Hello folks - Just a short note on Ben Warner's, respectively, very cool report on the Headland's Purple Sandpiper and other lakefront highlights. Ben writes that his party carefully 'dodged waves and remaining ice' to get out to the lighthouse at the tip of the Headland's breakwall. For those that have never been to Headland's, I just had to throw up a huge suggestion of CAUTION! I'm sure Ben, Dan, and John were absolutely extraordinarily careful on the rocks, and judged lake conditions to be acceptable. However, I still urge immense caution for those with less nimble feet and balance. Wind and wave conditions at Headlands can be breathtaking in the way of sheer power. The presence of ANY ice should increase your wariness by tenfold. It is no small task to get out and around the lighthouse by walking the narrow end of the breakwall to the tip. Options for seeking the Purple Sandpiper: Yes, you might NOT get the bird if it happens to be hanging out around the extreme tip of the breakwall (lighthouse), but you surely can much more easily walk the eastern (lee) side of the breakwall for quite aways, stepping carefully but securely on huge, flat-ish, cement blocks that make up the surface of the breakwall for a ways. From these massive blocks one is allowed spectacular views of the greater length of the breakwall. More often than not you will succeed with a sighting or two by scanning and re-scanning from this vantage point. Many thanks for a great update Ben, and good birding- cheers Jen Jen Brumfield [log in to unmask] Akron, OH _________________________________________________________________ Get free, personalized commercial-free online radio with MSN Radio powered by Pandora http://radio.msn.com/?icid=T002MSN03A07001 ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. 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]