A number of people were interested in an earlier similar post, so I pasted together another last week of July, this time in 2002, from this list which highlights shorebird sightings. Once again, the year was picked randomly from the archives. I should say our red-necked stint didn't pass muster with the Records Committee. If nothing else, this shows newbies that we aren't kidding when we say shorebirds used to be more numerous, and will remind us of shorebirders who have moved on to far-flung shores, as well as those who still number among the faithful. There were 24 shorebird species reported during this single late-summer week. The only bird that was off-schedule was the alt-plumaged dunlin, but for years earlier this decade one was regularly found months early in or near Ottawa. Bill Whan Columbus p.s. 24 July 2002 Cowan Lake Larry Gara: 7 Killdeer 3 Lesser Yellowlegs 2 Spotted Sandpiper 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper 5 Least Sandpiper 9 Pectoral Sandpiper 24 July Paulding Sewage Lagoons Doug & Micki Dunakin: Prompted by reports of an American Avocet yesterday (which I could not locate today), I ventured over to the lagoon around 8:00 a.m. and discovered several hundred shorebirds, among which were good numbers of Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Pectorals, and Killdeer. Lesser numbers of Semipalmated, Least and Solitary Sandpipers were also present. There were also three Stilt Sandpipers and a few Short-billed Dowitchers. These birds were widely scattered among weeds, and I couldn't begin to estimate numbers accurately, but I should say somewhere between five hundred and a thousand birds were present. 25 July Lakefront Joe Hildreth Maumee Bay S.P. killdeer spotted sandpiper 12 sanderlings least sandpiper Ottawa NWR:only drove in the entance road short billed dowitcher least sandpiper semipalmated sandpiper pectoral sandpiper killdeer yellowlegs Medusa Marsh (along Barrett Rd.) spotted sandpiper yellowlegs least sandpiper pectoral sandpiper Pipe Creek W.A.:good habitat along the dike that bisects the larger loop viewing isn't best since you must look through weeds and reeds 75-90 short-billed dowitchers many yellowlegs greater? or lesser? least sandpipers pectoral sandpipers stilt sandpiper killdeer Pickerel Creek W.A. Perhaps the best habitat around at the time; definitely worth a check Park at the observation deck follow the dike straight out towards the bay about 1/2 the way out the habitat becomes excellent many dowitchers too many yellowlegs (at times they were deafening) semipalmated sandpiper least sandpiper solitary sandpiper spotted sanpiper pectoral sandpiper killdeer Ottawa NWR around 3-6 P.M. birds in general on the entrance rd. were gone; found some habitat along the dike just south of where it says shorebirds on the map supplied by the refuge yellowlegs many dowitchers least sandpiper semipalmated sandpiper 4 Baird's sandpipers pectoral sandpiper semipalmated plover however the bird of the day wouldnt be found on a mudflat walking the furthest north dike along the estuary perched up on a stick associating with mallards: Marbled Godwit Killdeer Plains 25 July, Zac Baker Maumee Bay S.P. Stopped here first thing this morning around 7:30 spent approx an hour lookin over the beaches killdeer spotted sandpiper 12 sanderlings least sandpiper common tern forsters tern Ottawa NWR only drove in the entrance road 10 snowy egrets short billed dowitcher least sandpiper semipalmated sandpiper pectoral sandpiper killdeer yellowlegs great egrets great blue herons Medusa Marsh (along Barrett Rd.) spotted sandpiper yellowlegs least sandpiper pectoral sandpiper Pipe Creek W.A. good habitat along the dike that bisects the larger loop viewing isn't best since you must look through the weeds and reeds 75-90 short-billed dowitchers many yellowlegs greater? or lesser? least sandpipers pectoral sandpipers stilt sandpiper killdeer 12 or so black crowned night herons Pickerel Creek W.A. Perhaps the best habitat around at the time definitely worth a check Park at the observation deck follow the dike straight out towards the bay about 1/2 the way out the habitat becomes excellent many dowitchers too many yellowlegs (at times they were deafening) semipalmated sandpiper least sandpiper solitary sandpiper spotted sanpiper pectoral sandpiper killdeer Large black water snake Ottawa NWR around 3-6 P.M. birds in general on the entrance rd. were gone found some habitat along the dike just south of where it says shorebirds on the map supplied by the refuge yellowlegs many dowitchers least sandpiper semipalmated sandpiper 4 Baird's sandpipers pectoral sandpiper semipalmated plover however the bird of the day wouldn't be found on a mudflat walking the furthest north dike along the estuary perched up on a stick associating with mallards Marbled Godwit Cowan Lake 26 July 2002 Ed Roush 1 Lesser Yellowlegs 1 Greater Yellowlegs 6 Least Sandpiper 6 Pectoral Sandpiper 1 Spotted Sandpiper 2 Solitary Sandpiper Cowan 27 July Roush 4 Pectoral Sandpiper 1 Spotted Sandpiper 4 Lesser Yellowlegs 1 Greater Yellowlegs 1 Soiltary Sandpiper 1 Stilt Sandpiper Northern Ohio 25-6 July Greg Miller Ottawa NWR - entrance still has good assortment of shorebirds including Stilt Sandpiper; estuary is still high but had surprising number of shorebirds (200+) on edges including one WILSON'S PHALAROPE; estuary looking better, but had fewer shorebirds (still around 200) Medusa - NW corner has a tiny bit of habitat, but produced a fair assortment of shorebirds, including Stilt Sandpipers Pipe Creek - far NW impoundment, though high yet, produced a small amount of birds, but a good variety including Stilt Sandpipers. Farnsworth Metropark (Maumee River Rapids SW of Toledo) - good vantage point to view 200-300 shorebirds including several Stilt Sandpipers and an early Western Sandpiper Paulding Sewage Lagoons - North lagoon still being dredged (sloppy and stinky)...but...the shorebirds like this; several hundred shorebirds (mostly yellowlegs and pectoral sandpipers) with a few breeding plumaged stilt sandpipers mixed in; did not refind the avocet NW Ohio 28 July Joe Sedransk As expected the shorebird population was quite small at Ottawa NWR and at Medusa Marsh on 27 July. At Ottawa I saw a total of about 60 shorebirds, most concentrated in the mudflats adjacent to the entry road. I walked to the farthest corner, but my return trip was hasty due to an oncoming thunderstorm. On the northernmost east-west dike there is a pool with a small mudflat on the south side and a limited mudflat on the north side (near the westernmost end). On the entry road there were least, semipalmated, solitary(2) and pectoral sandpipers, greater and lesser yellowlegs, killdeer and semipalmated plovers, all in small numbers. Adjacent to the pool noted above there was a breeding plumaged dunlin and spotted sandpiper. The only different shorebird species on the other mudflat was short billed dowitcher. There is still only the one 'mudflat' at Medusa Marsh which held about 25 shorebirds including two stilt sandpipers. NW Ohio 28 July John Yochum Fulton County's Turnpike/66 Wetlands (numbers have been high but the recent rain reduced them considerably recently-- did my best, but rounded most since accurate numbers just aren't possible): 75 Pectoral Sandpipers, only 30 Killdeer, 30 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 20 Lesser Yellowlegs, 12 Wood Ducks, 10 Least Sandpipers, 9 Greater Yellowlegs, 8 Mallards, 7 Great Egret, 3 Great Blue Heron, 3 Semipalmated Plovers, only 2 Solitary Sandpipers, only 2 Spotted Sandpipers, 2 Stilt Sandpipers Paulding County's Commissioner's Pond too, but not a chance! A flock of a hundred were in the air when I arrived. Shocked to find the reason: a very dark PEREGRINE FALCON, somewhat like the juvenile Peale's pictured in Sibley's, was strafing everything in the pond. The Great Blue Herons and the Canada Geese actually left the area (except for the broken-winged Canada), but the sandpipers would fly up in groups of a hundred or so, circle back, and evidently hide along the edges and in the grass, as it was very hard to find any birds at all on the ground. He disappeared for a bit into the shrubs and trees of the creek behind the sewage lagoon, reappeared, chased the sandpipers a bit more, and then disappeared again, this time over the Commissioner's Woods next to the Sewage Lagoons. I never saw him catch anything. Paulding County's Sewage Lagoons. The rain and cooler weather had dramatically reduced numbers there too, but there were still plenty of Pectorals/Semipalmated/Least/Spotted/Solitary Sandpipers, Killdeer, and Lesser Yellowlegs. I could only come up with a single Greater Yellowlegs and a single ShortBilled Dowitcher, however, and almost left without Stilt Sandpiper when sharp-eyed Marisa caught sight of three against the very back shore. Killdeer Plains 29 July Joe Hammond 1 Greater Yellowlegs, Pond 6 12 Lesser Yellowlegs, Pond 6 1 Solitary Sandpiper, Pond 6 1 Spotted Sandpiper, Pond 6 20 Semipalmated Sandpipers, Pond 6 15 Least Sandpipers, Pond 6 6 Pectoral Sandpipers, Pond 6 1 Stilt Sandpiper, Pond 6 1 Short-billed Dowitcher, Pond 6 Pickerel Creek, etc. 29 July Vic Fazio The Chaussee - lovely wetland - emphasis on wet; no mud, no shorebirds Pipe Creek Wildlife Area - water up; virtually no mud, virtually no shorebirds 3 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Spotted Sandpiper Medusa Marsh - water up; some mud, some shorebirds 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 6 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 9 Short-billed Dowitchers, 1 Stilt Sandpiper, 6 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 1 Semipalmated Plover, 4 Killdeer Port Clinton beach - no beach, no shorebirds (but all terns & Bonies) Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area - tried the long walk back to the ghost town - site of decent shorebirding last year at this time. Virtually no mud, virtually no shorebirds - what the heck better checkout the observation tower lest I later hear there was a Black-bellied Whistling Duck sitting right in front of it. Well seems the impoundment has been drawn down - seems there's a bit of mud. From the tower looked like may be 50 Killdeer and 50 sandpipers on the foreground mud, with may be another 50 shorebirds in the distance - I could not have been more wrong. From the observer tower off Rt. 6 take the dike straight out (N). It shortly makes a bend to the left - after 100 yards heads N again - along this section of dike is extensive mudflat of varying water levels - mostly peep shallows with some dowitcher wading depth. The adjacent impoundment (west side of dike) is just right for yellowlegs. >From 3:00 - 5:00 pm I had the following birds in this section. About 300 of the sandpipers could be studied comfortably from within 25 yards as the birds quickly became accustomed to me after some initial lift-offs. The dike is thickly border in vegetation (much prickly thistle) offering cover with some strategically place camera portals (many birds within 25 ft). I could have spent another hour sorting through everything but ultimately was chased off by the ink black cloud throwing off sparks in the direction of Fremont. Killdeer - 57 Semipalmated Plover - 4 Black-bellied Plover - 1 (flew over calling but continued on) Greater Yellowlegs - 14 Lesser Yellowlegs - 109 (74 in the west impoundment) Solitary Sandpiper - 4 Pectoral Sandpiper - 33 (my first juvenile of the season) Semipalmated Sandpiper - 615 (a personal best for Ohio) Least Sandpiper - 38 White-rumped Sandpiper - 9 (ALL adults - 80-90% into basic - look for distinct chevrons retained from alternate - bright white superciliums - obvious bulk next to Semi-ps) Short-billed Dowitcher - 103 (all adults - 70% alternate, 20% transitional,10% basic) Long-billed Dowitcher - 3 (adult alternate - farthest north edge of impoundment) Stilt Sandpiper - 92 (ALL adults - 80% alternate, 20% transition to basic) Spotted Sandpiper - 1 Pickerel Creek 30 July Vic Fazio Ahh but for that cloud - seems I was at least one species short on my Pickerel Creek list. Since last Thursday there has been an adult female Ruff (AKA reeve) within the very same impoundment I described in yesterday's post. Craig Holt discovered the bird last Thursday and had it there again last night - apparently right up against the northernmost end of the impoundment (which I only had started to scope out when things got nasty) Conneaut 30 July Joe Sedransk Killdeer(about 12), semipalmated plover(2), spotted sandpiper(2), semipalmated sandpiper(about 6), least sandpiper(about 12), sanderling(about 5) and singles of pectoral sandpiper, short billed dowitcher, greater yellowlegs and ruddy turnstone. Hoover Reservoir 30 July, Rob Thorn 16 Kildeer, 7 Pectoral Spr, 3 Least Spr, 2 Semipalmated Spr, 4 Lesser Yellowlegs, 5 Solitary Spr, 6 Spotted Spr, and one out-of-place snipe. Pickerel Creek 31 July --Greg Miller, Bill Whan, Troy Shively Troy Shively, Bill Whan, and Greg Miller who report a breeding plumaged adult RED-NECKED STINT and the previously reported female RUFF at Pickerel Creek WA in Sandusky County (Wednesday 7/31/02). The reeve was with a large number of yellowlegs, stilt sandpipers, etc. Pickerel Creek 31 July Jen Brumfield Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Ruddy Turnstone Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Baird's Sandpiper Lesser Yellowlegs Greater Yellowlegs Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Wilson's Phalarope Pipe Creek 7/31 2002 Gabe Leidy After picking up the Reeve at Pickerel Creek yesterday evening, Sean Zadar and I had an adult Red-necked Phalarope at Pipe Creek. Other Pipe Creek shorebirds: Killdeer 1 Lesser Yellowlegs 4 Short-billed Dowitcher 27 Spotted Sandpiper 1 Medusa Marsh had yellowlegs, stilts, and semipalm sandpipers, ______________________________________________________________________ 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]