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July 2008

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From:
Kenn Kaufman <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Kenn Kaufman <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 4 Jul 2008 21:49:12 -0400
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We had been out of town (DC and then Utah) and had missed the beginning of
the excitement about the Black-necked Stilts in Seneca Co., but today I went
by to take a look.  As others have reported, there does appear to be a
nesting attempt in progress.  Going south on TR 80 from the Sandusky-Seneca
county line, the large adventive wetland to the east of the road is obvious;
if you stop about halfway along the pond and look east across it, there's a
long, low hill that appears to be planted to soybeans or some similar crop.
Near the top of this rise there's a flat whitish rock, and a Black-necked
Stilt is sitting tight on the ground just to the south of that rock.  It
would be very easy to miss if you weren't specifically looking for it, and
without a telescope it would be just a little black and white patch on the
ground.  While I was watching this afternoon (July 4), an eagle flew over,
flushing all the Killdeers and Lesser Yellowlegs (and a second stilt) from
the pond that's even farther east beyond the hill, but the stilt on the
ground sat tight without moving.  This would be typical behavior of an
incubating bird and it would be hard to explain that behavior any other way.

There's a certain amount of traffic on TR 80 so it's courteous to pull as
far off the road as you can.  While I was stopped there today, a local man
stopped to ask if I was looking at the Black-necked Stilts!  He had already
talked to other birders, he said.  He seemed genuinely interested in having
such a rare bird around.

Black-necked Stilts in some other areas (Arizona, south Texas, lower
Mississippi Valley) have proven to be quite adaptable and quick to take
advantage of new or temporary habitat for nesting, and overall the species
is doing well in North America.  Especially if the Seneca County birds are
successful in nesting, we might hope to see more of these birds showing up
in future years.

Incidentally, kudos to the Cullens for first turning us on to the potential
of the wetlands in this area.

Kenn Kaufman
Rocky Ridge, Ohio

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