I checked these two reservoirs in recent days looking for storm-blown waterbirds.  On Sunday, a trip up the Scioto to O'Shaughnessy dam and above produced some big flocks of robins, but surprisingly few waterbirds.  The reservoir just above the dam had the most interesting stuff, with 9 Pied-billed grebes and 6 Ring-necked Ducks, as well as the usual flock of Ring-billed Gulls. A few Bonaparte's Gulls were further up the reservoir. Twin Lakes was about as low as I've ever seen it, but all those mudflats had only a few great Blue Herons and 10 Kildeer.

This morning Alum Lake was windblown and cold, with a streaks of fog blowing off the cooling lake surface.  The lower lake was almost devoid of birds, save for a trio of Common Loons off the Lewis Center access.  The park beach had only a handful of Kildeer and 40+ Ring-billed Gulls.  Further up at Cheshire bridge there were 6 Lesser Scaup, 5 Coots, and a cormorant, as well as a fluttering flock of 20+ Bonaparte's Gulls above the bridge.  Water level at Alum was extraordinarily low, but this is very recent, as it was not nearly so low a week ago.  It's hydraulically connected to Hoover, so Columbus Water may be pumping out of Alum and into Hoover.

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.

You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]