16/C (WILLIAMS coUNTY) Birding experiences THROUGH 2005

16/C (ie the junction of Williams County Roads 16 and C) also known as the Ditch 40 Project and also as the Defiance/Williams Joint Watershed Project. see end of page for historical narrative at 9/20/2002 dedication ceremony...

Just in the first year, this new marsh has attracted Bluebirds, Bobolinks, Cormorants, Dowitchers, Ducks (Black, BlueWinged and GreenWinged Teal, Bufflehead, Gadwall, Northern Shovelers, Pintails, RingNecked,Ruddy, Scaup, Canvasback), Dunlin, Geese (SNOW, WHITE-FRONTED), Horned Grebes, RedBreasted Mergansers, Gulls (BONAPARTE'S,Herring, RingBilled), Hawks (Cooper's, Harrier, Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, RedTailed), Herons (BlackCrowned Night, Great Blue, Green, Great Egrets), SANDHILL CRANES, PHALAROPES (RedNecked and Wilson's), Pheasants, PIPITS, Sanderling, Sandpipers (Baird's, Least, Pectoral, Stilt, Semipalmated, Solitary, Spotted, WhiteRumped), Plovers (GOLDEN and BLACKBELLIED), Snipe, Sparrows (GRASSHOPPER, Savannah, Song), Swallows (Barn, Cliff, RoughWinged,Tree),Swifts,TERNS (BLACK, CASPIAN, COMMON, FORSTER'S), Turkeys, WILLET,Yellowlegs (Greater & Lesser), YellowRumped Warblers and BEST BIRD OF ALL BY FAR: PLEGADIS IBIS--an Ohio Review Species, as well as extremely common birds like Killdeer, Mallards, Canada Geese, Cowbirds, House Sparrows, RedWinged Blackbirds, Starlings, Grackles, Mourning Doves, Robins, Turkey Vultures, and Meadowlarks

2002 9/18/2 Enroute home from work stopped by to see the new wetlands under construction at Willams County C/16, spurred by the article in the newspaper. I was very surprised to find a Stilt Sandpiper, a Dowitcher, an American Golden Plover, a Crow, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 10 Least Sandpipers, 10 Lesser Yellowlegs, 150 Killdeer, and 200 Starlings! The last time I had been by it had been bone dry and construction was heavy-duty. Nice to meet Sue S. who said that she stops by frequently and has seen dunlins and semipalmated plovers there recently as well.9/19/2 2 Least Sandpipers, 6 Lesser Yellowlegs, 38 Killdeer, 119 Canada Geese, 200 Starlings in one flock (two Cowbirds and two Mourning Doves in the flock, too). 9/22/2 was very wet: 200 Canada Geese, 32 Mallards, 3 Killdeer, 2 Semipalmated Plover, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, a Semipalmated Sandpiper, and a Greater Yellowlegs. 9/23/2 1 RingBilled Gull, 1 Mallard, 1 Stilt Sandpiper, 1 SemiPalmated Sandpiper, 3 Least Sandpipers, 10 Lesser Yellowlegs, 38 Killdeer, 38 Canada Geese. 9/24/2 2 Shovelers, 1 Mallard, the rest were Killdeer and Lesser Yellowlegs. 9/25/2 300 Canada Geese, 100 Killdeer, 25 Lesser Yellowlegs. 9/26/2 3 Mallards, 50 Killdeer, 15 Lesser Yellowlegs. 9/30/2 Enroute home from work, started to count the usual Yellowlegs, Pectorals, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Killdeer, Canada Geese, Mallards when a PLEGADIS IBIS walked into view! Although we all had our binoculars and scopes, we could not determine whether or not the bird had a red eye; the bird did have the strange neck marks noted in National Geographic's Field Guide. Glad enough to see the Ibis, meet Linda Hare and reacquaint my self with her sister Sue Sanders, what to our amazement should appear but a PEREGRINE FALCON strafing the shorebirds-- it circled a few times then spiraled up into oblivion. We watched a Dowitcher feed for a short time, then left; the Ibis was still there when we left at 5pm.

fuzzy photo from Sony Digicam through scope

10/1/2 was very happy to see Sue Sanders again, and meet her brother Roger and his wife Pat from Defiance, all watching with scopes and binoculars, but alas the ibis was gone. Other birders were there as well, but not many birds: 3 Greater Yellowlegs, maybe 20 Lesser Yellowlegs, the lone Dowitcher, a few Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers, almost 400 Canada Geese, 8 Mallards, maybe 50 Killdeer, and 25 or so AMERICAN PIPITS were there until 200+ Starlings flew in and frightened them into the sky. 10/2/2 Enroute home from work I found among the usual shorebirds, Mallards (14), and hundreds of Canada Geese a WILSON'S PHALAROPE, easily visible from Williams County Road C. 10/3/2 A five-minute drive-by found 400+ Canada Geese, lots of Killdeer and little else (2 Lesser Yellowlegs, a Semipalmated Sandpiper). 10/4/2 had only 19 Canada Geese, 3 BlueWinged Teal, about 25 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Greater Yellowlegs and singles of other shorebirds, so my mind had almost drifted into casual numbness when up flew 8 large shorebirds. I couldn't remember any details from their sudden flight, so I had to walk in the rain a short distance to get within scope range to discover they had only been 8 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS. 10/5/2 Fortunately, I took the run to WilliamsCo Rd 16/C, where birds seem to change every day! There were 3 PINTAILS (a drake with 2 hens), 2 GREENWINGED TEAL, only 5 Canada Geese, 5 Dunlin, 10 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 1 Dowitcher, 1 RingBilled Gull and one American Golden Plover. 10/8/2, 10/9/2, 10/10/2 has been 300+ Canada Geese, 8 Mallards, half dozen Dunlin and lots of Pipits, basically. 10/16/2 With the Paulding Sewage Lagoon flooded into a pond again, and Fulton County 66/Turnpike now a dry field, the only local shorebird habitat is Williams Co Rd 16/C where today there were hundreds of Canada Geese, a single Lesser Yellowlegs, and about 3 dozen Dunlin. No killdeer at all! 10/17/2 1 Shoveler, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 6 Lesser Yellowlegs, 6 Killdeer, 8 Mallards, 18 Dunlin, hundreds of Starlings and Canada Geese. 10/19/2 1 Pectoral Sandpiper, 3 Greater Yellowlegs, 3 RingBilled Gulls, 6 Lesser Yellowlegs, 10 Mallards, about 3 dozen Dunlin, dozens of Killdeer, hundreds of Canada Geese and Starlings. 10/21/2 was virtually identical to Saturday, except the gulls were gone, and a drake GreenWinged Teal was there. 10/22/2 A Great Blue Heron, 2 LongBilled Dowitchers, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, a dozen Dunlin, and hundreds of Canada Geese. There were six banded geese whose numbers I wrote down out of boredom <grin> (2E2K, 2E4K, 2E5K, 2E7K, 3E0K, 3E7K, 3Z7Y) and reported three of the white, black-lettered bands online at http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/homepage/recwobnd.htm to see what would happen. 10/23/2 Dunlin, Canada Geese, Lesser Yellowlegs, Mallards, Killdeer. 10/24/2 Much the same as yesterday. 10/25/2 Dunlin, Canada Geese, Lesser Yellowlegs, Mallards, Killdeer. 10/26/2 unchanged.10/28/2 There were a dozen Dunlin, hundreds of Canada Geese, a single Lesser Yellowlegs, a single Greater Yellowlegs, and almost exactly 100 Killdeer. One of the geese this time wore an orange neckband with white lettering. (Z6K8) "Orange and Blue collars are widely used in the Mississippi Flyway. These collars were part of an extensive effort to track the populations and movements of Canada Geese. Orange collars were used in the Canadian portion of the Mississippi Flyway, and Blue collars were used in the US portion of the Mississippi Flyway." from http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/homepage/cagoprot.htm "Around the UM-Dearborn campus, many geese wearing orange neck collars can be found in the fall. These birds have been banded on Akimiski Island, Nunavut, in James Bay (while closest to Ontario, all islands in James Bay belong to Nunavut, formerly Northwest Territories)." http://www.umd.umich.edu/dept/rouge_river/goose.html 11/1/2 Haven't been getting out of work until dark, so was eager to see what was new at Williams County Rd 16/C . There were a dozen Dunlin, hundreds of Canada Geese, and exactly 2 Killdeer-- nothing new.11/5/2 not a single bird! not even a Canada Goose or Killdeer! 11/6/2 Only 2 RingBilled Gulls.11/7/2 24 Dunlin and 3 Killdeer. Williams County 16/C A Lesser Yellowlegs, a single Pectoral Sandpiper, 3 dozen Dunlin and a dozen Killdeer. The Canada Geese evidently tired of kids chasing and throwing balls at them, so retreated across the road to the fenced in Sewage Lagoons, where hundreds were visible from the road.11/12/2 Nothing, zero, zilch.11/14/2 300 Canada Geese, 24 Mallards. 27 Killdeer flew in just as I was leaving. 11/18/2 not a single bird.11/20/2 3 Dunlin 11/24/2 Denny S. reports 25-30 Great Egrets for some odd reason 11/25/2 13 Mallards and 50 Canada Geese.11/25/2 no birds. But I did get a certificate on a goose whose neckband I reported: 10 miles in 2 years! <grin>

11/27/2 no birds. Except a Harrier.11/29/2 no birds. 12/6/2 frozen birdless tundra 12/12/2 Received 3 repots from USGS on banded Canada Geese: orange z6k8 Winisk Ontario, female, hatched in 2001 or earlier; white 3e7k Montpelier OH, female, too young to fly when banded in 2002; white 2e2k Montpelier OH, male, too young to fly when banded in 2002 12/31/2 Thawed enough to provide refuge for 16 Canada Geese and a pair of Mallards.2003 3/18/3 8 RingNecked Ducks, 1 GreenWinged Teal, 1 Gadwall (all of these were drakes!), 7 Canada Geese. Then 51 more Canada Geese flew in. Then another 129 Canadas, and I think the longer I would have stayed the more Canadas I would have seen. There also 3 big Greylag Geese there, as well. 24 Mallards then flew in as I pulled out. 3/19/3 25 Canada Geese, 4 Scaup 3/22/3 Just a pair of Lesser Scaup! 3/24/3Only a single Bonaparte's Gull. Behind it, near the sewage lagoon however, were about 50 Canada Geese, including white-banded 3z7y, 2e3k, 3e5k. 3/25/3 8 RingBilled Gulls joined the single Bonaparte's, as well as a dozen Canada Geese, 5 GreenWinged Teal, 6 BlueWinged Teal and copulating Killdeer everywhere. 3/27/3Just a pair of BlueWinged Teal, probably due to two pre-teen boys with a bicycle stuck in the mud-- evidently they thought they could cross the swamp. Instead they ended up laughing and throwing mud at each other, already having it pretty much covering them. As I was ready to leave 7 Bonaparte's Gulls wheeled in, dipped into the water, and moved on, maybe due to the boys' commotion, as well as a guy broadcasting by hand, probably fertilizer or grass seed. 3/30/3 Nothing at all 3/31/3 Nothing but a Great Blue Heron and a dead deer at the water's edge. 4/6/3 Rushed out to see if the sandpipers arrived during my absence, but only 50 or so each of Canada Geese and Green-Winged Teal. 4/7/3 Same GreenWinged Teal and Canadas. 4/10/3 Just Canada Geese and Killdeer! Met Jon Diller there. He said there was nothing at Oxbow Lake, as well. 4/11/3 Just 3 RingBilled Gulls and Killdeer! 4/13/3 Defiance's Black Swamp Audubon Society's Jon Diller led a walk today, and a very good day it was, since the sandpipers finally arrived! Scanning the birds while I counted them, I could only find Pectoral Sandpipers-- over 500 of them! --and my first of the year. 20 Bonaparte's Gulls were there as well, with plumages ranging from full summer with a full black head, to full winter with a head as white as it gets. The only other birds were an Eastern Meadowlark, 2 Killdeer, and 4 Canada Geese. I definitely would have scanned more carefully, but my scope inexplicably died! John, Mark, Jon, Lach, Dave, Don & Alice, another couple whose name eludes me but whom I frequently see walking there, as well as a mother-and-daughter team were on the walk today. Lach reported, " I went back to the big pond later Sunday with my scope and spent some time sorting through all those birds. The gulls had left but the sandpipers were still there in quantity, and I couldn't find anything that looked more like something else than a pectoral except for one lone killdeer."

Lach looks. 4/14/3 Met up with Sue and Linda here to find 300 or so Pectoral Sandpipers still here, many leaving in small groups about 5pm. A Rufous-Sided Towhee sang from the big tree by the road. 4 Canada Geese, 4 BlueWinged Teal, and 6 GreenWinged Teal were here today, along with less than a dozen each of Least Sandpipers, American Pipits, (firsts of the year for me) and Killdeer. I could find only one Lesser Yellowlegs and two Dunlin.4/15/3 Maybe due to the VERY strong west wind, there were a mere 3 DOZEN Pectoral Sandpipers instead of yesterday's 300, with a solitary Dunlin, a solitary female Bufflehead, two Pipits, 3 Least Sandpipers and a male RingNecked Pheasant. 4/16/3 19/C Over a hundred Pectoral Sandpipers in a field. 16/C In spite of two pre-teen boys running in the mud, about 150 Pectoral Sandpipers, 4 Least Sandpipers, 3 Dunlin, a lone Lesser Yellowlegs, a pair of Mallards, a pair of BlueWinged Teal, a single RingBilled Gull, 5 Canadas (one dragging a broken wing), a dozen Killdeer. 4/17/318 Pectoral Sandpipers, 2 Least Sandpipers, a Dunlin, a lone Lesser Yellowlegs, a pair of Mallards, 2 female Bufflehead, 26 Canadas, 2 Killdeer. 4/18/3 28 Pectoral Sandpipers, 10 Dunlin, a lone Lesser Yellowlegs, a pair of Mallards, 2 female Bufflehead, 12 BlueWInged Teal, about 50 Canadas, and Killdeer. 4/21/3 Lots of Swallows, composed of Purple Martins, Barn and Tree Swallows, 8 Pipits, 5 Least Sandpipers, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 2 Dunlin, a lone Lesser Yellowlegs, a female Bufflehead, 4 Lesser Scaup, 19 Canadas, and a Killdeer. All the rain has missed us, so it is very dry except for the water's immediate edge. 4/22/3 Very much the same as yesterday (even down to the same 3 male, 1 female Lesser Scaup) minus the swallows. 4/23/3 Bufflehead, very same Scaup, Canada Geese, Killdeer and PIPITS continue, along with four of my first-of-the-year Greater Yellowlegs, as well as 2 Spotted Sandpipers engaged in unusual activity (crouching very low, then standing very tall). Lach in Bryan writes to say that he has Chukar in his yard every so often, from a neighbor who has raised chukars as part of his dog-training hobby. 4/24/3 Ibid 4/25/3 Tree and Barn Swallows, Purple Martins, Bufflehead, Lesser/Greater Yellowlegs, Pipits, Scaup, Killdeer, Canada Geese, Mallards continue. 4/28/3 Quick stop before work: Dunlin, Pectoral and Least Sandpipers, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs persist, but each in single digits. A pair of Mallards, the same Lesser Scaup (3 males and a female) and the female Bufflehead with Canada Geese were still there too. Best birds were my Pipits, still hanging on there, about 30 in the newly-plowed section alone. 4/29/3 Dunlin, Pectoral, Solitary and Least Sandpipers, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs persist, but each in single digits. A pair of Mallards, the same Lesser Scaup (3 males and a female), the female Bufflehead, and a drake Ruddy Duck with Canada Geese were still there too. Best birds were my Pipits. There were more warblers here in 5 minutes than the hour at Oxbow Lake (!) but all 15 were Yellow-Rumped. First Canada goslings of the year for me. 5/2/3 This place had three CASPIAN TERNS today, along with the usual Pipits, Least/Pectoral/Spotted/Solitary Sandpipers, Greater/Lesser Yellowlegs and Dunlin, with 3 Mallards, 2 Gadwall, a Palm Warbler (!) and 20 or so Canada Geese. One of the Caspian Terns kept strafing the 2E5K Canada Goose! 5/5/3 Nothing but families of Canada Geese out for a swim. The recent 2" rain is offering too many flooded fields as alternative habitat, I do believe. 5/7/310+ Dunlin (now in full breeding plumage), 2 Least Sandpipers, and my first Semipalmated Plover of the season were here with a pair of Blue Winged Teal and many Canada Geese. 5/8/3at 5pm A dozen Dunlin (now in full breeding plumage), 6 Least Sandpipers, a Lesser Yellowlegs, a pair of BlueWInged Teal, 50 or so Canada Geese, Barn, Tree and Cliff Swallows, but best of all, FIVE FORSTER'S TERNS! 5/9/3at 5pm Flooding rains again chase everything away except for the Canada Geese and one drake BlueWinged Teal. 5/11/3 6 BlueWinged Teal, 1 female Scaup, lots of Canada Geese, Barn and Tree Swallows.5/14/3at 7am was impossible due to the bright rising sun, but checking again at 5pm found about 150 Least Sandpipers, 150 Dunlin, 10 of each Yellowlegs, 2 Solitary Sandpipers, 2 Spotted Sandpipers, a single Semipalmated Plover, 6 BlueWinged Teal, a drake Mallard, a hen Scaup, a few Barn Swallows, and about 100 Canada Geese. 5/15/3at 6pm, still very dark, rainy skies Surprised driving by to see 150 of my first-of-the-season Short-Billed Dowitchers, so pulled in and pulled out the scope. 2 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS (first for the year for me) ,150 Dunlin, 150 Least Sandpipers, smattering of Solitary, Spotted, Semipalmated, Pectoral Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, Yellowlegs, 6 BlueWinged Teal, a drake Mallard, a hen Scaup, a few Barn and Tree Swallows, and about 100 Canada Geese, a FORSTER'S TERN, and definitely my first-of-the-season WILSON'S PHALAROPES!!! --THREE OF THEM!!! Stryker Jail nice to see Palm Warblers at a jail! 5/16/3 at 6pm Bright and sunny, excellent for viewing, but now the Ditch 40 Project is back to its old bad self: 41 Dunlin, 3 Spotted Sandpipers, 2 Semipalmated Plovers, 6 BlueWinged Teal, 2 pairs of Mallards, a hen Scaup, 100 Canada Geese, 6 Killdeer, 2 Great Blue Herons. 5/17/3 Lach O. reports: "...found only a dozen geese, 40 or so dunlin, three mallards, a killdeer and a semipalmated plover, and a few swallows of some kind." 5/19/3 I spent most of my short allotted time observing the RedNecked Phalarope but there were also 2 BlackBellied Plovers, 40 or so Dunlin, about a dozen SemiPalmated Plovers, a single Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 BlueWinged Teal, two-to-three dozen Least/Semipalmated Sandpipers, and about 100 Canada Geese (half of them goslings). 5/20/3 The female RedNecked Phalarope from yesterday was still here today as close to the black-topped walkway as possible while still being in the marsh, with extremely satisfying views possible even with the unaided eye. Also here were 2 BlackBellied Plovers, 2 BC Cormorants, 75 Dunlin, a dozen SemiPalmated Plovers, 2 BlueWinged Teal, 100 Least/Semipalmated Sandpipers, 14 drake Mallards, a drake GreenWinged Teal, and about 100 Canada Geese (half of them goslings). A vicious cold wind knocks over my scope but seems apparently unharmed. 5/21/3 All remains the same from the last two nights, including the female RedNecked Phalarope and Black Bellied Plovers. I was there only a few minutes, meeting Jeff & Becky C. who also observed the Star. Dan Sanders and Greg Miller of Columbus were here earlier in the day as well, evidenced by their posting on Ohiobirds@Envirolink: "...Fortunately, we DID find the fabulously-plumaged female RED-NECKED PHALAROPE on the NW corner of county roads 16 & C in Williams County, thanks to the timely posts of John Yochum. We had 8 sp of shorebirds including 5 White-rumped Sandpipers. The drake Green-winged Teal remains as well." Did he say WhiteRumped Sandpipers? I should've stayed a little longer and pulled the scope out! 5/22/3 The RedNecked Phalarope enters Day Four, but today the blackbellied plovers and greenwinged teal were gone. The WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS were a good exchange, plus the Dunlin, Semipalmated Plovers/Sandpipers, Least/Spotted Sandpipers, 2 drake BlueWInged Teal, 16 drake Mallards, Barn/Tree Swallows, and the 100 Canada Geese. Lach O. saw the Star today as well. I tried to get some pictures but the bird moves so much and so fast, and the wind is very strong rattling the scope as I try to line up my incompatible digital camera. 5/27/3 Someone spent a great deal of time on the Memorial Day Weekend birding!! --Jeff Grabmeir on Ohiobirds@Envirolink: "...On Sunday, May 25, I checked out the new marsh that John reported at the intersection of County Roads 16 and C. The Red Necked Phalarope that John found was gone, unfortunately. In its place, there were 40 DUNLIN, 8 SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, and 6 SPOTTED SANDPIPERS. I had never even seen a Dunlin in Williams County before, so I was amazed to find that many. I was also surprised to find a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, another first for my Williams County list. There were about a dozen peeps as well, but they were at the end of my scope range and I didn't have time to go to the other side of the marsh to investigate more fully. Linda Hare, Sue Sanders and I looked around a bit at 16/C before the rain started: 150 Dunlin, 7 Semipalmated Plovers, a drake GreenWinged Teal, 50 Semipalmated/Least Sandpipers, 150 adult Canada Geese plus very few goslings, 6 Spotted Sandpipers, 2 DoubleCrested Cormorants, a few Barn Swallows and Chimney Swifts. 5/28/3 No surprises for Sue and I, similiar to yesterday, lots of Dunlin...5/29/3 No surprises: 171 Canada Geese, 12 drake Mallards, 30 Dunlin, and 3 each Semipalmated Plovers/Sandpipers. Low numbers could be due to loud tractor on adjoining land. 5/30/3 Linda and I saw with my first BLACK TERN of the year 100+ Canada Geese over half of them goslings, 4 Mallards, 42 Dunlin, 1 Semipalmated Plover, 17 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, and a red sandpiper that by its hyperactivity and size was probably a Sanderling, although almost out of scope range to be sure. Linda walked around the marsh later and confirmed him for sure as a SANDERLING.5/31/3 Linda, Sue and I found that last night's black tern had been replaced by a first-year COMMON TERN. Last night's lesser yellowlegs had been replaced by 3 GREATER YELLOWLEGS. There were also a drake GreenWinged Teal, and a drake Ruddy Duck. The sanderling was gone, but everyone else seemed to be there pretty much the same. It's been a great month for terns at this spot!-- 5/2 we had Caspians, 5/15 and 18 Forster's, 5/30 Black, 5/31 Common! 6/1/3 Five WhiteRumped Sandpipers were probably the best birds today, but there were also 20 Dunlin, 3 Semipalmated Plovers, 36 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, 1 Drake GreenWinged Teal, 2 Mallards, 150+ Canada Geese, a dozen Killdeer, a half dozen Barn Swallows, a Great Blue Heron, plus the ubiquitous RedWinged Blackbirds, Meadowlarks, Grackles, Starlings and Chimney Swifts. 6/2/3 Linda, Sue and I saw practically the same birds today as yesterday. 6/3/3 SEVEN BLACK TERNS and FIVE COMMON TERNS joined 10 WhiteRumped Sandpipers, 10 Dunlin, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, 3 Least Sandpipers, 50+ Semipalmated Sandpipers, 50+ Barn Swallows, 1 drake Mallard, 100+ Canada Geese, and a few Swifts and Tree Swallows. Nice too are the great people I meet here. 6/5/3 What a change! 7am this morning there were now 3 CASPIAN TERNS with a GREATER YELLOWLEGS and hundreds of shorebirds, most of which appeared to be Semipalmated Sandpipers but with a few Dunlin, Semipalmated Plovers and WhiteRumped Sandpipers thrown in. I didn't find any Least Sandpipers, but did find the drake GreenWinged Teal, 4 Mallards, and hundred-plus Canada Geese still. Pretty much the same at 11am. 19/C RedHeaded Woodpecker.6/6/3 Again a change! Gone are the 3 caspian terns and in their place TWO BLACK TERNS are back. 7:30am the sun was too bright to really see what all the little shorebirds were, and at 5:30pm the rain was just beginning. Looked pretty much like yesterday though, just add 3 Mallards and subtract the GreenWing Teal. The Black Terns were there morning and night.6/7/3 9am only 27 shorebirds TOTAL, but still the same variety: Spotted/Semipalmated/WhiteRumped Sandpipers, Killdeer, and Dunlin. 6/8/3 I am so sorry I didn't stop here today, as we had a visitor all the way from Cincinnati!: "...Arrived close to noon at this new wetland just after a heavy downpour. White-rumped Sandpiper 10, Semipalmated Sandpiper 2, Spotted Sandpiper 1 (local breeder?). The White-rumped and Semipalmated Sandpipers vanished at about 12:30 - 12:45 pm after feeding feverishly. Perhaps the storm brought them down during migration (?) and they moved on quickly. Jay G. Lehman, Cincinnati, OH, lehman.jg@pg.com" 6/9/32425/B50 Bobolink. I've never seen one here before... 16/C Bird numbers are very, very low-- must've been a perfect day for migration. Best birds were 8 WhiteRumped Sandpipers, but there were also 6 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 2 Spotted Sandpipers, a GreenWinged Teal drake, 8 Mallards, 10 Canada Geese and 10 Killdeer, along with the usual Meadowlarks, Tree Swallows, Chimney Swifts, Grasshopper Sparrows, and RedWInged Blackbirds. It was kinda fun to wonder what the ladies' church walking group from Ney/Farmer Methodist thought of a guy with a scope out here. Then I saw "Aunt Shirley" among the group and knew she would explain to the other ten... The great people that planned this area also did a great job sowing wildflowers instead of putting in only grass. Today the poppies and bachelor buttons were in bloom across the whole wide area. Unfortunately, I chose a poor RedWinged Blackbird's nest area to photograph which disturbed him greatly:

6/10/3 Seriously deflated numbers-- only 3 each of WhiteRumped, Semipalmated and Spotted Sandpipers. 2 Mallards, 20 Killdeer, 10 Canada Geese. 6/11/3 The dwindling numbers of birds here (6 White-Rumped Sandpipers, 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 2 Spotted Sandpipers, 20 Killdeer, 1 GreenWinged Teal drake, 3 Mallards, 20+ Canada Geese) made it easy to find and view a newly-arrived beautifully-plumaged female Wilson's Phalarope. 6/12/3 No shorebirds, so one would have been reduced to counting Mallards, Canada Geese, Great Blue Herons, Chimney Swifts, Tree and Barn Swallows, had it not been for the sole BLACK TERN. Dan Sanders of Columbus came up and viewed the area to find, "...I followed up on 6/12, unsuccessfully, your Wilson's Phalarope report of 6/11, and in addition to the Black Tern you reported, found one lingering WhiteRumped Sandpiper and also one LESSER YELLOWLEGS." 6/15/3 Jeff Grabmeier of Columbus OH on Ohio-Birds@Envirolink: "At the wetlands at the intersection of County roads 16 and C the highlights today were ducks: the drake Green-winged Teal first noted by John Yochum was still there today. And it was joined by two Ruddy Ducks, definitely a June oddity for Williams County. Shorebirds were nothing but a few Killdeer, Spotted Sandpipers and Semipalmated Plovers. 6/16/3 7am enroute to work, Bonaparte's Gull joins the resident Canada Geese (66), Mallards (14), Killdeer (many), drake GreenWinged Teal. 5:30pm enroute home from work, the Bonaparte's was gone, but in its place were three BLACK TERNS. Also BOBOLINKS have settled into the grass on the west side of the wetlands. 6/17/3 With the great rains, the only birds left were Canada Geese, Mallards and the drake GreenWinged Teal.6/18/3 Today's star was yet another BLACK TERN, with only Killdeer, Canada Geese, Mallards, Bobolinks, Tree and Barn Swallows. 6/19/3 Best bird was male Ruddy Duck, but also saw my first Savannah Sparrow at this location, very vigorously defending NW corner of the grassland area. Bobolinks and the drake GreenWinged Teal still present, but otherwise just Killdeer, Canada Geese, Mallards, Swallows, Meadowlarks, RedWinged Blackbirds etc Didn't see or hear grasshopper sparrows. 6/20/3 Sue and I found a COMMON TERN among the regulars tonight, including Savannah Sparrows and Bobolinks, but alas no grasshopper sparrows.. 6/23/3 A very casual walk around the entire marsh takes only 50 minutes, but saw only the usuals: Bobolinks Savannah/Song/Grasshopper/English Sparrows, drake GreenWinged Teal, a RingBilled Gull, Mallards (33), Canada Geese (about 100), Killdeer and Spotted Sandpipers, etc. Beautiful day. 6/25/3 Nada mucho, pero more Mallards (100+) are congregating from the near-by lagoons and creek. 6/26/3 TWO CASPIAN TERNS join the regulars. 6/30/3 Returned home from a long weekend away to find THREE LEAST SANDPIPERS among the regulars. Also was the first Green Heron I've seen at this location. 7/1/3 It seems like summer just got here, but already migration has evidently begun: ELEVEN LESSER YELLOWLEGS and SIX LEAST SANDPIPERS joined the group tonight! 7/2/3 FOUR SEMIPALMATED PLOVERS, NINE LESSER YELLOWLEGS, TWELVE SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, SIXTEEN LEAST SANDPIPERS, and the first Great Egret I've seen at this location tonight! 7/7/3 Water is very high from recent thunderstorms, so the 3 Least Sandpipers here were found only after careful scoping of the weedy water's edge. 20/C 3 Wild Turkeys.7/8/3 Water is even higher, attracting only Mallards, Canada Geese, and Tree/Barn Swallows. 7/9/3 2 Ruddy Ducks, 5 Great Blue Herons. 7/10/3 Only the most common: about 100 Mallards, lots of Killdeer, a few Spotted Sandpipers, a few Canada Geese etc. because the water is so high. A very careful inspection of the shore revealed 3 Least Sandpipers. 7/12/3 The shorebirds moved in today: 50+ Least Sandpipers, 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, and a SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER (the first of the fall that I've seen at this site). Plus the regulars, of course. 7/14/3 35 Least Sandpipers, 24 Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 Pectoral Sandpiper, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, lots of Spotted Sandpipers and Killdeer and Canada Geese and Starlings (300?) and Savannah Sparrows and RedWinged Blackbirds and Mourning Doves and Grackles, 1 Mallard hen, no great blue herons. 7/15/3 Enroute to work this morning (7:30 am) was very surprised by a WILLET. I was almost blinded while watching him through the scope, since he flashed his brilliant wings as he and hundreds of shorebirds took to the air as a juvenile Cooper's Hawk strafed low. Counting was futile with the small amount of time I had. The Guardians (Red-Winged Blackbirds) escorted the hawk very quickly from the area. Better than a morning cup of coffee! After work (5pm) I found the Willet was gone, but in its place were THREE STILT SANDPIPERS, 3 BLACK TERNS, 10 Short-Billed Dowitchers and 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers mixed in with the usual Least Sandpipers (54, a hurried count, not exploring the grassy edges with my scope), 18 Lesser Yellowlegs, a little over 50 Canada Geese, 3 Mallards, a Great Blue Heron and a drake Ruddy Duck. This morning there were also a few Greater Yellowlegs that were not there tonight. I left and decided to turn around to try for some pictures of the Stilt Sandpipers, and found that just in that few minutes two juvenile Herring Gulls had joined the group. 7/16/3 Mowing (these guys at Bryan Parks have done everything right; the marsh always looks trimmed and proper like a park, to satisify the traditionalists, and yet the grass/"weeds" are standing giving ample opportunity for the nesting Bobolinks/Grasshopper & Savannah Sparrows/etc) was taking place so the only birds were the regulars: Leasts, Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer, Dowitchers etc. 7/18/3 Morning sun so bright at 7am makes viewing nearly impossible but appears to be just the usual Least/Lesser/Dowitcher crowd. 7/20/3 at 5pm 21 Least Sandpipers, 12 Lesser Yellowlegs, 4 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 4 ShortBilled Dowitchers, a single Pectoral, and the GreenWinged Teal drake join the regulars (100+ each of Canada Geese, Mourning Doves, RedWinged Blackbirds, Mallards, Killdeer plus a few Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers) 7/21/3 at 7am Thunderstorms --> Flooding --> No birds at all! 7/22/3 Only the most common-- Mallards, Canada Geese, Killdeer, etc 7/23/3 Even MORE rain, but nevertheless today in addition to the very common (Mallards, Killdeer, Great Blue Herons, Spotted Sandpipers etc) were 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 10 Lesser Yellowlegs, 10 Least Sandpipers and 2 Solitary Sandpipers. 7/24/3 Much the same in almost identical numbers, except no Wood Ducks and add lots of Mallards and Canada Geese, and the lone GreenWInged Teal drake.7/25/3 Add a single Stilt Sandpiper to yesterday's similar numbers. 7/27/3 252 Canada Geese, 10 Solitary Sandpipers, 7 Lesser Yellowlegs, 4 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 3 Great Blue Herons, 3 Mallards, 2 ShortBilled Dowitchers, 2 Least Sandpipers, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 1 Spotted Sandpipers, 1 Stilt Sandpiper 7/28/3 Thunderstorms lead to more flooding, no mud, and no shorebirds. Just Mallards, Canada Geese, and Great Blue Herons. Second wettest July on record. 7/29/3 Tons of Killdeer return, with only the rarest Solitary and Spotted Sandpiper among them.7/30/3 Roadwork closes County Road C keeping me away 7/31/3 Roadwork keeps C closed still, but walking over from C50 manage to see several pairs (only two of each!) among the usuals: Lesser/Greater Yellowlegs Great Egrets Pectoral/Solitary/Spotted/Semipalmated Sandpipers. 8/1/3 Thunderstorms AGAIN(!!!) but half dozen Dowitchers and Lesser Yellowlegs visible as I went by. 8/3/3 Thunderstorms all weekend, so I wasn't expecting much: 4 Great Blue Herons, a Canada Goose, and the first Kingfisher I've seen at this location.8/7/3 Returned home to find that thunderstorms had kept the water high and shorebird numbers low. This morning enroute to work a BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (winter-plumaged) and a Great Egret stood out. After work, the plover was gone: a dozen Killdeer, a dozen Semipalmated Sandipers, 4 Solitary Sandpipers, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Semipalmated Plover, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 Great Egret, 1 Great Blue Heron. 8/8/3 No rain all day so more birds are congregated: 50+ Killdeer, a dozen Canada Geese, 8 Pectoral Sandpipers, 5 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 2 Great Egrets, 1 Least Sandpiper, 1 ShortBilled Dowitcher, a Great Blue Heron, a Semipalmated Plover, a Lesser Yellowlegs and a Solitary Sandpiper. 8/10/3 MORE thunderstorms! Too much water for shorebirds, not even killdeer! 150 Canada Geese, 16 Mallards, 5 Great Blue Herons, 1 Great Egret. 8/12/3 Three FORSTER'S TERNS (one immature) were the highlights today, with many Killdeer, a dozen Semipalmated Sandpipers, 5 BlueWinged Teal, 5 Mallards, 3 Solitary Sandpipers, 3 Great Blue Herons 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 1 Great Egret, 1 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, no canada geese.8/14/3 Although enroute to work at 7:30am there were plenty of shorebirds, 50+ BlueWinged Teal, 25+ Mallards, 200+ Canada Geese etc , at 5pm there were only TWO CASPIAN TERNS, a Great Egret, and a Great Blue Heron... AND A PEREGRINE FALCON repeatedly attacking the terns. 8/15/3 2 Caspian Terns, a Great Egret, a few dozen Mallards, lots of Killdeer, a Stilt Sandpiper, a Semipalmated Plover, 4 Lesser Yellowlegs, and about 2 dozen Semipalmated Sandpipers.8/16/3 Highlight at 8pm after a brief rain was definitely THREE WILSON'S PHALAROPES, with a couple dozen each of Semipalmated/Pectoral Sandpipers, Killdeer, Mallards, BlueWinged Teal, 6 Solitary Sandpipers, 6 Spotted Sandpipers, 5 Sanderlings, 2 Caspian Terns, but only one each Great Egret, Stilt Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs and Short-Billed Dowitcher. Even more amazing were the numbers of people that were there, one man (Stan B.) with 12-36x zoom binoculars with a scope mount. He said they come down to watch the 300 or so Canada Geese that arrive every night at 9pm. 8/18/3 200 Canada Geese, 200 Killdeer, 6 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, 6 Pectoral Sandpipers, 5 Semipalmated Sandipers, 4 Mallards, 4 Lesser Yellowlegs,2 Caspian Terns, 2 BlueWinged Teal, a Great Blue Heron, 1 Semipalmated Plover, 1 ShortBilled Dowitcher juvenile, 1 Sanderling. 8/19/3 Pretty much identical to yesterday, even the 2 Caspian Terns.8/20/3 Pretty much identical to yesterday and the day before, even the 2 Caspian Terns. 8/21/3 Pretty much identical to yesterday and the day before and the day before that, even the 2 Caspian Terns. There were, however, a few more Lesser Yellowlegs and ShortBilled Dowitcher juveniles (still under 10). Six Spotted Sandpipers emerged eventually from the vegetation. Oh! and a BAIRD'S SANDPIPER! The Bobolinks were strangely silent tonight. All July and August the surrounding grassland has been a great carpet of autumn-looking flowers. Now they have wound down to just a few blooms, the yellow Coneflower, the Garden Coreopsis, and the Narrow-Leaf Dock Seed Stems looking so much like one of God's greatest fall arrangements:

Of course, amidst all of the beauty hid plenty of argiope uckiness:

and one of the Coreopsis was entirely red:

8/22/3 Quick recovery from the storms with the sun: shorebirds included a couple dozen Killdeer, a dozen Lesser Yellowlegs but only a couple each Semipalmated/Solitary/Spotted Sandpipers, Short-Billed Dowitcher and a single Greater Yellowlegs. Others included Mallards, BlueWinged and GreenWinged Teal, Canada Geese and a Great Blue Heron. 8/24/3 200+ Killdeer, 150- Canada Geese, 1 Great Blue Heron, 6 Mallards, a dozen Lesser Yellowlegs, a dozen or so Semipalmated Sandpipers, singles of Short-Billed Dowitcher, SANDERLING, and Semipalmated Plover. At least 2 dozen (mostly half-grown poults) Wild Turkeys at the eastern dead-end of CoRd C. 8/25/3 Very similar to yesterday 9/9/3 Not much happened since I left for Florida 2 weeks ago, but what can compare to Oystercatchers, LongBilled Curlews, Scrub Jays, Wilson's Plovers, Limpkins, BlackWhiskered Vireos, Gray Kingbirds, RedCockaded Woodpeckers, Burrowing Owls, Least Terns, etc etc: Dream over, back in Ohio: over 100 Canada Geese, 50+ Killdeer, 14 Mallards, 6 Pectoral Sandpipers, 5 BlueWinged Teal, 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers, a pair of Great Egrets, a Great Blue Heron, 1 WILSON'S SNIPE, and 1 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER. 9/11/3 Water still too high: 189 Killdeer, 14 Mallards, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 8 BlueWinged Teal, 4 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers, a pair of Great Egrets, 2 Great Blue Herons, a Greater Yellowlegs, and a Least Sandpiper.9/12/3 The weather hasn't changed and neither has this site: 118 Killdeer, 6 Mallards, 6 Pectoral Sandpipers, 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 4 Semipalmated Sandpipers, a pair of Great Egrets, 2 Great Blue Herons, and 3 Greater Yellowlegs. 9/14/3 My first stop today, I saw only the usuals-- many Killdeer, Canada Geese, Mallards and a smattering of miscellaneous shorebirds, BlueWinged Teal, and Great Blue Herons. On my second stop (11:30am), a RingBilled Gull and 8 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS (a few still in perfect breeding plumage) had dropped by. 9/15/3 Even MORE rain, so only 200+ Canada Geese, 40+ Mallards, and 3 Great Blue Herons. 9/17/3 A Great Egret, a couple Great Blue Herons, slightly under 100 Killdeer, 40+ Mallards, a half dozen or so each Dowitchers, Pectoral and Semipalmated Sandpipers, and 3 Lesser Yellowlegs. 9/18/3 Had counted 44 Mallards, 16 Pectoral Sandpipers, 14 Killdeer, a Lesser Yellowlegs, and a Semipalmated Sandpiper when suddenly many more birds than that leapt into the air screaming-- evidently they had been hidng in the brush at the water's edge. This always has indicated a hawk, and tonight was no different: Fascinating five-minute view of a PEREGRINE FALCON (dark juvenile) strafing the shorebirds, until all that remained were the Mallards, and two Greater Yellowlegs and a pair of BlueWinged Teal I hadn't detected before. He bumped into a Semipalmated Sandpiper twice in the air but failed to take any birds at all, sitting in the top of a nearby tree when I left. I've never seen a successful Peregrine hunt, now that I think about it! Peculiar enough: When I first arrived I had been chatting with an elderly couple with binoculars who said they had seen a Peregrine here about a month ago.9/19/3 Eerily similar to yesterday in every respect, except that the Cooper's Hawk was simply passing through high overhead. All the shorebirds flew up nonetheless, and then quickly resettled onto the mud instead of leaving. The kettling Turkey Vultures had no apparent effect. 9/22/3 Very high water: 150+ Canada Geese, 78 Mallards, 2 Great Blue Heron, a Great Egret and less than 10 Killdeer. 9/23/3 Geese, Ducks, Herons...9/25/3 Geese, Ducks, Herons...9/28/3 200+ Canada Geese hardly visible in the yard behind the Water Treatment Plant; in the lagoon itself 200+ Mallards with 10 BlueWinged Teal and a drake Northern Shoveler, accompanied by 2 Great Blue Herons. Water is obviously very high making birding... well,er, boring. 9/29/3 200+ Mallards, 2 Great Blue Herons, a Great Egret, and a few BlueWinged Teal... 9/30/3 SIX GREATER YELLOWLEGS (at last! shorebirds again!) 200+ Mallards, 200+ Canada Geese, 2 Great Blue Herons, and a few BlueWinged Teal...10/1/3 Bad news in the form of rain: only Killdeer, Mallards BlueWinged Teal and Canada Geese. 10/2/3 Shorebirds showed up: 16 GOLDEN PLOVERS, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Wilson's Snipe, a lone Pectoral Sandpiper, a lone Semipalmated Sandpiper, plus a wider variety of Ducks: only 2 dozen Mallards, about 2 dozen GreenWinged Teal, 8 Northern Shovelers, 2 Black Ducks, and a pair of BlueWinged Teal. There were also two Great Blue Herons, and my first FOUR AMERICAN PIPITS of the season. 10/4/3 5 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 dozen GreenWinged Teal, only 2 dozen Killdeer, a Spotted Sandpiper, lots of Mallards and Canada Geese (200 each?). Oh, and a Great Blue Heron.10/7/3 8 Greater Yellowlegs,8 GreenWinged Teal, 38 Killdeer, 8 Mallards, Canada Geese (200?), a Great Egret, and 3 Great Blue Herons.10/8/3 5 Lesser Yellowlegs, 7 Greater Yellowlegs, 11 GreenWinged Teal, 150+ Killdeer, a Pectoral Sandpiper, 66 Mallards, Canada Geese (200?), and a Great Blue Heron.10/9/3 Best birds were 45 DUNLIN, 64 Mallard, 32 Killdeer, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 2 Least Sandpipers, a Greater Yellowlegs, a Great Egret, and a Great Blue Heron. 10/13/3 Best birds were 4 AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVER, followed by 14 Dunlin, 2 Mallard, 40 Killdeer, 2 Least Sandpipers, 5 Greater Yellowlegs, 4 Lesser Yellowlegs.10/15/3 Almost 100 Mallards, 10 Canada Geese, and 10 Killdeer circling overhead looking for somewhere to land after the great rain last night. 10/16/3 Over 150 Mallards, 6 GreenWinged Teal, a lone RingNecked Duck, 2 RingBilled Gulls, a Great Egret, a Great Blue Heron. 10/17/3 200+ Mallards, 6 GreenWinged Teal, and a Great Blue Heron. 10/19/3 Receding water improves the birding: 5 Wilson's Snipe, a dozen each of Dunlin and Greater Yellowlegs, 44 Killdeer, 3 Great Blue Heron and 3 Mallards. 10/20/3 3 RingBilled Gulls, 15 Greater Yellowlegs, 5 Dunlin, 38 Killdeer, 58 Mallards, 350+ Canada Geese, 2 Great Blue Heron, 1 GreenWinged Teal.10/21/3 10 Greater Yellowlegs, 3 Dunlin, usual high numbers of Mallards and Canada Geese, 1 Great Blue Heron. No killdeer.10/22/3 5 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Dunlin, 38 Mallards, 2 Great Blue Herons, 5 Killdeer.10/23/3 Half-dozen or so Pipits, 5 Wilson's Snipe, 3 GreenWinged Teal, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, 2 Dunlin, 9 Mallards, 1 Great Blue Heron, 40 Killdeer and a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER.10/24/3 2 Dunlin, 3 GreenWinged Teal, 6 Killdeer, period!10/26/316/C A whopping THIRTY-EIGHT Greater Yellowlegs, with the regular large numbers of Mallards and Canada Geese, as well as 6 Black Ducks, 6 GreenWinged Teal, a Ruddy Duck and , 2 Great Blue Herons.10/27/3 2 Dunlin, 2 Killdeer, 6 GreenWinged Teal, a Great Blue Heron, crowds of Mallards and Canada Geese.10/28/3 A single Killdeer, a Great Blue Heron, 6 Greater Yellowlegs, a dozen GreenWinged Teal, and lots of Mallards.. 10/30/3 38 Dunlin, 9 Greater Yellowlegs, 9 Killdeer, 6 GreenWinged Teal and tons of Mallards and Canada Geese. Bluebirds, Savannah Sparrows, Eastern Meadowlarks, and Mourning Doves were still there in abundance as well as a single Kestrel.10/31/3 Highlights tonight at 5pm enroute from work were definitely an adult SNOW GOOSE standing in shallow water with an adult GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE amidst the many Canada Geese and Mallards. Dunlin (50+) as well as a few GreenWinged Teal were present as well. 11/4/2003 Now that Halloween parties and Union meetings are over, I had just enough daylight to find 100+ Dunlin, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, and NOTHING ELSE(!). 11/5/3 No fog this morning means I could discern a dozen Greater Yellowlegs, and over 100 Dunlin amidst hundreds of Canada Geese and Mallards enroute to work about 7:30am in near darkness. After work, again near dark about 5pm, there were about 83 Killdeer, 43 Dunlin, 6 GreenWinged Teal, and 50 or so Mallards. 11/6/3 7:30am I found 16 Bonaparte's and 4 RingBilled Gulls had moved in overnight. Otherwise, there were 100 Killdeer, about 50 Dunlin, a comfortable 100 Canada Geese, a few Mallards and a pair of GreenWinged Teal 11/7/3 7:30am Bright sun and 3 Greater Yellowlegs, 17 Dunlin, a PiedBilled Grebe, 19 Mallards, a Great Blue Heron, 100+ Killdeer, 100+ Canada Geese. 11/8/2003 9am The western half of the marsh (where all the birds usually are) was empty except for 3 adult RingBilled Gulls (not commonly at the marsh at all). The eastern half had exactly 40 Dunlin and 2 Wilson's Snipe. I checked the nearby creek thinking that might be where some of the usual hundreds of Mallards were, and sure enough, there were about 30 Mallards visible in the twists and turns of the waterway, with a Great Blue Heron and a Kingfisher. Checking the nearby Sewage Lagoons, I found about 300 Canada Geese, 2 Ruddy Ducks, and a single GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE. One was also here on Halloween. 11:30am I returned with a camera only to find the WhiteFronted Goose, all of the Mallards, the Great Blue Heron, the Ruddy Ducks, the Snipe, and half the Canada Geese gone! The 40 Dunlin were now in the usual western half of the marsh, and the RingBilled Gulls now numbered 4 adults and a juvenile.11/10/2003 7am 39 Killdeer waiting for the ice to thaw. 11/11/3 1pm 33 Dunlin sitting strangely still on a spit of mud. 129 Mallards,2 GreenWinged Teal, a RingBilled Gull, and a Kingfisher.11/12/20037am Lotsa Canada Geese, Mallards, Dunlin and Killdeer. 11/13/20037am Lotsa Canada Geese, Mallards, Dunlin, Killdeer AND a male Bufflehead.11/14/20037am About 300 Canada Geese and a pair of Mallards. 5pm Just reversed, with about 300 Mallards and a pair of Canada Geese! 11/15/3 10am Only two birds here-- a RingBilled Gull and a Great Blue Heron. In a very small visible section of the creek to the north however, I can see 175+ Mallards all crowded in! 11/17/3 10am Only Killdeer on the spit, but a few ducks mix with the hundreds of Canada Geese on the sewage lagoons north of the marsh. They hide on the rocky weedy shore quickly, but noted were about a dozen Ruddy ducks, 4 Coots, 2 female Bufflehead, and Mallards. 11/18/200310am Only a few dozen Mallards in the rain, exposed on the flooded marsh. 11/19/3 Only Canada Geese and Mallards.11/20/2003Only a Great Blue Heron and lotsa Canada Geese and Mallards. 11/23/3 Hundreds of Mallards and hundreds of Canada Geese, and one RingBilled Gull. Amidst the regular Canadas was an odd Canada Goose mix, with a bump onto its head. The bill was orange with a black tip, like that of a Bean Goose:

taken thru a scope, thru a chainlink fence.11/24/2003 Perhaps 200 Mallards and maybe 600 Canada Geese, with the odd bump-headed goose, in the marsh. A juvenile RedTailed Hawk watched the hundreds of Mallards and Canada Geese, including the bump-headed goose. He looked ridiculously large perched in one of the small newly-planted trees. I also received a surprising e-mail from Dan Sanders, of Columbus OH: " Paul Gardner and I saw this same goose (I can't imagine that there could be another one like it anywhere!) at the beach at Port Clinton, OH this past Saturday around noon. This huge beach stretches along Lake Erie for perhaps 3/4 of a mile and there were well over a thousand Canada Geese there with more arriving regularly from the Northeast for much of the time we were there. We noticed this bird right away and Paul may even have taken some digital pics of it. There's no doubt, though, that this is the same bird. I checked the distance from Port Clinton to Bryan, OH via <www.mapquest.com> and this distance, by car of course, is 100.75 miles with an estimated driving time of 1 hour and 52 minutes. At what time did you find this bird there on Sunday? Of course a 100-mile flight is probably no big deal for these birds, but I sure was surprised to see your report and picture of this bird!! There was also a Black Swan at the Port Clinton beach that day. You haven't seen one of those over your way have you? Thanks for your posts, and Good Birding! 11/25/2003 A Great Blue Heron was the only bird at the marsh itself. At the sewage lagoons to the north were the usual hundreds of Canada Geese and Mallards.11/28/2003 Over 400 Mallards, a single Canada Goose, and under a dozen GreenWinged Teal were in the marsh, while the Sewage Lagoons to the north were empty! 11/29/3 Hundreds of Canada Geese and Mallards, but couldn't pick out anything else. 11/30/2003 Only 6 Mallards on the marsh itself, but still many Mallards and Canada Geese (including the odd bump-headed goose) on the Sewage Lagoons immediately north.12/1/2003 4 Killdeer and 75 Mallards at the marsh. 500+ Canada Geese at the Sewage Lagoons, including the crested mix and 2E3K. 12/2/3 The marsh is completely frozen and empty, while hundreds of Mallards and Canada Geese were departing the Lagoons to the north, now almost completely frozen as well. 12/3/3 The marsh is almost frozen, and so empty. The creek is completely covered with Mallards and 2 Great Blue Heron, however, as is the Sewage Lagoon by Canada Geese. 12/15/3 Open but empty water. 12/17/200316/C and the Bryan Sewage Lagoons were completely frozen but still SIX TUNDRA SWANS and hundreds of Mallards circling in the air, with 13 Canada Geese, 12 Mallards and 2 Black Ducks sitting on the ice. 12/22/200316/C and the Bryan Sewage Lagoons were thawed slightly, with one Great Blue Heron on the edges of the swamp; another Great Blue Heron, 200+ Mallards, and 400+ Canada Geese (including 2e3k) were on the Lagoons. 12/23/2003 Hundreds of Canada Geese and Mallards, and two Great Blue Herons 12/24/2003 Hundreds of Canada Geese and Mallards, and two Great Blue Herons 12/26/2003 Hundreds of Canada Geese (including Green 6KT0 )and Mallards sitting on the ice.12/29/2003 THREE PINTAILS and a GreenWInged Teal male were among the hundreds of Canada Geese and Mallards.12/30/2003 Hundreds of Canada Geese and Mallards.12/31/3 Hundreds of Canada Geese and Mallards 20041/2 Mallards and Canada Geese. 1/5 Many Mallards and Canada Geese. 1/15 Two Harriers sought food in the frozen expanse, while 15 Mallards were on the near-by unfrozen creek.1/20/4 A male Harrier flew over the frozen expanse, while in the open creek a dozen Mallards were visible with a drake WOOD DUCK. A mile away, at CR 16 and US 6, was a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. 1/24 A cold despondent Great Blue Heron and a few Mallards were in the still-flowing creek. 2/12/4 Creek full of Mallards behind16/C. 2/19/4 Creek full of Mallards behind16/C , over 100 in the tiny section visible from the road. 3/2/4 Best sight: a Harrier attacking the Gulls and Mallards, especially one particular hen Mallard! Under a dozen each of Bufflehead, Redheads, Lesser Scaup, RingNecked Ducks, GreenWinged Teal, Shovelers, Herring Gulls and Grackles, and over a hundred each of Mallards, Canada Geese, and RingBilled Gulls. Two Kestrel hovered over the grass, and a Great Blue Heron stood tall. Nice to see Sam again. 3/3/4 Pretty much same as yesterday. First Killdeer I've seen in Williams County this year.3/4/4 Almost empty. 17 birds total, divided between Canada Geese, Mallards and RingBilled Gulls. First Turkey Vultures I've seen in Williams County this year. 3/5/4 200+ Canada Geese, 200+ Mallards, under a dozen each of Lesser Scaup, Redheads, Wood Ducks, GreenWinged Teal, Gadwalls, Wigeon, Pintails, Shovelers, and RingNecked Ducks. and Killdeer. 3/7/4 100 Canada Geese, 100 Mallards, under a dozen each of Lesser Scaup, Redheads, Gadwalls, Shovelers, RingNecked Ducks and a Coot. Good to see plenty of Robins, RedWinged Blackbirds, Meadowlarks and Killdeer. Add a Crow and a Kestrel, and that was about it. 3/9/4 Only 4 Canada Geese, but maybe the regular crowds were frightened off by the husky being walked around the marsh. Standing on a hill in the park and peering across the road into the Sewage Lagoons I saw 100 more Canada Geese, and at least 200 mixed ducks, mostly Lesser Scaup and RingNecked Ducks, but also a few Redheads, Gadwalls, Shovelers, Mallards, and Black Ducks. Even at that distance the birds looked and acted a little spooky so I didn't try too hard to count or look at every bird. 3/10/4 Only 4 Canada Geese at 7am, but with them were FIVE SANDHILL CRANES. Roz confirms by suspicions by telling me that at least one dogwalker at this park is amusing himself by watching his chocolate lab chase the ducks and geese from this shallow marsh.

videocamera capture

3/11/4 The marsh was at first sight empty except for 7 RingBilled Gulls and a Killdeer. Waiting and watching revealed 100+ Mallards and 100+ Canada Geese in the wet weeds, while a RedTail and 2 Harriers (one a grey male) hunted, and three Crows harrassed them occassionally. Across the road at the Sewage Lagoons were a much wider variety of ducks, and much more apparent. 3/13/4 The marsh AND the sewage lagoons were frozen! Only Canada Geese, Crows and flocks of Robins and RedWinged Blackbirds. 3/14/4 Besides Canada Geese and Mallards, there were a pair of HOODED MERGANSERS (the first I've seen at this location), 3 RingBilled Gulls, 2 Great Blue Herons, and a Harrier. 3/16/4 Nasty weather forces all but a hardy pair of Canada Geese and 2 Harriers off the marsh itself and onto the sewage ponds, where there were about 50 ducks (Scaup, Wigeon, Redhead etc) and 50 Canada Geese. 3/17/4 Only eight Canada Geese total! Hundreds of Mallards asleep in the marshy grass, two Great Blue Herons at the water's edge. Per usual, the "good ducks" are on the sewage lagoons. 3/18/4 Empty! Must be a good day for migration! 3/19/4 250 Canada Geese (including 3E7K whom I first saw here October 2002), only 21 Mallards, the first 7 RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS I've ever seen at this site!, 6 GreenWinged Teal, 6 RingBilled Gulls, 4 Great Blue Herons at the marsh itself. From a hill at the marsh I could see over into the sewage lagoons 50 Scaup, 20 Coots, the first 4 HORNED GREBES I've ever seen at this site!, a few Redheads, Canvasbacks, Wigeon.3/20/4 6:30pm 100 Mallards, 50 Canada Geese on the marsh itself; the "good ducks" were packed into the sewage lagoons to get out of the fierce winds. Sam Bacon reports seeing 4 SNOW GEESE there before I arrived! 3/23/4 Frozen and no birds at 7:30am, but at 5pm 118 Canada Geese, 116 Mallards, 10 Scaup, 10 Redheads, 4 Wigeon, 4 Killdeer, 3 Great Blue Herons, and a drake HOODED MERGANSER. 3/24/4 The Marsh itself held only a pair of GreenWinged Teal, 3 RingBilled Gulls, 3 Great Blue Heron and yesterday's low numbers of Mallards and Canada Geese (100 each?). About 100 "good ducks" were on the Sewage Lagoons viewed from the hill: half Scaup, with the other 50 divided among RedHeads, RingNecked, Wigeon, and Coot, plus a pair of Canvasbacks and a pair of Hooded Mergansers. 3/25/4 Pretty much the same with a PiedBilled Grebe and a pair of Hooded Mergansers on the marsh. 3/28/4 The usual Mallards & Canada Geese were kept company by a few BlueWinged Teal and 6 RingBilled Gulls. The good ducks were again on the Sewage Ponds viewed from the hill. This place had the best variety of the day: GreenWinged Teal, Wigeon, Wood Ducks, Shovelers, Coot, Scaup, Redheads. 3/29/4 The marsh itself at 5pm had a pair of GreenWinged Teal, 8 Blue Winged Teal, 50 Mallards, 4 RingBilled Gulls, 4 Canada Geese. The Sewage Ponds behind had a lot fewer ducks today, so I took an actual count: 125 Canada Geese, 24 Lesser Scaup, 20 Coots, 18 RingNecked Ducks, 6 Hooded Mergansers, 4 Gadwall, 3 PiedBilled Grebes, 2 pair of Redheads, a pair of Bufflehead, a pair of Wood Ducks, a pair of Wigeon. Earlier at 7am there were also 3 Herring Gulls, and 7 Bonaparte's Gulls, with black heads unlike those yesterday at Wauseon. 3/30/4 The marsh itself was only BlueWinged Teal, Mallards, Canada Geese, but the Sewage Ponds were full of "good ducks." 4/1/4 The marsh itself had only a few Mallards, but the Sewage Ponds were full of "good ducks" still. 4/2/4 Ditto the last week <grin> Sorted through a large flock of blackbirds here, but found 80% Starling, 10% Cowbird, 10% RedWinged Blackbird (only 2 females!), plus 10 Grackles. 4/4/4 100 Canada Geese, 50 Coots, 25 Wigeon, 25 Scaup, 25 RingNecked Ducks, a pair of Mallards, a Killdeer, and a low RedTailed Hawk. 4/5/4 The marsh itself: 19 Canada Geese, 2 Mallards, 3 Bufflehead, 1 Killdeer, 1 Great Blue Heron. Sewage Lagoons: 87 Canada Geese, 8 pair of Lesser Scaup, 8 Bonaparte's Gulls, 3 pair of RingNecked Ducks and BlueWinged Teal, 2 pair of Ruddy Ducks and Wigeon, a pair of Redheads and Gadwall, 4 Coots, and a GreenWinged Teal drake. 4/7/4 7am My first-of-the-season GREATER YELLOWLEGS (it's loud cu-cu-cu's heard before the bird was seen) and at 5pm my first-of-the-season PECTORAL SANDPIPER. Duck numbers were down: a drake GreenWinged Teal, a Great Blue Heron, a RingBilled Gull, pairs of Wood Ducks, Shovelers, Gadwalls, Ruddy Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, and Wigeon, 2 pair of Bufflehead, 6 Coots, 3 pairs of Scaup, 7 Killdeer, 8 Mallards, 50 RingNecked Ducks (counted), 125 Canada Geese (counted). 4/8/4 A dozen BlueWinged Teal at 7am. At 5pm, 50 Canada Geese, 18 Coot, 12 BlueWinged Teal, 12 Lesser Scaup, 8 Gadwall, 4 RingBilled Gulls, and my first Savannah Sparrow of the year. 4/9/4 Three of my first-of-the-season DUNLIN showed up tonight, with several pair of Redheads, about a dozen Gadwall and Wigeon, 20 Coot, 32 Lesser Scaup, 6 Killdeer, a Great Blue Heron and 50 Canada Geese. 4/11/4 The marsh itself contained 2 RingBillled Gulls, 1 Bonaparte's Gull, and a Canada Goose. Then I checked the creek (Kingfisher, pair of Wood Ducks) and sewage lagoons (Horned Grebe, 3 PiedBilled Grebes, a pair of Mallards, a pair of Bufflehead, 20 Coots, a dozen or less each of Scaup, RingNecked Ducks, Wigeon, Gadwall, and about 50 Canada Geese). In just those few minutes the marsh changed: the Bonaparte's was gone and in his place were 2 Dunlin and a Pectoral Sandpiper! 4/12/4 The marsh itself contained 12 Pectoral Sandpipers, a RingBillled Gull, a Great Blue Heron, 40 Canada Geese, and a pair of Wood Ducks in the creek. The Sewage Lagoons looked much the same as yesterday, down to the Horned Grebe, with 1 Bonaparte's Gull.4/13/4 The marsh itself had only single pairs of BlueWinged Teal, Mallard, and Great Blue Heron, while the Sewage Lagoons were very similar to the last few days but no gulls. Stryker Jail A Savannah Sparrow showed up out of nowhere, with a Rusty Blackbird trio (2males and 1 female).4/15/4 The marsh itself had a pair of BlueWinged Teal, a RingBilled Gull, a Horned Grebe, a Great Blue Heron, 3 Dunlin, and 57 Pectoral Sandpipers. The Sewage Lagoons had under a dozen each of RingNecked Ducks, Lesser Scaup, Coots, Gadwall, Ruddy Ducks, Mallards, plus about 50 Canada Geese. I overlooked counting the Killdeer, but probably less than a dozen also. 4/16/4 The marsh itself had a single drake GreenWinged Teal, 70 Pectoral Sandpipers, 3 Dunlin, 3 BlueWinged Teal at 5pm. At 7am, there had been only 3 Dunlin and 3 Pectoral Sandpipers. The Sewage Lagoons numbers were way down and so pretty easily counted: 12 Lesser Scaup, 12 Coots, 6 Bufflehead, 4 Gadwall, 2 Mallards, 2 RingNecked Ducks, 2 Wigeon, 2 Redheads, 2 Hooded Mergansers and a Ruddy Duck. A Savannah Sparrow sang above the sound of the Meadowlarks and RedWinged Blackbirds: "Faaaa-lluuuu-jah!" 4/19/4 The marsh itself had 10 Pectoral Sandpipers, 2 RingBilled Gulls, a PIPIT, and a few Killdeer and Canada Geese. The Sewage Lagoons were almost empty!: 4 Coots, 3 pairs of Lesser Scaup and a Horned Grebe. 4/20/4 Besides Killdeer and Canada Geese, the marsh itself had 6 Pectoral Sandpipers, and 4 Dunlin. The creek held a pair of Gadwall and 2 pair of GreenWinged Teal, as well as 2 Great Blue Herons. The Sewage Lagoons had only 12 pairs of RingNecked Ducks and a Coot. 4/21/4 At 7am, there were under 6 of each Sandpiper: Dunlin, Lesser Yellowlegs and Pectoral. At 5pm things changed dramatically: 4 BlueWinged Teal, 4 RingBilled Gulls, 2 Ruddy Ducks, but no Sandpipers (not counting Killdeer, Canada Geese). New for the season: Barn Swallow The nearby creek: Wood Ducks. The Sewage Lagoons: A single pair of RingNecked Ducks and two pair of Mallards. 4/22/4 2 RingBilled Gulls and 10 Pectoral Sandpipers, but in the Sewage Ponds were 3 pair of Scaup, 4 Coots and a PiedBilled Grebe. 4/23/4 Traffic was too fast to count, but saw only the usual Pectoral Sandpipers, Dunlin and Lesser Yellowlegs. On the Sewage Ponds were a pair of Ruddy Ducks, 2 pair of Scaup, 5 pair of Ringnecked Ducks, and 3 Coots. In the creek were 5 pair of BlueWinged Teal and 4 pair of GreenWinged Teal. 4/26/4 5pm 10 Dunlin, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Great Blue Heron. Creek has a pair of Mallards and 2 Great Blue Herons. Sewage Lagoons empty except for Canada Geese. 4/27/4 Extreme wind resulted in constant flight of about 100 Sandpipers: Dunlin, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral and first-of-the-season LEAST SANDPIPERS. A Sharp-Shinned Hawk quickly flew over as 6 RingBilled Gulls flew in. 2 pairs of BlueWinged Teal and 3 Great Blue Herons on the protected creek, but only Canada Geese on the Sewage Lagoons. 4/28/4 The first visit to this place by a MUTE SWAN this morning. Also there were two Greater Yellowlegs, and many PIPITS, Dunlin, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral and Least Sandpipers. And a RingBilled Gull, two pair of BlueWinged Teal, 3 Great Blue Herons and Canada Geese. 4/29/4 Having decided to actually count the birds, I sat on the comfortable grassy hill with the scope and quickly changed my mind: Winds, joggers, dog-walkers (especially one boy loudly teaching his Cocker and Chocolate Lab to "SSSSSit" and "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEel!" About 100 Pectoral, 50 Least Sandpipers, 50 Lesser Yellowlegs, 50 Dunlin, 50 Pipits, 6 Killdeer, 4 Greater Yelowlegs, 2 Canada Geese. Jan Z. e-mailed about a Swan overhead this morning about 8am, " ...This one definitely had a call that it was repeating as it flew over. I didn't catch any orange on the beak as it flew either..."4/30/4 25 birds, pretty evenly divided between Dunlin, Least & Pectoral Sandpipers. 5/1/4 16/C Roger Bacon called while I was gone to report a Swan at the marsh. 5/2/4 16/C The Mute Swan continues, but the flooding rains leave no mud for shorebirds. My first-of-the-year Kingbird was there also: my sorriest-looking, wettest, unhappiest Kingbird sitting in a barren muddy field by a huge mud puddle. 5/3/4 16/C Just a Bonaparte's Gull on the Sewage Lagoons and BlueWinged Teal in the creek. 5/4/4 16/C 5 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Pectoral Sandipers flew in at 7am as the waters recede. One good thing about the high water: pair of Ruddy Ducks and a Comon Loon (new species for this new marsh). 8 RingBilled Gulls arrived by 5pm. 5/5/4 16/C Pair of Ruddy Ducks, a lone Bonaparte's Gull, a Greater Yellowlegs. 5/6/4 16/C Sandpipers are back: both Yellowlegs, Semipalmated, Least, Pectoral, Killdeer. 5/7/4 16/C ca. 75 Sandpipers binoculed but left before scoped, leaving behind only a bewildered Solitary Sandpiper. There were also 13 RingBilled Gulls and my first-of-the-year Caspian Tern. Just BlueWinged Teal in the creek, and Canada Geese in the Sewage Lagoons. 5/8/4 16/C Lotsa Sandpipers, the Ruddy Duck, BlueWingedTeal 5/10/416/C Three Great Egrets and my first Common Tern of the season.5/12/416/C No shorebirds, too much water with all the rain. 5/13/416/C At 7am there was nothing, but at 5pm there were twenty Dunlin, and 3 of my first-of-season Semipalmated Plovers. Jan Z. reported the three Great Egrets at 8am, but they weren't there at 7am or 5pm. Amazing how this place changes, even daily. 5/14/4 16/C Although at 7:30am there were only 20 Dunlin, by 11:30am my first-of-season SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS (69 of them!), 7 Semipalmated Plovers, 6 Least, 6 Semipalmated Sandpipers, and 6 Killdeer had joined the Dunlin. 5/17/416/C 35 Dunlin, 10 ShortBilled Dowitchers, 8 Semipalmated Sandpipers and 2 first-of-season WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS 5/18/416/C Only 2 Great Blue Heron apparent, at both 7:30am and 5pm. 5/19/4 16/C At 7am it looked like only Canada Geese and Great Blue Heron, when about 15 Dunlin trotted out of the high grass and onto a sand bar. At 5pm, 20 Dunlin were there, outnumbered by 38 Semipalmated Plovers, with 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers. The Sewage Lagoons held 2 RingBilled Gulls and Canada Geese 5/20/416/C 18 Dunlin, 7 Semipalmated Plovers, 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers. The Bobolinks are back at this location, as Jan Z. also noticed! Grasshopper Sparrows have joined the Savannahs here, too. 5/21/416/C Similar 5/23/4 16/C 41 Dunlin, 1 Semipalmated Plover, 23 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 3 Spotted Sandpipers, 100 Canada Geese, 7 Mallards, all drakes, their spring missions evidently already accomplished. Sewage Lagoons- just more Canada Geese 6/1/4 Just the regulars (8 male Mallards, 2 Great Blue Herons, Swallows, Savannah & Grasshopper Sparrows) at the marsh 6/2/4 THREE BLACK TERNSjoined the regulars here today, with 5 Dunlin and a Cormorant. 6/3/4 This is a new location for me for Dickcissels. Although singing loudly, there are already many Savannah Sparrows, RedWinged Blackbirds, Meadowlarks, Bobolink, Grasshopper Sparrows, Song Sparrows in this small area. Nevertheless I wish them luck. Other birds: a Great Egret, 76 Canada Geese, 10 Mallards, 2 Great Blue Herons and Killdeer 6/4/4 The mud has emerged a bit from the receding waters, and the sandpipers are back! At 5pm the heat distortion made it difficult to believe my eyes with only 25X useful, so I walked across the marsh closer than I have ever ventured (the birds weren't bothered at all) finding myself surrounded by the bubbles of singing Bobolinks: a Spotted Sandpiper, 12 Semipalmated Sandpipers and SIX WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS. They were so close and yet so nonchalant. They preened and bathed and jumped into the air a few inches as if from occassional charley-horses, shamelessly exposing their white rumps, striped sides, over-long wings and even orange-cornered beaks! A Purple Martin stood out amidst the fly-hunting Barn Swallows 6/5/4 With rain predicted tomorrow, I had to make it out here to see what may be new. Didn't make it until 7:30pm but went immediately to yesterday's spot for excellent viewing: 1 Dunlin, 4 Spotted Sandpipers, 8 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 16 Killdeer, and a SOLITARY SANDPIPER, deserving of capitalization only cuz I see on dongorney.com that 5/31 is a late date for this area. 6/7/4 Back to the usual Spotted Sandpipers (4), Killdeer (24), Canada Geese and Mallards. 6/8/4 Spotted Sandpipers, Killdeer, Canada Geese and Mallards.6/9/4 8 Great Blue Herons join the regulars. So boring, I found this black Lady Beetle fascinating. The two white spots seem to indicate our state insect, ie Convergent Lady Beetle, but I've never seen a black one: 6/27/4My spies tell me nothing happened here in my absence above the level of Great Blue Herons, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpipers, Mallards, Wood Ducks and BlueWinged Teal, and it was certainly true today: 50 Killdeer, 2 Mallards, 1 Great Blue Heron. 7/13/4 Where amidst the usual 200+ Killdeer, Great Blue Herons, Mallards, Spotted Sandpipers, and Canada Geese were a DC Cormorant, 12 LEAST SANDPIPERS and two SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS-- could fall migration have started already? Dickcissels still call from all edges of the marsh, but the Bobolinks and Savannah Sparrows were silent. The poppies did poorly this year, but now the dark-centered coneflower, the bi-colored tickseed, and the sunflowers have colored the land around the marsh nicely, with some blue bachelor's buttons (feet tall last year) only inches high this year. 7/14/4 Enroute to work this morning at 7:30am I found that many shorebirds had arrived overnight including two AMERICAN AVOCETS. After work, about 4:30pm, the best birds mustered were a half-dozen Lesser Yellowlegs and a dozen Least Sandpipers-- the park chose to mow this afternoon of course, which may have contributed to the avocet absence! 7/15/4 Greeted Lach O. this morning where there were only the usuals plus a few Lesser Yellowlegs and Least Sandpipers. 7/17/4 Fort Wayne birders were here, but alas only to see the most common of birds. A Lesser Yellowlegs called overhead, anxious for any piece of mud on which to land. Recent heavy rains have hopelessly flooded the area. 7/19/4 Although the mud is beginning to re-emerge, only 5 Least Sandpipers, a Spotted Sandpiper, 2 Great Blue Herons, 4 Crows and 130 Killdeer were here today. In the creek were another 3 Great Blue Herons and a couple dozen Mallards. In the Sewage Lagoons were lotsa Canada Geese, none of which have been collared this summer! 7/20/4 Mud is re-emerging but little change in inhabitants: new today are 2 RingBilled Gulls and 2 Pectoral Sandpipers. 7/21/4 I expected more birds with all the recent dry weather, but only 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 4 Least Sandpipers, 2 Spotted Sandpipers, 14 Pectoral Sandpipers, 6 Great Blue Herons, 3 Mallards, 300+ Killdeer. 7/22/4 Heavy rains = no mud = no shorebirds.7/26/4 Didn't stick around long because of the rain, but the marsh at 4pm held two Black Terns. Shorebirds weren't counted, but there were roughly 2 dozen Pectoral Sandpipers, a half dozen Lesser Yellowlegs, 4 Solitary Sandpipers, and a mixed crowd of about 2 dozen Least/Semipalmated Sandpipers, in addition to the usual denizens (Canada Geese, Mallards, Killdeer, Great Blue Herons etc). 7/27/4 Doing it's job absorbing the Tiffin River floodwater, the marsh is today a pond with no shorebirds, not even killdeer.7/29/416/C 4 Lesser Yellowlegs, 4 Least Sandpipers, very few Killdeer. 7/30/416/C In the rain were exactly 12 Lesser Yellowlegs, exactly 12 Least Sandpipers, 10 Great Blue Herons, 6 Pectoral Sandpipers, 4 ShortBilled Dowitchers and lotsa Killdeer. 8/2/416/C 5 Lesser Yellowlegs, 36 Pectoral Sandpipers, 60 Killdeer, 65 Canada Geese 8/3/4 The lack of diversity continues: 6 Lesser Yellowlegs, 38 Pectoral Sandpipers, over 200 Killdeer, just under 100 Canada Geese, 1 Mallard, 1 Great Blue Heron 8/4/4 Flooded, no birds. 8/5/4 Three dozen Pectoral Sandpipers, perhaps two dozen each of Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers, a dozen Lesser Yellowlegs, four ShortBilled Dowitchers, and a Solitary Sandpiper. 8/9/4 Hundreds of birds, but with company waiting at home no time to pull out the scope. A quick binocule revealed only the usual birds, though: hundreds of Canada Geese, a few dozen Mallards, hundreds of Killdeer, and the usual numbers of Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral Sandpipers, ShortBilled Dowitchers, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers. 8/11/4 Only 2 Short-Billed Dowitchers, 5 Least Sandpipers and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs with many many Canada Geese and Mallards. 8/12/4 Only 1 Short-Billed Dowitcher among the Mallards, Killdeer, and Great Blue Heron. 8/13/4 Much better than yesterday: 1 STILT SANDPIPER, 1 RingBilled Gull, 2 SANDERLINGS, 2 Solitary Sandpipers, 2 Spotted Sandpipers, 2 ShortBilled Dowitchers, 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 4 Least Sandpipers, 6 Pectoral Sandpipers, 7 Lesser Yellowlegs amid Great Blue Herons, Barn Swallows; Cedar Waxings only feet away on this treeless expanse. 8/15/4Hail and severe thunderstorms-- just Killdeer remain. 8/16/4175 Killdeer, 30 Pectoral Sandpipers, 3 Least Sandpipers, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, and a single SEMIPALMATED PLOVER.8/17/4 About a dozen Bobolinks flying about openly, a Hooded Merganser, 2 BlueWinged Teal, 10 Great Blue Herons. As for shorebirds, we're back to a mere 10 Pectoral Sandpipers, 3 Least Sandpiper, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs. 8/18/4 Not large numbers, but a nice variety, so I crept close to the shore for fantastic viewing. Felt like I was in a movie they were so close!: 3 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, 1 STILT SANDPIPER, 1 DOWITCHER, 4 Lesser Yellowlegs, a half-dozen or so each of SANDERLINGS, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, 18 Pectoral Sandpipers, 35 Killdeer, a few Great Blue Herons, and playful plentiful Bobolinks again tonight. 8/19/4 Storms = Flooding = No birds at all 8/20/4 3 flocks of BlueWinged Teal, many Canada Geese, including that one-of-a-kind unusual black-and-white goose with a huge bump on it's head that showed up last year 11/23/03. A BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON flew away as I slowly drove by, chased by many swallows. There were many swallows there, mostly Barn with a few Tree and CLIFF SWALLOWS-- the first time I've seen this species here. Amazing how many people stopped to offer assistance as I scoped them out! 8/23/4 Water levels are still very high with shorebird numbers of course low: two, yes TWO Semipalmated Sandpipers, 75+ Killdeer, 250+ Canada Geese (none tagged), a single yes ONE BlueWinged Teal, 10 Great Blue Herons, a Kingfisher, a Woodchuck, a juvenile RedTailed Hawk sitting on a bluebird house, plus the usual Meadowlarks, Bluebirds, Song Sparrows, Kingbirds (which for the record nested in the last Austrian pine by the Sewage Lagoons) etc but the Barn Swallow numbers were way down. While idly binoculing the dozen or so left, I found two BANK SWALLOWS-- new to me for this site.8/25/4 Astonished to find a BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER but after going to the car to get my video camera I returned to find almost all the regular birds (almost 150 Killdeer, 2 dozen Semipalmated Sandpipers, a few Least Sandpipers, about a dozen Pectoral Sandpipers, a Lesser Yellowlegs, a Mallard, a Great Blue Heron, and a Hooded Merganser) gone, leaving a dying Killdeer. I didn't see any raptors, and although there were a few people walking on the trails, none looked like the gun-toting type...8/26/4 A RedTailed Hawk, 1 Mallard, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 2 Great Blue Herons, 2 Turkey Vultures,8 Pectoral Sandpipers, a dozen Barn Swallows, 51 Canada Geese, 60 Killdeer.8/27/4 Best birds were 6 luscious bright juvenile ShortBilled Dowitchers, but also 1 Pectoral Sandpiper, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Semipalmated Plovers, 16 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 150+ Killdeer. 8/30/4 I could see the bird spinning on the water as I drove into the parking lot, and knew before I actually got down to the marsh what was quickly walking to and fro on the mud spit: a molting juvenile Wilson's Phalarope! Also there were 27 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 6 Pectoral Sandpipers, 3 juvenile Short-Billed Dowitchers, 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 Least Sandpiper, 1 Solitary Sandpiper, 7 BlueWinged Teal, a female Hooded Merganser, 2 Great Blue Herons, and a lot of Killdeer.8/31/4 Very similar to past days, lotsa Killdeer and Semipalmated/Least Sandpipers, a few Lesser Yellowlegs, ShortBilled Dowitchers, BlueWinged Teal, Great Blue Herons etc, and a visit from a GREAT EGRET9/1/4 Best bird was by far the WILSON'S PHALAROPE, still here since 8/30. 300+ Killdeer, 6 Great Blue Herons, 4 Blue Winged Teal, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, couple dozen peeps (Semipalmated/Least Sandpipers), 6 Pectoral Sandpipers, 7 ShortBilled Dowitchers. 9/2/4 The WILSON'S PHALAROPE continues for the fourth day; two dozen peeps, 8 Pectoral Sandpipers, 6 Great Blue Heron, 5 Blue Winged Teal, 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 juvenile ShortBilled Dowitchers, just under 200 Killdeer, and (being the early goose season), just under 200 Canada Geese have moved back in for safety. Bluebirds were especially prominent today.9/3/4 No Canada Geese or Great Blue Herons, a quarter as many Killdeer (55), and far fewer others: 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 ShortBilled Dowitchers, 3 Pectoral Sandpipers, 5 BlueWinged Teal, 14 Peeps. 9/6/4 Greatly reduced numbers perhaps explained by two footballs floating at the water's edge: 38 Killdeer, 30 Canada Geese, 9 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 3 Great Blue Heron, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 1 Semipalmated Plover, and a Kingfisher. 9/7/4 Lotsa flood water and no mud. The first Coot of the season was there with a few Mallards and Great Blue Herons. 9/8/4 Dried up much faster than usual with some mud attracting a dozen peeps, with at least one Least. About a hundred Mallards flew in as I watched. Only a Great Blue Heron remained.9/9/4 About 50 each of Canada Geese and Killdeer, 20 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 12 Mallards, a BlueWinged Teal, a Least Sandpiper, and a Spotted Sandpiper. My third visit to SR576/C found no geese, only many Mourning Doves, a few Killdeer and another Spotted Sandpiper. 9/10/4 A low-flying Turkey Vulture had all the shorebirds in the air. 9/13/4 Had to stay pretty distant to avoid riling the 200+ Canada Geese, who would've frightened the rest away: 150+ Killdeer, 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 3 Mallards, a Stilt Sandpiper and a Short-Billed Dowitcher. 9/16/4 Finally a BAIRD'S SANDPIPER and as a bonus THREE Stilt Sandpipers! Semipalmated Plovers have been scarce this year, so I was happy to see three here tonight, as well. 6 Lesser Yellowlegs flew off as I approached, and about 20 minutes later, reappeared. Also about 100 Killdeer, 12 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 10 Pectoral Sandpipers, 1 Least Sandpiper, 3 Mallards, a single Canada Goose. 9/17/4 A pair of Northern Shovelers, and a pair of GreenWinged Teal, plus the three Stilt Sandpipers still hanging around were nice. A RingBilled Gull was new, a Kingfisher, 3 Great Blue Herons, 6 Killdeer, 6 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 9 Mallards rounded out the night. 9/21/416/C 1 Hooded Merganser, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 1 ShortBilled Dowitcher, 2 Great Blue Heron, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 3 STILT SANDPIPERS (same ones?), the pair of Northern Shovelers, 150 Killdeer, 200 Canada Geese. Another 130 Canada Geese on the Sewage Lagoons, including the odd bumpheaded Canada Goose mix. Haven't seen a banded goose in quite some time! 9/22/4 Six Wild Turkeys, the poults seemed very young for the season. 9/23/4 FIVE AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS were the highlight. Also a BlueWinged Teal, 2 DUNLIN, a pair of Shovelers, 3 GreenWinged Teal, 3 Stilt Sandpipers, 5 Great Blue Heron, 6 Semipalmated Sandpipers, a dozen Pectoral Sandpipers, 10 Mallard, 100 Killdeer, 300 Canada Geese. Another 20 Mallards were on the creek, and another 30 Canada Geese (including the bumpheaded goose) were on the reservoir. 9/26/4 THREE AMERICAN GOLDEN PLOVERS were the highlight. Also a Stilt Sandpiper, a Lesser and a Greater Yellowlegs, only 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 2 Least Sandpipers, 1 medium grey sandpiper that I couldnt' identify before it went into weeds, 2 BlueWinged Teal, 10 Great Blue Herons, 175 Killdeer, 150 Canada Geese, with another 200 Canada Geese on the Sewage Lagoon dikes. 9/29/4 One day's rain turned excellent shorebird habitat into excellent goose habitat, meaning the recent visiting American Golden Plovers moved out and six SNOW GEESE (four blue, two white) moved in. Hundreds of Canada Geese moved in as well, half Common and half Lesser, but also five very small geese. Four of these were white-breasted, which I guess would make them candidates for Richardson's, while the remaining one seemed dark-breasted. A loud greeting from an unsuspecting friend moved this crowd out of sight, and video I had taken appears inconclusive. 9/30/4 Goose population down greatly, Mallards and Killdeer are back. 10/1/4 3 Black-Bellied Plovers, 5 AmGolden-Plovers, 50 Killdeer, 3 Pectoral Sandpipers, a Stilt Sandpiper and a Least Sandpiper have returned due to the receding water. The Mallards have congregated on the creek (50+ in the small section visible from the road), plus 600+ Canada Geese on the Sewage Lagoons (none notable, however, except for the odd bump-headed goose). 10/2/4100+ ducks, mostly Mallards but also good numbers of Blue & GreenWinged Teal and a few Gadwalls. C/SR576 Lotsa Canadas here, with a few Mallards and Wood Ducks, 2 RingBilled Gulls, the juvenile Harrier. 10/3/4 4 peeps and 3 RingBilled Gulls. Period! 3E5K Canada Goose at the Sewage Lagoon10/5/4 A very cooperative LONG-BILLED DOWITCHER was among the very few shorebirds here today: 2 Wilson's Snipe, a Pectoral Sandpiper, a Semipalmated Sandpiper, 40 Killdeer, a dozen Mallards, 6 Great Blue Heron. 10/7/4 TWENTY American Golden-Plovers far outnumber the two Black-Bellied Plovers. Six Wilson's Snipe, a pair of Common Mergansers, lots of Mallards and Canada Geese and Killdeer, 4 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, a Least Sandpiper. Looked for sparrows but only found many Savannah. 10/8/4 Short version: Six Wilson's Snipe, 2 American Golden-Plover. Also: 30+ Mallards, lotsa Killdeer, but ONLY SIX CANADA GEESE TOTAL, including the Sewage Lagoons! It should be mentioned that the bluebird houses surrounding the park have been very successful, with Bluebirds everywhere, their melancholy plaintive calls a constant delight. 10/13/4 Rain today raised the water levels considerably: 150 Canada Geese, 22 Mallards, 16 Killdeer, 7 Great Blue Heron, 5 peeps (the Canada Geese didn't allow too close an approach), 3 Dunlin, two LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, a Pectoral Sandpiper, a Kingfisher. 10/14/4 In spite of predicted rain, sunny skies kept the mud available: 15 Canada Geese, 120 Killdeer, 7 Great Blue Heron, 4 Dunlin, a Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 AmGolden Plovers, one of which was almost still in breeding plumage, two LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, TWO STILT Sandpiper. 10/15/4 Many Canada Geese, Mallards and Dunlin since it rained all day. Also the two LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS remain. 10/16/4 Another rainy day, and the birds here are similar to yesterday's rainy-day birds, except for the addition of 14 RingBilled Gulls and a second winter Herring Gull: Many Canada Geese, Mallards and Dunlin and the two LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS remain 10/17/4 Many Canada Geese, Mallards and Dunlin. and rain. The rain and the Canada Geese keep me at a distance, a little too far for counting comfortably.10/18/4 Many Canada Geese, many Mallards and many Dunlin. and rain.10/19/4 Many Canada Geese, many Mallards and many Dunlin. and rain.10/20/4 No Canada Geese, which allows a closer look revealing a Greater Yellowlegs, a Hooded Merganser, two GreenWinged Teal, two BlueWinged Teal, 5 AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER, 6 Great Blue Herons, 37 Killdeer, 70 Mallards, 78 Dunlin. More rain, but mud remains.10/21/4 Lots of Dunlin, and a few WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS, as well. Shocked to see many more shorebirds than I had seen fly into the sky as a plane zoomed too low over the marsh (treetop high!).10/22/4 Again only shorebirds (except for one drake GreenWinged Teal. Many Dunlin and a few Killdeer. As I was watching a group of about 100 Dunlin, two similar-sized flocks flew in, their wings very audible as they flew in close overhead. Also a single Pipit. 10/25/4 All shorebirds: 137 Killdeer, 108 Dunlin, 5 Least Sandpipers.10/26/4 A blue Snow Goose was among the 500 Canada Geese gathered at the Sewage Lagoons. Only one goose had was banded (3Z7Y), remarkable in that I've only seen probably 3 banded geese this fall! The marsh itself still had only Dunlin (94), Killdeer (18), Least Sandpipers (3) and Great Blue Heron (2). 16 Mallards and another Great Blue Heron were on the creek, and of course the Kingfisher I keep neglecting to mention.

from video

10/27/4 The blue Snow Goose was still among the 500 Canada Geese on the Sewage Lagoon banks. The banded Canada today was 3E5K. 2 Coots, 6 Gadwall and a PiedBilled Grebe also. The marsh itself has only 90 Dunlin and 16 Killdeer, very similar to yesterday.10/28/4 The blue Snow Goose in the same spot with almost 1000 Canada Geese on the Sewage Lagoon banks. 16 GreenWinged Teal and two Mallards kept them company. The nearby creek was full of Mallards. The marsh itself continued the same as did the beautiful weather: 94 Dunlin, 68 Killdeer, 3 Pectoral Sandpipers, 3 Great Blue Herons, 2 Gadwall, 2 Mallards. 10/29/4 500 Canada Geese on the banks of the Sewage Lagoons, one of them 3Z7Y. No snow goose however. 2 GreenWinged Teal, 50 Mallards, 250 Canada Geese, 250 Dunlin and a few Killdeer were on the marsh itself. 10/31/4 120 Canada Geese, over 100 Dunlin, 50 Mallards, a few Killdeer on the marsh itself. The Sewage Lagoons dike had another 500 Canadas and a Great Blue Heron. The Creek had another 20 Mallards and 3 Great Blue Herons.11/2/4 A pair of drake Lesser Scaup a drake GreenWinged Teal, and a RingBilled Gull among lotsa Mallards, Canada Geese and Dunlin. 11/3/4 My first TUNDRA SWAN of the season was on the Sewage Lagoon banks, with 3 Ruddy Ducks, the odd bumpheaded goose, 3Z7Y and lotsa Canada Geese. The Marsh itself only had 2 Mallards and a Great Blue Heron.11/4/4 Sewage Lagoon had 17 Ruddy Ducks, the Swan, and tonsa Canada Geese. Marsh itself contained hundreds of Mallards, and a few Canada Geese, and Great Blue Herons (under a dozen each). 11/5/4 The Tundra Swan was on the marsh proper this morning with hundreds of Mallards and hundreds of Canada Geese. By 4pm, however, the Swan was asleep on the Sewage Lagoon dike among the hundreds of Canada Geese (3Z7Y still among them). There were still about 150 Mallards on the marsh, with 6 Killdeer. 11/7/4 Strict segregation today: Shorebirds at the marsh (50+ Dunlin and 6 Killdeer), Mallards at the creek (50+ jammed in the small section of visible creek) and everything else at the Sewage Lagoon (2 Ruddy Ducks, 6 GreenWinged Teal, over 500 Canada Geese, with the odd bumpheaded goose, 3e5K and 3E1K). 11/8/4 12 Dunlin and a Harrier at the marsh. Tons of Canada Geese, but too dark to see much more at the Sewage Lagoon.11/10/4 The Tundra Swan and the Bumpheaded Goose stood out like sore thumbs on the marsh proper this morning with hundreds of Mallards and hundreds of Canada Geese, and a few Dunlin and Killdeer. By 4pm, there were only four GreenWinged Teal on the marsh. The Canada Geese and Swan were in the Sewage Lagoon, and the Mallards were in the Creek, over 100 visible on the creek.11/12/4 Hordes of Mallards cover the surface of the marsh. 11/13/4 Mallards are down to about 200, on the marsh. The Sewage Lagoon holds about 500 Canada Geese, including the bumpheaded goose and a RingBilled Gull. 11/14/4 Mallards still about 200, on the marsh, now with under a dozen Killdeer and two Great Blue Herons. The Sewage Lagoon had a horde of Canada Geese, but also 8 Lesser Scaup, 6 Ruddy Ducks, 6 GreenWinged Teal, and a pair of RingNecked Ducks. 11/15/4 24 RingBilled Gulls join the many Mallards.11/16/4 Hordes of Mallards, hard to see the exceptions as it's rainy and dark. 11/18/4 The BLUE SNOW GOOSE remains among the hordes. 11/19/4 The Blue Snow Goose.11/20/4 ALL THE GEESE ARE GONE except for one Canada Goose. Hunters with blinds in the backs of their trucks were circling but only hundreds of Mallards remained, with four Pintails, a PiedBilled Grebe, and a GreenWinged Teal on the marsh. The Sewage Lagoon had only a lonely Kingfisher. 11/21/4 The Canada Geese are back by the hundreds at the Sewage Lagoon, plus the bumpheaded goose, 16 Ruddy Ducks, and six Lesser Scaup. The marsh itself held 18 RingBilled Gulls among the hundreds of Mallards. 11/24/4 The Blue Snow Goose and the Bump-Headed Goose stood out like sore thumbs among hundreds and hundreds of Mallards and Canada Geese with a sprinkling of Great Blue Herons, and the Kingfisher. 11/28/4 My suspicions are being confirmed as two camo-clothed men in pick-ups are in the parking lot. No geese, lots of Mallards, 6 Bonaparte's Gulls with a trailing, harassing RingBill. On the Sewage Lagoon, 6 RingNecked Ducks and a Coot. 12/1/4 Marsh=Mallards, Sewage Lagoon=Canada Geese, except for a pair of Ruddy Ducks in the marsh. 12/2/4 The marsh had 3 American Black Ducks and a Lesser Scaup among hundreds of Mallards. The Sewage Lagoon had hundreds of Canada Geese, three with bands (3e5k, 3z8y, 8h8c), the bump-headed Goose, a Great Blue Heron, and a Kingfisher 12/3/4 Hundreds of Canada Geese on the Lagoon banks, hundreds of Mallards in the marsh with two GreenWinged Teal.12/7/4 The marsh was full of Mallards per usual, but also 22 Pintails, 3 Am Black Ducks, 2 Shovelers and a Horned Grebe. All the Canada Geese were in the cornfield to the south, and the only bird on the Sewage Lagoons was the bump=headed goose!12/8/4 22 Pintails, 3 Am Black Ducks still there amidst the Mallards in the marsh; Canada Geese and 8 Ruddy Ducks in the Sewage Lagoons.12/9/4 Pintails yes, Black Ducks yes, but also 3 CACKLING GEESE! 12/11/4 Lotsa Mallards and a Black Duck on the marsh; a RingBilled Gull, 6 RingNecked Ducks and 6 Ruddy Ducks on the Sewage Lagoons; lotsa Canada Geese and the bumpheaded goose in the nearby fields. 12/16/4 The water is all frozen but still hundreds of Canada Geese and Mallards (including the Blue Snow Goose and the BumpHeaded Goose) sit on the Sewage Lagoon banks, by the rivers of Babylon, weeping when they remembered the warm days of Zion. 2/18/5 Day One of GBBC: Still had time after work to stop by 16/C, expecting nothing from the frozen expanse of the marsh. I was frankly surprised by 404 Canada Geese sitting on the frozen reservoir. 2 Great Blue Herons and 126 Mallards visible in the ever-unfrozen creek (surely many more were around the bend). A Kestrel was there, as well as a Song Sparrow, and a RedTailed Hawk chased by 4 Crows. A Mourning Dove, 12 House Sparrows and 92 Starlings would've been even easier to overlook. 2/22/5 16/C Hundreds of Mallards and Canada Geese on the frozen marsh barely thawed on the edges. The never-frozen creek is empty, and only 16 Canada Geese on the frozen Sewage Lagoons. Six Crows reminds me that we don't see them often around here, hated as much as the Cockatoos in Australia and probably just as intelligent and beautiful. A very light RedTailed Hawk teeters on the topmost twigs of a small tree, doing a great imitation of a rough-legged hawk. 2/25/5 6/C Hundreds of Mallards and Canada Geese-- far too many for the tiny bit of thawed water. Fourteen RedWinged Blackbirds patiently waited for the marsh to turn liquid again. 3/4/5 Shocked and pleasantly surprised to find TWO SANDHILL CRANES smack in the middle of the hundreds of Canada Geese, Mallards and Black Ducks on the almost totally-frozen marsh at 16/C 3/5/5 16/C Two male, 1 hen RINGNECKED DUCKS, my first of the season. 3/6/516/C Thawed, but still only hundreds of Canada Geese, Mallards, Black Ducks and 6 RingBilled Gulls. Sewage Lagoons frozen. RedWinged Blackbirds and Meadowlarks sing! 3/7/5 16/C 34 RingNecked Ducks and nothing else this morning. This evening, they were joined by a pair of Shovelers, 2 pairs of Lesser Scaup, 2 pairs of Mallards, 8 RingBilled Gulls and about a hundred Canada Geese. 3/8/516/C Morning: 2 pair of Shovelers, and a pair of Hooded Mergansers join the Canada Geese and Mallards. Evening: just the Canada Geese and Mallards. Stryker Jail 3 Tom Turkeys displayed wildly before hens, oblivious to us.3/11/516/C The Marsh is frozen but Mallards and Hooded Mergansers in the warm creek, and Canada Geese on the Sewage Lagoons. 16/D A small flock of Snow Buntings with Horned Larks forced to the road by this morning's snow for easy visibility.3/12/516/C The Marsh is still frozen but Mallards in the warm creek, and Canada Geese with Hooded Mergansers on the Sewage Lagoons kept me awake.3/13/5 16/C The birds were all in the Sewage Lagoons and very flighty, so I didn't get out the scope and thus didn't get a count. Mallards, Scaup, RingNecked Ducks and Hooded Mergansers (with Canada Geese) were readily visible. Parkersburg (formerly Beavercreek) Wildlife Area I've only been there once or twice before, and today was pretty usual: Turkey Vulture, Grackle, GoldenCrowned Kinglet, Bluebirds, Downy Woodpeckers, Flickers, RedTailed Hawk, House and Gold- finches, WhiteBreasted Nuthatches etc but the best astounding surprise was a PILEATED WOODPECKER by the bridge on CR16-- drumming, calling and a visual! Shock! Jon D. was arriving as I was leaving, said he and his wife Cindy last week found a cedar with lots of pellets underneath but no owls, plus an active Cooper's Hawk nest. 3/14/5 16/C Marsh so frozen it could only host 3 RingBilled Gulls and a Great Blue Heron. The creek was empty. The eastern Sewage Lagoon was frozen, but still had Canada Geese and Mallards. The western Sewage Lagoon was almost totally thawed-- Canada Geese, Mallards, 27 Scaup (didn't want to take time to differentiate so as not to frighten them off), 3 pairs of Hooded Mergansers, a pair of CANVASBACKS, and a pair of RingNecked Ducks. 3/15/5 16/C Marsh has Mallards, 2 Great Blue Herons, and Canada Geese, but the Sewage Lagoons have 75+ birds-- a half dozen Hooded Mergansers, the rest 50/50 Lesser Scaup and RingNecked Ducks. 3/16/5 16/C 8 male Hooded Mergansers were with 8 pairs of RingNecked Ducks were in the Sewage Lagoons, and the marsh held only 3 RingBilled Gulls and 3 Great Blue Herons (well, Canada Geese and Mallards of course everywhere) 3/17/5 Perfect timing today (6:15pm), as I passed 16/C. A lone Sandhill Crane fell out of the sky, neck, legs and wings outstretched, and landed as close to the car as possible while still being in the marsh! He didn't even mind my idling car as he started feeding immediately. This has been a good spring so far for close views of them here: Feb 20 three Sandhills on the ground at Oxbow Lake Wildlife Area in Defiance County; March 4 two Sandhills were in the middle of a crowd of ducks and geese in the 16/C marsh; March 15 ten Sandhills on the ground at the intersection of busy State Highway 15 at Evansport Road in Defiance County; and then today-- all easily enjoyed without binoculars! The Sewage Lagoons at 16/C were almost identical to 3/15: 75+ birds-- a half dozen Hooded Mergansers, the rest 50/50 Lesser Scaup and RingNecked Ducks. 3/19/5 16/C Static, with 75+ birds in the Sewage Lagoons, mostly Scaup and RingNecked Ducks with 20 Hooded Mergansers and a lone Bufflehead. The marsh itself had 4 RingBilled Gulls and Canada Geese. SR576/C 14 pairs of RingNecked Ducks, 2 REDHEAD drakes, a pair of Scaup, a dozen RingBilled Gulls, and Canada Geese. 3/22/516/C Raw, blustery weather means only 2 Great Blue Heron, 2 RingBilled Gulls, 2 pair of Canada Geese on the marsh. The Sewage Lagoons had 8 Bufflehead among the Canada Geese. 576/C 6 pairs of Bufflehead, 14 pairs of Scaup and a pair of Canada Geese. 3/24/516/C 400+ birds on the Sewage Lagoons 80% RingNecked Ducks, 10% Scaup and the remainder a few each of Hooded Mergansers, Redheads, and Bufflehead. Lotsa Canadas Mallards and Canadas on the Marsh.576/C 8 Bufflehead, 24 Scaup and a drake Shoveler. 3/25/5 16/C A Wood Duck drake on the marsh with only a single pair each of Killdeer, Great Blue Herons and RingBilled Gulls 3/28/5 16/C BLUE-WINGED TEAL arrive (first of season for me). 3/30/5 16/C PECTORAL SANDPIPERS here too (about 50), although this morning there were only a dozen Canada Geese. On the Sewage Lagoons were 40 Scaup, 2 Ruddy Ducks, 16 Bufflehead, 8 Redheads, zero mallards and a few Canada Geese. 3/31/516/C Six BONAPARTE'S GULLS are my first of season, but also here are 3 Great Blue Herons, 4 Shovelers (3 drakes, 1 hen), 8 pairs of Bufflehead, 8 Redheads, 10 Coots, 78 Scaup. 3 Crows chased an exceptionally beautiful RedTailed Hawk-- bright red tail, light lots-of-white body. Too cold and windy to count Canada Geese and Killdeer. Stryker Jail Cooper's Hawk evidently enjoys the strong winds, crisscrossing overhead. Wild Turkeys continue out in the open, unafraid. 4/1/516/C Five BlueWinged Teal joined the Canada Geese on the Marsh. The Sewage Lagoons continue as recent 4/6/5 16/C Marsh had 1 Pectoral Sandpipers amidst the Killdeer, and a dozen or so first-of-season PIPITS. Sewage Lagoons 28 Coot, 16 Lesser Scaup, 3 Bufflehead, 1 Ringnecked Duck, 1 PiedBilled Grebe Stryker Jail First-of season Chipping Sparrows at the jail. 4/7/5 23/B-50 A large flock of Wild Turkeys grazing in an open field, not far from the flock of Wild Turkeys at the Stryker Jail, where 2 toms spread their tails, puffed up, and strutted their stuff for 10 jennies. 4/8/5 16/C The marsh had only 14 Canada Geese and 2 Killdeer-- but also my first Savannah Sparrows of the year. The Sewage Lagoons were down to 5 Coot, 3 Bufflehead, and a pair of Scaup, but counting the 42 Canada Geese led me to find two with neckbands-- 3e1k (seen here last November), and 3e5k (seen at Independence Dam Jan-Feb 2003, and here Oct-Dec 2004). 4/12/5 6/C Sewage Lagoons Just a drake Lesser Scaup, Canada Geese (including 1e3k) and 100 Tree Swallows. The marsh had a BlueWinged Teal drake, some Mallards and Canada Geese, 50 or so Pectoral Sandpipers, and six of my first Dunlin of the year, with a few Least Sandpipers (first of year, too) scattered and hard-to-find. There was an invasion of hundreds of blackbirds here, too, including Starlings, Grackles, RedWinged Blackbirds, and even RUSTY BLACKBIRDS, the first I've seen at this location. 576/C A lone RingBilled Gull, a few Canada Geese and Tree Swallows. 4/28/5 16/C Cliff Swallows, Chimney Swifts and Purple Martins were new for me this year here, but other highlights included Pipits, a pair of Cormorants, and a Lesser Yellowlegs. No other shorebirds were present, except for Killdeer.4/29/5 16/C Just one Least Sandpiper in the morning. 4 Cormorants tonight. And the first Canada Geese goslings of the season. 5/2/5 16/C 2 Dowitchers were the highlight, probably Short-Billed. The rain made it difficult scoping, but there were also 150+ other shorebirds, mostly Dunlin, Pectoral and Least Sandpipers. Also a PiedBilled Grebe, the first Killdeer chicks I've seen this year and a few Solitary Sandpipers and Lesser Yellowlegs. 5/3/516/C Two SemiPalmated Plovers are today's highlight (first of season for me), with Dunlin, Pectoral and Least Sandpipers (about 2 dozen each), 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, 10 Greater Yellowlegs, an even dozen DoubleCrested Cormorants, 2 BlueWinged Teal, a pair of Wood Ducks, a Ruddy Duck drake, a few Mallards, Canada Geese and Killdeer and all six Swallows galore, including my first of season Bank Swallow. 576/C Lotsa Swallows, a few Canada Geese, and a Solitary Sandpiper. 5/5/5 16/C Few Dunlin, Pectorals, Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer, Mallards, but now 4 broods of Canada Geese... B50/C A Black-and-White Warbler sitting on a telephone wire! 5/6/5 16/C A BLACK TERN among the usuals today! B50/C My first Baltimore Oriole of the season (Okay, I'm not getting out much lately) 5/9/5 16/C Semipalmated Sandpipers (first of year for me), Least/Solitary Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer, a pair of BlueWinged Teal, but mostly Dunlin (less than 30). Best birds: Pipits, about 2 dozen. SR576/C My first Great Egret of the year mingles with the Canada Geese and Killdeer. 5/10/5 16/C Just two pairs of BlueWinged Teal, 10 Dunlin, a Solitary Sandpiper, and a Semipalmated Sandpiper this morning enroute to work. Goose 3E1K persists but 5/11/5 16/C Just bare minimum: a dozen Dunlin and scattered Pectoral/Semipalmated/Least/Solitary Sandpipers and a single Lesser Yellowlegs. without a family. 5/12/5 16/C 4 Cormorants, a Solitary Sandpiper. 5/13/5 16/C Over 100 shorebirds, ten of them ShortBilled Dowitchers, half of the rest were Dunlin, and the remainder divided among Pectorals and Semipalmated per usual. Pipits, two Coromorants and two RingBilled Gulls 5/16/516/C After the Black Swamp Audubon meeting, in the few minutes before 9pm, Audrey G, Bob & Jo Ann Z, Jon & Cindy D, and I found Dunlin, ShortBilled Dowitchers, Pectoral/Semipalmated/Least Sandpipers. Better yet was my first Spotted Sandpiper and Common Nighthawk of the year. Other more usual birds: Canada Goose, Mallard, BlueWinged Teal, Great Blue Herons, Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Tree and Barn Swallows, Bluebirds, Robins, Starlings, Savannah Sparrows, RedWinged Blackbirds, Eastern Meadowlark, Common Grackle, and Goldfinch. (23 sp) 5/18/516/C 17 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 15 Dunlin, 2 Least Sandpipers, 2 Semipalmated Plovers, 2 ShortBilled Dowitchers, a BLACK TERN, and my first WHITE RUMPED SANDPIPER of the year-- extremely cooperative too! SR576/C A Soitary Sandpiper and 2 RingBilled Gulls. 5/19/516/C 28 Dunlin, 15 Short-Billed Dowitchers, 5 Semipalmated Sandpipers, ignoring Blue Herons, Canada Geese, Killdeer etc. 5/20/516/C 55 Dunlin, 1 Semipalmated Sandpiper... 5/23/5 16/C Dunlin & Semipalmated Sandpipers, again, about 50 of each. Too many Canada Geese and their families didn't allow for scoping-- if I spooked the geese, I spooked the shorebirds-- so it's certainly possible (and frustrating) that more tantalizing species were among those further back... Also BlueWinged Teal, 3 RingBilled Gulls, Mallards, etc. 5/24/516/C 32 Dunlin, 5 Semipalmated Sandpiper, too many Canada Geese to get too close...5/25/5 16/C The Canada Geese, Mallards and Great Blue Herons were at the other end of the marsh, so I was able to get close enough to count 44 Dunlin, 15 Semipalmated Sandpiper, 6 Spotted Sandpipers, TWENTY-SIX Semipalmated Plovers, a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, and what had to be a SANDERLING... in winter plumage! Stumbled upon my first of the season Grasshopper Sparrows at the Williams County Airport at 16/D. 6/1/05 16/C was extremely non-birdy with only 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 2 Dunlin, 2 pairs of Mallards and a Canada Goose! Stryker Jail has nesting Common Yellowthroats. 6/8/5 16/C Two WhiteRumped Sandpipers, 15 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 25 Killdeer, 2 Spotted Sandpipers, 2 RingBilled Gulls, 10 Great Blue Herons, Mallards, BlueWinged Teal... Grasshopper and Savannah Sparrows, Orange Sulphurs and Bronze Coppers surrounded me as I watched them. 6/10/5 16/C Nineteen Great Blue Herons, a Great Egret, 2 Spotted Sandpipers, 5 RingBilled Gulls, a creek crammed with Mallards, lotsa Canada Geese. 6/13/5 16/C The Great Egret, Bobolinks, Grasshopper and Savannah Sparrows continue here, but I also heard and saw Dickcissels here today. 6/19/05 Jeff Grabmeier on OhioBirds@Envirolink:"... Dickcissels: I counted six singing males (and there were undoubtedly more) at John Yochum's haunt, the marsh at the intersection of County Roads 16 and C." 6/21/5 16/C Lotsa the usuals-- Killdeer, Canada Geese, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Barn and Tree Swallows, Grasshopper/Savannah Sparrows, Dickcissels, Bobolinks, Meadowlarks, Bluebirds, Kestrels, RedWinged Blackbirds etc. Blooms in this marsh must've been planted-- Shasta Daisy, Blanketflower, and fuzzy Black-Eyed Susan. 6/30/0516/C A fast marathon walk with Fitness One, but couldn't help hearing and occassionally seeing the common: PiedBilled Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Canada Goose, Mallard, BlueWinged Teal, Kestrel, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Crow, Lark, Tree, Barn and Northern RoughWinged Swallows, Bluebirds, Robins, Starlings, Savannah, Grasshopper, House, and Song Sparrows, Dickcissel, Bobolink, RedWinged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Common Grackle, Goldfinches. Also Thin-Leaved and Praire Coneflower. (28sp. 40" singletrack) 7/5/0516/C Lotsa ShortBilled Dowitchers and Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plover, a Lesser Yellowlegs and a Common Tern, among the regulars. Cedar Waxwings are also here, oddly enough. 7/6/0516/C Still lotsa Least Sandpipers, two Lesser Yellowlegs and a Semipalmated Plover. More BlueWinged Teal than usual. Bobolinks, Dickcissels, Savannah Sparrows were especially active with the cooler weather. 7/7/05 16/C 3 ShortBilled Dowitchers, 8 Least Sandpipers, 1 Spotted, 1 Solitary and 1 Pectoral Sandpiper among the usuals. 7/11/0516/C Six Lesser Yellowlegs, 6 Least Sandpipers among the Killdeer, BlueWinged Teal, Great Blue Herons etc 7/12/5 16/C I was happy with the 16 ShortBilled Dowitchers here. 7/13/0516/C Storms make the water way too high for shorebirds, but just right for a record 37 Great Blue Herons. 7/18/0516/C A Great Egret, lotsa BlueWinged Teal and lotsa Mallards visible with lotsa Great Blue Herons. No shorebirds, not even Killdeer. 7/19/0516/C Two Turkey Vultures, oddly enough. A second Great Egret joins yesterday's. A few Killdeer return. 7/20/0516/C It's drying up: Six Least Sandpipers and a Semipalmated Sandpiper join uncountable Killdeer, SIXTEEN Turkey Vultures (with no apparent dead body), the Great Egrets and the regulars.7/21/0516/C Rains=Floods=no shorebirds, just Canada Geese. 7/22/5 16/C Ducks, Geese, Great Blue and Green Herons, too deep for even Killdeer 8/1/0516/C Returned from vacation to find it must've been raining a lot while I was gone: the water is high but still there among the common (2 Great Egrets, 150+ Killdeer, 100+ Canada Geese, 20+ Mallards, a Great Blue Heron, Barn Swallows etc) were a few shorebirds (2 Semipalmated, 2 Least, 2 Pectoral, and a WILSON'S PHALAROPE). 8/2/5 16/C Similar to yesterday (0 Great Egrets, 200+ Killdeer, 175+ Canada Geese, 12 Mallards, 5 Great Blue Heron, Barn Swallows etc) but the only shorebirds were 4 Pectoral and 1 Least Sandpiper. 8/5/5 16/C 15 Great Egrets 8/8/5 16/C 500+ Canada Geese, 50+ Mallards, 125+ Killdeer, 17 Great Blue Herons, 1 Pectoral Sandpiper, 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers. 8/9/5 16/C Could only find 1 Pectoral Sandpiper among over 300 Killdeer; zero Great Egrets, zero Great Blue Herons, zero Mallards. 8/11/5 16/C A STILT SANDPIPER, a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, a Solitary Sandpiper, 2 Mallards, 6 Great Blue Herons, 8 Pectoral Sandpipers, 14 Killdeer, and a guy running his 3 labs through the marsh. Not sure if this awful shorebird showing is due to the high water (in spite of dry weather) or the 3 labradors... 8/12/5 16/C One Lesser Yellowlegs among all the Mallards, Canada Geese, Great Blue Heron, Killdeer, etc. 8/15/5 16/C Nothing at all. 8/16/0516/C Common birds are back: Mallards, Canada Geese, Great Blue Herons, Killdeer (about 75) but no shorebirds...still far too deep water. 8/18/0516/C VESPER SPARROW was the highpoint. 8/19/5 The local shorebird sites just aren't coming through this year (Williams County's 16/C is inexplicably too wet 8/22/5 16/C Just a Semipalmated Sandpiper among the Killdeer, Canada Geese etc Maybe cuz that guy keeps running his three labrador retrievers through the marsh... 8/24/0516/C 3 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers and a Pectoral Sandpiper were among the Killdeer, Great Blue Herons, Mallards etc. 8/26/0516/C Singles of Spotted, Pectoral, and Semipalmated Sandpipers pulled out of the 100+ Killdeer, 100+ Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Canada Geese etc 8/28/5 16/C Still no shorebirds-- mostly lotsa Mallards. 8/31/5 16/C First glance looked like just Canada Geese, Mallards, Killdeer, Great Blue Herons etc but closer examination found a few Semipalmated Sandpipers and a single BAIRD'S SANDPIPER. Poor shorebird habitat-- way too wet. 9/6/0516/C 7 Pectoral and 3 Semipalmated Sandpipers joined the numerous Mallards, Canada Geese, Killdeer, Great Blue Herons and Blue Winged Teal. I spent an hour at the Gerens watching their feeders for an odd hummingbird they've been seeing. 9/7/5 16/C All of the usuals plus one Lesser Yellowlegs greeted me tonight after work, but what the heck. I decided to try digiscoping again. The geese and ducks and herons little by little grew weary of my presence and left, and little by little I noticed shorebirds joining the Killdeer, appearing out of nowhere! A dozen or so each of Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral and Semipalmated Sandpipers, a single American Golden Plover magically appeared (I didn't see them fly in or walk out of the weeds!) and also a WILSON'S PHALAROPE matching most the moulting juvenile in Hayman/Marchant/Prater's Shorebirds. Even a lone PIPIT was there! 9/9/05 16/C Green- and Blue-Winged Teal, Mallards, Canada Geese, Great Blue Herons and many,many Killdeer dominate the scene, but in the extreme western end (where I seldom check) are 4 Sandpipers I want to be Baird's, but the streaking on their sides say WhiteRumped. Don't have the time to wait for actual rump views... 9/11/05 16/C 1 Pectoral Sandpiper, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 200+ Killdeer. Tons of the usual Canada Geese, Mallards, Blue- GreenWinged Teal, Great Blue Herons. 9/12/0516/C 1 Lesser Yellowlegs was the only shorebird, besides Killdeer, plus 3E5K is back (a Canada Goose seen locally Jan/Feb 2003, Oct/Nov/Dec 2004, and April 2005). 9/13/5 16/C 6 DUNLIN, and 2 Lesser Yellowlegs join the regulars. 9/15/05 16/C 16 Pectoral Sandpipers, 3 Lesser Yellowlegs and a RUDDY DUCK were among the usuals. 9/16/05 16/C The rain washed away all shorebird habitat (after weeks of 200+ Killdeers, not a single one!), leaving only Mallards, both Teal and Canada Geese. 9/18/05 16/C The spit of land has re-emerged with 100+Killdeer but no other shorebirds. Lotsa Ducks and Geese, one RingBilled Gull. Met and chatted with Diana H., a pleasant birder with her lawn chair and binoculars. 9/25/05 16/C has all week been only the preserve of the very common, ie Great Blue Herons, Canada Geese, Mallards, BlueWinged Teal, GreenWinged Teal, Killdeer, etc.10/3/5 16/C All week has been too wet for words or anything else at but both Teal, Mallards, Canada Geese and Great Blue Herons. 10/5/5 16/C Gadwall and Shovelers join the usual (Killdeer, both Teal, Mallards, Canada Geese and Great Blue Herons). 10/7/5 The only shorebirds were 2 Dunlin and 3 Killdeer.10/11/0516/C Canada Geese, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Killdeer, both Teal. 10/12/0516/C The usuals were joined today by an adult RingBilled Gull and FIVE WILSON'S SNIPE. Teal were down to just 2 GreenWinged. Otherwise: Canada Geese, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Killdeer. A flock of 200+ Cowbirds at CR16/US6 also included 2 House Sparrows and a single RUSTY BLACKBIRD.10/13/0516/C As is my custom, I stopped by after work. Today there were 3 RingBilled Gulls and a LAUGHING GULL, with about 100 Dunlin and the usuals (100 Starlings, 50 Mourning Doves, 50 Mallards, 50 Canada Geese, 27 Killdeer, 7 Great Blue Herons and a Meadowlark).10/14/0516/C 320 Canada Geese, 80 Killdeer, 38 Mallards, 8 Great Blue Herons, 8 Dunlin, 3 Starlings, a Mourning Dove and a Crow. Much different than last night.10/16/0516/C 600+ Canada Geese, 112 Mallards, 8 GreenWinged Teal, 5 Great Blue Herons, 5 Dunlin, 2 Song Sparrows, a single Killdeer(!), a Blue Jay, an Eastern Meadowlark, a GREATER YELLOWLEGS, a WILSON'S SNIPE and a lone RingBilled Gull.10/18/0516/C 98 Canada Geese on the marsh but the other 500 were on the Lagoons, 108 Killdeer, 88 Mallards, 30 Starlings, 9 GreenWinged Teal, 9 Great Blue Herons, 9 Dunlin, 6 House Sparrows, a single Mourning Dove, a WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER and a lone RingBilled Gull. The 500+ Cowbirds were still hanging out at CR16/US6 and all I could find among them were 10 Starlings. 10/19/0516/C Too dark at 7:15pm... 75 Crows overhead.10/20/5 16/C FIFTEEN COMMON SNIPE, 9 GreenWinged Teal, 7 Dunlin, and of course tons of Mallards and Canada Geese, and a few Great Blue Herons. Killdeer were all the way down to 18. 10/21/0516/C SIXTEEN COMMON SNIPE, 9 GreenWinged Teal, 5 Dunlin, 4 SHOVELERS, 1 drake Mallard and 1 Canada Goose, 3 Great Blue Herons, 38 Killdeer. 10/24/0516/C Startling contrast with the hunted birding spots (ie everywhere in Defiance and Paulding County): Hundreds of Mallards and Canada Geese, with a few GreenWinged Teal, Killdeer and Dunlin. 576/C Hunted: 8 Canada Geese. 10/25/5 6/C Seemed like the usual except two of the Canada Geese were extremely small-- my first CACKLING GEESE of the season. 10/26/5 16/C 3 Dunlin, 8 Wilson's Snipe among the regulars (GreenWinged Teal, Mallards, Canada Geese, Great Blue Herons, Killdeer). 0/27/5 16/C 3 Dunlin, 10 Wilson's Snipe among the regulars (GreenWinged Teal, Mallards, Canada Geese, Great Blue Herons, Killdeer).10/28/0516/C Similar species in similar numbers: (Dunlin, Wilson's Snipe, GreenWinged Teal, Mallards, Canada Geese, Great Blue Herons, Killdeer and a lone RingBilled Gull). 10/31/5 Same 11/3-4/5 Same 11/5/5 16/C A drake Wood Duck, my first-of-season pair of RINGNECKED DUCKS, 9 GreenWinged Teal, 10 Killdeer, 200+ Mallards, over 750 Canada Geese, including . 11/7/5 16/C Similar11/8/05 16/C A lot less birds than normal were on the marsh: A COOT, 1 Canada Goose, 4 Great Blue Herons, 9 GreenWinged Teal, 17 Mallards, TWENTY(!) WILSON'S SNIPE, 38 Killdeer, but hundreds more Canada Geese were in the field next to the Sewage Lagoons and at least 100 Mallards were in the creek by the Sewage Lagoons.11/12/0516/C 18 Snipe, 6 Killdeer, 2 GreenWinged Teal and 6 Mallards on the marsh itself. Only 50 Canada Geese in the Sewage Lagoons with a Coot, a GreenWinged Teal and 2 Ruddy Ducks. The creek was full of Mallards. The tundra swan was gone from 576/C. 11/14/0516/C There were so many Canada Geese on the marsh, I scoped from the parking lot where I counted a record THIRTY-TWO(!) Snipe (there were probably more, but I didn't want to spook the geese), 9 GreenWinged Teal, and a pair of Mallards. Other Mallards (100?) were in the creek, but nothing was on the sewage ponds.11/15/0516/C The water is high and the only birds that would enjoy it were the hundreds of Canada Geese and Mallards.11/17/05 In the last minutes of daylight enroute home from work I could find only Canada Geese and Mallards at SR576/C and 16/C . 11/18/0516/C A pair of Black Ducks are new. 11/21/0516/C All Mallards on the marsh (hundreds) and only 35 extremely cautious Canada Geese on the bank of the Sewage Lagoons. 11/23/0516/C Hundreds of Mallards on the marsh and sewage lagoons, 150- Canada Geese on the Lagoon bank. Nothing at 576/C. 11/25/0516/C No Canadas, marsh completely frozen, Mallards and Great Blue Herons were in the creek. 11/28/0516/C Only hundreds of Mallards on the now-thawed marsh. Stryker Jail Creepers, Nuthatches, GoldenCrowned Kinglets, Chickadees, Titmice, etc again in a roving flock.11/29/0516/C Hundreds of Mallards on the marsh, hundreds of Canada Geese in the fields but nothing at 576/C. 11/30/0516/C 300 birds on the marsh, half Mallards and half Canada Geese.12/1/05 16/C 150 Mallards, 2 Great Blue Herons, and a Black Duck on the marsh; 100 more Mallards on the Sewage Lagoons. Stryker Jail 37 Wild Turkeys have regrouped. GoldenCrowned Kinglets, Brown Creepers still hanging out with the Blue Jays, Carolina Wrens, Chickadees, Titmice, Downy & RedBellied Woodpeckers. All the large blackbird flocks I have examined have been 100% Starling. Cooper's Hawk at 20/C.12/5/0516/C Frozen, but hundred or so Mallards were visible on the creek with a pair of GADWALL and some Great Blue Herons; only enough water on the otherwise frozen lagoons for 8 Canada Geese.

From Conservation News, Newsletter of the Defiance Soil & Water Conservation District, Fall 2002:

"The project represents one of the most unique and environmentally sensitive flood control improvements ever undertaken in Ohio. Contrary to conventional engineering approaches, the $4.5 million project blends several flood control elements into an integrated system to reduce flooding and erosion problems in the Drout, Prairie, and Lick Creek watersheds of the Tiffin River. Through the combined efforts of our State Legislators, Lynn Wachtmann and Stephen Buehrer, $2.35 million of grant funds were secured to finance a significant portion of the project, completed through the Defiance Soil & Water Conservation District.

"A key component of the project is the construction of a 43-acre, 66 million gallon wetlands basin located on the south edge of Bryan. During peak flow periods, the basin retians water diverted from Prairie Creek via a 300-foot long concrete weir located on the stream embankment. When stream flows recede, water stored in the basin returns by gravity to the creek via two 48-inch diameter pipes, also located in the stream embankment. Diverting a portion of the water during peak flow events effectively reduces the runoff anticipated from a 25-year "urbanized" flood to an equivalent 5-year "rural" flood downstream of Bryan.

"By reducing the peak flows, work in Prairie and Lick Creeks could be limited to restoring flow capacity while preserving the natural character of the streams. To preserve habitat, the traditional practice of stripping all vegetation from the creek bands was abandoned. Rather, restoration work along the 14.5 miles of stream included removal of logjams, removing fallen and leaning trees, excavation of sandbars, and placing tree revetments to prevent stream channel erosion. Further efforts to enhance watershed water quality included promotion of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. Farmers are urged, and paid, to leave uncultivated creek-side buffer strips planted in grasses or trees to filter cropland runoof, thereby reducing stream pollution from chemical fertilizers.

"Besides improved flood control in a 106 square mile watershed, the project provides serval additional benefits including: 1) development of natural wetlands habitat for wildlife and vegetation; 2) a new education park with paved walkways and wood observation platforms; and 3) restoration of free flowing streams that allow for new recreational activities such as canoeing and fishing. In cosing, construction of this project resulted in an estimated cost savings of $1.7 million compared to conventional engineering solutions. At the same time, this project demonstrates that innovative approaches are available to economically reduce flooding, while balancing individual urban, agricultural and environmental interests."

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