Greetings---These sightings are from 9/22...started at Howland Twp. Park (Trumbull Co.) this morning, finding:  Cooper's hawk, hairy woodpecker, red-breasted nuthatch, e. bluebirds, black-throated green warbler, c. yellowthroat, rose-breasted grosbeak.  Then on towards Sandusky.  Had a pileated woodpecker over I-480 in N. Olmsted (Cuyahoga Co.).  The Huron River flats at Rte. 2 had ~15 great egrets, but nothing else of note.  Much of the flats is now growing willow trees and other vegetation, so between that and the long distance from River Rd. (east side of the river) this site is not really worth a stop for shorebirding now.  If you could get out there in a boat/canoe/ kayak, that would be a different story I think.  The shallow backwaters on the south side of the bridge had too much water for shorebirds.  The east side of the Cedar Point chaussee still has excellent shorebird habitat, producing:  2 black-bellied plovers, killdeers, 4 semipalmated plovers, 10 greater
 yellowlegs, 75 lesser yellowlegs, RED KNOT, 25 semipalmated sandpipers, 10 least sandpipers, WESTERN SANDPIPER, 40 pectoral sandpipers, 30 stilt sandpipers, short-billed dowitcher, and 7 RED-NECKED PHALAROPES.  The phalaropes were all together, and a ways out there towards Sheldon Marsh.  Cudos to Nancy Anderson for spotting them with her scope.  Most of the waterfowl were again west of the chaussee.  There were (at least) hundreds of puddle ducks and geese, but most were WAY out there.  Viewing them might be possible from the eastern edge of Pipe Creek WA, if it isn't closed for hunting.  Anyways, when ducks got up and flew I could pick out some--they included n. pintail, blue-winged teal, and numerous green-winged teal.  Also in the area were ~30 great egrets, green herons, cormorants, bald eagle, 4 Caspian terns, purple martin, tree swallows, and a few barn swallows.  No unusual gulls were found.  On the way home I stopped at West Branch SP in Portage Co.  Nice mudflats
 there, but only a few sandpipers--semipalms, leasts, and pectorals.  There were also decent mudflats at the north end of L. Rockwell.  I didn't stop to take a good look there, but I suppose there are snipe to be found plus other stuff.  Capping the day in Mahoning Co. were an Am. kestrel back on wintering grounds in Coitsville Twp., and a red-breasted nuthatch in Poland Twp.  I forgot to mention last Tuesday that I went by Berlin Res.  The water level is still up, no shorebird habitat there.   Over and out, Craig Holt

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