I spent the morning birding in Ashtabula Co.  Started at Conneaut harbor, was there from about 7:00 to 11:30.  The gate to the spit was closed (setting up for the fireworks show tonight I heard) but dog walkers and beachgoers were getting numerous by the time I left.  Best bird was a willet which flew in pretty early in the morning.  It was still there when I left.  Shorebird habitat is very good there now.  Other birds of interest were: 7 bald eagles, spotted sandpipers, 4 lesser yellowlegs, 10 least sandpipers, 5 Caspian terns, belted kingfishers, willow flycatcher, purple martins, bank swallows, and marsh wren.  Next I went to Ashtabula, and checked a couple places.  Walnut Beach has some shorebird habitat.  To reach it -- go down the hill at the entrance to Walnut Beach; past the bottom of the hill, follow the gravel road straight ahead ( a road to the left goes to the public beach); take the gravel road to it's end and park there; there's a path at the east side, walk this path east to it's end.  The only shorebirds present today were killdeer and spotted sandpiper, there were 2 Caspian terns there.  A couple avocets were reported to ebird from this site on June 30.  Also in Ashtabula I checked the pond at Indian Trails Park @ E. 24th St.   It was completely dried up, so no shorebirds there unless we get some real heavy rains.  On the way home, I saw an Am. kestrel in Kinsman Twp. in Trumbull Co.  Craig Holt, Lowellville

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.


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