Since some readers seem to have enjoyed a look at shorebird records of
the past, here are the reports that appeared on this list in the first
week of August, 2003--another year picked at random. Just for kicks, I
include the compiled reports for fall of 2003 from The Ohio Cardinal as
a supplement: it was not overall an especially extraordinary season
overall for shorebirds, but might be worth comparing with the current
one. Read, enjoy, and compare with what was going on last week.
Bill Whan
Columbus
AUGUST 1 2003:
Greetings from the Conneaut library!
I just came here from the "sandflats" area of the
harbor where there are decent numbers and a good
variety of shorebirds as of 10:00 AM. In a little over
an hour, I tallied 16 shorebird species with RED KNOT
(1, reported here for the last two days) and WHIMBREL
(1) as highlights. As I was walking into a
grassy/short-willow area looking for Black-bellied
Plover, found earlier this morning by Gary Meszaros, I
spotted the Whimbrel walking about and feeding. After
observing it for awhile, I walked back out of the area
as the bird continued to feed. The Black-bellied
Plovers (2)were found further to the West, nearer to
the breakwall. The Whimbrel was found just to the
South and a bit East of where 4 old tires are stacked
up with another leaning against them. These will be
found on your right, soon after entering the "flats"
area. I hope that this early post will enable some
others to make the long trip (for many of us) up here
for the Whimbrel; one of the more difficult shorebird
species to find in Ohio each year.
Good luck to all!
- Black-bellied Plover, 2
- Semipalmated Plover, 15
- Killdeer, 13
- Greater Yellowlegs, 2
- Lesser Yellowlegs, 12
- Spotted Sandpiper, 4
- WHIMBREL, 1 (see location in previous post)
- Ruddy Turnstone, 3
- RED KNOT, 1
- Sanderling, 6
- Semipalmated Sandpiper, 40
- Least Sandpiper, 25
- WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, 1
- Pectoral Sandpiper, 5
- Stilt Sandpiper, 32
- Short-billed Dowitcher, 16
More later,
Dan Sanders
AUGUST 1 2003
I went up to Cowan Lake to check out the spillway this morning. There
were some Canada geese, some ducks, a lot of swallows, a LOT of killdeer
(at least thirty, maybe more) and a scattering of sandpipers there.
Larry Gara showed up after I'd been there for a while, and identified
several of the sandpipers that had been giving me problems. All told,
there were about half a dozen each of Solitary, Spotted, and Pectoral
sandpipers, as well as perhaps 10-15 Least sandpipers.
Jon Woolf
AUGUST 1 2003
Seen at Conneaut, afternoon-early evening 1 August:
black-bellied plovers
semipalmated plovers
lesser yellowlegs
spotted sandpipers
ruddy turnstones
sanderlings
2 RED KNOTS
WHIMBREL
semipalmated sandpipers
least
sandpipers
WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER
pectoral sandpipers
27 STILT SANDPIPERS (1 an extremely early juv.)
short-billed dowitchers feeding
Roosting habitat for shorebirds is the best it's
been at this site for years, due to higher water level
of L. Erie. Despite disturbances from dogs, people on
foot, 4-wheel drive vehicles, boats, and the
above-mentioned falcon--the wind birds remained.
Where else can they go along the south shore of the
Lake?
Craig Holt
Lowellville
AUGUST 1 2003
I have a second hand report of 2 adult American Avocets seen at the Alum
Creek SP beach this afternoon (Aug.1). They were seen by a colleague of
mine who knows a fair amount about birds, certainly enough to know an
avocet when he sees one. They were apparently skittish and the beach was
crowded, but perhaps someone might want to have a look around that area
early tomorrow morning to see if they're still around
somewhere.
Bob Royse, Columbus
AUGUST 2 2003
I stopped by Conneaut Harbor this afternoon and it was excellent. Most
of the birds reported yesterday were still present. There was a small
amount of birds passing through in the 2 1/2 hours that I was there.
Most were peeps. The whimbrel and Wilson's phalaropes were on a small
sand spit with some Bonaparte's gulls and terns the entire time I was
there. Many of the birds approached fairly close giving excellent views.
- Black-bellied Plover, 5
- Semipalmated Plover, 15
- Killdeer, 12
- Lesser Yellowlegs, 1
- Spotted Sandpiper, 6
- WHIMBREL, 1
- Ruddy Turnstone, 3
- RED KNOT, 3
- Sanderling, 17
- Semipalmated Sandpiper, 35
- WESTERN SANDPIPER, 1
- Least Sandpiper, 14
- WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, 1
- Pectoral Sandpiper, 2
- Stilt Sandpiper, 3
- Short-billed Dowitcher, 14
- WILSON'S PHALAROPE, 2
John Pogacnik
AUGUST 3 2003
A couple friends and I birded at Big Island WA on Saturday morning. Here
is a list of the shorebirds we found. The numbers are really guesses
because the birds were scattered over the mudflats with a fair amount of
vegetation so we had to move around some to get looks at different areas.
5 Semipalmated Plover
10 Killdeer
5 Greater Yellowlegs
50 Lesser Yellowlegs
6 Solitary Sandpiper
2 Spotted Sandpiper
8 Semipalmated Sandpiper
8 Least Sandpiper
50 Pectoral Sandpiper
7 Stilt Sandpiper
3 Short-billed Sandpiper
Doug Overacker, Springfield
AUGUST 3 2003
Hi All,
John Pogacnik's complete report indicates how good Conneaut was on
Saturday,8/02/03. I can add two more species of shorebirds, Solitary
Sandpiper and BAIRD'S SANDPIPER to John's list, making 20 species for
Saturday. I was there from about 11:00 am until 3:00 pm. The sought
birds, Red Knot and Whimbrel, co-operated and were present. From when I
arrived, I just missed 2 WHIMBREL seen by a man and woman from PA.
These birds flew in and landed, but then flew off. However, at about
2:45 pm, another WHIMBREL flew over calling and then dropped in on the
sand/mud spit out near the jetty. It was still there when I left. I
met folks who said that there was one early morning fly-by WHIMBREL.
So, there could have been up to FOUR WHIMBREL at Conneaut yesterday,
given that these birds fly in stay awhile and then leave.
When I arrived, I scanned from the parking area the far side of the boat
channel leading out to the lake from the boat landing , and also found
one Solitary Sandpiper. This bird never appeared out on the sandy area
mentioned above. There was a partially hidden sand/mud bar with sparse
grass there. The birds were not always visible, but were working in and
out of the grass, and down along the waters edge, obscured by logs and
higher mud and sand humps. This is on the south or the parking lot side
of the north edge of the boat channel in the vicinity of a row of
jetty stones. Also, at about 2:00 pm, the woman from PA picked up a
BAIRD's SANDPIPER, which I also saw. However, this bird was out on the
sandy area, but did not stay very long. I looked for it until I left but
could not find it again. I think it was a quick drop in that left
quickly. Plan to stay a while. The birds move around and are coming and
going all the time. I missed the Wilson's Phalaropes and the
White-rumped Sandpiper. My maximum count of Short-billed Dowitchers
while I was there was 18.
Jay G. Lehman
Cincinnati, OH
AUGUST 3 2003
I realize my shorebird reports don't compare to Conneaut or Big Island,
but this is what I had this morning:
Semipalmated plover-5
Killdeer-25
Solitary sandpiper-9
Spotted sandpiper-1
Greater yellowlegs-1
Lesser yellowlegs-40
Short billed dowitcher-2
Stilt sandpiper-2
Wilsons phalarope-2
Least sandpiper-6
Semipalmated sandpiper-14
Pectoral sandpiper-9
This area is off of s.r.53 just north of u.s.23. Turn left onto th.42
where the airport sign is located. Most birds are seen at 10 to 15 yards
away.
Rick Counts
Upper Sandusky
AUGUST 3 2003
Add 2 American Avocets to the growing list of shorebirds spotted
today. The Whimbrel is still present at Conneaut; it was seen in the
grassy area to the right of the beach. No Phalarope, but the Red Knots,
Ruddy Turnstone and Willet were worth the drive alone.
Louise McDonald
Parma
AUGUST 3 2003
I didn't have to drive to Conneaut to see shorebirds today. At a dairy
farm north of Lodi, Ohio in Medina County, in a flooded pasture were: 6
Short-billed Dowitchers, 5 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Semipalmated Plovers, 1
Spotted and 1 Solitary Sandpiper, many Killdeers; and then they let the
cows out and I had to leave...I'm sure there was a Knot or a Stilt in
the flock, too.
Fred Dinkelbach
AUGUST 3 2003
Huge day at Conneaut--18 shorebird species,
highlights--Whimbrel, 25 Sanderlings, 33 Red Knots, 2
Willets, 2 Am. Avocets, Stilt SP, Long-billed
Dowitcher, Osprey, 3 tern species, second-year Little
Gull...Craig Holt, Lowellville
AUGUST 3 2003
Big Island WA: Onward to the mudflat at the middle impoundment along
LaRue-Prospect Rd. As has been recently reported, hundreds of shorebirds
were present, mostly far off in the distance. Variety seemed low and was
a far cry from what I probably would have found at Conneaut. I didn't
see the recently reported Wilson's Phalaropes, but they could have been
present. I didn't have much time to look around before a thunderstorm
started. Species I did see included:
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Robert Royse, Columbus
AUGUST 4 2003
I skipped out of work a early yesterday to take care of a minor car
problem, and as long as I was out of the office, I thought I might as
well trek up to Conneaut to see the great offerings there. Ran into
Sean Zadar there, who said he'd been there since 6:30 a.m. (it was by
this time about 5:30 p.m.) and no sign of the whimbrels. Variety was
down somewhat from Craig Holt's stellar report, but still very high
quality shorebirding, with species seen including:
Semipalmated sandpiper
Least sandpiper
Western sandpiper (candidate)
Sanderling
Pectoral sandpiper
RED KNOT (5 counted, probably more)
Short-billed dowitcher
Greater yellowlegs
Lesser yellowlegs
AMERICAN AVOCET (8)
Semipalmated plover
Black-bellied plover
Ruddy turnstone
Also, presumably the same LITTLE GULL as Craig reported was still
present, standing not fifteen yards from us with a handful of
Bonaparte's gulls - best view I've ever had of the species at rest.
Other birds that were in the area included the usual Forster's terns and
an osprey. No stilt sandpipers or willets were noted, and no whimbrels
were present at least up until 6 p.m. when I left.
Good birding.
Chris Spagnoli
Lakewood, Ohio
AUGUST 5 2003
Add a upland sandpiper to the list of migrants in Wyandot Co. Seen today
are as follows:
Ch.29
Killdeer-70
Solitary sandpiper-1
Lesser yellowlegs-6
Upland sandpiper-1
Short-billed dowitcher-4
Pectoral sandpiper-3
Least sandpiper-3
Semipalmated sandpiper-2
Th.42
Semipalmated plover-4
Killdeer-30
Solitary sandpiper-4
Spotted sandpiper-2
Greater yellowlegs-6
Lesser yellowlegs-24
Short-billed dowitcher-9
Stilt sandpiper-2
Pectoral sandpiper-5
Least sandpiper-46
Semipalmated sandpiper-12
Baird's sandpiper-1
Rick Counts
Upper Sandusky
August 5 2003
Hi all: Went to Funk after work tonight, me and thousands of mosquitoes.
Tonight's count was:
Killdeer 253
Semipalm Plover 1
Gr Yellowlegs 18
L Yellowlegs 128
Solitary SP 9
Least SP 17
Pectoral SP 97
Other birds of note: 1 Great Egret, 8 Sandhill Cranes, and 3 Caspian Terns.
Su Snyder, Wooster
August 5 2003
I have been to Pickerel Creek last Sunday, just after
the rain. The water level was higher than the previous week-end
and the shorebirds were less numerous.
Observed birds:
Least Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Killdeer
Lesser Yellowlegs (few)
Spotted Sandpiper
Semipalmated Plover (2)
Black-bellied Plover (1)
Solitary Sandpiper (1)
Sylvain Hupert
AUGUST 7 2003
I visited Big Island Wildlife Area with my wife today. It turned out to
be a good decision. We met and had the pleasure of birding with Ed and
Bev Neubauer. Among the species we found were - greater yellowlegs,
lesser yellowlegs, semipalmated plover, 100's of killdeer, semipalmated
sandpipers, least sandpipers, pectoral sandpipers, a stilt sandpiper,
short-billed dowitchers, Wilson's phalaropes.
Charlie Bombaci.
Ohio Cardinal, Fall 2003 27(1):8-11
Black-bellied Plover: At Conneaut, two ad were present 1 Aug (D.
Sanders), seven more in molt 21 Aug (R. Royse), and seven including a
juv 14 Sept (B. Coulter). High count 33 at the CCE 4 Oct. (Sanders).
Final sighting 15 Nov at CPNWR (E. Tramer).
American Golden-Plover: Unreported until 29 Aug, with three molting
adults at Conneaut (B. Royse), where the same observer noted a juv 8
Sept. High count 45 (3 juv) at Conneaut 15 Sept (C. Holt). Last reported
from the CCE 19 Oct (B. Master).
Semipalmated Plover: Numbers at Conneaut swelled to ~50 by 3 Sept (D.
Sanders), where 30+ juv remained the 14th (B. Coulter). Among very few
Nov records was one of two at Ottawa on the 2nd (ONWRC).
Killdeer: Beginning with 253 at Funk on 5 Aug (S. Snyder),
triple-figure counts were frequent during the first three months of the
period, ending with ~250 at Deer Ck Res 31 Oct (B. Royse); smaller
numbers persisted through the eop thereafter.
American Avocet: An excellent flight. Assuming turnover every four
days, at least 29 birds were seen. Inland records included two at Alum
Ck SP 1 Aug (fide B. Royse), one at BIWA 23 Aug (C. Bombaci), and three
at Van Wert Res 15 Sept (J. Perchalski). All the Lakefront reports came
from Ashtabula, whence the high count of 10 came 4 Aug (S. Zadar) at
Conneaut. Departed early, with one seen 5 Oct at Conneaut (C. Holt).
Greater Yellowlegs: Widely reported in suitable habitat statewide, with
a high count of 25 at Deer Ck Res 3 Nov (B. Royse). A very early juv
was at Conneaut 3 Aug (C. Holt). The latest report came from GLSM 23 Nov
(T. Shively).
Lesser Yellowlegs: Earliest juv at Conneaut 1 Aug (C. Holt). Massed
early, with 128 at Funk 5 Aug (S. Snyder) and 86 in Wyandot 7 Aug (R.
Counts). The 5 Oct ONWRC found 89. Passed through quickly, with the
latest reported in Wyandot 21 Oct (Counts).
Solitary Sandpiper: An unremarkable migration, except that it ended
rather early, with the last reported at North Chagrin Res’n 14 Sept (K.
Metcalf).
Willet: A poor showing, with two reports from Conneaut only: a bird on
3 Aug (L. McDonald) and an ad and a juv the same day (C. Holt).
Spotted Sandpiper: The high count was 28, by the 3 Aug ONWRC. Two Nov
reports: three by the ONWRC on the 2nd, and a very tardy bird at GLSM
the 15th (D. Dister).
Upland Sandpiper: Sparse as usual, with singletons 2 Aug at the
Springfield Airport (D. Overacker), in Wyandot 5 Aug (R. Counts), a juv
at Conneaut 8 Aug (J. Heflich), and two near Paulding Res 25 Aug (M&D
Dunakin).
Whimbrel: With no large flocks, but numerous reports on consecutive
days—-all but one of them at Conneaut—-numbers were difficult to
estimate, but at a minimum totaled 11, at a maximum 20. The high count
was three on 11 Aug (S. Zadar), the latest there rather early on 4 Sept
(B. Coulter). On the late but not unprecedented date of 13 Oct, kayakers
saw one at Whiskey Isl in Cleveland (P. Kiplinger & R. Stearns, ph fide
L. Rosche).
Hudsonian Godwit: Merely a trickle. One was seen on the 5 Oct ONWRC,
and another reported at the CCE on 19 Oct (J. Pogacnik).
Marbled Godwit: At Conneaut, probably the same juv bird 28 Aug (B.
Royse) through 3 Sept (D. Sanders, m obs) became two by 4 Sept (B.
Coulter). A molting adult was reported there 14 Sept (Coulter).
Ruddy Turnstone: Very skimpily reported, with repeated reports of three
birds at Conneaut 2 Aug (J. Pogacnik) through 21 Aug (P. Lozano), and
four on 3 Aug (C. Holt). Later a single bird was there on 15 Sept
(Holt). That was it.
Red Knot: The best fall flight in years for this beleaguered species.
Seventy-one birds reported, most from Conneaut, including an unusual
high count of 33 adults 3 Aug (C. Holt). A few were noted at ONWR,
including the season’s latest at the CCE on 20 Oct (B. Zwiebel), and at
Cedar Pt NWR two were seen 30 Aug, six 14 Sept, and six 28 Sept (all E.
Tramer). First juv 15 Sept at Conneaut (Holt). The sole inland knot was
found at the Shreve fish pond in Wayne 19 Oct (R&S Harlan).
Sanderling: Maintained a presence at Conneaut period-long, with a local
high count of 50+ on 2 Sept (L. Rosche), and the latest two reports:
seven on 5 Nov (C. Holt) and one 24 Nov (S. Marengo). The only inland
report came from Williams, with five birds on 16 Aug (J. Yochum). The
high count was 100+ on Pt Clinton beach 28 Oct (N. Bixler).
Semipalmated Sandpiper: No big numbers, with a high count of ~250 at
Conneaut 31 Aug (J. Lehman). Max of juveniles came with 30 on 15 Sept
there (C. Holt). Scarce in the NW, with a high of 69 on the 3 Aug Ottawa
census. Joining a handful of reliable Nov records was a group of three
carefully observed at the CCE for the ONWRC (C. Crofts) on the 2nd; Lou
Campbell published a report of one found near this spot on 19 Nov 1938.
Western Sandpiper: Conneaut birds were noted on 10 Aug (B. Whan), 19
Aug (J. Brumfield), and 28 Sept (J. Pogacnik). One was in Clark 24 Aug
(D. Overacker), one at Lorain 11 Oct (D. Sanders), and another at EHSP
19 Oct (Pogacnik).
Least Sandpiper: A diminished presence this season, it seemed. High
count at Conneaut was only 25 (1 Aug, D. Sanders), and for the state
only 37 (ONWRC of 5 Oct). The latest report was of a bird 5 Nov at
Conneaut (C. Holt).
White-rumped Sandpiper: About three dozen reported, with a high of
seven 20 Aug at Conneaut Hbr (P. Lozano). One procrastinated until 15
Nov at the CCE (J. Lesser).
Baird’s Sandpiper: The largest numbers occurred at Conneaut, including
three sightings of six birds: 19 Aug (J. Brumfield), 22 Aug (L. Rosche),
and 27-28 Aug (B. Royse). Nine birds were found at inland locations.
Final report 13 Oct at the Shreve fish pond in Wayne (S. Snyder).
Pectoral Sandpiper: With higher counts during late summer, August’s
largest report was of 97 at Funk on the 5th (S. Snyder). The high Sept
count was only ~50, at the CCE on the 28th (D. Overacker). The season’s
high count was 108 on 5 Oct (ONWRC). One lingered as late as 16 Nov at
the Hebron Fish Hatchery in Licking (C. Dusthimer).
Purple Sandpiper: First came one at an unexpected locale—-Pt Clinton
beach—-on 8 Nov (L. Hochstetler fide G. Links). The other reports came
from the NE: three at HBSP 18 Nov (S. Zadar), one at Conneaut and one at
Ashtabula 20 Nov (G. Meszaros), one at Walnut Beach 21 Nov (D. Linzell)
through 23 Nov (B. Wilkinson), and two at HBSP 25-26 Nov (Meszaros).
Dunlin: Early was one at Conneaut 7 Sept (B. Royse). The CCE, as usual,
boasted the big numbers: 1200+ by 22 Oct (D. Sanders), then ~5500 for
the 2 Nov ONWRC (a state record fall count). Willow Pt WA on Sandusky
Bay attracted 1050 on 31 Oct and 340 on 21 Nov (both V. Fazio). Berlin
Res in Stark hosted 144 on 13 Nov (B. Morrison).
Curlew Sandpiper: Documentation of a juvenile reported at Wright’s
Marsh in Wayne on 6 Sept has been promised to the OBRC.
Stilt Sandpiper: High count 32 on 1 Aug at Conneaut (D. Sanders), where
among a flock of 27 the following day a very early juvenile was noted
(C. Holt). Two adults there on 13 Aug were molting to basic (B. Royse).
Latest reported were two at Toussaint WA and five at the CCE, all on 4
Oct by Sanders.
Buff-breasted Sandpiper: All reports: PCWA 16 Aug (W. Jackson), 20 Aug
and 7 and 9 Sept Conneaut (all B. Royse), 14 Sept Conneaut (B. Coulter),
15 Sept Conneaut (C. Holt), 15 Sept Clinton (N. Smith), and, on the
Findlay Res dikes, two birds on 9 Sept, one on 16 Sept, and one on 30
Sept (all B. Hardesty).
Short-billed Dowitcher: Early were three inland at BCSP 2 Aug (D.
Overacker) and six near Lodi the next day (F. Dinkelbach). The first juv
noted was at Conneaut 9 Aug (J. Lehman). Most observations came from
Conneaut, where75+ mostly adults were present 13 Aug (B. Royse), then a
flock increasingly composed of juvenile birds until four or five
remained 14 Sept (B. Coulter). High count in the NW was only 56 adults
on the 3 Aug ONWRC. At a near-record late date was a juv 19 Oct in the
CCE (B. Master).
Long-billed Dowitcher: The first southbound migrants were an adult at
Conneaut 3 Aug (C. Holt) and two molting adults 16 Aug (B. Whan). More
molting and some mostly basic adults were in the CCE 7 Sept, where 24
basic birds were seen 5 Oct, then 238 basic birds on 2 Nov (all ONWRC).
B. Master reported 100+ basic birds in the CCE 19 Oct, where 12 remained
as late as 11 Nov (Whan).
Wilson’s Snipe: Good numbers in Oct’s last week, when on the 24th S.
Snyder had 64 in Wayne and S. Corbo 45 at Gilmore Ponds, while L. Rosche
encountered 30+ at Lk Rockwell in Portage the 26th. One was at Gilmore
as late as 23 Nov (M. Busam).
American Woodcock: Nov reports included one in Franklin the 6th (J.
Watts), one at BCSP the 16th (D. Overacker), and one in NW Coshocton the
22nd (L.E. Yoder).
Wilson’s Phalarope: Two juv. continuing at BIWA were seen as late as 7
Aug (C. Bombaci). J. Pogacnik found two birds at Conneaut 2 Aug, and R.
Counts another pair in Wyandot the following day. At Conneaut, a juv was
found 10 Aug (B. Whan), one 21 Aug (P. Lozano), one 23 Aug (B. Jones),
and another 4 Sept (B. Coulter). J. Yochum had the high count of three,
in Williams 16 Aug. Bombaci reported one from BIWA 23 Aug, and S.
Houpert another from PCWA 25 Aug.
Red-necked Phalarope: Juveniles were reported from Conneaut 11 Aug (S.
Zadar), from PCWA 21 Aug (B. Bowman), and Butler (S. Reeves 30 Aug, J.
Brown 31 Aug). A bird was reported from PCWA 31 Aug (S. Houpert). J.
Pogacnik saw two flybys off Lake on 19 Sept.
Red Phalarope: At least seven birds, beginning with one at Walnut Beach
1 Oct (K. Miller)-5 Oct (J. Pogacnik). D. Sanders discovered one at
Conneaut 2 Oct, which may have been that later found there 5 Oct by C.
Holt, 6 Oct by S. Butcher, and 7 Oct by B. Royse. On 15 Oct, Sanders had
another at Huron, and K. Metcalf two off HBSP. Pogacnik reported another
at EHSP 19 Oct.
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