Although they have been reported previously from elsewhere in the state, it is always interesting to see when certain species arrive here at our farm and its "average" Appalachian Ohio upland setting. Today I heard my first-of-season wood thrush. Yesterday was my first-of-season barn swallow. This is my 13th spring here. I have come to believe that our place is quite average, upland pastures and fields (a portion of the Flint Ridge landform,) surrounded by wooded ravines. It is not a migrant trap of any standing, but it is a destination for dozens of species of nesting migrants. I maintain 6 acres of the fields in various stages of scrubby succession. There are no wetlands to speak of, although my neighbors built a small pond 200 meters west across the road a few years ago. We have wet areas, seeps and springs. Water flows most of the year in the deepest ravine, where there is a 3-foot cascade we somewhat grandiosely call Valhalla Falls. I have never seen fish, but we have amphibians and crayfish. There is a total of 150 feet of relief, from the Lower Mercer Limestone up to the Middle Kittanning Coal horizon (for those half dozen of you keeping geological score. (Hi Tom!)) Although it is "average" I flatter myself to think that it receives better than average nature observation. I have seen 136 species of birds here, my "yard list" if you will. We will have seven or eight species of nesting warblers. So far, Louisiana waterthrush is the only warbler to arrive this year. Bob Evans Geologist, etc. Valhalla Acres Fiber Farm (Our 26 sheep have been shorn just this week.) Hopewell Township, Muskingum County ______________________________________________________________________ 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]