Waterfowl migration is well under way. Birds are moving in as the ice starts to recede. I started the day at Miami Whitewater Wetland at about 8:30 am. I wanted to try for Sandhill Cranes reported there recently, but got there too late. Should have been there at dawn. There is quite a lot of open water, probably because the water is rather shallow and can heat up more quickly than deeper water. There were 15 species of waterfowl (including Am. Coot) present this morning. Canada Goose about 20, Wood Duck 8 (4 pairs), Gadwall 2 (m + f), American Wigeon 3 (m + 2f), Mallard about 15, Northern Shoveler 13, Green-winged Teal 8 (4 pairs), Canvasback 1 (m), Redhead 2 (m + f), Ring-necked Duck 35, Lesser Scaup 7 (6 m + 1f), Bufflehead 4 (1m + 3 f), Common Goldeneye 1 (f), Hooded Merganser 1 (m), American Coot 10. In addition, Red-winged Blackbirds 8 (plus a migratory flock of about 50) are setting up territory. Three AMERICAN PIPITS (3) put on a show by the observation platform. There was aflock of about 100 Common Grackles feeding along New Haven Road. I stopped at the Lost Bridge area, east of Elizabethtown, Ohio, before crossing the Whitewater River in the extreme southwest corner of Ohio. Andy Bess, who I met at the wetland, told me that there may be Greater Scaup present in the flooded field. There were indeed Greater Scaup 3 (2 m + 1f) and Lesser Scaup 2 (m +f) for good comparison. The Greater Scaup had a larger bill and larger nail on the end than the Lesser Scaup. Lesser Scaup head shape rises rather steeply in a smooth curve to a peak in back. Greater Scaup has a bump on the forehead followed by a flatter portion and rounded in the back, which gives the head a more rounded rather than peaked in back look. There were 30 Ring-billed Gulls roosting to the west of the flooded area, and Canada Geese at too great a distance to pick out the Cackling Goose reported at this location. Then I stopped at Caesar Creek SP to check on ice conditions. The lake is mostly still frozen with open water along the beach and near the Youth Pond. There were Canada Geese 44, Green-winged Teal 2 (m +f), one scaup that looked like a Greater Scaup in a brief look before it flew off, Common Goldeneye 10 (3 m + 7 f) and American Coot 66. There were a few Ring-billed Gulls. I checked the Nature Center right by the Pioneer Village, but did not find anything of note, except a Barred Owl calling in the middle of the afternoon. At the Visitor Center by the dam, there was a lot of activity at the feeder, notably three Fox Sparrows under the feeder. Next I stopped at the Roxanna gravel pit on the north side of the New Burlington Roxanna Road. There was a hole in the ice that has increased since last weekend that was filled with waterfowl. Canada Goose 20, Gadwall 40 (mostly pairs), American Black Duck 5, Mallard 2, Canvasback 2 (both m), Redhead 22 (mostly pairs), Ring-necked Duck 400 (yes, I counted 250 and estimated the rest!). At Spring Valley at the end of the boardwalk, there is now open water, which held Canada Goose 6, Mute Swan 2, Gadwall 14 (pairs), Mallard 1, Canvasback 2 (m +f), Ring-necked Duck 17. My last stop of the day was Melvin Quarry northeast of Wilmington off Rt 22. I left there between 5:30 and 6:00 pm. TUNDRA SWAN 3, Gadwall 2 (m +f), American Wigeon 2 (m + f), Mallard 4 (pairs), Green-winged Teal 1 (m), Redhead 22 (only 2 f), Ring-necked Duck 17. I looked for longspurs and snow buntings along Starbuck, Gallimore, Sabina and Melvin Roads but found only Horned Larks. At the end of the day, I had seen 19 species of waterfowl, including Mute Swan and American Coot. Quite a good waterfowl day in SW Ohio. Actually, in a 24 hour period, I saw 22 species of waterfowl, because I saw three Common Mergansers (1m +2F), several Ruddy Ducks and Pied-billed Grebe at Camp Dennison Satruday night between 5:30 and 6:00 pm. Jay Jay G. Lehman Cincinnati, Oh [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]