530 AM 7/24/12----Darby Creek Greenway Wetlands (DCGW) We stopped in for about two hours. A short ways along the entrance path several Virginia Rails called infrequently and a Least Bittern was heard "cooooo--ing" softly for over five minutes from the large cattail marsh to the south. We've had the bittern here on nearly half of the visits here since early June (about 20 times, always at dawn or first light). A short time later, four adult American Black Ducks flushed immediately from the cattail (their dark bodies incl. tail in stark contrast to pure white under wings). This only the third time this summer we have seen them, the first time in over a month. Didn't go all the way out to the Sedge Wren spot so no comment there and otherwise we had the usual suspects Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red-bellied and Hairy Woodpeckers, House Wren, bluebirds, Common Yellowthroats, Yellow Warblers (2), Indigo Buntings, and American Goldfinches. We briefly looked into Hoover Dam (from the dam N about five miles) early the afternoon. Hot and muggy, no rain; few birds but it was nice to see a new are in Columbus that we've heard so much about. At least 250 Ring-billed Gulls, including one juv., were loafing on a sandbar at pull out B just north of the Dam. From the dam itself were a Caspian Tern and a single ad. Little Blue Heron that flew by low against a backdrop of trees. We watched it for > a minute slowly going south noting its slender shape, and wings, and long dark legs. It body was entirely slaty blue, its short thick bill clearly two toned, the distal 1/3 blackish. Several TV's were overhead and four or five adult Double-crested Cormorants were fishing in the middle of the reservoir. Good birding, David Tan Columbus [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ 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]