I dodged the few ice patches and visited these neighboring sites in NE Columbus, and found an exodus of many winter birds. Water was nearly ice-free in both sites, but the large squads of ducks that had graced both in December were mostly gone. I hiked both the Lake Trail and the Streamside-Overlook Loop at Blendon, as well as the Nature Trail at Hoover and the main trail at Cherrybottom Park. Notables included: Hooded Mergansers - still plenty of them around, with 5-6 at Thoreau Pond and another 15 at Hoover Dam Red-shouldered Hawks - heard one at Blendon (Cherry Ridge picnic area) and saw another at Cherrybottom Park Red-tailed Hawks - several at Blendon, as well as another flying the shore at Hoover Red-headedWoodpeckers - singles along both the Lake Trail and near the Cherry Ridge Picnic Area PileatedWoodpecker - the only one was at Cherrybottom Park E.Bluebirds - small groups were at Thoreau Lake, CherryRidge Picnic area,HooverNatureTrail, & Cherrybottom TreeSparrows - only a few were still around the Nature Center at Blendon SwampSparrows - 2 were in the spillway shrubbery below HooverDam E.Towhee - the only one was calling along the edge of the Goldenrod Trail at Blendon ______________________________________________________________________ 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]