I made a few brief stops around central Columbus this morning. Bad weather = fantastic birding, so definitely get outside today if you can! :-) * The HY male OREGON JUNCO and pale partially leucistic Slate-colored Junco continue. Photos from a few days ago are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauljhurtado/ * 1 CHIPPING SPARROW, a dozen PINE SISKINS, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch at the Green Lawn Cemetery feeders * 1 Common Loon and 10 Buffelhead at Haul Rd. ponds. For those of you in/near Columbus with time to bird this evening, it might be worth checking the reservoirs north of Columbus (and/or Deer Creek to the south) for water birds and feeders for finches. For gulls, I highly recommend checking out Alum Creek dam at dawn and/or sundown to watch gulls coming in to roost -- it is probably the best spot near Columbus (besides the SWACO landfill) to watch gulls, though a scope and warm clothing are essential in the evenings. Mornings can provide some closer looks at some of the birds but it's easy to miss some of the birds that leave early. Based on movement patterns last winter, I believe many/most of the SWACO landfill gulls roost here, following the Olentangy River down to the landfill and back each day. Last winter this location turned up Glaucous Gull and Iceland Gull (2nd Delaware Co. record as I understand it) coming in to roost. Park at the Below Dam Recreational Area (map: http://goo.gl/maps/EDNLQ) for easiest access. Good birding, Paul Hurtado -- Paul J. Hurtado Postdoctoral Fellow, The Ohio State University Mathematical Biosciences Institute, http://mbi.osu.edu/ Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, http://ael.osu.edu/ E-mail: [log in to unmask] Webpage: http://people.mbi.ohio-state.edu/hurtado.10 ______________________________________________________________________ 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]