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November 1998

John Pogacnik reports a 1st yr Northern Gannet at the Lorain "hotwaters" on Sunday. At the adjacent marina, just east of the river, he located a 1st yr California Gull, a 1st yr Iceland Gull, and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. The adult female Rufous Hummingbird was still present at John's feeder today. John suggests mornings are better than afternoons for observation.

An adult male Baltimore Oriole has been coming to a feeder in Olmstead Falls (Cuyahoga Co.) for about a week now. The bird ignores fruit for a seed/nut mix - fide Craig Rieker. On Saturday, another adult male Baltimore Oriole was found at Englewood Metropark, while on the 23rd a Pine Warbler was seen near the maintenance building at Germantown Metropark - Dayton RBA. Twelve Sandhill Crane at Deer Creek W.A. on the 22nd may have been the same 12 seen at Cowan Lake the next day. Also of note at Deer Creek W.A., were 5 White-winged Scoters and 5 Tundra Swan on the 20th. Inland Tundra Swan also include 5 at Pickerington Ponds the same day - Columbus RBA. The Tundra Swan flock at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge number 139 birds on Saturday - David Dister. Dave also noted 2 Dunlins there while 40 Snow Buntings occupied the inland beach areas of Maumee Bay State Park on Saturday. At East Harbor State Park Sunday 41 Tundra Swan rested near 280 Ring-necked Ducks and 100 Redhead. A dark morph Rough-legged Hawk was along RT 13 a few miles south of Huron today - V.W.F.III. Additional northerly Turkey Vulture sightings this weekend included Cleveland area birds drifting over the intersection of 480 & 77 and the Ottawa Reserve area of Brecksville Reservation - Cleveland RBA, and a pair over Grand River in Painseville today - John Pogacnik. Another Northern Shrike report; this one from Conner's Woods in Kent - Cleveland RBA. Forty Dunlin were reported for Mosquito Lake on the 22nd while four Franklin's Gulls were at Conneaut Harbor the same day - Youngstown RBA. Five Franklin's Gulls continue along RT 101 7 miles north of Tiffin (Seneca Co.) today (V.W.F.III) and another was just east of Findlay near a golfcourse today - Tom Bartlett. Red-breasted Nuthatches have been scarce this season so I'll mention one I had across from Catawba Island Township park (Ottawa Co.) on Sunday and one in Boardman Twp (Mahoning Co.) the 21-22nd - Youngstown RBA, and a pair this past week at feeders in Van Wert - Jean & John Perchalski. I received various counts (91-92) of the Greater White-fronted Geese at Killdeer Plains W.A. over the weekend - m.obs. John Pogacnik reports a flock of 40 Brewer's Blackbirds 1 mile east of the intersection of Rt 163 and Rt 51 (Ottawa Co.). Additional Killdeer numbers have been reported included 200 at Deer Creek W.A. on the 22nd - Columbus RBA, and 30 birds Sunday in ponds along Overton Rd (runs parallel to Killbuck Creek) just northwest of Wooster (Wayne Co.); 10 Common Snipe accompanied the Killdeer - Jeff and Marian Kraus.

The Wilson's Phalarope was present today at Sheldon Marsh SNP. A Dunlin and 8 Killdeer also accompanied it. Something of a reverse migration of Killdeer may have taken place this weekend. Nineteen birds were on a mudflat at Medusa Marsh and 15 on the sandbars at West Harbor entrance of East Harbor State Park, while Jean Hoffman had 31 at Killdeer Plains W.A yesterday. The only other shorebird of note along the Lake was an adult Least Sandpiper at Medusa Marsh - V.W.F.III. Record high temperatures also likely contributed to the shorebird mix at Killdeer Plains W.A. with the 18 Common Snipe, Least Sandpiper, and 7 Dunlin remaining from previous weeks. In addition a Black-bellied Plover was also on Pond 27. - Joe Hammond. The Hoffman's added a Greater Yellowlegs at Pond 33 and one Long-eared Owl in "The Pines". Between Joe and Don Burlett's party two Northern Shrikes were discovered at Killdeer Plains today with one west of CH 113 along CH 71 while the other was along CH 75 just west of CH 113. Don reports 85 Greater White-fronted Geese still present while Joe had 9 Snow Geese and the immature Ross's Goose. Elsewhere, Franklin's Gulls still may be seen pursuing plows in fields. Tom Bartlett had 11 birds, including a flock of 9, along RT 101 in the 5 miles north of Tiffin (Seneca Co.) today. I checked the Cedar Point causeway today for any sign of a gull buildup. Nothing in the parking lot but a decapitated White-winged Scoter on the causeway was not your every day roadkill. Nothing unusual at East Harbor State Park today but 86 Great Blue Herons, 35 Double-crested Cormorants, and 13 Carolina Wrens give an idea of how mild the season has been. The Lesser Black-backed Gull at Huron Pier was still present yesterday - Mike Busam. Last Wed. Joe Hammond et al. had a Purple Sandpiper along the breakwall at Fairport Harbor, while 200 Snow Bunting and an immature Franklin's Gull were on the beach.

After capture and measurements, the hummingbird at John Pogacnik's feeder has been identified as an adult female Rufous Hummingbird. It has been seen daily this past week through today. Directions.

A Wilson's Phalarope was documented at Sheldon Marsh SNP yesterday for what is believed to be the second latest fall record for Ohio - Mike and Jack Busam.

Four Black Scoters were off Rocky River City Park (Cuyahoga Co. Directions) on Thursday - Paula Lozano. The flock of Greater White-fronted Geese at Killdeer Plains W.A. continues to fluctuate in size with 113 present on Friday. - Nick Barber. That is a new record high count for Ohio. Gene Stauffer reports the Least Sandpiper and Dunlin still present on Thursday. Gene also had two Northern Shrikes at the jct. of CH 113 and CH 75 at killdeer Plains W.A. Friday, Nick had one of these birds plus two male Brewer's Blackbirds in the vicinity. The Brewer's Blackbird reported in the same location last Sunday by Craig Rieker was a female, so at least 3 birds are present. Bob Bell had several interesting finds at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge yesterday, including a Franklin's Gull, Field Sparrow, a flock of 60 Snow Geese, a Sandhill Crane, and a Lesser Yellowlegs. Forty Green-winged Teal at Greenlawn Ave. Dam (Columbus) is a sizeable flock this late in the season - Richard Cressman. The mild weather has further induced several Turkey Vultures to wander north with a bird spotted along Rt 2 north of Castalia Tim Colborn Friday while one soared overhead here in Tiffin today as I was stringing up Christmas lights - V.W.F.III. Tim also had 5 Common Snipe at Clear Fork Reservoir on Friday. John Pogacnik reports three Northern Shrikes in the vicinity of Grand River W.A. stating . . .

"They were found just northwest of the intersection of Hyde-Oakfield and Cory Hunt Rds, northest of the intersection of Rte 88 and Hoffman Norton Rd. and a couple miles north of Heusel-Craft and Stroups-Hickox Rds."

A week has passed since the Northern Wheatear at Big Island W.A. was sighted. Thanks for the memories.



*Don't read a lot into this first scan. I will have Kodak PhotoCDROM images (with better color fidelity) at a later date.

At Killdeer Plains W.A. this morning at Pond 27, the 84 Greater White-fronted Geese were resting on the distant shore. The Least Sandpiper remains in the presence of the original four Dunlin and 9 Common snipe. Today they were joined by another Dunlin, this one in full alternate plumage. It was also decidely larger and longer billed than the other four Dunlin. The black belly patch was broad, reminiscent of the pacifica female depicted on plate 84 of Hayman et al. Shorebirds 1986. But a more thorough study by another observer would be appreciated. Also present in the new mix was what appeared to be an adult basic Western Sandpiper. Unfortunately, I moved to get a better scope view of this bird only to flush the flock, with them landing on the far side of Pond 27. That identification remains tentative as well. The flock of Snow Geese at Tymochtee were present at 1:00 pm - V.W.F.III

A Selasphorus hummingbird appeared at the Lake Co. feeder of John Pogacnik yesterday.

The C.J. Brown Reservoir Red-throated Loon was seen again Sunday - Doug Overacker. The Lake Medina Red-throated Loon continues through Sunday -Clyde Witt. Clyde also reports two Franklin's Gulls there on Sunday bringing the number of counties involved in the invasion to 17. Yesterday, a flock of gulls following a plow at the Oregon city limits on Rt 2 in Lucas Co. held at least 1 adult Franklin's Gull - Matt Victoria. Matt also had closeup looks of an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and female Oldsquaw along the Huron Pier. Yesterday's calm winds were enough of an incentive, in the face of this month's southwesterly blasts, for massive numbers of Double-crested Cormorant to head south. I took 15 minutes out of my travelling to Cleveland yesterday to note 1160 over the jct. of Mason Rd and RT 13 (a few miles due south of Huron, Erie Co.). Such numbers this late indicate how delayed the migration is for some waterbirds. A decent gathering of Bonaparte's Gulls at the Lorain "hotwaters" numbered 9000 or so. With the to and fro activity of hunters resetting their decoys, several opportunities for a thorough scan of birds in the air did not not result in an unduly dark or pale winged rarities. - V.W.F.III. Larry Gara reports 12 Sandhill Cranes at Lake Cowan (Clinton Co.) on Monday . . . and were still there that evening - Ed Roush. Five Sandhill Cranes were still at Killdeer Plains W.A. on Monday - Bob Conlon. Bob also had a flock of 33 Snow Buntings along RT 95 at Big Island W.A. I recently received a nice write-up of a flock of 10 Snow Buntings on Oct 23rd at East Fork State Park (Tim Fitzpatrick)further illustrating the strength of this season's flight. There are certain great voids in Ohio birding that have attained mythic status among editors of Ohio bird records. Van Wert County is one of the first to come to mind. However, Jean & John Perchalski are changing that. This past Saturday the local reservoir held, among other ducks, an immature Surf Scoter. Lingering passerines are surprisingly scarce but do include 3 Barn Swallows on Sunday at Rocky Fork Lake (Highland Co.) near the outlet for Churn Creek. - Olivier Debre.

The fallout from the 10 Nov. storm and the subsequent southwesterly airflow is still being felt in the region. The Franklin's Gulls reports now number some 400 birds to be detailed later. But we have also seen record fall numbers of Greater White-fronted Geese throughout the state. Indeed the bulk of the flock of 98 at Killdeer Plains W.A. remain today with at least 84 birds counted several times late this evening first at Pond 27 then later just after sunset as the flock headed north 2.5 miles to circle repeatedly over a corn stubble field to finally settle a few hundred yards northwest of the jct of C115 and RT 294. I also had it in my mind that this phenomenon may extend to other Mississippii flyway migrants on the move at this time. The first clue was given by the reports of small geese that have come from every corner of the state and involved several flocks of 4-6 birds. Not all of these have been conclusively identified as "Richardson's" but not less than 20 have been so described. Now add to this mix reports of THREE Ross's Geese this weekend. First Friday's bird at Killdeer Plains W.A. was verified several times over today by multiple independent parties including Zac Baker, Joe Hammond et al., Craig Rieker et al., and myself.. In addition John Pogacnik reports 2 birds at Conneaut today. With persistent southwesterlies expected the next three days, this may not be over yet.

The November gull scene in Ohio, a Ross's Gull notwithstanding, has been dreadfully dull thus far. Today went some towards alleviating the boredom. Tom Bartlett and I had imagined that, in time, the Kelleys Island census would eventually produce something more than the run-of-the-mill, especially in November; admittedly my imagination generally ran the gamut of tyrannid possibilities lingering on those with bright yellow bellies. So it was with surprise that before sunup and, moments after the ferry had docked, we were watching a 2nd year Lesser Black-backed Gull landing on a dock before us. Run-of-the-mill you say, but it gets better. At the second ferry dock a 1st year Thayer's Gull was resting . . . ho hum you're thinking . . . Ok just a bit up the road Tom spots another odd bird on yet another dock. We had a suspicion right away, and after 20 minutes and a thorough description were confident of a 2nd yr California Gull (still retaining a wash of dusky brown on some underparts). For you larophiles that's 7 species of gull on the island. Later today we tried to make it 8 for the county but the Franklin's Gull we found in a field near a plow proved to be 2 miles across the line into Sandusky County.

Meanwhile at traditional gull watching sites yesterday, a California, Glaucous, and Lesser Black-backed Gulls spiced up Fairport Harbor - Larry Rosche fide Jean Hoffman. At Lorain Harbor, not much of note beyond two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls - Dick Hoffman. John Pogacnik also reports a California Gull, an adult bird today at Conneaut. Additional recent reports of Lesser Black-backed Gull include a 1st yr bird at lakeshore Metropark on Friday - John Pogacnik and an adult along the Sandusky Bay bridge causeway at the eastern end - Tom Bartlett. Off hand I must wonder whether more than the usual few California Gulls were caught up in these winds coming off the prairies.

The Hoffman's report on a census by others yesterday of 840 flyby Common Loon and 75 Tundra Swan from Headlands Beach State Park, while they themselves had 6 Black-bellied Plover and 3 Dunlin. Today at Conneaut, there was a Black-bellied Plover, 5 Dunlin, and an adult Franklin's Gull. At Walnut Beach a Sanderling and another Franklin's Gull were noted. At Grand River W.A., a Northern Shike, Sandhill Crane, and 3 Greater White-fronted Geese. - John Pogacnik. Back at Killdeer Plains W.A. this evening, 6 Sandhill Cranes flew in and landed at Pond 27, while 2 Greater Yellowlegs were milling about the white-fronts. Bill and Roxanne Rinehart had 5 of the Sandhills the previous day. A Least Sandpiper was present on Pond 6 in the evening after being seen earlier in the day on Pond 27, and at least 10 Common Snipe remain in the area. - V.W.F.III and Craig Rieker. Craig also had a Brewer's Blackbird along CH 75. Earlier Joe Hammond and Steve Richards had a Tundra Swan, 4 "Richardson's" Canada Geese and 6 Snow Geese, a total of 12 Dunlin, two Franklin's Gulls. These Snows were still present in the evening as were 11 more north along Rt 53 just a mile south of Tymochtee in northernmost Wyandot Co. Another Franklin's Gull was discovered by Joe near Fostoria later in the day .

Flyby Red-throated Loons were noted this morning on Kelleys Island and Friday from Lakeshore Metropark (Lake Co.) - John Pogacnik. John also reports two flocks of Franklin's Gulls in yesterday's lake watch totalling 46 birds. If these birds are still entering the Lake Erie basin we may expect birds in the fields for another week yet. A Rough-legged Hawk was along RT 269 just south of East Harbor State Park today. Mute Swans are especially numerous in the Sandusky Bay area perhaps accounting for a bird on Kelleys Island, a first for the census. Other census highlights include an adult Red-shouldered Hawk and a Blue-headed Vireo - Tom Bartlett and V.W.F.III. . Yesterday's report of 20-35 Short-eared Owls at "The Wilds" reinforces similar numbers reported the previous weekend. Red-breasted Mergansers are finally staging in modest numbers with 20,000 noted yesterday from Kelleys Island and 25,000 off Lake County Friday.

The Lake Medina Red-throated Loon continues as of today - Sean Zadar

For those visiting Big Island W.A. tomorrow in the hunt for a wheatear you may wish to give Killdeer Plains W.A. a look. Today Len Powlick reports the bulk of the Greater White-fronted Goose flock remains with a count of 96. In addition, the flock of 8 Snow Geese was harboring a Ross's Goose. Two Greater Yellowlegs were still lingering on Pond 6, while a Least Sandpiper was present on Wednesday at Pond 27 - V.W.F.III. Generally, 15-30 Dunlin and 12-15 snipe continue in the vicinity. A flock of 80 Gadwall Wed. is a good fall number for Killdeer Plains - Kathy Noblet.

I have received several more reports of Franklin's Gull flocks during the week especially for RT 4 through Crawford County on into Erie Co. - all these birds following plows in fields - totalling 25-30 individuals. Lake Erie reports have been quiet since the weekend although John Pogacnik does report a Parasitic Jaeger as part of the Lakeshore Metropark migration watch for Thursday and an immature Black-legged Kittiwake today. Three Purple Sandpipers were on the breakwall off Fairport Harbor today while Lesser Black-backed Gulls were seen in Fairport and at Eastlake Power Plant. Eastlake also had a report of 2 Thayer's Gulls - John Pogacnik.

The Northern Wheatear was observed by about 8 observers this morning appx. 9:15-9:45 am. within the basin on the north side of RT 95 immediately west of the parking lot. - V.W.F.III

Despite observers in the field, the Ross's Gull was NOT seen at Headlands yesterday. Keep your fingers crossed that this bird will associate with the Bonaparte's Gulls. If so checking traditional BOGULL concentration points such as the Huron River mouth may prove fruitfull. There were about 3000 (or about 10% of the usual buildup) at Huron a week ago.

Doug Overacker reports 90+ Greater White-fronted Geese at Killdeer Plains W.A. on Sunday. Unaware of Doug's observations, I checked Pond 27 yesterday morning to discover at least 98 Greater White-fronted Geese or one more than the previous record flock for Ohio (a spring 1985 flock at Big Island W.A.). I also had the Northern Shrike at C115 and C75 yesterday. Apparently all 5 Greater Yellowlegs remained Sunday at Killdeer Plains (4 at Pond 33). Doug further reports a Black-bellied Plover there on Sunday. I encountered three more gull flocks following tractors yesterday - all involving Franklin's Gulls - a total of 20 birds (17 in Hancock Co. and 3 in Sandusky Co.). The Hancock Co. birds were in the vicinity of Findlay and Fostoria Reservoirs. - V.W.F.III. Larry Gara adds 6 more at Cowan Lake beach (Clinton Co.) yesterday.

Migration Update: We are a week away from the usual peak Thanksgiving Sandhill Crane flight through western Ohio with the vanguard being detected Sat. at C.J. Brown Reservoir with 35 birds - Neill Cade. Neill also had an Eared Grebe near the dam, and the first report of Common Merganser inland. At Big Island W.A., Neill noted a Pectoral Sandpiper, 6 Long-billed Dowitchers, and the first inland Greater Scaup of the season on the 14th. In the 15 minutes I was at Big Island W.A., I had over 100 longspurs and 100 pipits - all streaming from the NE to the SW - if they kept that up for the usual 2 hour morning flight some significant numbers were present.

Consider Peterjohn's assessment 10 years ago (Birds of Ohio) of Lapland Longspurs inland during the fall migration: " . . . accidental to rare migrants away from Lake Erie. [going on to say] Their inland movements are poorly understood, since these migrants are inconspicuous occupants of large farm fields".

Despite an army fielded on Sat. in a frustrating attempt to see the Northern Wheatear (likely hampering observation of this skittish bird), little if anything of this flight was noted. Birders should not take their observations for granted.

As I have been reporting, Snow Buntings have been coming south farther, sooner than usual. With dozens noted at Big Island W.A. last week it's no surprise the species had reached Acton Lake (Preble Co.) by the 11th -Jim Arnold. Rare in the southwest in fall, a White-winged Scoter was reported from Hueston Woods State Park the 14th - Steve Pelikan. In the southeast, "The Wilds" are currently hosting 35 Short-eared Owls - Columbus RBA. A Red-necked Grebe was reported for Pymatuning Reservoir on Sat., while 16 Common Loon were along the causeway at Mosquito Lake on Sunday - Youngstown RBA. In the Mosquito Lake area over the weekend, additional observations include a Northern Shrike, 84 Dunlin, 3 Greater White-fronted Geese, 4 Snow Geese, and 175 Tundra Swan - Youngstown RBA. Another Golden Eagle was noted over Whitehouse on Sunday - Toledo RBA. Twenty-seven Black Vulture feeding on a deer carcass at the Miami Whitewater Wetlands on the 13th must have been quite a sight - Paul Wharton. There have been surprisingly few reports of lingering songbirds lately despite somewhat mild weather. A Nashville Warbler was detected in Sugar Creek (Tuscarawas Co.) on Sat. - Ed Schlabach. Also lingering was a 1st yr Common Tern at E 55th marina (Cleveland) on Sat. - Dick & Jean Hoffman.

The Northern Wheatear was seen sitting on the earth moving equipment on the north side of Rt 95 at Big Island W.A. this morning at 9:00 am - Eric Mulholland.

The last report of the Ross's Gull for yesterday was 10:30 am. appx. when the wind shifted and the attendant Bonaparte's Gull flock moved off shore and started to disperse. By my 11:00 am arrival they had thinned considerably and by 12:30 virtually no gulls were in the vicinity of the original sighting. However, the bird was present for photographs and viewing by 50+ persons making for an unequivocal state record. The only other report for Ohio which came a year ago remained a sight record ; a documentation presently before the Ohio Bird Records Committee. Some observers did leave Headlands Beach State Park with consolation prizes in the form of a Harlequin Duck and a particularly cooperative 1st winter Thayer's Gull.

Another 20 birders canvassed Big Island W.A. yesterday for the Northern Wheatear with no sign of the bird - fide Peter Whan. I do have a convincing description of the bird for Saturday - Paula Lozano.

The Franklin's Gull invasion of 1998 numbers about 300 birds in 12-13 counties thus far ; includes 9 at C.J.Brown Reservoir on Sat. - Neil Cade. Graphical details later in the week. In the mean time, as you are driving along anywhere in Ohio but especially the western third, check ANY gull flock you encounter. I went four for four in four counties yesterday. - V.W.F.III

And elsewhere : Another fallout from last week's storm system seems to be Greater White-fronted Goose with no less than 79 reported in the past few days. High count is the flock of 40 birds at Killdeer Plains W.A. yesterday - Pete Whan et al.. Also at Killdeer Plains W.A. the Northern Shrike of the previous weekend reappeared in the same spot (jct 115 and 75) on Saturday - Paula Lozano. Another Northern Shrike was found along the drive back to the Magee Marsh boardwalk - Kathy Knoblet et al. on Sunday. Kathy's group also detected Franklin's Gulls in a field amongst other gulls - this along Rt 590 in Ottawa Co. Their search of the Ottawa marshes turned up 15 Tundra Swan, 4 Great Egrets, a Greater Yellowlegs, and a Northern Mockingbird. The Snow Goose flock on Pond 27 reached 18 on Sat. - Brian Barchus. On Sat. Jason Larson noted at Killdeer Plains W.A. 41 Dunlin and 18 Common Snipe, while Joe Hammond et al. still had a Greater Yellowlegs on Pond 17 on Sat. The Lake Medina Red-throated Loon and Wellington Reservoir Oldsquaw continue as of Sat. - Joe Hammond et al. Six Snow Geese were noted at Sims Park (Cleveland) on Sat. by Joe's Avid Birders group. John Pogacnik reported an adult Little Gull, a 1st yr Glaucous Gull, an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull and two Franklin's Gulls at Eastlake Power Plant on Sat. While Joe's group also had a 1st yr Thayer's at Eastlake. At least one Franklin's Gull was also present on Sunday - V.W.F.III. Joe's group also had an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull at Avon Lake Power Plant on Sat. and a White-winged Scoter at Headlands Beach State Park.

Just got a call about a Ross's Gull at Headlands Beach State Park. Larry Rosche found the bird amongst 1000's of Bonaparte's Gulls moving along the shore. Apparently, for the moment the bird was staying put. This is on the beach side of the lighthouse at Headlands. The state park is near Mentor in Lake Co. It can be reached by following RT 44 N from Rt 2. See you there - V.W.F.III

Appx. 50 observers throughout the morning and on into the afternoon were fielded throughout the known haunts of the Northern Wheatear at Big Island W.A. No one reported sighting the bird here. There was a single unverified report from a mile west of the known location. With respect to habitat conditions this is plausible as the bird has been favoring the fresh earth works on these new lands of Big Island W.A.

Larry Rosche and Ben Morrison watched the Northern Wheatear from 5:00 pm until dark. - fide Jenny Brumfield. If you are looking for the bird this weekend keep in mind that many persons have had to wait hours for it to appear.

Doug Overacker relates "The Northern Wheatearwas seen Friday morning between 9:40 and 10:10. There were about 15 people there to see it. It was first seen on the dike across the ditch a little ways before the curve in the road. It later flew to the east side of the dirt road."

AND A . . . . Franklin's Gull EXPLOSION! Perhaps as a fallout of the tremendous low pressure system that swept through the Great Lakes earlier this week, suddenly we have been inundated with remarkable numbers for the state. First consider John Pogacnik's report of 16 birds on Wed. during a flight along Lake Erie as viewed from Lakeshore Metropark. Greg Links then informed me of almost 300 birds coincidentally observed in Michigan including a gathering of 200! Both Greg and I responded by actively searching Ohio's shoreline. Greg today reports :

Toledo Area
Cullen Park 2
Coast Guard Station 5
Bayview Yacht Club Marina 3

meanwhile I sat at Sherod Park (Erie Co.) from 7:40 am - 9:15. Between 8:15 and 9:00 am I counted 13 Franklin's Gulls (11 winter adults, 2 1st yr) in groups of 2, 5, 3, 1, 2. All birds were within 50 yards of shore unlike the Bonaparte's Gulls far offshore. All birds were 100-150 ft overhead, whereas 50% of the overall gull flight was at the waters surface. All birds readily detected by unique flight pattern. When more than one, they were in formation, by which I mean, close proximity, proportional spacing, and synchronous flight. Wings held flatter than Ring-billed Gulls. This in combination of the flap-flap glide employed under today's wind conditions (fairly calm) gave them something of a raptor look relative to the other gulls.

In today's flight off Lakeshore Metropark, John Pogacnik counted another 6 Franklin's Gulls. I did check Huron Pier and Sheldon Marsh SNP but did not see any more birds. If you can tear yourselves away from the wheatear I reccommend checking along Lake Erie sites this weekend as well as inland reservoirs with a history of Franklin's Gull flocks (e.g. Hoover, C.J.Brown, Findlay etc.) - V.W.F.III

Elsewhere: The Long-billed Dowitcher flock at Killdeer Plains W.A. on Monday enlarged to 19. - Tom Bartlett. Tom also had 3 Least Sandpipers there Monday. Yesterday at Pond 33 of Killdeer Plains W.A. I had 5 Greater Yellowlegs. Larry Gara reports a Lesser Yellowlegs at Wilmington Reservoir (Clinton Co.) yesterday. Today I had 5 Black-bellied Plover and 8 Dunlin at Sheldon Marsh SNP. 13 Tundra Swans there today pale in comparison with John Pogacnik's 1135 birds in today's Lakeshore Metropark census. This however is expected. Another possible outcome of the recent storm system may be the above average numbers of Greater White-fronted Geese. John reports 9 birds from Lakeshore MP today while yesterday 3 were noted at Mosquito Lake - Judy Hochadel, and 27 flew over the spillway at Caesar Creek Reservoir (Warren Co.) - John Rakestraw. Again observers this weekend should be aware of these species at any waterfowl concentration throughout the state.

The Lake Medina Red-throated Loon and the Wellington Reservoir Oldsquaw were still present yesterday - Joe Hammond. John Pogacnik reports a 2nd yr California Gull at Eastlake Power Plant on Wed.

One last thing to chew on - earlier this week a single flock of FIFTY Black-legged Kitiwakes were reported from the east end of Lake Ontario. There is usually a 2-3 week delay for that region's gull observations to trickle down the south shore of Lake Erie

Seen this morning up to 8:15 by several persons including Kevin Metcalf, and Don Chalfant. Seen again briefly around 10:15 (John Sweitzer) and again at 11:45 by Jim Fowler and Tom Heatley. Searching was constant throughout so clearly some patience may be required.

The Big Island Northern Wheatear was cooperative today for a good many birders. I heard that a dozen or more observers had success this morning from the same location south of the tracks as has been reported below. The latest report I have comes from Zac Baker who had the bird at 3:00 pm.

. . . . and elsewhere : the Lake Medina Red-throated Loon remains as of this afternoon. The male Oldsquaw at Wellington upground reservoir was still present at midday - V.W.F.III. A White-winged Scoter was on Pond 6 at Killdeer Plains W.A. last Sat. - Bob Conlon. An Eared Grebe was found Monday evening off Lakeshore Metropark - John Pogacnik. Lesser Black-backed Gulls were found Monday at Eastlake (Nick BArber) and Avon Power Plant - Joe Hammond . Joe also reports an immature Common Tern off the breakwall at Cleveland Lakefront State Park (E.72nd St.). A Northern Shrike was located Sat. at Killdeer Plains W.A. ; along C.R. 75 just north of C.R. 115. - Ron Sempier & John Games. Monday evening Sean Zadar had a Northern Goshawk at Big Creek Reservation. I have heard of large numbers of this cyclical invader moving south out of Canada this fall. We have not seen a sizeable irruption since the winters of 90-91 & 91-92. On the subject of irruptions, Long Point Bird Observatory has already this season banded 400 Northern Saw-whet Owls. During my 4 fall seasons of banding there in the 1980's, our maximum seasonal total was 200. If you are in the area you may wish to start checking the pines at Killdeer Plains W.A. or anywhere else for that matter.

Bill Whan relates the following

Northern Wheatear found 9:30 am this morning by me, my brother Pete, and Gretchen Fluke. we unintentionally flushed it from the curve in the dirt road just by the spot Bob Conlon described in his posting of yesterday; it landed on bare ground some 20yds inside the curve, providing long looks...

This afternoon I returned to relocate the Northern Wheatear at Big Island W.A. As Bob Conlon posted earlier, together with Gina Buckey we found the bird south of the original location across the railroad tracks on another portion of the wildlife area. From 3:00 to 3:25 the bird went undetected then reappeared atop the red valve to a water control unit, just as Dan Sanders along with Dick & Jean Hoffman were walking up. Over the next hour, we merely stood in place as the bird tried out various young poplars lining a nearby agricultural ditch, always choosing the top most perch. Another birder, whose name escapes me, provided nice scope views with a Meade reflecting telescope. We last saw the bird heading out to the west at 4:18 pm. All this area has recently undergone major earth moving with miles of dikes which are mostly unvegetated. They are favored by longspurs, Horned Larks, and pipits. While the bird was not directly assoiciated with these species it did occasionally settle on the dikes and possibly was foraging there. Tomorrow is looking bleak weather wise by all accounts. But I will have another look for it on Wed. There seems little distinction between non-breeding adult female and a 1st winter bird. However, the prominent pale tertials, buffy eye-brow stripe, suggest immature, while the hint of a mask is stronger than BOWP suggests for a female. - V.W.F.III.

Post time : 11:26 AM - Exactly 1 hr ago I discovered a NORTHERN WHEATER at Big Island Wildlife Area. Locate Marion in Marion County. Go west on Rt 95. Exactly 1 mile west of Rt 203 you will see a line of telephone poles running north of the road. A pullin here (formerly a parking lot) is where I park for my transect. You will likely see earth moving equipment. Pull in and immediately start looking for the bird. I had just finished the first 4 miles of transect when I looped back to this starting position. I sat in the car rehydrating and found myself dozing for a few minutes before completing the next 2.6 miles. I awoke at 10:26 to look out the window to notice a gray-brown bird lift out of a shallow ditch immediately east of the telephone pole line. It perched on a weed. The chunky outline, the deliberate tail pumping, sleepy eyes, and dirty windows suggested a phoebe - a great bird for this transect. Standing just outside the car I got the bird in binoculars and immediately the thought crosses my mind "This is a wheatear". It took a few moments for the rest of my mind to catch up to that thought and fully realize what I had just said. But there it was , not going anywhere, and it was still a wheatear - no different from the birds I was looking at a few months ago in Norway. A couple of minutes observation satisfy me that the bird is immature and leaning toward eastern plumage in so far as the eyebrow stripe is buffy. Time for photos - the next 20 minutes are spent taking photos. More on that later. Just get yourselves down there to see this bird. When I left it was sitting atop the dike immediately west of the telephone poles. I will likely be down there later today after I make some phone calls. - V.W.F. III

The Lake Medina Red-throated Loon was present yesterday - Rich Kassouf. A Semipalmated Plover was also reported there yesterday - fide Cleveland RBA. Another Red-throated Loon was found at C.J.Brown Reservoir (Clark Co.) yesterday. Doug Overacker observed the bird at the south end from the beach parking lot. Mudflats at the north end of the reservoir continue to harbor shorebirds including Greater Yellowlegs. Indeed, this past week has seen no less than 15 species of shorebird reported attesting to the mild season. A dozen species were reported this weekend with a Sanderling at Walnut Beach (Ashtabula Co.), 6 Black-bellied Plover at Conneaut, and 1 Hudsonian Godwit remaining at Mosquito Lake John Pogacnik. I forgot to mention 12 Lesser Yellowlegs back on the 29th Oct. at Saltfork State Park, and 4 Greater Yellowlegs at The Wilds on the 30th - Jason Larson. A Greater Yellowlegs continues at a Mahoning fish farm yesterday- Bill Jones, while one was at Pickerington Ponds on the 4th - Columbus RBA. A Purple Sandpiper was reported at Conneaut on the 1st Nov. - fide Cleveland RBA. Waterfowl of interest include an Oldsquaw at Wellington Reservoir on Friday - Terry Sponseller. A Brant and 3 Surf Scoter were seen at Geneva S.P. (Ashtabula Co.) yesterday - John Pogacnik. Another Surf Scoter was located just east of Bayshore Power Plant along Bayshore Rd (Lucas Co.) yesterday - Toledo RBA. A Black Scoter was noted at Perkins Beach (Cleveland's west side)on the 6th - Dick & Jean Hoffman. Scattered individual Tundra Swan were noted from last Sunday through mid-week within the Lake Erie counties, numbers appearing for the first time yesterday with 35 at Mosquito Lake - Youngstown RBA, 19 at Sheldon Marsh last Tue. - Hoffmans and 11 at La Due Reservoir on the 7th. I would expect the peak fall movement with the next clear cold night later this week. At La Due Sat. Duane Ferris also noted 35 Bufflehead and 150 Ruddy Duck. Sixty Common Loons at Mosquito Lake yesterday is a good inland fall concentration - John Pogacnik. Gulls have been slow to accumulate at traditional hotspots this fall but yesterday's Franklin's Gulls, a 1st winter at Eastlake - Larry Rosche and one on the Magee Marsh beach (east of the causeway) -Toledo RBA may indicate things are picking up. Larry also had an immature Little Gull at Headlands Beach S.P. on Saturday. Two adult Lesser Black-backed Gull were found at Eastlake yesterday - Hoffman's, while one was reported at Lorain on Friday - Cleveland RBA. Raptors in the news include an immature Peregrine Falcon at Pickerington Ponds yesterday - Gene Stauffer, a Merlin in Whitehouse yesterday - Toledo RBA, and Rough-legged Hawks now noted from most favored winter locations. Songbirds of interest include a Common Yellowthroat and a late House Wren at Springville Marsh SNP yesterday - Tom Bartlett et al.. American Pipits numbered 200 on Saturday at Mosquito Lake while 110 Snow Bunting were counted at Conneaut on Thursday - Youngstown RBA. Indeed Snow Bunting are routinely being reported for the Lake Erie counties such that southern observers should keep an eye out.

The Lake Medina Red-throated Loon was present yesterday - Barbara Kaplan and Clyde Witt. A 2nd year Laughing Gull was at Eastlake and a Surf Scoter at Wellington Upground Reservoir on Thursday - Bob Conlon & Bill Whan. They further report the following waterfowl at Wellington :

"In the fading light we estimated several thousand waterfowl, including several hundred Ruddy Ducks, many Red-br. Mergs, one Common Merg, Several dozen Canvasbacks and Redheads, Pied-billed and Horned Grebes, lots of Coots."

My census of Wellington Reservoir the following morning shows how quickly things change at reservoirs. Early Friday I had 710 Ruddy Duck, 280 American Coot (low for this location at this time), 14 Canvasbacks, 1 each of the grebes, 100 Redhead, a dozen Ring-necked Duck, 2 Common Mergansers, and only a few Red-breasted Mergansers. Three Common Loons were also present. Another 90 Ruddy Duck were at Oberlin Reservoir. - V.W.F.III

Last week and this coming week generally see heavy pipit migration. A single flock of 65 were along the road adjacent to Wellington inground reservoir on Friday. If you happen by Castalia it's worth stopping at the pond. The past three years have seen 3 Eurasian Wigeons there. Last Tue. the American Wigeon gathering at Castalia had reached 156 birds. Sheldon Marsh mudlfat was largely inundated last week from north winds pushing water inland but a sliver of mudflat held 280 Dunlin, 2 Long-billed Dowitcher, and 2 Pectoral Sandpipers. Zac Baker did a bit better with shorebirds at Killdeer Plains W.A. yesterday with a dozen Long-billed Dowitcher and a lingering Lesser Yellowlegs. Zac also noted a Rough-legged Hawk, 8 Snow Buntings, and 12 Lapland Longspurs. An American Bittern was at Arcola Creek in Lake Co. last Wed. - John Pogacnik. Generally along the lakeshore this week, Horned Grebes reached triple digits in some locations, Bufflehead double-digits, and Common Goldeneye were widely scattered as individuals.

Errata : The Chester Commons towhee has proven to be an Eastern - Kevin Metcalf, Bob Finkelstein, et al.. Note the date change to the 17th for the frigatebird listing at left. While it appears the Golden Eagles were over Toledo the remaining hawk numbers I reported for Toledo were actually over Lambertville Michigan - fide Matt Anderson. [Hawk Mt PA had 18 Golden Eagles the same day for a local record count]

The last report of the Akron Harris's Sparrow was for the 30th Oct. The day before was the last sighting of Nancy Klamm's backyard Spotted Towhee. The LaDue Reservoir Sandhill Cranes continue as of Wed. - Dick Rickard, as does the Conneaut American Avocet that morning - V.W.F.III. The Shaker Lakes American White Pelican remains as of Tue., however plans are afoot by the Army Corps of Engineers to drain the lake. The Lake Medina Red-throated Loon was still present yesterday at 10:00 am - Sean Zadar. Directions.

A massive flight of scoter took place on Wed. along Lake Erie. I was briefly at Headlands Beach State Park shortly after sunrise and soon after watched a single flock of 16 Surf Scoter. Despite evoking memories of the daily 200+ flights that take place on the opposite shore of this Lake, I moved on to Fairport Harbor (no Brant or Thayer's Gull) and made my way to Conneaut. Had I but stayed I may have witnessed more of the flight reported by John Pogacnik observing from Lakeshore Metropark (Lake Co.) just a bit further to the east. Between 7:00 and 10:00 that morning, John ultimately tallied three hundred scoter, including 212 Surf, 85 Black, and 4 White-winged. I've often wondered if the right weather conditions could reproduce a North shore flight along the South shore. Last Sunday at Killdeer Plains W.A. a Snow Goose was amongst the Canada's and a White-winged Scoter was on the reservoir - Ron Sempier and John Games.

I have this report from Gary Burkholder (Prof. of Biology, Mount Vernon Nazarene College)
"A single Northern Shrike has apparently setup residence on the east side of Knox Lake (Knox Lake Rd), Knox County, Ohio as of 31 October 1998. In addition, the Corp of Engineers has drained the lake for a short period so the mud flats are extensive. Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeers, and Common Snipe plus smaller sandpipers are still present."

I am still looking for independent confirmation of the Chester Commons Spotted Towhee which was reported for yesterday afternoon - William Craig. Apparently it was photographed but I don't know by whom. On the other hand, one very experienced observer only located an Eastern Towhee. The other Cleveland area Spotted Towhee has not been seen since last Thursday. David Kriska and Sean Zadar report an immature Le Conte's Sparrow at Mill Stream Reservation (Cuyahoga County) on Friday, however they were unable to relocate it on Saturday.

I had the sense that something special occurred Saturday with regard to raptor movement through Ohio. Zac Baker and Brian Barchus had reported 40 Red-tails overhead hear in Tiffin. As far east as Cleveland, reports came in that Saturday was a good hawk flight but I've been waiting for the numbers from Toledo. An unprecedented SEVEN Golden Eagles (TWO season's worth!) were seen over Toledo on Saturday. They were accompanied by "100's of Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks", and a new record day count for the state for Turkey Vulture - 1500. - fide Tom Kemp.

A Red-throated Loon was found by Clyde Witt on Lake Medina and videotaped Sunday by Larry Rosche and seen yesterday - Judy Tisdale. The Conneaut American Avocet remains as of yesterday - Mary Doran . Six Hudsonian Godwits were still present at Mosquito Lake on Saturday. Conneaut Harbor held 260 Dunlin on the 25th while 80 were at Mosquito Lake on the 28th. A Merlin was at Conneaut on the 31st. 250 Bonaparte's Gulls at Mosquito Lake is a good inland total this early in the season. A lingering Gray Catbird was noted in Niles on the 28th - fide Youngstown RBA. At the beach end of Buck Creek State Park, Doug Overacker located 3 Surf Scoters while at the shallow north end mudlfats held 100 Killdeer, 4 Greater Yellowlegs, 4 Lesser Yellowlegs, and 2 Least Sandpipers. The fish farm in southern Mahoning Co. held 3 Greater and 8 Lesser Yellowlegs on Saturday but the Lessers were absent yesterday - Bill Jones. A mudlfat south of Wooster (on the corner of Rt 226 and Kister Rd) held 5 Greater Yellowlegs and 67 Killdeer - Marian & Jeff Kraus. The broad mudflat at Sheldon Marsh SNP hosted a Wilson's Phalarope on Sunday - Tom LePage. A Surf Scoter was noted in a flight of waterfowl Saturday by North Perry (Lake Co.). Another highlight was an adult Little Gull. Usually by now Red-breasted Mergansers are noted in the low 1000's in such flights, but John Pogacnik's count was only 845. The season's first Brant was reported from Fairport Harbor on the 30th - fide Cleveland RBA.

The immature frigatebird photograph at left corroborates the earlier report at East Harbor State Park. The same day as the Ohio University ornithology class sighting, Adam Grimm of Elyria, OH, was at Blind #5 at the state park overlooking his duck decoys when he spied this bird "just gliding around moving very slowly". The bird passed directly over him allowing for these pictures to be taken. Note the cottonwoods in the foreground - not your every day surroundings for the species. Pending O.B.R.C. review, should the identification by both parties as a Magnificent Frigatebird be accurate this would become Ohio's 4th acceptable record. For those of you perhaps scratching your heads as to "what else could it be?", take a look at pp. 312 & 314 of Harrison's Seabirds 1986. Croom Helm pubs. Great Frigatebird, a possible vagrant from the Pacific coast, exhibits no less than 3 plumage stages only subtly different from that of juvenile 1st stage Magnificent Frigatebird. Thanks goes to Mark Shieldcastle and Tom Bartlett for securing this documentation.

My assessment of this record

Did someone hold up a welcome to Ohio sign to Spotted Towhees? - ANOTHER has been reported from Cleveland. Downtown at Chester Commons park since Thursday - seen as recently as Saturday - William Craig. I hope some Cleveland area birders can verify this would-be 3rd state record.

Kevin Metcalf confirms that the Hudsonian Godwit flock remains at Mosquito Lake with at least 5 present on Thursday. The LaDue Reservoir Sandhill Cranes were seen Friday - Brad Bolton. Brad advises "They were in a field on Rte. 44 about 0.7 mile north of the intersection of Rte. 422 and rte. 44, DeLorme p. 42 A-2. It's a dangerous area with no safe pulloff, so be careful."

John Pogacnik reports a Red-necked Grebe off Lakeshore Metropark Friday. Nick Barber noted little at Lorain impoundment on Saturday. Status quo from last Wed. when I stopped in but some sand bars exposed over at the hotwaters held 36 Common Terns at rest. On the other hand, Nick located a 1st winter Thayer's Gull at Headlands Beach State Park on Sunday. A light morph immature Rough-legged Hawk was also seen there. Greater Yellowlegs continue to linger at a variety of sites with a bird at Springville Marsh SNP (pers. obs.) on Sat. and 1 at Mosquito Lake on Thur. - Kevin Metcalf. Two Greater and four Lesser Yellowlegs were at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge yesterday - Tom Bartlett et al.. Tom also had 4 Brewer's Blackbirds, 3 Fox Sparrow, and 107 Great Egrets. The same day, Mike Bolton had 12 American Golden-Plover at Killdeer Plains W.A. Horned Grebe numbers have reached double-digits at some Lake Erie sites.

Ohio's second Spotted Towhee was visiting a feeder in northeast Ohio a week ago. - fide Larry Rosche. The Hoffman's report seeing the bird Monday.

Barbara Lund found a Loggerhead Shrike last Monday "just south of the main intersection in the village of Fawcett" (DeLorme 84:B-1), noting this location is only about a quarter-mile from a dairy farm frequented by shrikes in 1996. - fide Bill Whan. The Shaker Lakes American White Pelican remains as of Friday. Zac Baker and Brian Barchus (Tiffin area birders ages 14 and 15 respectively) discovered a Richardson's Goose at Springville Marsh S.N.P. yesterday. See Photo below.

A Black-throated Green Warbler was lingering at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Tue. - Matt Victoria. Indications were that the Mosquito Lake Hudsonian Godwit flock was dwindling., however on the 24th Ray and Shirley Thomas saw all seven birds, suggesting the flock is moving about some. Hooded Mergansers have started their fall buildup in the northeast - Darryl Johnson. Snow Buntings are being seen in good sized flocks for October with 50 at LaDue Reservoir Friday and 30 at Conneaut yesterday - Dick and Jean Hoffman. The Hoffman's also had an American Avocet and 4 Black-bellied Plovers at the extensive mudflats of Conneaut Harbor. Of particular interest, they also report a puzzling vireo of the "Solitary" complex at Shaker Lakes reminding us to study up on the western species.

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maintained by Victor W. Fazio III / last modified 26 Nov. 2000