Hi, Birders! My wife Megan and I have been spectacularly excited about getting acquainted with some of Ohio's birds and other wildlife since arriving in Columbus (to live) in March this year, from the other side of the world (South Africa). I'm trying to increase my Ohio state list, and for the last 8 days have been focussing mainly on a single birding site just over 20 minutes from our home - the rather large Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park, with 6 separate visits in just over a week (some of the sessions only an hour long, though). A few of the highlights have been: - the brilliant-plumaged Blue Grosbeak that Anna Wittmer and Ben Warner showed me (although apparently easier to see, along with a good number of Dickcissels, at SWACO right now) - Least Bittern finally seen very well along the teal trail, today around 7 am - American Bitterns seen 6 out of 6 times I've visited in the last week (including 3 this morning between 5:45 and 7:30 am) - all of them were flying, a couple of times almost right overhead. Mainly along the teal trail - Sora and Virginia Rails abound along the teal trail and with a bit of patient, quiet watching along the edge of the reeds, one gets good views of both of these, as they often show themselves - early this morning some of the views were particularly amazing - King Rail - heard once early this morning along the teal trail - stacks of Henslow's Sparrows "singing" (some of them very close to the trail, giving close-up views) along the harrier trail I'll gladly try and show anyone any of the above if you want - just let me know. I'd like to return to see if I can get to grips with Sedge Wren that I'm sure I heard while jogging this morning. To increase my Ohio state list, do let me know if you have any sites for less common ducks/waterfowl, grebes, gulls, shorebirds..and then also Pine Siskin please. Also any good mammals, etc. Cheers and good birding! Chris --- Chris Lotz www.birdingecotours.com <http://www.birdingecotours.com/> cid:image005.jpg@01CEE9BE.A5852EB0 <https://www.facebook.com/pages/Birding-Ecotours/186476854747995> cid:image005.png@01CD7B9D.C8E4EB60 <http://twitter.com/#!/BirdingEcotours> cid:image006.png@01CD7B9D.C8E4EB60 <mailto:[log in to unmask]> cid:image007.png@01CD7B9D.C8E4EB60 Office: 545 Metro Place South, Suite 100, Dublin, Ohio 43017, USA See http://birdingecotours.com/contact/ for office contacts in South Africa, the UK and Peru --- --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus ______________________________________________________________________ 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]