Yesterday, I spent the day at Pickerel Creek, to take advantage of the last days before the water level is raised. I couldn't find the red knots, but there were at least 8 stilt sandpipers, along with a good number of pectoral sandpipers. Also several white rumped sandpipers which I was able to pick out on my own, thanks to K. Kaufman's blog which I'd just looked at in conjunction with the post on the diversity conference. He has a very useful bit there on separating white rumps from the other sandpipers. Back home, too late to start anything, I decided to keep watching birds and went over to check Frohring Meadows at 5:00. Barn swallows numbered in the 100s over the meadow area. Half the wet meadow has been scraped of vegetation, but no water has accumulated and so far it just attracts mourning doves, killdeer and swallows. Savannah sparrows seem to like the small dirt mound. But along the woodland edge, where there is now a mowed strip I found a busy little section full of robins and the first warbler movement. 1 Canada Warbler 1 Nashville Warbler 1 Wilson's Warbler Also a warbling vireo. Back at home at 7:00, a glance near the house found a first black throated green warbler and a bay breasted warbler to add to yesterday's a. redstarts. On the pond, close to 40 wood ducks in every kind of plumage. A record number for my little puddle. Inga Schmidt Chagrin River Road, Geauga/Cuy county line ______________________________________________________________________ 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]