Hello Birders! Due to a PHENOMENAL amount of shorebirds on one of our units (MS5), we have decided to open our auto tour this Sunday, October 9th, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. I scouted the unit with Kenn Kaufman this morning and the diversity was awesome - we had 21 species of shorebirds. Highlights included Wilson's and Red-necked Phalaropes, Marbled and Hudsonian Godwits, and White-rumped Sandpipers. There have also been 3 White Pelicans hanging around the unit for the last couple of days. You will not be able to drive around the unit, but you may park on the road south of MS4 and walk out along the south end of MS5 with a spotting scope. For a map of the auto tour, visit http://www.bsbo.org/birding/pdf/OttawaNWRMap-AutoTour.pdf. Jason Lewis, Refuge Manager, will be conducting a "Big Sit" near the trail head parking lot, just west of the auto tour entrance, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Feel free to stop by and bird with him, or bring a chair and some snacks and stay awhile! See http://www.fws.gov/midwest/ottawa/documents/BigSit_Oct11.pdf for more details. Finally, if you're interested in nature photography, Sharon Cummings, award-winning photographer, is presenting "Improving Your Digital Nature Photography" at 2:00 p.m. in the refuge's Visitor Center. Thanks, and happy birding! Laura A. Bonneau Visitor Services Specialist U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge 14000 West State Route 2 Oak Harbor, Ohio 43449 (419) 898-0014 office (419) 707-9136 mobile www.fws.gov/midwest/ottawa ______________________________________________________________________ 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]