On a day only fit for waterfowl, I visited spots in and around this wetland complex southeast of Columbus. I stopped at Ellis Pond and Wood Duck picnic area, as well as nearby Portman Park and Winchester lake. Many of the deeper ponds - Ellis Pond, GreenwingTeal Pond, Winchester lake - are still frozen, but shallower areas are starting to open up. The vast majority of waterfowl this morning were geese and mallards, leading me to think that many of our other waterfowl headed south during the deep freeze of the past month. But there were some interesting holdovers, including: N.Pintail - 2 males were with a big Mallard flock at Mallard Marsh, north of Wood Duck picnic area Black Ducks - small numbers with the mallard flocks in many places Lesser Scaup - 2 were at Mallard Marsh in Pick Ponds Bald Eagle - an adult was sitting around GreenwingTeal Pond at Pick Ponds N.Harrier - 1 male was soaring over the fields north of the Wood Duck picnic area Red-shouldered hawk - 1 was flying and calling near Ellis Pond Landbirds were about what you might expect, with good #s of woodpeckers, parids, and jays, plus the added spice of a Mockingbird at Ellis Pond. Sparrows continue to be unusually scarce. Pick Ponds did have a few Tree Sparrows, 3-4 White-crowns, and some Song Sparrows, but little else. ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]