Yesterday Ken and I went blueberry picking adjacent to Killbuck Wildlife
Area in Wayne County.  Of course, the bonus was a little birding time in
Killbuck!

The surprise (and learning) for me was to see a number of shorebirds (4
least, 2 solitary and 2 spotted sandpipers) feeding on the dense algal mat
visible from Clark Road.  In addition there were a number of red-winged
blackbirds feeding on the mat, too.  I believe they were finding insect
prey.

We'd enjoyed our morning birdwalk at Chipppewa Park (Medina County), too,
finding a number of bobolinks that had bred there, but that had not been
showing themselves since the area had been hayed.  I don't know if they left
the area or used the areas of longer grass to molt, no longer territorial.
I saw only one male in breeding (alternate) plumage--all the others we saw
were in basic plumage.

Birds were flocking--large flocks of red-winged blackbirds, especially, but
song and chipping sparrows were flocked, too.  For some, nesting season is
over--such a short time we have some of these migrants.

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