I stopped by several areas around the lower portion of Alum Creek Lake this morning, and found temperate migrants as the dominant theme. I've been away for 2 weeks, and the rest of the neotrops absconded in my absence :-). Stops at New Galena, the Beach & Visitor's Center, Plumb Rd, and Cheshire accesses found only a bit of foliage change but a lot of bird change, including Common Loons - 3 were fishing off the Plumb Rd access Raptors - including a Cooper's at the Beach, a Bald Eagle juvenile flying south over the dam, and a Red-tail at Cheshire. Woodpeckers - Flickers the dominant migrant, with 8 in 2 hours. 1 Sapsucker was at New Galena. Red-br.Nuthatch - 1 flew by the boat launch at New Galena, headed south Jays - #s far down from earlier in the month, with only 32 in 1 hour at New Galena Kinglets - lots of Golden-crowns (3-5) at all stops Winter Wrens - at least 2 were in the scrub around the Visitor's Center Hermit Thrush - single birds were at new Galena and the Visitor's Center areas E.Bluebirds - early start to migration, with 6 at New Galena and another 9 at the Beach area Warblers - lots of Yellow-rumps, including 6 flyovers at New Galena. The only other bird was a Palm at the Beach area Sparrows - White-throats in small groups at many places, along with the expected Songs, Chipping, and Fields Blackbirds - small groups of Red-wings and Grackles flying south over New Galena and the Beach Finches - 2 Purple Finches flew south past New Galena ______________________________________________________________________ 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]