Ohio
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Birding News
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Today, 11/30, at the Loraine Harbor, we had an adult Little Gull, a Pomerine Jaeger , a Snowy Owl , an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. The jaeger flew east , out of sight. The Little Gullstayed in the main boating channel. The owl was on the breakwater north of the municipal pier. The Lesser Black-backed Gull was on a boat dock near the entrance from the parking lot to the eastern breakwater. At the Huron Harbor, we had an adult maleOldsquaw , a Jaeger sp., and another Snowy Owl , seen from the breakwater next to the lighthouse. Another birder told us that a Black-legged Kittiwake was seen at Huron 11/28 and 11/29. We did not see it, however.
27 November 1996 | From: James Lesser: Today at Huron Harbor, Ohio (2hrs and 20 minutes from West Bloomfield), I had 2 Parasitic Jaegers, 1 Pomerine Jaeger, 2 Purple Sandpipers, 2 adult male Oldsquaws . Other birders there had seen an adult Little Gull, and a probable Black-headed Gull. These birds were all observed at the end of the pier next to the lighthouse. The jaegers, spent the whole day there, chasing the gulls. They flew near me many times per hour. Huron is in Erie County, between Sandusky and Lorain. To reach the harbor, go to the center of Huron via route 2, turn north onto Ohio 13. Park near the pier. At the Lorain breakwater, I had an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull . It was on a dock, close to the parking lot. Lorain is 1/2hr west of Cleveland. A Snowy Owl was seen by others there today, as well.
I had a brief look for that Pacific Loon reported at Caesar Creek Res. today - no loons but . . .
80 Bufflehead on the water - a very high fall inland count for the state and a V of 35 Sandhill Crane overhead / photographing the latter.
John Condit, at the OSU vertebrate museum, had news of a Black Swan on Alum Creek Res.[escapee . . . unless you suppose it was ship-assisted like the recent Kelp and Silver Gulls . . . cough cough . . . :-).
It's official - the 1996-97 Snowy Owl invasion is off to a flying start. I am aware of at least 6 individuals in Northern Ohio over the last 2 weeks.
Driving by ONWR along Rt. 2 this morning, I happen to notice some white amongst the Canada's - a quick scope check counted 11 ad. white Snow Geese, 4 imm. white morphs, and 27 ad. blue morph. They were immediately east of the bend in Rt 2 where one turns off for Metzger Marsh W.A.