A gang of us spent yesterday birding along the lakefront. The old
Coliseum site in Summit Co was a pleasant stop; when we ran into local
guru Gabe Leidy there, he confirmed that dry weather had apparently
failed to recreate habitat for the rarer sparrows we sought.  Gordon
Park and Dike 14 were alive with migrants. The newsworthy event was our
visit to the Lorain impoundment, about which I haven't heard a whisper
for quite a while.
        This once-legendary birding spot succumbed nine years ago to the fate
of all the old impoundment venues: crammed to the max with toxic spoil
and since blanketed with phragmites, its great wet basin--which once
hosted giant gull and tern roosts and shorebird hordes in
migration--vanished. We found it much changed. Few of the willows
remain, especilly on the nearshore side. Many acres of phragmites have
been bulldozed, however temorarily, and several large diked impoundments
sculpted out of the spoil. We found a lot of sparrows by walking along
some roads bulldozed through the vegetation. There are still a couple of
decent patches of smartweed, and some small spots with cattails and
standing water. Many white-crowned and white-throated sparrows, song,
Lincoln's, savannah, swamp, and a few Nelson's. Some yellow-billed
cuckoos. A couple of sedge wrens. The willow patch on the north side was
silent, but it was late in the day.
        Does anyone know what's going on at Lorain? The basin was never much of
a spot for waterfowl, but these deep steep-walled impoundments seem
designed for them. How will phragmites be controlled, and will native
vegetation be encouraged? We saw quite a few locals just out for a walk
in the heat along the muddy dikes. Certainly decisions have been made
that'll make this a place for birds and folks who like to take a walk in
the outdoors. I sure hope the planners will take account of the basin's
natural history as they proceed.
Bill Whan
Columbus

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