What an unexpected thrill a dozen birders shared recently at Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport, where Jen Brumfield first heard a distinctive wolf-whistle call, then spotted an upland sandpiper alight in the grass along the runways.

For nearly an hour we admired the foot-tall grassland shorebird through spotting scopes lined up atop a rise on the North Marginal Road, enjoying the view of this stately sandpiper gobbling grasshoppers and other prey, apparently unfazed by the buzzing of airplanes landing and taking off nearby.

What we didn't know at the time, however, was that a few days later scientists with the Partners in Flight bird conservation group would release a list of five species facing such peril that they may be extinct by the time our grandchildren are birding.

Kirtland's warblers have made a remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction, but their future is tenuous.

The list included the threatened and much-beloved upland sandpiper.

"Uppies," as they are known by birders, were once so prolific that it would take an hour for flocks to pass by overhead. But they were decimated by commercial hunters at the turn of the 19th Century, and have never recovered due to the widespread conversion of grasslands to over-grazed ranches and large farms.

I recall seeing my first uppie in Ottawa County about 30 years ago. Since then, I recall seeing them at a municipal airport in San Antonio, Texas, and in Manitoba, Canada, on a grasslands birding adventure with my son Bret. But the days of seeing them regularly in Ohio have long since passed.

The rest of the list of potential extinctions should be of equal concern to Northeast Ohio birders. It includes the cerulean warbler, wood thrush, Kirtland's warbler, and long-billed curlew.

The ethereal song of wood thrush is a familiar sound of summer in the forest in Ohio, and the boldly spotted, rufous-backed thrush is often seen during spring migration. But wood thrush populations have plunged by 62 percent since the 1960s, according to Partners in Flight. The greatest threat is from loss of woodland habitat in Eastern North America, and at their wintering grounds in Central and South America.

Long-billed curlews can be seen regularly in Texas, but rarely in Ohio.

No bird has experienced a greater loss of population, however, than the Cerulean warbler. These beautiful blue-and-white songbirds have declined by 70 percent since the 1960s. Over-logging of forests in the Appalachian Mountains is the primary culprit.

The most reliable place to see cerulean warblers in Northeast Ohio is in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in the sycamores that skirt the river from Brecksville to Peninsula. The stunning birds nest in the upper branches of the towering trees, and can be heard singing in May and June.

I hiked the Towpath Trail in the national park last weekend in the off-chance that I might see a Cerulean before it departed for its South American wintering grounds. American goldfinch and indigo buntings were abundant and vocal. Eastern wood-pewee, Carolina wren, warbling vireo, Eastern phoebe, and blue-gray gnatcatcher all could be seen or heard. Wood ducks, green herons, belted kingfishers, red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks also made appearances. But there were no Cerulean warblers to be found -- or any warblers, for that matter.

Kirtland's warblers hold a special place in Northeast Ohio birding lore, as the first specimen ever collected and identified was obtained in 1851 on the farm of Dr. Jared Kirtland, who lived at what is now Lakewood. The tiny yellow-breasted, gray-backed songbird were once our most endangered warbler species, with only 167 singing males counted as recently as 1987. But a successful recovery effort in their breeding grounds in Northern Michigan has helped the species to rebound and to avert extinction -- for the time being. At last count, 2,063 singing males were counted last year -- an all-time high.

Long-billed curlews are large, iconic shorebirds that once ranged from the East Coast to the Rocky Mountains, but loss of grassland habitat has taken a devastating toll on these impressive birds. There are only three records of the curlews ever appearing in Ohio, the most recent in 1999.

Partners in Flight will look to launch new conservation efforts when it hosts a meeting of hundreds of scientists and conservationists from 16 countries Aug. 25-28, near Salt Lake City, Utah.

"The actions proposed at the international gathering will affect habitats on these species' tropical wintering grounds as well as their breeding habitats in North America," said Ken Rosenberg, a conservation scientist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and a leader of Partners in Flight's initiative.

Terrell Rich, the group's national coordinator, said bird conservation efforts must include more than just scientists. "It's critical that scientists find a way to mobilize the many millions of people who watch and feed birds to become active in bird conservation," he said.

Tom Will, the group's Midwest Region coordinator, said people need birds as much as birds need people. "They are our guardians," he said. "Without them we are lost."

BIRD WALKS

The Wednesday morning fall walks return to the Sandy Ridge Reservation beginning next Wednesday, Aug. 28, at 7:30 a.m. Join naturalist Tim Fairweather on a hike around this amazing habitat in a search for fall migrants and the resident species. The walks are held every Wednesday through October. Meet at the nature center, 6195 Otten Road, North Ridgeville.

The Shaker Lakes Nature Center will explore the parklands Thursday, Sept. 12, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Meet in the parking lot, 2600 South Park Blvd., Cleveland. Also, the monthly fall bird walks will be held the second Sunday of the month, October through March, 8:30 a.m.

A walk through the Lake View Cemetery will be held Saturday, Sept. 14, at 8 a.m. Cost is $10. To register call 216-421-2687.

BIRD NEWS

The future health of birds and other wild creatures on the Great Lakes will be a primary topic of discussion at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's annual Conservation Symposium, Friday, Sept. 6. This year's theme is "The Battle of Lake Erie," focusing on current threats to the lake's ecosystem. For a schedule of speakers and to register go here: http://cmnh.org/site/Conservation/ConservationSymposium/Schedule.aspx

The Kirtland Bird Club's monthly meeting will held Wednesday Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m., at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The featured speaker will be Greg Miller who will talk about his "Big Year."