Birding in Rossford this morning - I was at the Island View Park today from 8:50 - 11:13 A.M. Observed: Carolina Wren, European Starling, Tufted Titmouse, Northern Cardinal, American Robin, Fox Sparrow (>10), American Goldfinch, Downy Woodpecker, Golden-crowned Kinglet (>15), White-throated Sparrow (<5), American Crow, Cowbird, Northern Flicker, Brown Creeper, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (7), Brown Thrasher, Common Grackle, Canadian Goose, Red-winged Blackbird, Slate-colored Junco, House Sparrow, Blue Jay, American Wigeon, Mallard, Mourning Dove, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Tree Swallow, Herring Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Eastern Towhee, Song Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, White-breasted Nuthatch, Hermit Thrush, and Black-capped Chickadee.

The Golden-crowned Kinglet numbers were not as big as expected. The White-throated Sparrow numbers were also lower than I thought they would be. I would have to check my notes or the bird books, but it could still be early for the big waves of these birds. The winds have been from the north for the last eight days now. We need that warm, windy night where the temps remain above 50-55 degrees the entire night to push a big bunch of birds into the area.

There were three Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers on one tree, meowing at each other. One Sapsucker was spotted along "Sapsucker Row" (the path at the top of the hill along Grassy Creeek). The Brown Thrasher was singing a lot and was easily spotted multiple times. That's a fun bird to listen to. One of the Thrasher's calls sounded like a Northern Flicker. There were several Flickers seen/heard in the park. If I would go through my notes since the fall of '99 and put together a RIVP bird list, I would find that the American Wigeon spotted today would probably be a new bird for the park and adjacent waters of the Maumee River and Grassy Creek. The Hermit Thrush sang, which is cool. No Winter Wrens were seen nor heard, darn it. I think nearly all of the birds observed sang.

The weather was nice. The temps started out in the 30's but was into the 40's quickly. The winds were light, and the skies were sunny. A lof the bushes and shrubs had green buds on them. Woodland visibility will begin to decline rapidly, but at least the boring gray colors of the woods will disappear now.