Most of us are noticing the movements of birds this time of year, observing many species we like to think are returning to their ranges farther south, where they spend most of the year. It turns out that it might make more sense to regard them as local birds that merely vacation there to avoid the cold season, and that long ago these species colonized Middle and South America from their origins here. This interesting hypothesis has been presented in an article from lead author Ben Winger of the University of Chicago (see for example http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/0731/1405000111.abstract and http://sciencelife.uchospitals.edu/2014/08/04/study-traces-evolutionary-origins-of-migration-in-new-world-birds/). Many Ohio birders will remember Ben, who hails from Cleveland and was a member of the birding scene here a decade ago. As a high-school student in 2003 for example, he published an article in the Ohio Cardinal about molt in migrant dowitchers in Ohio (26#3:125-136). Two years ago he was among a crew exploring high-mountain habitats of Peru that discovered a species new to science! We can look forward to more interesting work from him. Bill Whan Columbus ______________________________________________________________________ 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.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]