On Sunday, August 21, after doing the auto-tour at Ottawa NWR late on Saturday and early Sunday and after a quick stop at Lorain to see the Hudsonian Godwit and one Western Sandpiper, I stopped at shorebird spots on the way home by an "around-the-way" trip.  I first stopped at Pipe Creek, where there is no shorebird habitat.  Then I stopped at Belleview.

The areas on Riddle Road north and south of the railroad tracks are dry.  There were a few very tiny puddles in which there were 2 Killdeer and 2 Semipalmated Plovers north of the RR tracks on Riddle.

Then I stopped on Twp Rd 80 south of the Seneca-Sandusky County Line Road. This county line road can be accessed from Rt 269 south out of Belleview.  This is the location of the Black-necked Stilts several years ago.  There is a sizeable pond/wet area east of this road.  I found

Pectoral Sandpiper                    36
Least Sandpiper                        20
Lesser Yellowlegs                     10
Semipalmated Sandpipers         8
Spotted Sandpipers                  2
Killdeer                                     25
Semipalmated Plovers               3

There are also a lot of ducks at this location.

Next I continued south on Twp Rd 80 to the next intersection which is County Rd 34.  Turn right/west and go about 0.5 mile.  On the north side of Co. Rd 34 is an extensive wet area with many ducks and lots of shorebirds.  I arrived at about 7:30 pm and the sun was behind the woods to the west, so the light was not good.  Some birds are very distant here in a back/north wet area the greatest distance from the road.   You need a scope, and have to pick birds out from between the corn stalks.  I could have missed a number of birds in the wet area to the far north from the road.  I found

Pectoral Sandpiper                    60
Least Sandpiper                        20
Lesser Yellowlegs                     40
Greater Yellowlegs                      2
Stilt Sandpiper                            4
Semipalmated Sandpipers         10
Killdeer                                     50

I checked the previously wet areas east of Fireside on Twp Rd 178.  After leaving the wet area on Co Rd 34, I returned east to the intersection of Twp Rd 80 and Co Rd 34.  I turned right/south on this one-lane road which intersects at a "T" with Twp Rd 178, just west of Fireside.  All the areas east of Fireside were dry.

The two wet areas with shorebirds need to be monitored.  They look good for potential rarities over the next month or so.

I got home very late last night, and did not have time to post until now.
Jay

Jay G. Lehman
Cincinnati, OH
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