Leslie Sours and I visited Hardin, Wyandot and Marion Counties in search of grassland birds. When we scheduled the trip the weather was predicted to be mild with a high of 83. What we got was hot with a high of 90. We drank water all day to remain hydrated. The birds did better than the weatherman. We saw birds from Bald Eagles to Willow Flycatchers with their beaks open gasping to try to not overheat. Through heat, dust and insects we birded on and compiled a decent list of species. It’s difficult to say which species pleased Leslie the most but I think the candidates are an adult Bald Eagle perched about 50 feet from us, Dickcissels that came out in very good numbers to sing for her, a juvenile Orchard Oriole that posed for Leslie to have its picture taken, or the Sandhill Cranes. My pick for the day is the Sandhill Cranes that were at the same location that I first discovered them on June 29th. We began at T-64 in Jackson Township, Wyandot County where Dickcissel still rule. They were around us in every direction. Many perched atop grass stalks and short trees singing hardily. Joining them were Common Yellowthroats, Savannah Sparrows, Grasshopper Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Eastern Kingbirds and Orchard Orioles. One juvenile Orchard Oriole was atop a low shrub right at the edge of the road. It stayed put as we took pictures. Our next stop was T-50 in Jackson Township, Hardin County. Numerous additional Dickcissel joined by Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlarks and numerous sparrows. Many of the sparrows were a repeat of the Wyandot species but they were uncooperative, dashing about the grasses and dropping down before we were able to get a good look. We got just enough of a look to whet our appetite for more. At one point we thought we had located a Henslow’s Sparrow. It was just far enough away to plant doubt in your mind. It appeared to have a flat head but we had heat waves distorting the image and the bird refused to sing. No song, no call. It will have to go down as an unidentified Little Brown Bird. We next worked Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area. An adult Bald Eagle perched in a tree with its beak open, a picture that loudly said “I’m too hot!” was on the west side of T-108. Another eagle, this one a juvenile, sat in a dead tree watching the birds around the water below. Common Yellowthroats lived up to their name and were everywhere. We located many Yellow Warblers, Eastern Kingbirds, Eastern Meadowlarks and Cedar Waxwings. Only one hummingbird was found all day but we did better with Trumpeter Swans when we located an adult with four cygnets trailing behind. At the same pond there was several Pied-billed Grebes with young and several Wood Ducks with varying numbers of ducklings, the wildest being a hen with about 15 to 20 ducklings. One Hooded Merganser was sitting atop a small log at the water’s edge. We made a pass by where Logan and I located Sandhill Cranes on June 29th. Today, eight days later the cranes were at the same location and making themselves very viewable. The last stop was at Big Island Wildlife Area. Things were slower here but we stopped at the last pull off before the barn on Prospect-La Rue Road. There was a bird calling from the grasses that sounded familiar but did not match the suspect species when we tried to nail down its identification. I’ m still working on sorting it out. Music will have to wait as I listen to my bird sound tapes. The call has to match something. I heard a few wrens calling from the grass and tried to phish one out into the open. I expected a Marsh Wren as I have located them at this location in the past. Instead out came a Sedge Wren. I guess I shouldn’t complain as the unexpected bird is better than the expected one. Hot, dry and dusty we headed for home. Now if I can get enough Killdeer Plains dust off the car I’ll be able to tell what color it is once again. A list of species follows. Charlie Bombaci SPECIES LIST Pied-billed Grebe Great Blue Heron Turkey Vulture Canada Goose Trumpeter Swan Wood Duck Mallard Hooded Merganser Bald Eagle Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Sandhill Crane Killdeer Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Chimney Swift Ruby-throated Hummingbird Red-headed Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Eastern Wood-Pewee Acadian Flycatcher Willow Flycatcher Eastern Phoebe Eastern Kingbird Warbling Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Horned Lark Purple Martin Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Carolina Chickadee White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Sedge Wren Wood Thrush American Robin Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher European Starling Cedar Waxwing Yellow Warbler Common Yellowthroat Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow Northern Cardinal Indigo Bunting Dickcissel Bobolink Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle Orchard Oriole Baltimore Oriole American Goldfinch ______________________________________________________________________ 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]