I visited the Cope Environmental Center this morning early with 
members of Earlham College's Class of 1975 reunion.  Then after 
sharing that time with them did a whirlwind pass by Brookville Lake.

Directions to Cope Environmental Center:  SE of Centerville, Wayne 
County, Indiana -- from Centerville travel east on Nationsl Road (US 
40) to Airport Road, then south to the first right on Shoemaker Road, 
then right into the Cope Center.

Highlights:

Cope Environmental Center:
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 12
NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW 1 among Swamp and Song Sparrows at the 
edge of the north wetland. This is the first record of which I'm 
aware for the Indiana portion of the Whitewater River Valley.  [This 
is a new bird for the CEC property; CEC's list of birds well exceeds 
200 species.]

Brookville Lake:
Common Loon 4
Horned Grebe 5
Double-crested Cormorant 16
Great Egret 1
Turkey Vulture 3 (numbers noticeably declining)
Black Vulture 3
Dunlin 5
FRANKLIN'S GULL 1
BONAPARTE'S GULL 1150 (large build up over last week)
Ring-billed Gull 500
Herring Gull 1
Tree Swallow 160
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2 (Whitewater State Park) -- with one at home I 
ended up with 15 for the day and we also had  at least 8 on an alumni 
bird walk on Earlham College's campus and back campus on Saturday. 
This is the most significant fall irruption of this species I recall.

Home (southern Wayne Co.):
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Purple Finch 1

Bill Buskirk
Biology Department
Earlham College
Richmond, IN 47374