Since some readers seem to have enjoyed a look at shorebird records of the past, here are the reports that appeared on this list in the first week of August, 2003--another year picked at random. Just for kicks, I include the compiled reports for fall of 2003 from The Ohio Cardinal as a supplement: it was not overall an especially extraordinary season overall for shorebirds, but might be worth comparing with the current one. Read, enjoy, and compare with what was going on last week. Bill Whan Columbus AUGUST 1 2003: Greetings from the Conneaut library! I just came here from the "sandflats" area of the harbor where there are decent numbers and a good variety of shorebirds as of 10:00 AM. In a little over an hour, I tallied 16 shorebird species with RED KNOT (1, reported here for the last two days) and WHIMBREL (1) as highlights. As I was walking into a grassy/short-willow area looking for Black-bellied Plover, found earlier this morning by Gary Meszaros, I spotted the Whimbrel walking about and feeding. After observing it for awhile, I walked back out of the area as the bird continued to feed. The Black-bellied Plovers (2)were found further to the West, nearer to the breakwall. The Whimbrel was found just to the South and a bit East of where 4 old tires are stacked up with another leaning against them. These will be found on your right, soon after entering the "flats" area. I hope that this early post will enable some others to make the long trip (for many of us) up here for the Whimbrel; one of the more difficult shorebird species to find in Ohio each year. Good luck to all! - Black-bellied Plover, 2 - Semipalmated Plover, 15 - Killdeer, 13 - Greater Yellowlegs, 2 - Lesser Yellowlegs, 12 - Spotted Sandpiper, 4 - WHIMBREL, 1 (see location in previous post) - Ruddy Turnstone, 3 - RED KNOT, 1 - Sanderling, 6 - Semipalmated Sandpiper, 40 - Least Sandpiper, 25 - WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, 1 - Pectoral Sandpiper, 5 - Stilt Sandpiper, 32 - Short-billed Dowitcher, 16 More later, Dan Sanders AUGUST 1 2003 I went up to Cowan Lake to check out the spillway this morning. There were some Canada geese, some ducks, a lot of swallows, a LOT of killdeer (at least thirty, maybe more) and a scattering of sandpipers there. Larry Gara showed up after I'd been there for a while, and identified several of the sandpipers that had been giving me problems. All told, there were about half a dozen each of Solitary, Spotted, and Pectoral sandpipers, as well as perhaps 10-15 Least sandpipers. Jon Woolf AUGUST 1 2003 Seen at Conneaut, afternoon-early evening 1 August: black-bellied plovers semipalmated plovers lesser yellowlegs spotted sandpipers ruddy turnstones sanderlings 2 RED KNOTS WHIMBREL semipalmated sandpipers least sandpipers WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER pectoral sandpipers 27 STILT SANDPIPERS (1 an extremely early juv.) short-billed dowitchers feeding Roosting habitat for shorebirds is the best it's been at this site for years, due to higher water level of L. Erie. Despite disturbances from dogs, people on foot, 4-wheel drive vehicles, boats, and the above-mentioned falcon--the wind birds remained. Where else can they go along the south shore of the Lake? Craig Holt Lowellville AUGUST 1 2003 I have a second hand report of 2 adult American Avocets seen at the Alum Creek SP beach this afternoon (Aug.1). They were seen by a colleague of mine who knows a fair amount about birds, certainly enough to know an avocet when he sees one. They were apparently skittish and the beach was crowded, but perhaps someone might want to have a look around that area early tomorrow morning to see if they're still around somewhere. Bob Royse, Columbus AUGUST 2 2003 I stopped by Conneaut Harbor this afternoon and it was excellent. Most of the birds reported yesterday were still present. There was a small amount of birds passing through in the 2 1/2 hours that I was there. Most were peeps. The whimbrel and Wilson's phalaropes were on a small sand spit with some Bonaparte's gulls and terns the entire time I was there. Many of the birds approached fairly close giving excellent views. - Black-bellied Plover, 5 - Semipalmated Plover, 15 - Killdeer, 12 - Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 - Spotted Sandpiper, 6 - WHIMBREL, 1 - Ruddy Turnstone, 3 - RED KNOT, 3 - Sanderling, 17 - Semipalmated Sandpiper, 35 - WESTERN SANDPIPER, 1 - Least Sandpiper, 14 - WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, 1 - Pectoral Sandpiper, 2 - Stilt Sandpiper, 3 - Short-billed Dowitcher, 14 - WILSON'S PHALAROPE, 2 John Pogacnik AUGUST 3 2003 A couple friends and I birded at Big Island WA on Saturday morning. Here is a list of the shorebirds we found. The numbers are really guesses because the birds were scattered over the mudflats with a fair amount of vegetation so we had to move around some to get looks at different areas. 5 Semipalmated Plover 10 Killdeer 5 Greater Yellowlegs 50 Lesser Yellowlegs 6 Solitary Sandpiper 2 Spotted Sandpiper 8 Semipalmated Sandpiper 8 Least Sandpiper 50 Pectoral Sandpiper 7 Stilt Sandpiper 3 Short-billed Sandpiper Doug Overacker, Springfield AUGUST 3 2003 Hi All, John Pogacnik's complete report indicates how good Conneaut was on Saturday,8/02/03. I can add two more species of shorebirds, Solitary Sandpiper and BAIRD'S SANDPIPER to John's list, making 20 species for Saturday. I was there from about 11:00 am until 3:00 pm. The sought birds, Red Knot and Whimbrel, co-operated and were present. From when I arrived, I just missed 2 WHIMBREL seen by a man and woman from PA. These birds flew in and landed, but then flew off. However, at about 2:45 pm, another WHIMBREL flew over calling and then dropped in on the sand/mud spit out near the jetty. It was still there when I left. I met folks who said that there was one early morning fly-by WHIMBREL. So, there could have been up to FOUR WHIMBREL at Conneaut yesterday, given that these birds fly in stay awhile and then leave. When I arrived, I scanned from the parking area the far side of the boat channel leading out to the lake from the boat landing , and also found one Solitary Sandpiper. This bird never appeared out on the sandy area mentioned above. There was a partially hidden sand/mud bar with sparse grass there. The birds were not always visible, but were working in and out of the grass, and down along the waters edge, obscured by logs and higher mud and sand humps. This is on the south or the parking lot side of the north edge of the boat channel in the vicinity of a row of jetty stones. Also, at about 2:00 pm, the woman from PA picked up a BAIRD's SANDPIPER, which I also saw. However, this bird was out on the sandy area, but did not stay very long. I looked for it until I left but could not find it again. I think it was a quick drop in that left quickly. Plan to stay a while. The birds move around and are coming and going all the time. I missed the Wilson's Phalaropes and the White-rumped Sandpiper. My maximum count of Short-billed Dowitchers while I was there was 18. Jay G. Lehman Cincinnati, OH AUGUST 3 2003 I realize my shorebird reports don't compare to Conneaut or Big Island, but this is what I had this morning: Semipalmated plover-5 Killdeer-25 Solitary sandpiper-9 Spotted sandpiper-1 Greater yellowlegs-1 Lesser yellowlegs-40 Short billed dowitcher-2 Stilt sandpiper-2 Wilsons phalarope-2 Least sandpiper-6 Semipalmated sandpiper-14 Pectoral sandpiper-9 This area is off of s.r.53 just north of u.s.23. Turn left onto th.42 where the airport sign is located. Most birds are seen at 10 to 15 yards away. Rick Counts Upper Sandusky AUGUST 3 2003 Add 2 American Avocets to the growing list of shorebirds spotted today. The Whimbrel is still present at Conneaut; it was seen in the grassy area to the right of the beach. No Phalarope, but the Red Knots, Ruddy Turnstone and Willet were worth the drive alone. Louise McDonald Parma AUGUST 3 2003 I didn't have to drive to Conneaut to see shorebirds today. At a dairy farm north of Lodi, Ohio in Medina County, in a flooded pasture were: 6 Short-billed Dowitchers, 5 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Semipalmated Plovers, 1 Spotted and 1 Solitary Sandpiper, many Killdeers; and then they let the cows out and I had to leave...I'm sure there was a Knot or a Stilt in the flock, too. Fred Dinkelbach AUGUST 3 2003 Huge day at Conneaut--18 shorebird species, highlights--Whimbrel, 25 Sanderlings, 33 Red Knots, 2 Willets, 2 Am. Avocets, Stilt SP, Long-billed Dowitcher, Osprey, 3 tern species, second-year Little Gull...Craig Holt, Lowellville AUGUST 3 2003 Big Island WA: Onward to the mudflat at the middle impoundment along LaRue-Prospect Rd. As has been recently reported, hundreds of shorebirds were present, mostly far off in the distance. Variety seemed low and was a far cry from what I probably would have found at Conneaut. I didn't see the recently reported Wilson's Phalaropes, but they could have been present. I didn't have much time to look around before a thunderstorm started. Species I did see included: Killdeer Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Solitary Sandpiper Spotted Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Robert Royse, Columbus AUGUST 4 2003 I skipped out of work a early yesterday to take care of a minor car problem, and as long as I was out of the office, I thought I might as well trek up to Conneaut to see the great offerings there. Ran into Sean Zadar there, who said he'd been there since 6:30 a.m. (it was by this time about 5:30 p.m.) and no sign of the whimbrels. Variety was down somewhat from Craig Holt's stellar report, but still very high quality shorebirding, with species seen including: Semipalmated sandpiper Least sandpiper Western sandpiper (candidate) Sanderling Pectoral sandpiper RED KNOT (5 counted, probably more) Short-billed dowitcher Greater yellowlegs Lesser yellowlegs AMERICAN AVOCET (8) Semipalmated plover Black-bellied plover Ruddy turnstone Also, presumably the same LITTLE GULL as Craig reported was still present, standing not fifteen yards from us with a handful of Bonaparte's gulls - best view I've ever had of the species at rest. Other birds that were in the area included the usual Forster's terns and an osprey. No stilt sandpipers or willets were noted, and no whimbrels were present at least up until 6 p.m. when I left. Good birding. Chris Spagnoli Lakewood, Ohio AUGUST 5 2003 Add a upland sandpiper to the list of migrants in Wyandot Co. Seen today are as follows: Ch.29 Killdeer-70 Solitary sandpiper-1 Lesser yellowlegs-6 Upland sandpiper-1 Short-billed dowitcher-4 Pectoral sandpiper-3 Least sandpiper-3 Semipalmated sandpiper-2 Th.42 Semipalmated plover-4 Killdeer-30 Solitary sandpiper-4 Spotted sandpiper-2 Greater yellowlegs-6 Lesser yellowlegs-24 Short-billed dowitcher-9 Stilt sandpiper-2 Pectoral sandpiper-5 Least sandpiper-46 Semipalmated sandpiper-12 Baird's sandpiper-1 Rick Counts Upper Sandusky August 5 2003 Hi all: Went to Funk after work tonight, me and thousands of mosquitoes. Tonight's count was: Killdeer 253 Semipalm Plover 1 Gr Yellowlegs 18 L Yellowlegs 128 Solitary SP 9 Least SP 17 Pectoral SP 97 Other birds of note: 1 Great Egret, 8 Sandhill Cranes, and 3 Caspian Terns. Su Snyder, Wooster August 5 2003 I have been to Pickerel Creek last Sunday, just after the rain. The water level was higher than the previous week-end and the shorebirds were less numerous. Observed birds: Least Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper Killdeer Lesser Yellowlegs (few) Spotted Sandpiper Semipalmated Plover (2) Black-bellied Plover (1) Solitary Sandpiper (1) Sylvain Hupert AUGUST 7 2003 I visited Big Island Wildlife Area with my wife today. It turned out to be a good decision. We met and had the pleasure of birding with Ed and Bev Neubauer. Among the species we found were - greater yellowlegs, lesser yellowlegs, semipalmated plover, 100's of killdeer, semipalmated sandpipers, least sandpipers, pectoral sandpipers, a stilt sandpiper, short-billed dowitchers, Wilson's phalaropes. Charlie Bombaci. Ohio Cardinal, Fall 2003 27(1):8-11 Black-bellied Plover: At Conneaut, two ad were present 1 Aug (D. Sanders), seven more in molt 21 Aug (R. Royse), and seven including a juv 14 Sept (B. Coulter). High count 33 at the CCE 4 Oct. (Sanders). Final sighting 15 Nov at CPNWR (E. Tramer). American Golden-Plover: Unreported until 29 Aug, with three molting adults at Conneaut (B. Royse), where the same observer noted a juv 8 Sept. High count 45 (3 juv) at Conneaut 15 Sept (C. Holt). Last reported from the CCE 19 Oct (B. Master). Semipalmated Plover: Numbers at Conneaut swelled to ~50 by 3 Sept (D. Sanders), where 30+ juv remained the 14th (B. Coulter). Among very few Nov records was one of two at Ottawa on the 2nd (ONWRC). Killdeer: Beginning with 253 at Funk on 5 Aug (S. Snyder), triple-figure counts were frequent during the first three months of the period, ending with ~250 at Deer Ck Res 31 Oct (B. Royse); smaller numbers persisted through the eop thereafter. American Avocet: An excellent flight. Assuming turnover every four days, at least 29 birds were seen. Inland records included two at Alum Ck SP 1 Aug (fide B. Royse), one at BIWA 23 Aug (C. Bombaci), and three at Van Wert Res 15 Sept (J. Perchalski). All the Lakefront reports came from Ashtabula, whence the high count of 10 came 4 Aug (S. Zadar) at Conneaut. Departed early, with one seen 5 Oct at Conneaut (C. Holt). Greater Yellowlegs: Widely reported in suitable habitat statewide, with a high count of 25 at Deer Ck Res 3 Nov (B. Royse). A very early juv was at Conneaut 3 Aug (C. Holt). The latest report came from GLSM 23 Nov (T. Shively). Lesser Yellowlegs: Earliest juv at Conneaut 1 Aug (C. Holt). Massed early, with 128 at Funk 5 Aug (S. Snyder) and 86 in Wyandot 7 Aug (R. Counts). The 5 Oct ONWRC found 89. Passed through quickly, with the latest reported in Wyandot 21 Oct (Counts). Solitary Sandpiper: An unremarkable migration, except that it ended rather early, with the last reported at North Chagrin Res’n 14 Sept (K. Metcalf). Willet: A poor showing, with two reports from Conneaut only: a bird on 3 Aug (L. McDonald) and an ad and a juv the same day (C. Holt). Spotted Sandpiper: The high count was 28, by the 3 Aug ONWRC. Two Nov reports: three by the ONWRC on the 2nd, and a very tardy bird at GLSM the 15th (D. Dister). Upland Sandpiper: Sparse as usual, with singletons 2 Aug at the Springfield Airport (D. Overacker), in Wyandot 5 Aug (R. Counts), a juv at Conneaut 8 Aug (J. Heflich), and two near Paulding Res 25 Aug (M&D Dunakin). Whimbrel: With no large flocks, but numerous reports on consecutive days—-all but one of them at Conneaut—-numbers were difficult to estimate, but at a minimum totaled 11, at a maximum 20. The high count was three on 11 Aug (S. Zadar), the latest there rather early on 4 Sept (B. Coulter). On the late but not unprecedented date of 13 Oct, kayakers saw one at Whiskey Isl in Cleveland (P. Kiplinger & R. Stearns, ph fide L. Rosche). Hudsonian Godwit: Merely a trickle. One was seen on the 5 Oct ONWRC, and another reported at the CCE on 19 Oct (J. Pogacnik). Marbled Godwit: At Conneaut, probably the same juv bird 28 Aug (B. Royse) through 3 Sept (D. Sanders, m obs) became two by 4 Sept (B. Coulter). A molting adult was reported there 14 Sept (Coulter). Ruddy Turnstone: Very skimpily reported, with repeated reports of three birds at Conneaut 2 Aug (J. Pogacnik) through 21 Aug (P. Lozano), and four on 3 Aug (C. Holt). Later a single bird was there on 15 Sept (Holt). That was it. Red Knot: The best fall flight in years for this beleaguered species. Seventy-one birds reported, most from Conneaut, including an unusual high count of 33 adults 3 Aug (C. Holt). A few were noted at ONWR, including the season’s latest at the CCE on 20 Oct (B. Zwiebel), and at Cedar Pt NWR two were seen 30 Aug, six 14 Sept, and six 28 Sept (all E. Tramer). First juv 15 Sept at Conneaut (Holt). The sole inland knot was found at the Shreve fish pond in Wayne 19 Oct (R&S Harlan). Sanderling: Maintained a presence at Conneaut period-long, with a local high count of 50+ on 2 Sept (L. Rosche), and the latest two reports: seven on 5 Nov (C. Holt) and one 24 Nov (S. Marengo). The only inland report came from Williams, with five birds on 16 Aug (J. Yochum). The high count was 100+ on Pt Clinton beach 28 Oct (N. Bixler). Semipalmated Sandpiper: No big numbers, with a high count of ~250 at Conneaut 31 Aug (J. Lehman). Max of juveniles came with 30 on 15 Sept there (C. Holt). Scarce in the NW, with a high of 69 on the 3 Aug Ottawa census. Joining a handful of reliable Nov records was a group of three carefully observed at the CCE for the ONWRC (C. Crofts) on the 2nd; Lou Campbell published a report of one found near this spot on 19 Nov 1938. Western Sandpiper: Conneaut birds were noted on 10 Aug (B. Whan), 19 Aug (J. Brumfield), and 28 Sept (J. Pogacnik). One was in Clark 24 Aug (D. Overacker), one at Lorain 11 Oct (D. Sanders), and another at EHSP 19 Oct (Pogacnik). Least Sandpiper: A diminished presence this season, it seemed. High count at Conneaut was only 25 (1 Aug, D. Sanders), and for the state only 37 (ONWRC of 5 Oct). The latest report was of a bird 5 Nov at Conneaut (C. Holt). White-rumped Sandpiper: About three dozen reported, with a high of seven 20 Aug at Conneaut Hbr (P. Lozano). One procrastinated until 15 Nov at the CCE (J. Lesser). Baird’s Sandpiper: The largest numbers occurred at Conneaut, including three sightings of six birds: 19 Aug (J. Brumfield), 22 Aug (L. Rosche), and 27-28 Aug (B. Royse). Nine birds were found at inland locations. Final report 13 Oct at the Shreve fish pond in Wayne (S. Snyder). Pectoral Sandpiper: With higher counts during late summer, August’s largest report was of 97 at Funk on the 5th (S. Snyder). The high Sept count was only ~50, at the CCE on the 28th (D. Overacker). The season’s high count was 108 on 5 Oct (ONWRC). One lingered as late as 16 Nov at the Hebron Fish Hatchery in Licking (C. Dusthimer). Purple Sandpiper: First came one at an unexpected locale—-Pt Clinton beach—-on 8 Nov (L. Hochstetler fide G. Links). The other reports came from the NE: three at HBSP 18 Nov (S. Zadar), one at Conneaut and one at Ashtabula 20 Nov (G. Meszaros), one at Walnut Beach 21 Nov (D. Linzell) through 23 Nov (B. Wilkinson), and two at HBSP 25-26 Nov (Meszaros). Dunlin: Early was one at Conneaut 7 Sept (B. Royse). The CCE, as usual, boasted the big numbers: 1200+ by 22 Oct (D. Sanders), then ~5500 for the 2 Nov ONWRC (a state record fall count). Willow Pt WA on Sandusky Bay attracted 1050 on 31 Oct and 340 on 21 Nov (both V. Fazio). Berlin Res in Stark hosted 144 on 13 Nov (B. Morrison). Curlew Sandpiper: Documentation of a juvenile reported at Wright’s Marsh in Wayne on 6 Sept has been promised to the OBRC. Stilt Sandpiper: High count 32 on 1 Aug at Conneaut (D. Sanders), where among a flock of 27 the following day a very early juvenile was noted (C. Holt). Two adults there on 13 Aug were molting to basic (B. Royse). Latest reported were two at Toussaint WA and five at the CCE, all on 4 Oct by Sanders. Buff-breasted Sandpiper: All reports: PCWA 16 Aug (W. Jackson), 20 Aug and 7 and 9 Sept Conneaut (all B. Royse), 14 Sept Conneaut (B. Coulter), 15 Sept Conneaut (C. Holt), 15 Sept Clinton (N. Smith), and, on the Findlay Res dikes, two birds on 9 Sept, one on 16 Sept, and one on 30 Sept (all B. Hardesty). Short-billed Dowitcher: Early were three inland at BCSP 2 Aug (D. Overacker) and six near Lodi the next day (F. Dinkelbach). The first juv noted was at Conneaut 9 Aug (J. Lehman). Most observations came from Conneaut, where75+ mostly adults were present 13 Aug (B. Royse), then a flock increasingly composed of juvenile birds until four or five remained 14 Sept (B. Coulter). High count in the NW was only 56 adults on the 3 Aug ONWRC. At a near-record late date was a juv 19 Oct in the CCE (B. Master). Long-billed Dowitcher: The first southbound migrants were an adult at Conneaut 3 Aug (C. Holt) and two molting adults 16 Aug (B. Whan). More molting and some mostly basic adults were in the CCE 7 Sept, where 24 basic birds were seen 5 Oct, then 238 basic birds on 2 Nov (all ONWRC). B. Master reported 100+ basic birds in the CCE 19 Oct, where 12 remained as late as 11 Nov (Whan). Wilson’s Snipe: Good numbers in Oct’s last week, when on the 24th S. Snyder had 64 in Wayne and S. Corbo 45 at Gilmore Ponds, while L. Rosche encountered 30+ at Lk Rockwell in Portage the 26th. One was at Gilmore as late as 23 Nov (M. Busam). American Woodcock: Nov reports included one in Franklin the 6th (J. Watts), one at BCSP the 16th (D. Overacker), and one in NW Coshocton the 22nd (L.E. Yoder). Wilson’s Phalarope: Two juv. continuing at BIWA were seen as late as 7 Aug (C. Bombaci). J. Pogacnik found two birds at Conneaut 2 Aug, and R. Counts another pair in Wyandot the following day. At Conneaut, a juv was found 10 Aug (B. Whan), one 21 Aug (P. Lozano), one 23 Aug (B. Jones), and another 4 Sept (B. Coulter). J. Yochum had the high count of three, in Williams 16 Aug. Bombaci reported one from BIWA 23 Aug, and S. Houpert another from PCWA 25 Aug. Red-necked Phalarope: Juveniles were reported from Conneaut 11 Aug (S. Zadar), from PCWA 21 Aug (B. Bowman), and Butler (S. Reeves 30 Aug, J. Brown 31 Aug). A bird was reported from PCWA 31 Aug (S. Houpert). J. Pogacnik saw two flybys off Lake on 19 Sept. Red Phalarope: At least seven birds, beginning with one at Walnut Beach 1 Oct (K. Miller)-5 Oct (J. Pogacnik). D. Sanders discovered one at Conneaut 2 Oct, which may have been that later found there 5 Oct by C. Holt, 6 Oct by S. Butcher, and 7 Oct by B. Royse. On 15 Oct, Sanders had another at Huron, and K. Metcalf two off HBSP. Pogacnik reported another at EHSP 19 Oct. ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. 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