Larry Gara and I met up at the Cowan Lake Lotus Trail yesterday morning (4 May 07) (OOS web page here<http://www.ohiobirds.org/birdingsites/showsite.php?Site_ID=48>, interactive map here<http://local.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=104411027825639848188.00000112446c0b9e1a50e&z=14&om=1>) Overcast skies and cool temps inhibited the migrant songbirds, but the numbers of shorebirds continued to increase. The highlight was a well-tudied Baird's Sandpiper. The breeding plumage of Baird's Sandpiper is well-known for the broad fringes on the scapulars, mantle and tertials, which when combined with the dark centers give the bird a "spangled" appearance. The fringes on this bird were so broad as to make it look positively polka-dotted. Obviously, this bird was in plumage about as fresh as you could imagine. The shorebird list: 3 Greater Yellowlegs 21 Lesser Yellowlegs 6 Solitary Sandpiper 1 Spotted Sandpiper 6 Least Sandpiper 1 Baird's Sandpiper 2 Pectoral Sandpiper 3 Semipalmated Plover Three Great Egrets remain at Cowan in the east end of the lake. This morning we had three male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and a female at out feeders just outside Wilmington. Cheers, Bob -- Robert D Powell Wilmington, OH, USA [log in to unmask] http://rdp1710.wordpress.com Nulla dies sine linea ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]