MCWL finished 2008 with a white-fronted goose (Jeff Harvey) for a total of 183 species (all confirmed by photo and/or multiple observers) for the year -- thanks once again to our faithful observers Jeff Harvey, Jim Dolan and Bob/Denise Lane and occasional visits from CMNH staff. Two other rare- for-Ohio species, cinnamon teal (Bob/Denise) and least tern (Jeff) did not have sufficient documentaton for listing. Breeding species on the 260-acre sanctuary included bald eagle, green heron, black-crowned night-heron (possible), hooded merganser, common moorhen, pied-billed grebe, American coot, marsh wren, plus dozens of other species, all of which were listed on the Ohio Atlas in 2007. All waterfowl species suffered high losses of young from a large population of snapping turtles. The fledgling moorhens, and grebes appeared to have been completely wiped out by the turtles and the many raptors prowling the sanctuary daily. Visitors included ibis species, very probably glossy, which stayed for several days in the midst of the great egret flocks (highest GREG count was 47). A whimbrel, willet (possible) and American bittern also were observed for one-day visits, plus the shorebirds listed below. As always, a main focus of the sanctuary is migrating shorebirds. We had good numbers during both spring and summer/fall migrations on the mudlflats maintained for these declining species. The unusual shorebird visitors were whimbrel, marbled godwit (Jim), American avocet and Wilson's phalarope (Larry Rosche). Shorebirds -- 25 species: Black-bellied plover (many), American golden plover (few), semipalmated plover (many), killdeer (many), American avocet (1 or 2), spotted sandpiper (at least 2 broods), solitary sandpiper (many), greater yellowlegs (dozens), willet (1 possible), lesser yellowlegs (hundreds), whimbrel (1 observed), marbled godwit (several), ruddy turnstone (few), sanderling (few), semipalmated sandpiper (hundreds), least sandpiper (hundreds), white-rumped sandpiper (1 or 2), Baird's sandpiper (1 or 2), pectoral sandpiper (hundreds), dunlin (many), stilt sandpiper (few), short- billed dowitcher (dozens), Wilson's snipe (dozens), American woodcock (1 or 2), Wilson's phalarope (1 obs). Total shorebird numbers at the sanctuary rose to nearly a thousand at times. The species list with all details, including dates, can be found on eBird under Hotspots in the state - Ohio - Mill Creek Wildlife Sanctuary. Once again, serious birders are welcome to email to make arrangements to visit the sanctuary with one of our observers. Bill Jones Canfield (Youngstown) ______________________________________________________________________ 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]