Winter still has a pretty firm grip on the area, despite the start of Spring on Wednesday. Consequently, the rate of spring arrivals has diminished. The first Great Blue Herons arrived early in the week near Fort Road. They probably didn't appreciate the temperature going down into the teens at night. The first Brown-headed Cowbirds appeared at the headquarters feeders Wednesday. Singing activity has increased substantially among American Robins, Song Sparrows, Mourning Doves, Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, House Finches, Horned Larks, and Red-winged Blackbirds. Even the Dark-eyed Juncos and American Tree Sparrows are starting to sing around the headquarters birdfeeders. Wintering raptor numbers continue to remain substantial. Visitors are still reporting Short-eared Owls, Northern Harriers, Rough-legged Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, and American Kestrels. You don't have to go far to see them. They are often seen near the Bishop Road Observation Platform. One visitor reported an adult Bald Eagle that perched atop one of the dead trees next to the platform and obligingly allowed its picture to be taken. Another visitor saw an adult Bald Eagle circle low and slow over the Woodland Trail parking area. The adult male Merlin was seen from Ferguson Bayou Trail and it seems two Northern Shrikes are calling that area home now. The Weekly Waterfowl Survey yielded more diversity. The rivers running through the refuge are open now, but our marshes are still frozen solid. Consequently, numbers are still low. The results included Canada Goose - 2394, Tundra Swan - 332, Gadwall - 39, American Wigeon - 61, American Black Duck - 78, Mallard - 124, Northern Pintail - 18, Green-winged Teal - 101, Canvasback - 21, Redhead - 44, Ring-necked Duck - 138, Lesser Scaup - 3, Bufflehead - 4, Hooded Merganser - 10, Common Merganser - 94. Sandhill Crane numbers have crept up to about a dozen. We've had more sightings of Opossums and two mink sightings. The latter were seen along Bishop Road. Did you know it was 83 degrees in Saginaw on March 20 last year? If you want to see a superb picture of a hunting Northern Harrier that Doug Jackson captured near the Bishop Road Observation Platform Thursday, check it out on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shiawassee-National-Wildlife-Refuge/437597322966257 . Like us there and see many other refuge updates. Steven F. Kahl Refuge Manager Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge 6975 Mower Rd. Saginaw, MI 48603-9783 P (989) 777-5930 ext 16 http://www.fws.gov/midwest/shiawassee/ <http://www.fws/midwest/shiawassee/> Find us on Facebook!<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shiawassee-National-Wildlife-Refuge/437597322966257> ______________________________________________________________________ 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]