While in Westerville for a family visit, I managed to drive over to Hoover Reservoir Saturday Nov. 3 from about 4:30 to 6 PM. I set up my scope on the dry mud reached from Weise Road. There were some birds visible at the water's edge. Highlights were: 100+ Hooded Mergansers 6 Bufflehead 5+ Bonaparte's Gulls a big kettle of 45+ Turkey Vultures south of the Sunbury Rd. causeway 1 Northern Harrier, flying north above the trees of the east shore 30+ Great Blue Herons, most lined up like soldiers in review in a big group on the east shore Also, there was a group of 16+ shorebirds belly deep in the water at the edge of muddy peninsula, hard to see with the distance. They were quite active, often plunging their entire head underwater, tail to the sky. Medium shorebird size; all white below, brown above, some with a hint of buffy color on the throat; long, thin slightly drooping bill. I don't get much practice with shorebirds but I believe they were Stilt Sandpipers. I welcome any comments on other possibilities. On Sunday morning, I visited Hoover Meadows for the first time, a wonderful little place. I encountered nothing unexpected but several groups of Bonaparte's Gulls passed overhead, about 80 in all, all headed west toward the Reservoir. Then I returned to Weise Rd. again around 10:45 and saw much the same as the previous day. Some loafing Ring-billed and Bonnies, Hooded Mergansers and the same group of Sandpipers, with the addition of six more possible Stilt Sandpipers (they flew away just as I focused my scope but had same behavior) and a single Greater Yellowlegs. Two adult Bald Eagles were perched in trees on the east shore. A 7 pt. buck walked within 25 feet of me and I also caught glimpse of a Red Fox on the way back to the car, always a treat. Bill Zimmerman Cincinnati ______________________________________________________________________ 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]