The previous message was very brief, because it was sent from my Droid, and it took a while to be delivered.  I found a Purple Sandpiper between 3:00 and 3:30 pm at the North Boat Ramp accessible from the entry road off Route 73.  This boat ramp is the one north of the beach.  To get to the north boat ramp, go straight to the boat ramp instead of turning right to the beach.  I was scanning the lake from the area to the west of the two boat ramps, behind the hill, where the old toilet used to be, trying to find a place out the wind and looking for better views of the Long-tailed Ducks (LTDU), still present, and one Red-necked Grebe (RNGR).  I found the Long-tailed Ducks at great distance from Harveysburg Road, verified at 60X in scope, after arriving at about 2:00 pm.  I arrived late, to try to, unsuccessfully I might add, avoid the duck hunters in the blind at the end of Harveysburg Road.  I continued scanning from Harveysburg seeking the previously reported Red-necked Grebes, and found one about half way across the lake with about 10 Horned Grebes.  The wind was fierce from Harveysburg, and I avoided the end of the road due to the presence of duck hunters in the blind.  Consequently, I moved to the North Boat Ramp, where it appeared that the wind would be at my back, and the distance to the LTDU and the RNGR would be shorter, and no nearby duck hunters.  I scanned the lake from the North Boat Ramp from the western edge of the two boat ramps.  I did not re-find the LTDU or the RNGR.  However, as I stopped scanning to look at some nearby Bonaparte's Gulls, a dark sandpiper appeared and circled into the rocks on the south side of the two boat ramps.  The sandpiper was quite gray, with a dark throat and upper breast, and showed a thin strip of white on the upper wing through apparently the primaries and secondaries.  I was stunned, because my first impression was a Purple Sandpiper, but this is unheard of in southwestern Ohio!!  I carefully walked east past the two boat ramps and down to the lake edge on the snow covered grassy areas before the abrupt drop-off to the rocks along the shore to investigate further.  I was convinced that I saw the color wrong, and that it was really a winter plumage Dunlin, which should be more brownish colored.  The sandpiper flushed briefly, and gave its brief and short call note, returning to the rocks right next to the southern most boat ramp.   I was able to view the head through binoculars and see the orange base to the de-curved bill, the all gray head and face, with the thin white eye ring, and the distinctly shaped spots along the side.  It rely was a Purple Sandpiper!!  WOW!!  I retreated to my van to get my camera.  I was able to obtain three reasonably good documentation photos, which I will post later, to the Ohio Birding Forum.  The bird cooperated by stepping up on top of the rocks in full view.  After a series of photos, it flew again, circling out and to the east and then south, but appeared to circle back to the rocks along the lake edge, somewhere between where I was standing and the overflow parking lot for the boat ramp or the parking lot for the small sail boat launching area.  The overflow parking area is along the entry road to the North Boat Ramp area on the right as you get close to the boat ramps.  I suspect that it stayed close to the north end of the boat ramp area.  Then I returned to my van, and called Rick Asamoto first and then John Habig, hoping to share this phenomenal find with another local birder, if they were close by.  This was at about 3:30 pm, and the heavy snow was starting with visibility decreasing by the second.  Hopefully, the bird will stay in the area.  Rick was returning from Columbus and will check tomorrow to try to get this bird during the Caesar Creek SP CBC Count Week.  John was returning from birding at another location.  I sent the previous note to Ohio Birds, as soon as John and I talked.  Then I headed south to Cincinnati, through increasingly treacherous driving conditions.
Jay

Jay G. Lehman
Cincinnati, OH
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