Several weeks ago I was contacted via e-mail, by the editor, Martha Sorohan of "The Courier", Conneaut's home town weekly newspaper, to write a story about the birds, the people that visit "The Sandspit", as I call it, and how special a place it is. By the time the paper came out on Thursday, August 7th, my words had been edited to where some of the facts presented were less than accurate, but at least the story got out. Her front page title addressed the Bald Eagles and how special the place is. My front page photo was of five American Avocets sharing the scene with a sailboarder, back dropped by The Conneaut Lighthouse. As any birding visitor to Conneaut knows, you see more than birds. Some of the past non birding encounters were described, including the Piping Plover football team incident, and The Port Authority tractor with the rake, manicuring every square inch of sand, over and over. I was quoted: Only in Conneaut can you have entertainment like this; bird surprises and frustrating people watching. All part of the adventure here. My following quotes addressed the special side of the place: In the birding world, Conneaut is a place like no other. It is one of, or the only, barrier island type habitat in Ohio. Shorebirds on their long migratory journey see what looks to them from the air like a coastal beach, and come down to rest and feed. What also makes the sandbar; I guess the editor didn't like my "Sandspit" place name, special; is the fact that it is, I believe, the only drive-on beach in Ohio. What appeals to birders, besides the rare birds found here, is that it is the perfect place to be on bad weather days, viewing and photographing from the comforts of your vehicle. The story continued talking about the abundance of Bald Eagles in The Conneaut Harbor Area, more than is normally seen at any location in the lower forty-eight states, why do they prefer to congregate there, and that the number of Bald Eagles, 52 was the high day count this year, seems to be increasing annually. My final closing statement was: All I know is that Conneaut is something pretty special for Ohio; and I do believe that some of the citizens of Conneaut do not realize the gem they have, and sometimes do totally mistreat it and the birds.

Bob Lane                                                  
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