It seems Metzger Marsh's waters have been drawn down again, creating for the second time this century some substantial foraging for northbound shorebirds there. The last time Metzger water was lowered enough was the spring of 2004 (apparently to enable burning off of invasive plants), when 25+ species used the mudflats, including red-necked phalarope, stilt sandpiper, western sandpiper, and red knot, all relatively scarce in Ohio in spring. I remember watching a swirling mass of 9000+ dunlins that May, reminiscent of the days before this area was diked off. I hope the hordes of warbler-watchers at Magee Marsh will find time to come by Metzger to see some shorebird habitat this spring: unlike that for songbirds, this is not a yearly affair. A site guide is at http://www.ohiobirds.org/birdingsites/showsite.php?Site_ID=13 . Spurred by the draw-down, a perennial discussion of this area has emerged on the Toledo-area bird list http://www.rarebird.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2010 . I will refrain from repeating my opinions on the matter here. Suffice it to say we have more shorebirds on the Ohio species list than warblers, or waterfowl. An essay on Ohio shorebirds is at http://www.ohiobirds.org/news.php?News_ID=114 . Statements on the Metzger issue (from 2004, ironically) are on the list archives at http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/ohio-birds/2004-January/001920.html and at http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/ohio-birds/2004-February/002169.html I hope they'll be of interest to those who care about Metzger WA and about shorebirds. Enjoy all the northbound birds, and wish them the best in their efforts to reproduce their kind. Bill Whan Columbus ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. 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]