Checked out the north end of Hoover Reservoir for shorebirds. Saw the following from the boardwalk at area M in Galena: Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) -- didn't notice any greater, although probably some around Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia) Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) -- just one Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) -- one calling at the nature preserve on Big Walnut Rd Many of the same birds were feeding at a nice mudflat just across the road from the parking lot at the Baldridge boat ramp. This area was especially good for pectoral sandpipers; at least 25 were feeding there. The pecs exhibited a behavior that I don't recall seeing before with shorebirds, at least not in the fall. There were frequent interactions in which one bird would lower its head (assuming what appeared to be an aggressive posture), partially open its wings, and run a few steps toward another pec. The overall effect was quite similar to aggressive interactions among Canada geese. I might expect something of this sort in the spring among males, but I was surprised to see it post-breeding. The area did not seem all that crowded, the interactions were brief (a couple of seconds), and the targets of the aggression did not seemed greatly concerned, as they simply moved a few steps back or to the side and resumed feeding. I had the impression that a few birds were responsible for all of the aggression that I saw, although it was difficult to track them as they wandered about. -- Bill Heck ______________________________________________________________________ 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]