Today 11/15 I checked some spots not too far from home base.  At Berlin Res. were 21 tundra swans (18 overhead), common loon, red-shouldered & red-tailed hawks, 3 Am. kestrels, Am. coots, 100 Bonaparte's gulls, e. bluebirds, and cedar waxwings.  At Walborn Res. were a few pied-billed grebes and great blue herons.  Then I went up to L. Milton, just out of curiosity.  I stumbled upon some real nice mudflats/wetlands at the south end where Ellsworth Rd. crosses the reservoir.  Here I found Am. black ducks, green-winged teal, 4 killdeer, 14 dunlins, and some more Bonies.  There was also an osprey nesting platform (I believe).  More bluebirds were also in the area.  Then I wandered around Meander Res., finding black ducks, hooded mergansers, d-c cormorants, and a couple more great blue herons.  The scarcity of Canada geese and other waterfowl today was quite remarkable.  No goose/duck hunters were seen, so that had no effect on scattering birds as far as I could tell.  Only 1
 fishing boat too.  Berlin Res. must be down at least 15 feet, but not even a single killdeer was present.  Too bad it wasn't lowered during the primetime for shorebird migration (as usual).  Is there any way to petition the Army Corps of Engineers in this matter?  Even a modest drawdown would leave plenty of lake for boaters here.  And the fishing is better when the reservoir is lowered, as the fish are concentrated in the channels at the shallow end of the lake.  The waterfowl hunting should also be better with a timely drawdown, as the flats and shallow areas green up pretty quickly before it gets this cold outside.  There are almost always more waterbirds present at low-water periods, compared to a full-to-brimming reservoir with gravel/sandy edges.  This seems to be true just about everywhere in Ohio, from the western L. Erie marshes to any inland reservoir or diked wetland.  And the presence of more waterbirds generally means healthier habitats, doesn't it?  Excuse my
 ranting, but---when is Ohio (and the US in general) going to get out of the Dark Ages when it comes to wildlife management?  Why is tax money being spent on introducing trumpeter swans (still not proven as ever having bred in Ohio)?  Why are cormorants being shot from their nests---if it's to benefit our breeding herons, why are the shores of western L. Erie covered with rip-rap, which does not benefit herons, egrets, fish, amphibians, reptiles, or anything but zebra mussels and property owners/developers and other commercial interests?  Follow the money.......constructive ideas, anyone?  I realize this thread may not be "appropriate" for this listserve, but unless birders etc. start making themselves heard more in regards to conservation issues, birding (and quality of life in general) is likely to deteriorate even more.  Think Green, live more Green when possible.....Craig

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