Today I was able to get out checking on activity at the north end of Hoover Reservoir. I figured that the rain over the past several days had improved the condition of the emerging mudflats. The mudflats had indeed become more attractive to the shorebirds and a small but diverse population was scattered on the mudflats. The first stop was in Galena. The mudflats at Dustin Road were completely dry and growing grasses but yielding no shorebirds. The best to be found there were the Cliff Swallows gathering en masse on the mud at the water’s edge, looking like butterflies as they gathered mud for home repairs to their nests under the Old 3C Highway bridge. The rain brought the water closer to the boardwalk in Area M. Walking to the end was productive yielding a lone Semipalmated Plover, many Killdeer, and smaller numbers of Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs; Solitary, Spotted, Semipalmated, Least, Pectoral and Stilt Sandpipers. I did see what might have been a Short-billed Dowitcher further out but the lighting prevented looking directly at it. An adult and juvenile Osprey were on platform #2. Double-crested Cormorants were perched on snags close to Wiese Road. Next I visited Old Sunbury Road. The City of Columbus (yeah guys!) has cleared the fallen trees at the south entrance to the road. However, further north there are still trees down across the road making it into an obstacle course. The mudflats here are best accessed by parking near (but not blocking) the gate near the Eastshore Yacht Club. Follow the old road north past the old stage coach building and take the mowed path on the left to the water’s edge. The first little cove is muddy so step lightly across the entrance to the little cove and then turn right and follow the shore. Shorebirds were present in better numbers along the east shore beginning with the area between the small island and the shoreline, then continuing north to the Pelican island area. Shorebirds included many, many Killdeer, Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs; Solitary, Spotted, Semipalmated, Least, Pectoral and Stilt Sandpipers and a few Short-billed Dowitchers. The shallows and water edge had over 40 Great Blue herons and about 20 Great Egrets. A sandbar near Pelican Island had about 24 Caspian Terns lined up next to Ring-billed Gulls and 2 Herring Gulls. There were a few Blue-winged Teal scattered about. As I was walking back to the car I heard chickadees calling and for whatever reason I phished to call them in as they are neat sociable birds. They came in close and along with them came my surprise of the day, a male Black and White Warbler. A birder’s version of dessert. My last count was of nest boxes needing to be replaced because of damage from the recent storm. Sometimes I think Mother Nature takes target practice using the nest boxes. Charlie Bombaci Hoover Nature Preserve ______________________________________________________________________ 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]