I visited several areas around Marion yesterday, and the recent cool weather made many of these open sites interesting. I stopped at Mation Quarry Park, the Tallgrass Trail, and the main pools of Big Island Wildlife Area. Despite the overcast, drizzly weather, there were lots of birds out, with the highlights including: Little Blue Herons - an eye-popping 6 have accumulated at Big Island, all in the lily-covered west pool along LaRue-Prospect Rd. They're all white juveniles, so you'll need to look at their size, behavior, and leg color to distinguish them from the many Great Egrets ComGallinule - at least one was working the lilies in that same pond as the Little Blues Pied-billed Grebes - had them at several spots Bald Eagles - 2-3 were at both the Tallgrass Trail and at Big Island shorebirds - water levels too high here, so only found Killdeer Red-headed Woodpeckers - at both Marion Quarry Park and the Tallgrass Trail Willow Flycatcher - still 1 along the Tallgrass Trail, where they're common in summer Purple Martins - a few everywhere, but Big Island had 15+ Other Swallows - Barns & Rough-wings at many spots, while Big ISland also had Tree & Bank Red-br.Nuthatch - not seen here, but found 1 at the Delaware Dam on the way up ______________________________________________________________________ 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]