I spent several hours roaming SlateRun, Walnut Woods, and 3-Creeks MetroParks this morning, looking for late winter stragglers & early migrants. Despite having most ponds & wetlands frozen, there were many flocks of geese and mallards flying around, antsy to start moving north. The only other noticeable migrants on the morning were blackbirds & grackles, which were also in big flocks. Bird details included: Canada Geese - large flocks hanging around Slate Run & Winchester Lake (near 3-Creeks), but nothing with them Ducks - mostly Mallards, but there were also 2 Gadwall at Winchester Lake Bald Eagle - an adult was cruising up Blacklick Creek north of Cruiser Pond, possibly one of the 3-Creeks pair Kildeer - 1-2 were at Bareis Preserve and at Cruiser Pond Pileated Woodpeckers - at least 2 were calling along the 5-Oaks trail at Slate Run Brown Creepers - not very common, with singles at Slate Run and along the Blacklick bikepath north of CruiserPond E.Bluebirds - singing birds were at several spots around Slate Run AmericanRobins - small flocks in many places, often scuffling for food in leaf litter Yellow-rumped Warblers - at least 4 were still in poison ivy-rich areas of Slate Run Tree Sparrows - only a few stragglers remaining, at Bareis Preserve and Slate Run wetlands Redwinged Blackbirds - 20-50 bird flocks flying overhead most of morning around Slate Run; smaller #s elsewhere CommonGrackles - one huge flock of 1000+ along Winchester Pike north of Slate Run; only a few elsewhere Cowbirds - singles at several locations in Slate Run and 3-Creeks ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]