Greetings all - 
Twenty species of shorebirds today between Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and Lorain impoundment were highlighted by (8) American Avocets, (6) Willets, (2) juvenile Western Sandpipers, (1) White-rumped Sandpiper, and (1) juvenile Wilson's Phalarope at Lorain impoundment, plus a single American Golden-Plover and Baird's Sandpiper at Ottawa. My email won't allow me to make a numbered vertical list, so here's the breakdown: OTTAWA: (2) Long-billed Dowitchers, (15) Short-billed Dowitchers, (20) Semipalmated Plovers, (1) American Golden-Plover, (1) Greater Yellowlegs, (45) Lesser Yellowlegs, (1) Stilt Sandpiper, (40) Semipalmated Sandpipers, (20) Least Sandpipers, (15) Pectoral Sandpipers, (1) Baird's Sandpiper, (1) Solitary Sandpiper. LORAIN: (8) American Avocets, (10) Semipalmated Plovers, (6) Willets, (20) Lesser Yellowlegs, (2) Stilt Sandpipers, (6) Willets, (3) Short-billed Dowitchers, (3) Pectoral Sandpipers, (35) Semipalmated Sandpipers, (2) Western Sandpipers, (25) Least Sandpipers, (2) Dunlin, (1) Wilson's Phalarope, (10) Spotted Sandpipers. Loads of Killdeer at each site. Additional highlights included single Black-crowned Night-Herons at each site, upwards of 8 Common Gallinules (Common Moorhen, preferably) at Ottawa and 2 at Lorain, 6 Northern Shovelers, two Ruddy Ducks and 5 Blue-winged Teal at Lorain, and over 250+ Bonaparte's Gulls (in flocks of 25 to 30) that passed Lorain impoundment in the early morning hours, headed west. Several Common (10) and Caspian (15) Terns were flybys at Lorain as well, and a light passerine movement at Lorain included several hundred blackbirds (including 3 Bobolinks), a few Yellow Warblers, Cedar Waxwings, and a Baltimore Oriole. 
Fantastic photos of the avocets, willets, and Western Sandpipers were taken at Lorain today. The avocets were gone by mid-morning, and the Willets dropped in around 4:00 p.m., and were still present at 5:30 p.m., as were the Westerns. 
It should be mentioned that Lorain, even as a dredge spoil site, beats Ottawa in sheer quality of mudflats.

best of birding-
JB 
Jen Brumfield 
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Cleveland, Ohio
330-701-6452


                                          
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