Even the expected snow & cold tomorrow won’t slow the first waves of migrants already on the move. Our winter residents – and those of the Cumberland Plateau – are already moving north, including some raptors, Horned Larks, Lapland Longspurs, Red-br.Nuthatches, several Sparrow species, and lots of finches. We’re also seeing the first glimpses of more southern migrants, as well as a few Neotropical migrants. Waterfowl are already moving as well, and some species, like Tundra Swans & diving ducks, are already going through our area.

Snow Goose – large flocks in SW Indiana & far western Kentucky; few extralimitals further east

Ross’s Geese – remnants. 1 was in north Lexington KY 2-21&22. Another was in Vanderburgh Bottoms W of Evanston IN 2-17, while 3 were at Kankakee FWA in NW Indiana 2-19

GreaterWhite-frontedGeese – still some in SW Indiana and western Kentucky. Extralimitals included 1 at Fairfield Beach at Buckeye Lake OH 2-20, 6 at Big Island WA W of Marion OH 2-20, and another at Mill Creek WTP south of Morgantown WV 2-22

Tundra Swans – mostly gone, with lots of records from northern IL and southern MI

Eurasian Wigeon – 1 was a showoff at Mogadore Reservoir E of Akron OH 2-16 thru 20

Surf Scoter – 1 was off Oxbow Island in Hoover Reservoir, N of Columbus OH 2-19

Black Scoter – 1 was reported NE of Paducah KY 2-22

Horned Grebe – uptick as they start migration. 15 were off Kentucky Lake Dam in W KY, while singles wee further east at Lake Monroe IN 2-22, Bicentennial Nature area in W.Lafayette IN 2-23, and Alum Creek St.Park OH 2-19

Sandhill Cranes – far fewer flocks, as most move further north & west. Lots of reports of 1s and 2s in our area now.

White Pelicans – lots of flocks around western OH and northern IN now; even more reports from IL

Lesser Yellowlegs – hard to think of them as here in winter, but birds were reported from Patoka River NWR in southern IN 2-18, and near Ballard WMA in far western KY 2-22

Least Sandpipers – 2-3 were at Slough WMA in KY 2-19 thru 22

Lesser Black-backed Gulls – a few stragglers, including birds at Acton Lake (NW of Cincinnati OH) 2-19, at Eagle Creek lake in Indianapolis IN 2-23, and 2 at Lake Kentucky Dam in W KY 2-23

Rough-legged Hawks – The Greater Miami mitigation area west of Dayton OH still had 1 thru 2-18 & 19. Killdeer Plains in central OH still had them 2-17, and NW Indiana had them in prairie areas: Kankakee FWA 2-19 and Tefft Savannah 2-20

Osprey – yet more early birds were S of Hartville OH 2-18 and at McDougal Lake (W of Elizabethtown) KY 2-19

Golden Eagles – Wally Rd (NE of Mt. Vernon OH) still had 1 on 2-18, while others were at Brookville Lake IN 2-19 and Kankakee FWA IN 2-21. That they may also be starting to move is evidenced by 3 at the Tussey Mountain hawkwatch in central PA 2-21

Barn Owl – the Pickerington Ponds (near Columbus OH) bird was seen again from 2-19 thru 23

E.Wood Pewee – early birds reported near Dayton OH 2-20 and Fairmont WV 2-23; this parallels a spate of early records in eastern PA.

Warbling Vireo – very early, found in a yard W of Medina OH 2-19

N.Shrike – a stakeout continues at the Jaite Mill area of Cuyahoga Nat’l Park N of Akron OH thru 2-20; another was at Killbuck Lakes park S of Lodi OH 2-18

Fish Crows – becoming more regular, a flock continues to patrol N. Akron OH thru 2-20. Further west, 1 was at Eagle Creek Lake in Indianapolis IN 2-23, while others were in the lower Ohio River Valley near Metropolis IL 2-19&20 and Slough WA KY 2-20

Ravens – strays at Scioto Bottoms (Portsmouth OH) 2-19 and near Athens OH the same day. Another was at Grayson Lake E of Morehead KY 2-21

Red-br.Nuthatch – lots of records as these birds start to move back north; listen & watch for them

Brown-headed Nuthatch – 2 of these elusive mites were around the London District Office of the Forest Service in Laurel KY 2-21

Tree Swallows – yet more early birds, with recent records from Furfield Park N of Cincinnati 2-19, Dick Rd wetlands of Deer Creek WA OH 2-20, Cowan Lake S of Wilmington OH 2-22, and Pickerington Ponds near Columbus OH 2-23. Look for them at any wetland now.

Winter Wrens – lots of reports from the northern parts of IN, OH, & PA as these birds start to head north

Gray Catbirds – many records in OH, PA, though some are from locations where they have been much of the winter (Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis, Kiwanis Park in Columbus, Holmes County OH)

Brown Thrashers – the OSU wetlands bird in Columbus OH was still being found thru 2-21, but other new records were scattered over OH & IN

Townsend’s Solitaire – nearest is 1 in the MacReady Reserve S of Jackson MI 2-20 thru 23

Purple Finches – lots of records in OH & IN as these birds start migration north

Red Crossbill – most records are north of us now (northern IL, southern MI) but isolated records came from Metropolis IL (far S) 2-19 and near Bristow IN (far S) 2-19&20

Pine Siskins – still reports coming in from Latodomi Nature Center N of Pittsburgh thru 2-18. Elsewhere 1 was in Cincinnati OH 2-19, while many were from the Geauga highlands east of Cleveland OH.

Tree Sparrows – lots of records in our area of small flocks as they gather and migrate north

Fox Sparrows – rise in sightings in northern OH, southern MI, western PA, most likely migrants

Lincoln’s Sparrow – 1 was near Sangchris Lake SW of Decatur IL 2-19

Harris Sparrow – none in our area, but the stakeout bird at Garden Prairie W of Chicago reappeared thru 2-20

Great-tailed Grackle – the stake-out bird at Monee IL, S of Chicago, was still being seen thru 2-19

Western Meadowlark – the stakeout singing bird near Lyon IN just E of Goose Pond FWA was still being relocated thru 2-21

Orange-crowned Warbler – the bird at Walnut Woods (S of Columbus OH) was still visiting a suet feeder thru 2-19. The bird in Eagle Slough Preserve along the Ohio River in Evansville IN was still there 2-21.

Cape May Warbler – the bird visiting a feeder in N Zanesville OH was still there 2-18, while the stakeout bird coming to a feeder in Lawrence PA (SW of Pittsburgh) was seen 2-19.

Palm Warbler – 1 was in W.Lafayette IN 2-20

Pine Warbler – the Greenlawn Cemetery (Columbus OH) bird was last reported 2-18