Yesterday's warmer temperature melted away much of the snow and ice cover on our upland fields. This morning I would say they are now about 70 percent exposed ground, after an extended period of snow cover. Predictably, but nonetheless gratifyingly, I heard a killdeer screaming over the field this morning as I was tending to morning animal chores in the barn. Now that there is something of interest for killdeer, perhaps the woodcocks will return as well. Red-winged blackbirds are increasing, with probably a half dozen withing earshot this morning. Saturday morning, 3/7, I spotted the season's first sapsucker on a maple tree down by the confluence of ravines we call the Beech Point. Of course, the previous morning it was still Zero F. Now that the high and low temperatures are finally bracketing the freezing point, the sap will start flowing at last. It is good to see after our augmented deep winter that early migration was in fact just waiting to happen. Bob Evans Geologist, etc. Hopewell Township, Muskingum County ______________________________________________________________________ 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]