Winter hasn’t quite done with us yet; it’s snowing while I type this, and we’re expecting a cold Saturday. Still, the temperature is not as low as back in January, and most of the bigger rivers & reservoirs should remain mostly open. This should make for some good waterfowling this weekend. It also bears repeating that checking feeders during these late winter snowfalls is often very rewarding, what with the first waves of temperate migrants (Kinglets, Sparrows, finches) starting to filter through.

Snow Goose – few in our region outside of far western Kentucky; lots of reports in N & W Illinois hint at an early migration

Ross’s Geese – hardly any reports. 1 was Yellow Creek StPark PA 2-10 and nearby Timber Lake 2-14

GreaterWhite-frontedGeese – little outside of the expected flocks in SW Indiana and western Kentucky; 1 was at Howard Marsh MetroPark on Lake Erie E of Toledo OH 2-16

Cackling Geese – most seem to have evaporated, possibly moving out as Canada flocks start to pair off

Tundra Swans – the early flocks of last week seem to have moved north & west; our only flocks were in Fagan Branch Lake (S of Harrodsburg KY) 2-12, and west of Champaign IL 2-11 thru 13

Surf Scoter – 2 were at Pine Lake (S of Youngstown OH) 2-11

Long-tailed Duck – 1 was around Brookville Lake IN 2-11 thru 14

Horned Grebe – 1 was at the Buckeye Lake spillway (S of Newark OH) 2-16; 3 were off Kentucky Dam Beach in western KY 2-13

Red-necked Grebes – none in our area, but several on the Michigan side of Lake Michigan, including an eye-popping 6 at Sleeping Bear Dunes 2-11

Sandhill Cranes – many records scattered across northern Ohio & northern Illinois

Whooping Cranes – the elusive duo at Kaskaskia Island in SW Illinois was still around thru 2-11

White Pelicans – some big flocks starting to show up, with 70 at Indian Lake (N of Bellefontaine OH) 2-11, 50-100 at Lake Salamonie IN (E of Wabash) 2-11 thru 13, 50+ at Lake Charleston IL (near Indiana line), as well as the expected flocks in the western basin of Lake Erie

Lesser Black-backed Gulls – none in our area away from the Great Lakes; multiple reports in Michigan speak to a northward movement

Rough-legged Hawks – The Greater Miami mitigation area west of Dayton OH had them from 2-11 thru 16, while the bird at the OSU Airport/Livestock fields in Columbus was thru 2-11. They were also in traditional places: 1 was still around Killdeer Plains in north-central OH 2-14, while another was at Jasper-Pulaski FWA in NW IN 2-11

Osprey – more early birds were near Newark OH 2-14 and W of Urbana OH 2-14

Golden Eagles – Wally Rd (NE of Mt. Vernon OH) continues to host birds thru 2-11. 1 was found at Jasper-Pulaski FWA in NW IN 2-11. Another was in the remote Glade highlands on northern West Virginia 2-04, while birds were seen in several spots near Clearfield PA 2-04&05

N.Shrikes – the bird at Battelle Darby wetlands W of Columbus OH was still being found thru 2-14, while the bird at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Somerset PA was last seen 2-11. Another was east of Bloomington IL 2-11&12

Ravens – surprisingly, most recent reports are from lake Erie, although 3 were seen E of Morehead KY 2-11

Red-br.Nuthatch – likely an early migrant was a bird near Mt.St.Joseph in Cincinnati OH 2-12

Tree Swallow – more early birds, with singles at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis 2-10, Patoka River NWR in southern IN 2-15, and on the Legacy Trail in Lexington KY 2-16

Barn Swallow – 1 was at the Robt Byrd Dam on the Ohio River, S of Gallipolis Ferry WV 2-16

Winter Wrens – lots of reports from northern OH and PA as these birds start to head north.

Townsend’s Solitaire – the bird at Ogden Dunes Pinery by Indiana Dunes was seen on 2-11

Gray Catbirds – still multiple records in OH & PA; scarcer further west.

Brown Thrashers – the OSU wetlands bird in Columbus OH was still being found thru 2-11.

Purple Finches – lots of records in OH, as befits this early ‘migrant’

Red Crossbill – the birds at Waterloo State Forest (W of Athens OH) were still there thru 2-12. Indiana had scattered birds: at Pigeon River FWA E of Elkhart) 2-11 and Twin Lakes Trail in far southern IN 2-12. Even southern IL had some near Elizabethtown 2-11

Pine Siskins – still reports coming in of birds at feeders in spots in western PA, with the Latodomi Nature Center N of Pittsburgh hosting several birds 2-14. Elsewhere, 1 was in Cincinnati OH 2-16, while several others were along the Lake Erie shore

Vesper Sparrow – another early one was in far W Kentucky near Hickman 2-11

Fox Sparrows – fewer sightings in our area, and an uptick in reports from MI as birds move north

LeConte’s Sparrow – 1 was still at Goose Pond FWA SW of Bloomington IN 2-11

Brewer’s Blackbird – 2 were NW of Wolcottville IN 2-11

Great-tailed Grackle – the stake-out bird at Monee IL, S of Chicago, was still being seen thru 2-16

Western Meadowlark – the stakeout singing bird near Lyon IN just E of Goose Pond FWA was still being relocated thru 2-15

Orange-crowned Warbler – the bird at Walnut Woods (S of Columbus OH) was still visiting a suet feeder thru 2-14. The bird in Eagle Slough Preserve along the Ohio River in Evansville IN was last reported 2-11.

Cape May Warblers – the bird visiting a feeder in N Zanesville OH was still there 2-16, while the stakeout bird coming to a feeder in Lawrence PA (SW of Pittsburgh) was last seen 2-11.

Palm Warblers – the on-again-off-again bird at Wright Marsh in the Killbuck WA near Wooster OH was seen 2-11; another was far S of Owensboro KY 2-16