This afternoon at the quarry island opposite the Shrum Mound in Columbus I observed from one vantage point on shore ~35 gt blue heron nests, and ~15 nests of d-c cormorants. There could have been many more of each on the back side of the island; getting a look at this side requires getting permission to bushwhack out (freely granted, but difficult) from the gals who run the horse farm on the far shore. Also present, floating offshore, were what I imagine were the two herring gulls that attempted nesting there last year, likely making another try after spending the winter here. The ~12 pairs of b-c night-herons I saw here earlier have apparently flown the coop for their secret rookery site; this has not been known to be located on the locally rare island sites. This is the smallest cormorant number I've seen in recent years, and I wonder if the ODNR has gone ahead with their plans to reduce their numbers--even if the other nesters don't seem to mind. Bill Whan Cols ______________________________________________________________________ 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]