Juncos and chilly weather - I counted a dozen Juncos and a Song Sparrow in the backyard this morning. I threw down some millet yesterday. Two days ago, temps were in the mid 70's in Toledo under sunny skies. Yesterday it was in the 40's. Today, it's been raining off and on, and the temps are in the mid 30's (34 at Metcalf at 3:00 P.M.) Have to love those northeast winds off cold Lake Erie. A stationary front runs through the northern third of the state. We are suppose to get some freezing rain, sleet, and a little snow during the night. Temps around Ohio at 3:00 P.M.: Akron - 52, Cincinnati - 75, Cleveland - 34, Columbus - 70, Dayton - 72, Defiance - 36, Findlay - 37, Mansfield - 52, Youngstown - 43, Zanesville - 65.

Rossford migrants 2-Apr-2003 - I visited the Rossford Island View Park this morning from 8:30 to 10:00 A.M. The temps overnight remained above 50 degrees, so I thought it would have been a good night for passerine migration. There were not as many birds present as I expected, but it's still earlly. If a warm night like last night occurs next week or the week after, then things will be hopping. This morning I observed: Juncos (many singing), White-throated Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Brown Creepers (several), Golden-crowned Kinglets, Eastern Towhee, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, American Tree Sparrow, two Winter Wrens (one sang). The Sapsucker was spotted exactly where I expected one to be: the part of the trail that follows Grassy Creek, heading towards the Maumee River, at the top of the small hill, surrounded by some medium to large hardwoods. I stood here for a few minutes, thinking one should be around, and sure enough one flew in. Surprised not to find a Hermit Thrush or an Eastern Phoebe.

Slower than expected hawk watching 1-Apr-2003 The winds were blowing from the south-southwest at 15-25 mph yesterday morning, but it was cloudy until about Noon, when clearing moved in. The temps were in the low 50's in the morning. The raptor movement was probably better in the afternoon. I left shortly after my 9-12 shift. I only recorded around 20 TUVUs, and a couple Sharp-shinned Hawks, and I think one Cooper's Hawk. There was an owl hanging around in the trees near the tower. I only got two quick glimpses of the bird flying about. Guessing it was a Barred Owl. Great Horned Owls are either on eggs or feeding young in the nest. Apparently, there's no Great Horned Owl's nest near the tower. Another hawk watcher told me that in the past, Barred Owls have been spotted from the tower in April.

Parent's backyard birds 31-Mar-2003 The temperatures Monday morning in B'ville were in the mid 20's under cloudy skies. I nice snow squall moved through, dumping about a half an inch. By mid-day when I left for T-town, the sun was out, the snow had melted, and the temps "warmed" to the upper 30's.

The Bluebirds were carrying nesting material into the same house they were using last week. Dad said they had quit carrying nesting material for a few days. There were at least a dozen Goldfinches on Dad's feeders. A Chipping Sparrow was eating the suet. Must have been some millet mixed in with it. The feeders were busy when the snow was coming down.

B'ville TUVUs in the snow 30-Mar-2003 - I was back visiting my folks in eastern Ohio again for a couple of days. I did some bass fishing on Sunday morning, but didn't catch anything. What a change in the weather. On Friday, it was in the 70's in northwest Ohio. It was in the 40's on Saturday. When I went fishing in the morning on Sunday, the temps in B'ville were 30 degrees with intermittent snow showers. I had to keep knocking the ice from my rod guides. Anyway, I heard Golden-crowned Kinglets and Eastern Towhees singing. I saw one Turkey Vulture fly by. I was out and about around B'ville in the afternoon, and on numerous occasions, I saw small groups of two to five TUVUs moving northwest, even though snow was falling and the winds were blowing from the northwest at 10-15 mph. I guess when a TUVU wants to move, it will. They are the "masters of the air".

Hawk watch, boardwalk, and ducks - 29-Mar-2003 - The weather on Saturday morning consisted of light rain early, then just cloudy. Winds were from the west-northwest at seven miles per hour. Visibility was low. Temperatures were about 40 degrees. Needless to say, it was a slow raptor morning. I recorded one migrating Red-tailed Hawk from 9-12. I left when the afternoon shift came and went to the boardwalk. There were a few other birds seen from the tower: Brown Thrasher in a tree nearby, DC Cormorant, four Black-crowned Night Herons landed behind one of the small islands in the water near the nature center, a couple local Bald Eagles, Eastern Towhee singing, one Sandhill Crane flying overhead, Great Egrets.

On the boardwalk, birding was decent: Golden-crowned Kinglets (several), Winter Wrens, Fox Sparrows (about 1/2 as many as previous Saturday), Brown Creepers, Hermit Thrushes, and Eastern Phoebes.

In a flooded field near the Magee Marsh entrance, a Eurasion Wigeon was spotted on Friday, hanging out with American Wigeon. I made a quick visit to the field. I needed a scope and more time, but I had neither. In this field, there were over 100 Ring-necked Ducks, and over 100 American Wigeon. Unless someone else there already had it scoped out, it would take some time to weed through all the ducks. It was a busy place, but they were not close to the road. There were other species in the field, including Northern Pintail, Red Headed, and Mallard ducks. Apparently, the Eurasion Wigeon was seen through Monday of this week, but I never tried again to locate it. Even though I've never seen such a bird, it's obviously not a priority with me. I'm not going to track down every rare bird that's reported. I'm more interested in watching the Kinglets and Fox Sparrows.

One Golden-crowned Kinglet on the boardwalk was below head high and was only a few feet away from me. He was really flaring the colors on his head. I didn't see another GCKI around, so I'm not sure why he was flashing the unit. The top of his head was almost completely bright yellow, and the orange was also visible. No need for binos. I just stood and watched for several minutes. That's one of my favorite birds. The Fox Sparrows are also fun to watch and listen too. The Phoebes were actively fly-catching.