Greetings all - 
Tomorrow's (Monday) forecast looks potentially good for a movement of birds along the lakefront. NW winds at 10-15 mph are predicted, with a slight chance of passing thunderstorms. Lorain's success as a shorebird/passerine stop-over point excels quite plainly because it sits directly on the lakefront and holds continuously good mudflats/marsh. 

Yesterday's rains actually raised the water level quite significantly, which allows for a refreshing of new mudflat to occur throughout the month/Fall. The two best locations directly on the OH lakefront, to seek shorebirds, are Lorain impoundment and Conneaut Harbor. You can expect SIGNIFICANT turn-over. Some birds drop in for a mere 30 seconds, while others are fly-bys, and still, others that stay for an afternoon or two or more days. One "phenomenon" we're seeing at Lorain is the arrival of a good diversity of shorebirds after the 1:00 p.m. hour. The Lorain Piping Plovers, Marbled Godwit, and many of the Willets (including the flock of 15) all arrived after 1 p.m. Another case in point: yesterday, four Stilt Sandpipers were at Lorain in the early a.m. By noon there were five, and by 5 p.m. there were 7. 

At both of these important bird areas (as they SHOULD be officially deemed), it would benefit your success to stay for a period of time to watch, even during slow points. Drop-ins (and drop-outs!) occur throughout the day. If you arrive at Conneaut early in the morning to find only a handful of birds, it would be wise to linger for a few hours, if you have the time) and to be on the lookout for birds passing through or dropping down to the flats for a quick feed/rest. 

The majority of our shorebirds are headed EAST along the lakefront. Days with W, WNW, NW, or N winds are best for movements. Days with LIGHT southwest winds are ok (but not as ideal), as these sleek but power-packed birds are more than capable of riding winds. 
Yesterday's Marbled Godwit at Lorain was not present today. A classic example of a bird dropping in in the late afternoon and leaving by late evening or at dawn the next day. 
We were VERY, VERY fortunate to be able to appreciate the Piping Plover "pair" for as long as we did...
best of birding - JB



Jen Brumfield 
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Cleveland, Ohio
330-701-6452

                                          
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