The end of October and beginning of November are times of change and an opportunity to get out and witness the changing of seasons for oneself. The Neotropical migrants (represented by most of our warblers, vireos, and thrushes) are giving way to the short-distance migrants (those wintering in the continental U.S.). White-throated Sparrow, junco, kinglets, Song Sparrow, Myrtle Warbler, and Hermit Thrush are dominating the Lake Erie Marsh Region and shoreline habitats. Waterfowl are becoming the king as shorebird numbers decline in number and diversity. Ottawa NWR and Magee Marsh SWA are good places to pick up the remnant songbirds and welcome the larger more hardy ducks. Still there are stragglers to look for. Today we had a Common Gallinule at Metzger Marsh; he won't be happy come the end of the week with snow possibly in the forecast. Visit the BSBO Bander's Blog for the changing of the songbird guard http://bsbobirdbander.blogspot.com/ and see the results of the intensive migration study of BSBO and peaks of your favorites at http://www.bsbo.org/passerine/fall_passerine_migration_monitoring.htm If you really love birding and want to be part of the solution then make time to support the future. Make the effort to show the next generation that they do have a role and attend the Ohio Young Birders Conference in Columbus at the Audubon Grange Center on 5 November. See the write up at http://www.bsbobird.org/ If you can't make the conference, then join the movement. It's time we all pay forward. Mark Shieldcastle Research Director Black Swamp Bird Observatory 13551 W SR 2 Oak Harbor, Ohio 43449 419-898-4070 <http://www.bsbobird.org/> www.bsbobird.org <http://www.ohioyoungbirders.org/> www.ohioyoungbirders.org <http://www.biggestweekinamericanbirding.com/> www.biggestweekinamericanbirding.com Become a fan of BSBO & Ohio Young Birders Club on facebook at: <http://www.facebook.com/bsbobird> www.facebook.com/bsbobird www.facebook.com/ohioyoungbirders Follow BSBO on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bsbobird ______________________________________________________________________ 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]