Hello Ohio birders: Spring is creeping back in throughout Ohio, with male Red-winged Blackbirds starting to tee up on cattail stalks and Common Grackles beginning to joust for position in their display arenas. These are welcome signs to Ohioans who have endured one of the more dramatic winters in recent memory. 28 February marked the end of winter in terms of the way we keep track of bird records; winter is considered to run three months, from December 1st to February 28th. Please consider submitting your observations of Ohio birds from the winter season to The Ohio Cardinal. Each issues relies field observations from birders, and we are eager to find out about and report on what you've been seeing. Even if you have reported sightings to the listserv, please provide a list of your most important records to ensure that they are cited in the journal. Members of the Ohio Ornithological Society have received the Winter 2008-2009 issue of The Ohio Cardinal. The next four issues will be published as two double issues in order to get the journal on a better publication schedule. Once those issues are published I will officially step down as editor of the journal. I am excited to announce that Dr. Jill Russell will be taking over as editor of the journal, beginning with the Spring 2010 issue. She is a scientist and faculty member at College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, is Executive Director of the Avian Research and Education Institute, and has extensive experience as a bird bander. She will be introduced more fully in an upcoming issue of The Cerulean newsletter. Please submit your reports, by e-mail or by postal mail, to the following addresses: Dr. Jill M. Russell College of Mount St Joseph 5701 Delhi Rd Cincinnati, OH 45233-1670 e-mail: [log in to unmask] A convenient form for submitting seasonal observations, and additional information is available here: http://www.ohiobirds.org/publications/cardinal/aboutcardinal.php Reports should be submitted by March 25th. Photographs and articles are also greatly appreciated - contact Jill for information on submission guidelines. I am pleased to have been involved with The Ohio Cardinal for the last few years. I have enjoyed interacting with many amazing naturalists throughout the state, and am proud to have been part of a talented editorial team of season editors and an incredible assistant editor, Debbie Griffith. See you afield! Andy -- Andy Jones, Ph.D. William A. and Nancy R. Klamm Endowed Chair of Ornithology and Head of Department of Ornithology Cleveland Museum of Natural History 1 Wade Oval Drive, University Circle Cleveland, OH 44106 http://www.cmnh.org/Ornithology.aspx Photography: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ornitholoco ______________________________________________________________________ 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]