The rains had come earlier in the day: not a gentle shower, but a hard rain from dark and cloudy skies. Fortunately, it takes more than a little rain — or even a lot of rain — to stop a Columbus Audubon field trip! By the time that seven of us gathered at Green Lawn at 1:00 pm, the rain had stopped even though a heavy cloud cover remained.
We started at the famous “pit” near the center of Green Lawn. Although it has been dry since late in the summer, this area has vegetation that attracts birds, and the feeders that Columbus Audubon maintains beside the pit pull in our avian friends all winter. Not that the birds were desperate today: although things still were soggy, temperatures remained unseasonably warm, reaching nearly 60 degrees in the late afternoon. No matter; the birds were out in full force. In addition to the usual Ohio winter residents, such as Carolina Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and American Goldfinches, some more northern species showed, including Pine Siskins and Red-breasted Nuthatches. Could crossbills and redpolls be far behind?
We headed for the bridge, a spot with good habitat that has produced nice sightings in past winters. Perhaps the earlier rain dampened bird spirits, as the only birds in sight (or sound) were a few calling Blue Jays. No Merlins, no crossbills, no…well, you get the idea.
By 3:00 pm the action at the pit was starting to slow down, so we took to cars and looped through several additional areas. Still no luck, so we headed out, happy with what we saw and even happier that we avoided the rain!