The Darby Creek Grain Elevator Wetlands Sunday and Today continue to be good shorebirds. Finally found the Wilson's Phalorope that Paul and others have been seeing but completely missed the Red-necked Phaloropes he reported yesterday morning. Like Paul says there is lots of turn over. I haven't been to the ponds at the 2nd spot Map: http://people.mbi.ohio-state.edu/hurtado.10/docs/battelle-darby-mp-wetlands.html he mentions but that must be where so many ducks head in the evening as I see flocks flying off in that durection. Sunday Aug 20 (three hours in the mornng and three in the late afternoon) include: Mallard 250 including a entirely white bird Blue-winged Teal 8 Northern Shoveler 11 Green-winged Teal 22 New arrival as far as I know, has anyone else seen this sp? f./eclipse type at dawn in wetlands, geese left first, followed by Mallards, then Green-wingeds. Small bodies, heads and bills. Dark brown, whitish bellies. Compact. Fast flight, compact flock. American Bittern 1 One flushed at first light from edge of cattails, flew straight away toward the greenway trail American Golden-Plover 5 Semipalmated Plover 45 past adult peak, juv. peaking Killdeer 350 Spotted Sandpiper 4 Solitary Sandpiper 20 Greater Yellowlegs 4 Lesser Yellowlegs 325 Semipalmated Sandpiper 20 majority juv., most adults seem to have passed. Least Sandpiper 145 A few adults still passing, appearing quite worn and dark, even blackish on the mantle and crown. Baird's Sandpiper 1 beautiful juv. Within 40 ft. on grassy edge at approach to pond. Stayed for about five min. and then without warning flew off calling. Lost from sight but may have returned although we didn't see it again. peep sp. (Calidris sp. (peep sp.)) 22 Pectoral Sandpiper 180 Pectoral's appear to have a extended, protracted fall migration with adults peaking well ahead of juv., late July thru Aug. Adult males appearing to arrive ahead of females, being past peak by now. The Aug. flight however seems to be quite evident. Stilt Sandpiper 21 all well moulted ad. Short-billed Dowitcher 4 Wilson's Snipe 4 American Woodcock 2 Vesper Sparrow 2 Savannah Sparrow 6 Grasshopper Sparrow 1 Henslow's Sparrow 3 Swamp Sparrow 1 meadowlark, sp? flight, notably less white in tail than expected for Eastern Mammals: 2 Eastern Cottontail, 1 Gray Fox Aug 21, 2012 5:00 AM - 8:00 AM Comments: Watched the sunrise and listen to shorebirds and waterfowl move about. 3 Great Horned Owl were heard, one adult giving typical hoot and two giving the typical juv. begging call. These latters calls being short and rather soft (not far carrying) were rather weak, variable, wheezy (often fading or rising), < 3/4 sec. In my mind, this discription therefore eliminates the louder, hard, screech on one note given by Barn Owl. Many shorebirds continue, although peaks of Semipalmated Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper and Stilt Sandpiper seems to have or is passing. Most Semipalmated Sandpipers now are juv. and the three Western Sandpipers here were the first juv. of the fall; other first records of juv. were noted for Greater Yellowlegs and Stilt Sandpiper. Highlights included American golden Plover, Upland Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson's Phalorope and Eurasian Collared Dove. American Wigeon f./juv. type, with grayish heads, warm buff-orange tones on flanks, calls distinctive two or three note whistle. Northern Shoveler 5 Northern Pintail 4 Green-winged Teal 100 American Golden-Plover12 Semipalmated Plover 30 Killdeer 175 Spotted Sandpiper 3 Solitary Sandpiper 9 Greater Yellowlegs17, peaks later than Lesser; 1st juv. (5) Lesser Yellowlegs 125 Upland Sandpiper 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper 50 Western Sandpiper 3 All juv. Feeding Dunlin-like at waters edge, showing rich reddish scaps. Least Sandpiper 100 White-rumped Sandpiper 3 ad., weedy edge, rest and flight, calling. peep sp. (Calidris sp. (peep sp.)) 13 Pectoral Sandpiper 110 Stilt Sandpiper 8 incl. 1st juv. (1) Short-billed Dowitcher 18 one flock, calling as they flew off Long-billed Dowitcher 1 Ad., single, working in shallows on near side of wetlands at first approach. Studied for about five minutes, much of the time it was calling. A long legged, long-billed dowitcher (bill > 3 X head). Very dark, including scaps and tertials which fringed in dark chestnut. Head dark, gray. Call a keek, kreep, pweet, given while on the ground. Short-billed's only called in flight,. Wilson's Snipe 2 Wilson's Phalarope 1 Eurasian Collared-Dove 2 Two well seen, flying by, about 1 min. Light very good, with sun behind. Large, heavy (much more robust than the abundant Mourning Dove); long broad square tail. Both birds were very pale gray (lacking brown, spots), bellies gray. Tail gray with broad white tips, flight fleathers darker than rest of mantle. I have seen hundreds of this species on the the east coast, and once in late spring in Columbus. Marsh Wren 3 Savannah Sparrow 9 Grasshopper Sparrow 1 Song Sparrow 65 Swamp Sparrow 8 Dickcissel 30 Opposite the pond are extensive cattails and dry weedy edges. Most of these birds were here flushed up from the ground, perching on weed stalks, cattails, small shrubs. Large heavy, long round tail. Few showed any rufous in shoulders; few showed anything close to bright yellow on their breasts. None were males, most were immature. Large headed, long heavy pointed gray bill. They showed pale black face, due to long broad supercillium and submostachial regions meeting at eye, leaving face with bare eye. White throats, breast pale gray to tinge of yellow to obvious yellow cast. Malar streak thin and black to heavy and black flaring downward. Ad. f. were clean yellow on breast but otherwise they were streaking with thin dark streaks. Mantle were gray as nape and neck, with broad paler braces. Pale colorful rump with dark tail i.e. Bobolink. Call distinctive, a clear but low and soft, unemotional, note recalling a weak drawn-out Bobolink or House Finch. The typical flight note (widely known as the "electric buzz") an unobtrusive zzsrrrpt was given often, always from a perch. Good birding David Tan [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ 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]