The Spring-like weather this morning was starting to move early winter residents around and through this south Columbus MetroPark. I stopped at the Confluence area, Borrow Pits, Heron Pond, Elk Run Park, and the Groveport Blacklick Bikepath, and had interesting birds at most stops. Notables included: Waterfowl - hardly any, even though all the ponds and marshes were ice-free. Could they already be mostly gone? Kildeer - many locations; they seem back in earnest Sapsucker - 1 at Confluence area Phoebe - 1 calling at a reliable spot, the Trail bridge over Big Walnut Creek at the Confluence area Brown Creeper - only 1, a singing bird in the riparian forest next to the Borrow Pits Towhees - calling birds along the Multi-use Trail at both the Borrow Pits (1) and the Groveport Blacklick Bikepath (2) Tree Sparrow - 1 lingering bird at Heron Pond Fox Sparrows - 1 was in scrub near the Borrow Pits, while the overwintering bird along the bikepath east of the Confluence area was out singing this morning. E.Meadowlark - 1 was singing in the fields East of the Hamilton Rd/Bixby Rd intersection. Redwings - small numbers all over, with a few at every stop Rusty Blackbird - 1 was singing its creaky song in the wet woods at the south end of Turtle POnd in the Confluence area. Grackles - small numbers in many locations, but over 50 foraging around Elk Run Park Cowbirds - singles at nearly every stop, all calling males ______________________________________________________________________ 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]