Visible from the vantage point atop the ancient Shrum Mound in Columbus (https://www.ohioexploration.com/mounds/shrummound/), and from a small pull-out on Riverside Drive to the south, a persistent bird colony has again formed on a conical island in the Scioto River. Today more than a hundred cormorants and nearly as many great blue herons have started nesting, and expected soon are a similar numbers of great egrets. These species are largely dedicated to nesting spots surrounded by water, and this is the largest colony in the county. Soon, great egrets will be joining the throng; they have been gathering along the river for the past few weeks. Other species that insist on nesting sites surrounded by water will inhabit this island. Over the past three years, a pair of herring gulls--attracted by big chunks of limestone along the SE corner of the island--has laid eggs there; as far as I know, these nests have never yielded young birds, but the adults keep trying; the birds are easy to see on the southeast side. GB herons in the county are more adaptable, but this--as far as I know--is the only spot in the county where many great egrets, gb herons, and cormorants nest together, and the only spot for the gulls. It's been a great place to avoid humans for many years. 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]