where species seen are in bold type and have an asterisk. I'm guessing we'll be lucky to add thirty species this month, most of them the earliest of migrants. But these will be vital to a good count for the year as few of them will stay for long. Actually, by the end of February we may have about half of the species we'll see in 2011. We'll update the list throughout the rest of the year. Please help if you can, either by posting on the state mailing list or contacting one of us. One more thing--if you have a bird whose location you would rather not share publicly, like a barn owl in your barn or a varied thrush at your feeders, please report and let us know it's private, and we'll put it on the list keeping your name and location secret. And we'll stay out of your yard without your permission. The latest addition to the list came just this morning, from Sam Corbo, who reported a shrike--which species has yet to be determined--yesterday out on the west side near Darby Creek Metro Park....if you go out there to see the bisons, keep an eye peeled for this one and let us know. I'll send list updates more often than monthly. Good birding, Bill Whan for Bill Heck and Brad Sparks * Though they've been scarce recently, snowy owls are surprisingly easy to overlook in the relentlessly white landscapes we've had recently. Back in the winter of 1963-64, the city of Columbus had five, including birds in urban spots along Parsons and Indianola Avenues, on the OSU campus, and at Greenlawn Dam. Heads up! ______________________________________________________________________ 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]