Forty+ Smith's longspurs entertained almost that many observers at the
Manley Rd spot this morning. I was surprised how much this field
superficially resembled other fields with no Smith's--the foxtail was
scattered, dull-looking, cryptic--and wondered how many other fields
there might be.
        About six miles due east, Frysinger Rd provided excellent bird habitat,
with lots of gulls, 150+ golden-plovers, ~80 pectoral sandpipers, mixed
yellowlegs, four sandhill cranes, etc. Recommended for productive
habitat, vistas, almost no traffic (road currently closed at river), and
an ever-changing retinue of migrants.  It was stirring to watch big
choreographed flocks of long-winged golden-plovers, seemingly fresh
after eight thousand miles of migration, fueling up for the next four
thousand.
        In Celina, some gritty urban birding resulted in the discovery of a
pair of Eurasian collared-doves at the grain elevators at the corner of
Main & Market. Best of all, Troy Shively noticed that the birds were
carrying nesting material to a platform on the second-highest structure
at the plant--the firmest evidence yet as to their nesting status in
Ohio, and a sign you can probably reliably find these birds here for a
while. Excellent viewing from a quiet lane on the north side.
        The fish hatchery was pretty dull, but at Troy's urging we stopped at a
very large flooded area between Lakeview and Russells Point (Indian
Lake) just west of 33. Here were a small flock of Caspian terns, 500+
golden-plovers, 200+ pectoral sandpipers, many yellowlegs of both
flavors, solitary sandpipers, and many snipes. There are many approaches
to this area, the best on the west (late in the day, anyway). This spot
is highly recommended for just about any seasonal shorebird species in
good numbers, conveniently viewed, in weeks to come.
Good birding,
Bill Whan
Columbus

______________________________________________________________________

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]