I checked several areas around Hilliard and nearby Prairie Oaks MetroPark west of Columbus this drizzly morning and found only the expected early migrants.  What I didn't find much of were waterfowl -- all the ponds around Hilliard and at Prairie Oaks were mostly frozen, and the creeks were running high & fast.  This point was emphasized when a I saw a flock of 60+ Red-br.mergansers circling over the northern part of Prairie Oaks, then flying on north.  The only interesting birds were :

E.Bluebirds - single males were at Prairie Oaks & Hilliard Municipal Park
Amer.Robins - suddenly very common, patrolling lots of flooded field edges
Tree Sparrows - gone from the urban areas, I could still find 1-2 at several open areas out here (Spindler & Franks Parks)
E.Meadowlarks - 3 of them were around the grassy areas of Darby Bend Lakes
Redwinged Blackbirds - common, with lots of birds at all spots
Com.grackles - small numbers in many locations, topped by 15+ at Franks Park in Hilliard

______________________________________________________________________

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]