Birders in southern Michigan and at states west of Ohio know that sod, or turf farms, often attract buff-breasted sandpipers, American golden-plovers and other shorebirds. Grand Haven sod farm at Ottawa County, Michigan, among the several southern Michigan sod farms has attracted buff-breasteds, including 15 on September 5, 1970. Twenty-five buff-breasteds were seen at H & E sod farm at Kankakee County, Illinois on September 19, 2008. A sod farm at Chisago County, Minnesota had 110 buff-breasted sandpipers on September 1, 2007. There used to be a large sod farm at southern Huron County,Ohio at the old Huron bog, where up to 200 American golden-plovers and a dozen buff-breasteds were seen in autumn in the early 1980s. After a couple of consecutive severe drought summers the farm was plowed up and vegetables are currently grown there. Ohio currently has several sod farms. In the Cleveland area, Medina Sod is at southern Medina County, near routes 71 and 76. Medina Sod also has a farm east of Orrville, Ohio, along Burton City Road. I have been to this sod farm once and saw a few Am. golden-plovers. The trick to birding at sod farms is to be there on several dates. Blue Velvet is a sod farm near Mayfield Road, Chesterland, Ohio. Southwest Ohio has sod farms at Xenia Turf, near the Greene County airport, at Green Velvet sod farm northeast of Dayton, and at Harper Turf farm, a large sod farm near Blanchester, Ohio, east of Cincinnati and northwest of Indian Creek Wildlife Area. Other Ohio sod farms include Hickory Valley farm, near Bremen, Ohio near Lancaster, and Cygnet Turf near North Baltimore at Wood County. Additional information can be found about these sod farms on the internet. Obviously, Ohio is not at the center of the buff-breasted sandpipers autumn migration corridor. However, when quality habitat exists birds tend to find it. Ohio may not get 100 buff-breasteds but lesser numbers are a distinct possibility. The best time to visit these sod farms is during the peak of buff-breasteds migration, from late August until late September. A few buff-breasteds have already been seen in Ohio this "autumn". Sundays and early evenings, when the farm workers are not present, is the best time to visit, especially after a northwestern weather front has moved thru. Remember that these sod farms are PRIVATE PROPERTY, so entrance onto them is by permission only. Considerable resources go into these sod farms to produce "perfect grass". If a sod farm is not near where you live, recently mowed hay fields or recently harvested agricultural fields can attract buff-breasted sandpipers, Am. golden-plovers, etc. A few autumns ago a couple buff-breasteds were found at a recently green-chopped corn field at Ashland County, Ohio. Good birding, John Herman ______________________________________________________________________ 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]