I visited rocky Fork State Park hoping to find some late season shorebirds and habitat. There was an American Avocet in the back southeast corner on mudflats formed by the lowered lake. I got to this area from Hillsboro by taking Route 124 to the entrance to the state park off of North Shore Drive at the western edge of the lake. After entry, proceed to the far parking lot/traffic circle along the lake near a rest room in the camping area. The mudflat area and marsh is behind a narrow strip of land overgrown with trees and vegetation located to the south of and visible from this parking area. However, it is difficult to get a view of this area from the parking area. To reach this area one must walk around a pine grove, past a first aid station and pavilion and take an overgrown hunter's or fisherman's path to the base of this narrow strip of land to the vicinity of a duck blind hidden in the trees and bushes. The American Avocet was out in this large area of low water and mudflat. I first found it sitting with its head tucked with a flock of Ring-billed Gulls. I managed a few distant digiscoped photos. A telescope was needed for a reasonable view of this bird but it was identifiable with binoculars. The total shorebird list for this visit is below. Killdeer 27 American Avocet 1 Greater Yellowlegs 3 Solitary Sandpiper 1 The Killdeer were mostly in a large flock in the above described area. The three Greater Yellowlegs were on the north edge of the lake east of the boat ramps that are accessible from this same entrance to the park. The Solitary Sandpiper was as its name describes "alone" and along the stream that enters the lake and flows under North Shore Drive very close to the boat ramps and park entry. Seems to be getting late for this Solitary Sandpiper. There is a path that leads to the edge of this stream from across the road from the park entry booth. Not much else worthy of note. Double-crested Cormorant 1 American Coot 50 Ring-billed Gull 40 Jay Jay G. Lehman Cincinnati, OH [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ 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]