Inspired by Andy Avram's shorebird finds on LaDue yesterday (9/2) I took the kayak out on the lower west end of LaDue Reservoir heading west from the Rt. 44 launch.  
Like Andy, I opted for canine companionship over spotting scope.  With the lower water level, there was lots of good mudflats on the north shore and again on the west end where the lower water and mud made paddling too daunting.

My tally came up at about 20+ killdeer, 8 semi-palmated plovers, 6 least sandpipers (my lab H-bomb Eddie was fascinated with their scampering across the mud), 12+ semi-palmated sandpipers, 6 lesser yellowlegs, 12+ solitary sandpipers, 3 pectoral sandpipers, 2 spotted sandpipers, 1 kingfisher, 1 db cormorant, and 1 great blue heron repeatedly lunging/grabbing and dropping a bullhead. Guess it wanted to make sure it was dead before swallowing it with those wicked dorsal and pectoral fin spines.  No osprey, darn it.  

Cruising Valley Road afterward at about 1:30 pm found the reservoir and extensive exposed gravelbars well populated with anglers, although on one spit there was a couple dozen ring-billed gulls and 2 Caspian terns.  Didn't see any black terns like Andy and Matt Valencic did yesterday, but happy for you guys.

Dan Best
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