In the migrant traps along the Lake Erie shore in n.w. Ohio (Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, etc.), the floodgates of migration have not opened yet. Following some unseasonably warm weather in early April, things have slowed down, and the stage of migration now seems about average or even just a little late. Last spring, in 2009, April 24 was the first really big day for arrival of neotropical migrants. Good numbers and variety of warblers, vireos, and other migrants, including a few Scarlet Tanagers and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, were seen at the Magee boardwalk and elsewhere in the area. Based on what's around right now, and on weather predictions for the next few days, that won't be repeated on the same date this year. Migrants in the woods at Magee are dominated now by Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Hermit Thrushes, and others of the moderately-early bunch. There are Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warblers present, but not in huge numbers yet, and a few Pine Warblers, and some Rusty Blackbirds and Winter Wrens are still in the woods. But with winds only light out of the east right now, with no major air flow from the south and with scattered showers this weekend, the next big rush of spring migrants probably won't arrive until after this weekend. The weather forecasts going forward are uncertain enough that I don't want to make strong predictions, but purely on the basis of the current ten-day forecast, the first really big day for lots of warblers might turn out to be Thursday April 29 or Friday April 30. But I'll be watching the weather forecasts closely and will probably revise that thought closer to the time. In the meantime, anyone coming to Magee should look at the habitat along the causeway on the way out to the beach and boardwalk. Especially in the area west of the causeway, the water is low, exposing some good shorebird flats. I had American Golden-Plover and Pectoral Sandpiper there on 4/22, Dunlin and Short-billed Dowitcher on 4/15, both yellowlegs on both dates. Also of interest: with mudflats immediately adjacent to marsh, Soras are unusually visible. I saw three Soras in a few minutes of scanning on 4/22, all poking along on the mud at the edge of the dense marsh growth. As a reminder, the birding pages of Black Swamp Bird Observatory have a lot of free information for anyone coming to this region: maps of birding sites, frequent updates on sightings, info on local accommodations, etc., all accessible through http://www.bsbobird.org/birding/ Kenn Kaufman Oak Harbor, Ohio ______________________________________________________________________ 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]