A 4 hour visit to the Hardin Co. wetlands this morning turned up 3 species of rails and 13 species of shorebirds. Water levels are down at least 2 feet due to our dry conditions, which has exposed many mudflats around the outer edge of the marsh. It also allows enterance into the cattails to get close up views of all three rail species. The list is as follows:

King Rail  1
Virginia Rail  1
Sora  30+

The King and Virginia Rail were side by side feeding no more than 15 feet from me! There were also 5 Soras in the area all visible at once. At least 25 other Soras were scattered throughout the marsh.

Shorebirds included:

Am. Golden Plover  1
Semipalmated Plover  1
Killdeer  55
Solitary Sandpiper  3
Greater Yellowlegs  5
Lesser Yellowlegs  22
Semipalmated Sandpiper  6
Least Sandpiper  19
Baird's Sandpiper  2
Pectoral Sandpiper  9
Stilt Sandpiper  1
Short Billed Dowitcher  6
Red Necked Phalarope  1

Last week 6 Caspian Terns and a imm. Yellow Headed Blackbird were here, the blackbird being new to the area.

Rick Counts
Wyandot Co.

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