Michael Packer and I found what was left of last month's torrential
rains has ended up in the reservoirs downstream. Buck Creek SP was as
high as I've seen it this time of year, with no mudflats at the north
end, and all we can say about the Lima reservoirs is that they are full
of water and ready for waterfowl.
        We found Troy Shively's reported gulls (including the Franklin's) and
shorebirds at Indian Lake, along with a couple of new stilt sandpipers,
and Troy himself. He saved us a trip to Lake St Marys by letting us know
how few birds were around at the fish hatchery there.
        Findlay Reservoir #1 produced some good birding, improbably as always.
This place looks so barren, sterile, and unavailing you'd think even
killdeers would scorn it, but walk--we recommend clockwise--around at
least a third of the dike. After about 400 yards we finally started
finding shorebirds. There is no real shore, just a forbidding jumble of
riprap steeply piled on either side, with mere wisps of greenery on
either side of the gravel path. But something, maybe just the wide-open
spaces, the clouds of midges, the free parking, brings them here each fall.
        We walked the ~2 mi around the impoundment, but found nearly all the
birds around its NW corner. Not large numbers, but very approachable,
with bright light from behind, all very fresh juvenal plumages, birds
that may very well not have encountered humans before. Besides
killdeers, six sanderlings, two spotted s-p, four least s-p, two
semipalmated s-p, two semipalmated plovers, and four heart-breaking
buff-breasted sandpipers.  The latter acted as if they were paired off,
but of course they were under-aged and just foolin around. In recent
years, this has been prime time for them at this spot.
        For a map of Findlay #1, see
http://www.dnr.ohio.gov/wildlife/Images/fishing/Lake%20Maps/pub237.gif
Township 240 is the first road crossing Rte 15 east of Findlay after Rte
37. You can see the cross-shaped entry on the dike wall to the north.
The Indian Lake spot is signed "Old Field Beach" about a mile north of
Lakeview on SR 235.
Bill Whan
Columbus

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