Hi all, At 2:30 this afternoon, I took advantage of returning from a little Spanish interpreting job at the western end of the county to look for the American Bittern in Rocky River reservation. The bird was right where it has been reported the last few days, in the swamp just north of the Big Met golf course. If I had missed the spot, the half-dozen or so birders would have been a pretty good clue! Other folks told me that I had missed a close approach by the bird, but even at the ditance it was (maybe 50 years) the view was great! The few times I have seen this species in the past, itıs been well-camouflaged in reeds. Here itıs in some very low-lying vegetation and completely visible. Even then, itıs interesting how its colors blend into the surroundings. After watching it eat a few fish, I decided to check out Erie Street Cemetery. Nothing unusual there for this time of yearAmerican Robins, Northern Flickers, Dark-eyed Juncos, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Song Sparrows, European Starlings. There was a lot of noise coming from the baseball stadiumI guess some team was going to play there.... One last chance as to check out the lakeshore. A quick look provided a lot of Red-breasted Merganser, some Greater Scaup and American Coot. Killdeer at the airport. But the great look was an American Kestrel hovring over the edge of the shoreway, opposite the airport. On the big roads around here, these used to be a gimme, but that hasnıt been true for a number of years; it was great to see this bird (though the airport is one of the places where they are seen farily often, I guess). Best wishes, Steve Cagan Cleveland Heights Cuyahoga County -------------------------------------------- Steve Cagan, photographer [log in to unmask] www.stevecagan.com www.pbase.com/stevecagan www.stevecagan.blogspot.com 216-932-2753 (USA) ______________________________________________________________________ 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]