A number of people were interested in an earlier similar post, so I
pasted together another last week of July, this time in 2002, from this
list which highlights shorebird sightings. Once again, the year was
picked randomly from the archives. I should say our red-necked stint
didn't pass muster with the Records Committee.
        If nothing else, this shows newbies that we aren't kidding when we say
shorebirds used to be more numerous, and will remind us of shorebirders
who have moved on to far-flung shores, as well as those who still number
among the faithful. There were 24 shorebird species reported during this
single late-summer week. The only bird that was off-schedule was the
alt-plumaged dunlin, but for years earlier this decade one was regularly
found months early in or near Ottawa.
Bill Whan
Columbus
p.s.

24 July 2002 Cowan Lake Larry Gara:
7 Killdeer
3 Lesser Yellowlegs
2 Spotted Sandpiper
1 Semipalmated Sandpiper
5 Least Sandpiper
9 Pectoral Sandpiper

        24 July Paulding Sewage Lagoons Doug & Micki Dunakin:
Prompted by reports of an American Avocet yesterday (which I could not
locate today), I ventured over to the lagoon around 8:00 a.m. and
discovered several hundred shorebirds, among which were good numbers of
Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Pectorals, and Killdeer. Lesser numbers
of Semipalmated, Least and Solitary Sandpipers were also present. There
were also three Stilt Sandpipers and a few Short-billed Dowitchers.
These birds were widely scattered among weeds, and I couldn't begin to
estimate numbers accurately, but I should say somewhere between five
hundred and a thousand birds were present.

        25 July  Lakefront  Joe Hildreth
Maumee Bay S.P.
killdeer
spotted sandpiper
12 sanderlings
least sandpiper

Ottawa NWR:only drove in the entance road
short billed dowitcher
least sandpiper
semipalmated sandpiper
pectoral sandpiper
killdeer
yellowlegs

Medusa Marsh (along Barrett Rd.)
spotted sandpiper
yellowlegs
least sandpiper
pectoral sandpiper

Pipe Creek W.A.:good habitat along the dike that bisects the larger loop
        viewing isn't best since you must look through weeds and reeds
75-90 short-billed dowitchers
many yellowlegs greater? or  lesser?
least sandpipers
pectoral sandpipers
stilt sandpiper
killdeer

Pickerel Creek W.A.
Perhaps the best habitat around at the time; definitely worth a check
Park at the observation deck follow the dike straight out towards the
bay about 1/2 the way out the habitat becomes excellent
many dowitchers
too many yellowlegs (at times they were deafening)
semipalmated sandpiper
least sandpiper
solitary sandpiper
spotted sanpiper
pectoral sandpiper
killdeer

Ottawa NWR  around 3-6 P.M.
birds in general on the entrance rd. were gone; found some habitat along
the dike just south of where it says shorebirds on the map supplied by
the refuge
yellowlegs
many dowitchers
least sandpiper
semipalmated sandpiper
4 Baird's sandpipers
pectoral sandpiper
semipalmated plover

however the bird of the day wouldnt be found on a mudflat
walking the furthest north dike along the estuary perched up on a stick
associating with mallards: Marbled Godwit

        Killdeer Plains 25 July, Zac Baker
Maumee Bay S.P.
Stopped here first thing this morning around 7:30 spent approx an hour
lookin over the beaches

killdeer
spotted sandpiper
12 sanderlings
least sandpiper
common tern
forsters tern

Ottawa NWR
only drove in the entrance road

10 snowy egrets
short billed dowitcher
least sandpiper
semipalmated sandpiper
pectoral sandpiper
killdeer
yellowlegs
great egrets
great blue herons

Medusa Marsh (along Barrett Rd.)

spotted sandpiper
yellowlegs
least sandpiper
pectoral sandpiper

Pipe Creek W.A.

good habitat along the dike that bisects the larger loop
viewing isn't best since you must look through the weeds and reeds

75-90 short-billed dowitchers
many yellowlegs greater? or  lesser?
least sandpipers
pectoral sandpipers
stilt sandpiper
killdeer
12 or so black crowned night herons

Pickerel Creek W.A.
Perhaps the best habitat around at the time
definitely worth a check
Park at the observation deck follow the dike straight out towards the bay
about 1/2 the way out the habitat becomes excellent

many dowitchers
too many yellowlegs (at times they were deafening)
semipalmated sandpiper
least sandpiper
solitary sandpiper
spotted sanpiper
pectoral sandpiper
killdeer
Large black water snake

Ottawa NWR  around 3-6 P.M.

birds in general on the entrance rd. were gone
found some habitat along the dike just south of where it says shorebirds
on the map supplied by the refuge

yellowlegs
many dowitchers
least sandpiper
semipalmated sandpiper
4 Baird's sandpipers
pectoral sandpiper
semipalmated plover

however the bird of the day wouldn't be found on a mudflat
walking the furthest north dike along the estuary perched up on a stick
associating with mallards

Marbled Godwit

        Cowan Lake 26 July 2002 Ed Roush
1 Lesser Yellowlegs
1 Greater Yellowlegs
6 Least Sandpiper
6 Pectoral Sandpiper
1 Spotted Sandpiper
2 Solitary Sandpiper
        Cowan 27 July Roush
4 Pectoral Sandpiper
1 Spotted Sandpiper
4 Lesser Yellowlegs
1 Greater Yellowlegs
1 Soiltary Sandpiper
1 Stilt Sandpiper



        Northern Ohio 25-6 July  Greg Miller
Ottawa NWR - entrance still has good assortment of
shorebirds including Stilt Sandpiper; estuary is still
high but had surprising number of shorebirds (200+) on
edges including one WILSON'S PHALAROPE; estuary looking better,
but had fewer shorebirds (still around 200)
Medusa - NW corner has a tiny bit of habitat, but
produced a fair assortment of shorebirds, including
Stilt Sandpipers
Pipe Creek - far NW impoundment, though high yet,
produced a small amount of birds, but a good variety
including Stilt Sandpipers.
Farnsworth Metropark (Maumee River Rapids SW of
Toledo) - good vantage point to view 200-300
shorebirds including several Stilt Sandpipers and an
early Western Sandpiper
Paulding Sewage Lagoons - North lagoon still being
dredged (sloppy and stinky)...but...the shorebirds
like this; several hundred shorebirds (mostly
yellowlegs and pectoral sandpipers) with a few
breeding plumaged stilt sandpipers mixed in; did not
refind the avocet

        NW Ohio 28 July Joe Sedransk
As expected the shorebird population was quite small
at Ottawa NWR and at Medusa Marsh on 27 July.
At Ottawa I saw a total of about 60 shorebirds, most
concentrated in the mudflats adjacent to the entry road.
I walked to the farthest corner, but my return trip was
hasty due to an oncoming thunderstorm. On the northernmost
east-west dike there is a pool with a small mudflat on the south
side and a limited mudflat on the north side (near the westernmost
end). On the entry road there were least, semipalmated, solitary(2) and
pectoral  sandpipers, greater and lesser yellowlegs, killdeer and
semipalmated plovers, all in small
numbers. Adjacent to the pool noted above there was a breeding
plumaged dunlin and spotted sandpiper. The only different shorebird
species on the other mudflat was short billed dowitcher.
There is still only the one 'mudflat' at Medusa Marsh which held
about 25 shorebirds including two stilt sandpipers.

        NW Ohio 28 July John Yochum
Fulton
County's Turnpike/66 Wetlands (numbers have been high but the recent
rain reduced them considerably recently-- did my best, but rounded most
since accurate numbers just aren't possible):  75 Pectoral Sandpipers,
only 30 Killdeer, 30 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 20 Lesser Yellowlegs, 12
Wood Ducks, 10 Least Sandpipers, 9 Greater Yellowlegs, 8 Mallards, 7
Great Egret, 3 Great Blue Heron, 3 Semipalmated Plovers, only 2 Solitary
Sandpipers, only 2 Spotted Sandpipers, 2 Stilt Sandpipers
Paulding County's Commissioner's Pond too, but not a chance!  A flock of
a hundred were in the air when I arrived.  Shocked to find the reason:
a very dark PEREGRINE FALCON, somewhat like the juvenile Peale's
pictured in Sibley's,  was strafing everything in the pond.  The Great
Blue Herons and the Canada Geese actually left the area (except for the
broken-winged Canada), but the sandpipers would fly up in groups of a
hundred or so, circle back, and evidently hide along the edges and in
the grass, as it was very hard to find any birds at all on the ground.
He disappeared for a bit into the shrubs and trees of the creek behind
the sewage lagoon, reappeared, chased the sandpipers a bit more, and
then disappeared again, this time over the Commissioner's Woods next to
the Sewage Lagoons.  I never saw him catch anything.
Paulding County's Sewage Lagoons. The rain and cooler
weather had dramatically reduced numbers there too, but there were still
plenty of Pectorals/Semipalmated/Least/Spotted/Solitary Sandpipers,
Killdeer, and Lesser Yellowlegs. I could only come up with a single
Greater Yellowlegs and a single ShortBilled Dowitcher, however, and
almost left without Stilt Sandpiper when sharp-eyed Marisa caught sight
of three against the very back shore.

        Killdeer Plains 29 July Joe Hammond
1 Greater Yellowlegs, Pond 6
12 Lesser Yellowlegs, Pond 6
1 Solitary Sandpiper, Pond 6
1 Spotted Sandpiper, Pond 6
20 Semipalmated Sandpipers, Pond 6
15 Least Sandpipers, Pond 6
6 Pectoral Sandpipers, Pond 6
1 Stilt Sandpiper, Pond 6
1 Short-billed Dowitcher, Pond 6

        Pickerel Creek, etc. 29 July Vic Fazio
The Chaussee - lovely wetland - emphasis on wet; no mud, no shorebirds

Pipe Creek Wildlife Area - water up; virtually no mud, virtually no
shorebirds
     3 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Spotted Sandpiper

Medusa Marsh - water up; some mud, some shorebirds
     2 Greater Yellowlegs, 6 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers,
     9 Short-billed Dowitchers, 1 Stilt Sandpiper, 6 Semipalmated
Sandpipers,
     1 Semipalmated Plover, 4 Killdeer

Port Clinton beach - no beach, no shorebirds (but all terns & Bonies)

Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area - tried the long walk back to the ghost
town -    site of decent shorebirding last year at this time. Virtually
no mud,     virtually no shorebirds
     - what the heck better checkout the observation tower lest I later
hear      there was a Black-bellied Whistling Duck sitting right in
front of it.     Well seems the impoundment has been drawn down - seems
there's      a bit of mud. From the tower looked like may be 50 Killdeer
and 50     sandpipers on the foreground mud, with may be another 50
shorebirds     in the distance - I could not have been more wrong.

     From the observer tower off Rt. 6 take the dike straight out (N). It
shortly makes a bend to the left - after 100 yards heads N again -
along this section of dike is extensive mudflat of varying water levels
- mostly peep shallows with some dowitcher wading depth. The adjacent
impoundment (west side of dike) is just right for yellowlegs.

 >From 3:00 - 5:00 pm I had the following birds in this section. About
300 of the sandpipers could be studied comfortably from within 25 yards
as the birds quickly became accustomed to me after some initial
lift-offs. The dike is thickly border in vegetation (much prickly
thistle) offering cover with some strategically place camera portals
(many birds within 25 ft). I could have spent another hour sorting
through everything but ultimately was chased off by the ink black cloud
throwing off sparks in the direction of Fremont.

Killdeer - 57
Semipalmated Plover - 4
Black-bellied Plover - 1 (flew over calling but continued on)
Greater Yellowlegs - 14
Lesser Yellowlegs - 109 (74 in the west impoundment)
Solitary Sandpiper - 4
Pectoral Sandpiper - 33 (my first juvenile of the season)
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 615 (a personal best for Ohio)
Least Sandpiper - 38
White-rumped Sandpiper - 9  (ALL adults - 80-90% into basic - look for
distinct chevrons retained from alternate - bright white
                               superciliums - obvious bulk next to Semi-ps)
Short-billed Dowitcher - 103 (all adults - 70% alternate, 20%
transitional,10% basic)
Long-billed Dowitcher - 3 (adult alternate - farthest north edge of
impoundment)
Stilt Sandpiper - 92 (ALL adults - 80% alternate, 20% transition to basic)
Spotted Sandpiper - 1

        Pickerel Creek 30 July Vic Fazio
Ahh but for that cloud - seems I was at least one
species short on my Pickerel Creek list.
Since last Thursday there has been an adult female
Ruff (AKA reeve) within the very same impoundment
I described in yesterday's post. Craig Holt discovered
the bird last Thursday and had it there again last
night - apparently right up against the northernmost
end of the impoundment (which I only had started
to scope out when things got nasty)

        Conneaut 30 July Joe Sedransk
Killdeer(about 12), semipalmated plover(2), spotted
sandpiper(2), semipalmated sandpiper(about 6),
least sandpiper(about 12), sanderling(about 5) and
singles of pectoral sandpiper, short billed dowitcher,
greater yellowlegs and ruddy turnstone.

        Hoover Reservoir 30 July, Rob Thorn
16 Kildeer, 7 Pectoral Spr, 3
Least Spr, 2 Semipalmated Spr, 4 Lesser Yellowlegs, 5 Solitary Spr, 6
Spotted Spr, and one out-of-place snipe.

        Pickerel Creek 31 July --Greg Miller, Bill Whan, Troy Shively
Troy Shively, Bill Whan, and Greg Miller
who report a breeding plumaged adult RED-NECKED STINT and the previously
reported female RUFF at Pickerel Creek WA in Sandusky County (Wednesday
7/31/02). The reeve was with a large number of yellowlegs, stilt
sandpipers, etc.

        Pickerel Creek 31 July Jen Brumfield
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Ruddy Turnstone
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Wilson's Phalarope

        Pipe Creek 7/31 2002 Gabe Leidy
After picking up the Reeve at Pickerel Creek yesterday
evening, Sean Zadar and I had an adult Red-necked
Phalarope at Pipe Creek.  Other Pipe Creek shorebirds:
Killdeer  1
Lesser Yellowlegs  4
Short-billed Dowitcher  27
Spotted Sandpiper  1
Medusa Marsh had yellowlegs, stilts, and semipalm
sandpipers,

______________________________________________________________________

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]