Round-up The juncos have been singing in our hood for a week or two. They have a trill similar to the chipping sparrow or pine warbler. Their average departure date from the lake shore is early May.

A pair of wood ducks landed in an oak tree along our property line this morning. The female was checking out a hole left by a broken-off limb, but I don't think the hole is big enough.

The pair of red-breasted nuthatches were at the feeders this morning. Since they don't appear to have any fear, I've taken a few pictures by standing three or four feet from the feeder. Their average departure date is also in early May.

Saturday was a good day on the tower. Along with several hundred raptors -- mainly turkey vultures -- I saw a flock of nine sandhill cranes, tree swallows, and a couple purple martins. No rare raptors were sighted such as a golden eagle, a peregrine falcon, or a goshawk. Duck numbers along the causeway were down compared to last week. I didn't walk the boardwalk, since I was on the tower all day.

In southern Ohio, there have been sightings of chipping sparrows, pine warblers, a lousiana waterthrush, an ovenbird, and black-throated green warblers.