This afternoon my son Jack Stenger and I found an immature Least Tern on Acton Lake at Hueston Woods State Park, which is located in southwestern Preble County (Ohio Atlas page 64, D-2). The bird is in primarily juvenile plumage but is beginning to molt into its 1st year plumage. We saw the bird at the extreme north end of the lake as we were standing between the marina and the boat ramp on the northeast shore. It was very active when we first saw it and we watched it fly and actively forage around the entire area for about 20 minutes before it finally took a break and came to rest in the company of Ring-billed Gulls about 100 yards from shore, directly out from the marina. The lake level is pretty low and the birds look like they're standing in about an inch of water at this spot. More likely there is a dredge pipe just below the surface that the birds are using as a mid-lake perch. At that point we got excellent scope views. In spite of its small size, or maybe because of it, the bird is pretty easy to pick out when it is cruising around. We made some local hotline calls and Dave and Jill Russell arrived not to long after and were also able to see the bird. The bird was still present when we left at about 3:00 pm. 

 

Only a few shorebirds were present on the mud flats at the north end and included many Killdeer, a Greater Yellowlegs, a few Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Spotted Sandpipers, 3 Least Sandpipers and 11 Pectoral Sandpipers. Six Great Egrets were also present. 

 

We also had good birding at Brookville Lake, which is located in Indiana about 10 miles west of Hueston Woods and just across the state line. At the very north end of that lake, along Treaty Line Rd., we found a Snowy Egret, 2 Baird's Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, Spotted, Solitary, Semipalmated, Least, Pectoral and Stilt Sandpipers, Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs and Short-billed Dowitchers in pretty good numbers. 

 

Jay Stenger

Cincinnati, Ohio

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