Sorry for the late posting. I was too tired last night. The Long-billed Dowitcher (LBDO) reported by the Ed and Bev Neubauer on Friday, 09/26/08, was still present on Saturday in the most northwestern portion of the much reduced lake at Edgewood MP. The best vantage point is to follow the sign to the boat ramp near the end of the black topped entry road. I identified this bird by call. It sounds like a "peep" to my ear but has been described as "keek." I did not find the bird immediately in the large area of low water and grass at this location. However, it appeared soon enough flying around and calling when the Killdeer spooked and flew around screaming. By waiting patiently between about 3:00 pm and 4:30 pm, I was able to get diagnostic views and digiscoped photos, when it finally came close enough and stopped feeding for a short while. The cloudy weather and poor light were a complication for viewing and photos. Shorebirds present were Semipalmated Plover 1 Killdeer 15- 20 (estimate not exact count) Lesser Yellowlegs 3 Solitary Sandpiper 1 (called in flight) Least Sandpiper 2 Pectoral Sandpiper 6 Stilt Sandpiper 1 Long-billed Dowitcher 1 This bird is almost a "dead-ringer" for the photo of juvenile LBDO on page 320, 83.8, in Paulson's Shorebirds of North America, The Photographic Guide. My photos show the scapulars with dark interiors and buffy fringes, the tertials with gray interiors and buffy edges as well as the buffy wash on the breast, and the reddish brown top of head, all of which describe a juvenile/immature LBDO. I also got photographs which show the shape of the LBDO bill at the base where it connects with the bill. This shape is different than the shape of a Short-billed Dowitcher. Only a few if any field guides discuss the shape difference at the base of the bills for Short-billed and Long-billed Dowitcher. This has been discussed on the internet on ID Frontiers. Excellent photos are on the internet. I have included one posting about this on ID Frontiers, which includes the link to the photos. See also the reference to the article on surfbirds.com. I will post further information about my identification and my photos and where posted when I have enough time to down-load some of my best photographs, hopefully this evening. Time's a wasting so I need to go birding again today! Jay Jay G. Lehman Cincinnati, OH [log in to unmask] Subject: The Dowitcher Discussion Continues From: Ted Lee Eubanks <eubanks AT FERMATAINC.COM> Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2006 09:58:45 -0600 ---> Texbird help file http://www.texbirds.org <--- This morning I posted three photos of dowitcher profiles that help illustrate a field mark that I find very helpful. As I noted previously, I find bill shape to be among the most helpful field marks in identifying winter dowitchers, particularly the angle of the bill at its base. In Long-billed, the bill gently slopes toward the tip, while in Short-billed the bill is acutely angled and appears "pinched." The new photos are available in the same folder - http://www.fermatainc.com/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=60 For an interesting discussion I suggest the following paper to go along with Cin-Ty's - http://www.surfbirds.com/ID%20Articles/dowitchers1005/Dowitcher_bill_sur fbir ds.pdf As the paper notes, "Short-billed Dowitcher has a high bill base which lowers rapidly, and forms a clear curve in the upper profile. Long-billed Dowitcher has a straight profile, and the base is about as high as the bill elsewhere." Ted Eubanks Galveston, Texas ______________________________________________________________________ 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]