February 24, 2011 Today at our farm on Flint Ridge we feature common grackles as the new arrival. There is a flock of approximately 80 birds squawking about, flying from the agricultural field across the road and making incursions to our yard to feed on sunflower seed. When they took flight from the field a moment ago (11:50 AM) I noticed three red-winged blackbirds flashing amidst the flock, but they are almost entirely grackles. I have not seen any rusty blackbirds among them, and I did look. Other "arrival" notes: During a trip to my local bank on Tuesday (2/22) I saw a lone killdeer swooping over Route 40 just east of here, near West Muskingum High School. I haven't seen nor heard any on the farm yet, but I expect them soon. There are still significant patches of a snow/ice mix on the fields here. Last night at dusk Jane and I walked to the top of the hill. I heard no woodcocks. They have been oddly scarce the past few years, but I will keep my ears open. Bob Evans Geologist, etc. Hopewell Township, Muskingum County ______________________________________________________________________ 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]