As of July 5th, things will be a little different at this popular Ashtabula County birding site. The Conneaut Port Authority will begin charging a $5.00 fee for all vehicles wanting to drive out on "The Sandspit". They are presently installing a new toll gate about four hundred feet past the existing gate, which is at the end of the pavement. The new gate is almost to the water, where the usual hard right turn is made to traverse around the bay to the sandspit. A toll taker will supposedly be at this location. There will be no access fee charged to walk out to the sandspit area. When the gate is closed this will be your option. Hopefully this will eliminate the pass thru traffic and possibly give the stopover birds a little more room to relax. During our visit today, from about 12:30PM to about 2:30PM, the highlights were a single Willet hanging out near the observation tower, present the whole time, and two Common Merganser families, mom with seven kids, and mom with four kids. The kids are about two thirds the size of mom. Photos can be seen on the e-bird report. The water level is extremely high, but good shorebird habitat is in the interior.


Bob and Denise Lane / Mahoning County

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