I went up to the northern Delaware County site of the reddish egret both yesterday and today. Others who have been there will remember a titanic earthen wall completely enclosed by sturdy--and very permanent-looking--prison-style fencing. There is still a little work going on, and a lot of construction equipment is parked inside the impoundment, which a company is paying just to store there. The embankment is five miles long. It has been flooded since last fall, and I am told already has excellent populations of fishes. Both yesterday and today there were groups of birders looking for the rare egret, maybe thirty in all while I was around. Each day we saw guys drive up in otherwise-unmarked white trucks and tell everyone to stay outside the (open) gates. There is NO signage forbidding entry. Today half a dozen birders (who had walked into the area inside the fence earlier) were escorted out, the gate locked, and others warned to stay out. I talked with the person chasing people out today. He could not explain why a simple sign had not been put up to forbid entry, and we exchanged words; I must admit he was politer overall than I in our exchange. I tried to be persuasive, but I did use the word "Nazi," just once. I gather that this, now the largest upground reservoir in the state, will never be open to the public. Early plans had mentioned the usual activities for such reservoirs, excepting boating and fishing (the pool has an expensive plastic liner), but promised settings for birding and other nature study overlooking the reservoir and a restored prairie, as well as picnicking, etc. Apparently these plans have been abandoned, and you can now bird the reservoir only from an airplane or balloon. The guy I talked with offered the pathetic opportunity to view from the road birds in the two small lagoons outside the fence on the north side. No one was able to explain why signs prohibiting entry had not been placed, and I assume if you go there and there are no signs and no self-appointed guardians you can walk in blameless until someone escorts you out--and, one hopes, explains why this reservoir is so secret and special that birders can't visit. Historically, upground reservoirs have been magnets for migratory waterfowl and shorebirds, especially just after they're flooded, but simply visiting to see these birds here is forbidden for inexplicable reasons. For now, though I don't know much about law enforcement, I see no reason why you couldn't go through open gates in the imposing fence unless someone official tells you not to; as I said there are *no* "No Trespassing" signs as of today, which is pretty strange for a site being treated like a military setting. I was able to talk informally with a contract employee, who told me some back-channel stuff off the record, which I offer without further evidence. I heard that Delaware County officials resented being dictated to by the city folks in Columbus, and that some nearby property-owners resented the facility, and even that Homeland Security folks got involved, recommending a walled-off reservoir in case terrorists tried to poison us down in Columbus. Oh, yeah. The eventual decision was to disallow fishing, birding, picnicking, nature study, poetry readings, astronomy, and square-dancing by the public. The reservoir is designed to pump in water from the Scioto River and store it until Columbus needs it, whereupon the water will be pumped back in to the river so the city can recover it. Really. It's all a mess, but I imagine the frustrated desires of a few weirdos to add a species to their Ohio bird lists is the least of the indignities involved. If you go to this site, you might have a pleasant and productive visit, but be prepared for something else. Bill Whan Columbus ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]