Today  I was able to get out checking on activity at the north end of 
Hoover Reservoir.  I figured that the rain over the past several days had 
improved the condition of  the emerging mudflats. The mudflats had indeed become 
more attractive to the  shorebirds and a small but diverse population was 
scattered on the  mudflats. 
The  first stop was in Galena. The mudflats at Dustin Road were completely 
dry and  growing grasses but yielding no shorebirds. The best to be found 
there were the  Cliff Swallows gathering en masse on the mud at the water’s 
edge, looking like  butterflies as they gathered mud for home repairs to their 
nests under the Old  3C Highway bridge. 
The  rain brought the water closer to the boardwalk in Area M. Walking to 
the end was  productive yielding a lone Semipalmated Plover, many Killdeer, 
and smaller  numbers of Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs; Solitary, Spotted, 
Semipalmated,  Least, Pectoral and Stilt Sandpipers. I did see what might have 
been a  Short-billed Dowitcher further out but the lighting prevented looking 
directly  at it. An adult and juvenile Osprey were on platform #2. 
Double-crested  Cormorants were perched on snags close to Wiese Road. 
Next  I visited Old Sunbury Road. The City of Columbus (yeah guys!) has 
cleared the  fallen trees at the south entrance to the road. However, further 
north there are  still trees down across the road making it into an obstacle 
course. The mudflats  here are best accessed by parking near (but not 
blocking) the gate near the  Eastshore Yacht Club. Follow the old road north past 
the old stage coach  building and take the mowed path on the left to the 
water’s edge. The first  little cove is muddy so step lightly across the 
entrance to the little cove and  then turn right and follow the shore. Shorebirds 
were present in better numbers  along the east shore beginning with the area 
between the small island and the  shoreline, then continuing north to the 
Pelican island area. Shorebirds included  many, many Killdeer, Greater & 
Lesser Yellowlegs; Solitary, Spotted,  Semipalmated, Least, Pectoral and Stilt 
Sandpipers and a few Short-billed  Dowitchers. The shallows and water edge 
had over 40 Great Blue herons and about  20 Great Egrets. A sandbar near 
Pelican Island had about 24 Caspian Terns lined  up next to Ring-billed Gulls and 
2 Herring Gulls. There were a few Blue-winged  Teal scattered about. 
As  I was walking back to the car I heard chickadees calling and for 
whatever reason  I phished to call them in as they are neat sociable birds. They 
came in close  and along with them came my surprise of the day, a male Black 
and White Warbler.  A birder’s version of dessert. 
My  last count was of nest boxes needing to be replaced because of damage 
from the  recent storm. Sometimes I think Mother Nature takes target practice 
using the  nest boxes. 
Charlie  Bombaci 
Hoover Nature  Preserve 

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.

You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]