First refound and photographed by Alex Champagne on 2/11 ( http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12929881), the Lincoln's Sparrow that was hanging around with a few species of warblers through the end of 2012 has returned to the small garden plots between Jennings and Aronoff on the OSU main campus. These were presumably window strikes that survived the mild winter conditions we had going into the end of 2012. Here's a rundown of how long these birds were in the area: * Northern Waterthrush (NOWA): last reported by Irina Shulgina on 11/30/2012 http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12192996 * Common Yellowthroat (COYE): 1 of the 3+ was last reported on the Columbus CBC (12/16) http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12301348 * Ovenbird, and Lincoln's Sparrow (OVEN, LISP): also last reported 12/16 on the Columbus CBC, seen by multiple observers. http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12305548 The holiday break (no birders) and coincident heavy snow and wintery weather (which pushed the birds out of the area by flattening the limited cover here) are how I would explain the lack of reports after the CBC. It's unknown whether the COYE and OVEN have survived, but if they have, odds are good that they're somewhere nearby in thick cover (Mirror Lake area? Other suitable areas on campus?). This LISP was either REALLY well hidden or absent from this area during late January when I was looking for it. If it found a nearby refuge, odds are decent that some of these other birds have as well. Good birding, Paul Hurtado Columbus, OH ______________________________________________________________________ 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]