Alex Hughes and I birded the mudflats on the northern portion of Hoover reservoir around Galena this afternoon, visiting the boardwalk and the mudflats off Weise Rd. The water levels are extremely low, so prime shorebird viewing is very distant from the boardwalk, a contrast from some past years when the best mudflats were very close to the boardwalk. The best shorebird viewing was off of Weise Rd. To reach this site from the boardwalk, go west out of Galena on old 3-C over the bridge, and turn left onto Weise Rd. shortly after crossing the bridge. Weise Rd. dead-ends at the Ohio-Erie bikepath. Park here, and walk along the path for a bit before bushwhacking to the mudflats. The mud is mostly firm, and provides good views of the shorebirds from a short (but respectful) distance. A scope is certainly helpful. The highlights from the Boardwalk: American Golden Plover - Foraging in the channel between the 2 Osprey platforms. This bird was not completely molted into winter plumage, and had a few flecks of gold feathers on its back. The highlights from Weise Rd.: Buff Breasted Sandpiper - Seen in the grassy area of the mudflats Short-billed Dowitcher Stilt Sandpiper At both sites, there were good numbers of Killdeer, Pectoral, Least, and Semipalmated Sandpipers, and lower numbers of Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted and Solitary Sandpipers. ______________________________________________________________________ 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]