The Shorebirds of Western Lake
Erie
A
Symposium: Maumee Bay State Park
Saturday 27 August 2005 - Sunday 28 August 2005
A
joint effort by the Ohio Ornithological Society,
the Toledo Naturalists' Association and Ottawa
National Wildlife Refuge
This
unparalleled opportunity to learn about Ohio's
migrant shorebirds will bring together some of
the region's experts in shorebird ecology,
conservation, and field identification. Ottawa
National Refuge will be timing draw-downs on
public and off-limits properties specially to
coincide both with the Symposium and with peak
southward migrations of these species; the
resulting habitats should produce a bounty of
shorebirds for admiration and study.
Six presentations, by Jon Dunn, Bob Russell,
Douglas Helmers, Bob Royse, Mark Shieldcastle,
and Caleb Putnam on the 27th will be followed by
an extended field trip to three Ottawa sites
that should be extremely attractive to migrant
shorebirds. Our speakers and a team of local
experts will be on hand. Coffee and snacks and
lunch are provided at the comfortable lodge at
Maumee Bay State Park, adjacent to the Refuge
and a shorebird spot in its own right.
On the following day, small expert-led field
trips will be led into Cedar Point National
Wildlife Refuge for a limited number of
participants. Cedar Point is seldom accessible
to the public, and has a rich history of bird
sightings; it is home to Ohio's most reliable
black tern colony and our largest stand of wild
rice, as well as other unique biological
features. These four walks are limited to ten
Saturday registrants each, and are available
first-come, first-served. Larry Rosche will lead
a walk for dragonflies and damselflies, Jim
McCormac one for local botanical treasures, Kent
Bekker another looking for reptiles and
amphibians, and Tom Kemp a search for
non-shorebird breeders and migrants.
Reservations received before 15 August are $35
for OOS, TNA, or ONWRA members, and $40 for
others for the presentations and field trips on
the 27th. Spots on the ten-person walks in Cedar
Point are $15 for members, $20 for others-first
come, first served.
Click Here
for a registration form in PDF format.
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