Greetings all - 
I led a Cleveland Metroparks IGO shorebird workshop today, visiting Pipe Creek Wildlife Area, Willow Point Fish Hatchery, Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Metzger Marsh, the Ottawa-Magee Estuary Trail, and the mudflats at the Route 269/Bay View exit ramp. We had 75 species for the day, with 12 shorebird species and highlights of LITTLE BLUE HERON, CATTLE EGRET, and RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. 
Pipe Creek Wildlife Area has EXCELLENT mudflat habitat that produced Least, Semipalmated and Pectoral Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs and Killdeer. There were at least 8 Snowy Egrets present, 50 Great Egrets and a single immature LITTLE BLUE HERON present. Pipe Creek continues to have some of the best shorebird habitat available in NW Ohio right now. Two American Avocets were found here yesterday by Dave Clark. Two CATTLE EGRETS were wandering a short grass field across the street from the McDonald's on the Cedar Point entrance Road, just down the street from Pipe Creek. 
Willow Point Wildlife Area/Fish Hatchery up until today has been EXCELLENT for shorebirds but today we found the impoundments flooded with higher water and only two Lesser Yelllowlegs and Killdeer present. Same at Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area. These spots are, at the very present, not productive, sadly. 
Metzger Marsh has incredible wetland habitat but lacks close mudflats. It's loaded with herons and egrets including at least 12 Snowy Egrets and three Sandhill Cranes. Only a few Greater Yellowlegs, Killdeer and Spotted Sandpipers were found. The wetlands here could produce some incredible heron/egret/ibis rarities, however, if checked regularly. 
The Ottawa-Magee Estuary Trail (best entered from the extreme west end of Magee Marsh Wildlife Area) is AWESOME for shorebirds, with over 30+ Short-billed Dowitchers, a single LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER, at least 4 Stilt Sandpipers, nearly 50 Least Sandpipers and a few Semipalmated Sandpipers, a load of Killdeer, and nearly 60 Lesser Yellowlegs. A large tern flock resting on the estuary mudflats included both Forster's, Common and Caspian Terns and nearly 30 Bonaparte's Gulls. This flock should be checked regularly for rare terns (i.e. Arctic Tern). 
While it's tricky to view, there is an incredible mudflat lying on the northeast corner of the Rt 269/Bay View exit. Birders must CAREFULLY pull completely off the side of the road, mind traffic, and look to the east to view the mudflats. Over 150 Lesser Yellowlegs were present, as well as 60+ Least Sandpipers, 50+ Pectoral Sandpipers, at least 20 Stilt Sandpipers, and a single adult male RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. 
Best of birding - JB
Jen [log in to unmask]
Cleveland, Ohio
330-701-6452

Bird Illustrator / www.jenbrumfield.com

Birding Tour Guide (Ohio), Local Patch Birding / www.jenbrumfield.com
Birding Tour Guide (worldwide), Tropical Birding / www.tropicalbirding.com
Naturalist/Artist, Cleveland Metroparks / www.clemetparks.com
LEICA Birding Optics Prostaff / http://en.leica-camera.com/sport_optics/NorthNW Lake Erie blog / www.northnw.wordpress.com



                                          
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