For those interested, here are some web connections about this large new body of water. The property, as I understand it, belongs to the City of Columbus. An aerial view is on the reservoir's website at http://columbusupgroundreservoirs.com/pdfs/Upground2012.pdf . This is a three-year-old aerial photo, where you can still see some natural features and a lot of construction underway. The upper left area of the pictured reservoir is where the reddish egret has been seen in recent days; the place in which it was originally found is at the upper right corner of the property. The water now in the pool is pretty much from the Scioto River; as I understand it, it can store nine billion gallons, which can be pumped into the Scioto at times when Columbus needs it. This water is also likely to be a great benefit for migrating waterfowl and possibly shorebirds, and I hope some skilled observers, maybe from OSU, will be able to study it. Historically, reservoirs have been most attractive to birdlife in the first few years of their existence, but this one could be different. You can read the brief recreational plans in the body of website's text, on the third page. The plans involve only the second area mentioned above (not the reservoir itself, or the area where the egret's been most often seen), and are to be managed by the Delaware Parks system; some information will be found at their web site http://www.preservationparks.com/parks-facilities/parks/park-district-map/ , where little other than the location is now available; the opening date is TBA. I don't know if this will be the largest upground reservoir in the state; in addition, two others nearby are foreseen; see http://www.msconsultants.com/water/drinking-water-systems/upground-reservoirs/ . It certainly will be the most secretive and expensive thus far. It would be interesting to know why the City of Columbus project turned out to be so expensive--more than $122 million--and provide hardly any recreational features. There are plenty of upground reservoirs in the state that aren't fenced in, or inaccessible to birders, fishers, picnickers, etc. It looks more like a military facility than anything else. You certainly get a chilly institutional feel upon visiting, but there seems to be no reason it couldn't become friendlier in times to come. Bill Whan ______________________________________________________________________ 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]