We scooted out during the snow-free periods to visit two local parks: Gahanna's WoodsideGreen-AcademyPark path, then Blendon Woods Lake Trail & Nature Center. Feeder birds were thick in both locations, but had little other than the expected birds. More unusual were waterfowl and Barred owls, which put in appearances at both parks. Notables: Black Duck - only 20 at Thoreau Lake at Blendon, but 1 in Big Walnut Creek at Woodside Green AmWigeon - 2 with the small flock of mallards & geese at Thoreau Lake Gadwalls - 12 at Thoreau Lake Lesser Scaup - 2 females at Thoreau Lake Redheads - 5-6 at Thoreau Lake Canvasback - 1 male at Thoreau Lake Hooded Mergansers - a pair in Big Walnut Creek at Woodside Green Barred Owls - singles in Woodside Green and along the Goldenrod Trail at Blendon Woods Pileated Woodpeckers - calling birds along the Academy Park bikepath and the Lake Trail at Blendon Woods Brown Creeper - only 1, a bird along the bikepath in Woodside Green Golden-cr.Kinglets - the only ones were a pair along the bikepath at Academy Park Robins - none in either park, but several small flocks around planted Bradford Pears in Gahanna near Woodside Green Tree Sparrows - none in Gahanna, but 3 were hanging around the Nature Center feeders at Blendon Woods White-throated Sparrows - small flocks around most feeders, both in Gahanna and in Blendon Woods ______________________________________________________________________ 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]