A report that is a little dated but here goes anyway:

  Ventured out with five Holmes Co. birders on Saturday. First stop was at the now famous grosbeak hangout (Obee and 295). In addition to fully-satisfying views of a pine grosbeak, we enjoyed a fly-by red-shouldered hawk and a perched adult sharpie.

  Searched the campground for the shrike at Maumee Bay, but to no avail. Saw two, and perhaps three, cackling geese among the throng of Canadas on the lake.

  Made a shorter stop at Huron than we had originally intended due to receiving a report from the Columbus Avids on the hordes of Bonies and a kittiwake at Lorain. Best bird at Huron was a lesser black-backed gull.

  Most of the gulls at Lorain were on the water. We were able to locate the kittiwake after a lengthy search. We spent considerable time studying a gull that was either a first-year laughing or Franklin's gull. It was noticeably larger than the Bonaparte's and considerably smaller than a ring-billed gull. After a lengthy discussion the other five decided to call it a small laughing gull, because of its "dirty" appearance. It didn't show as much pristine white on the underwing, sides, breast, and nape as depicted in field guides. I am the lone dissenter. I am stubbornly clinging to my belief that the bird was a Franklin's, because I saw black spots in the tail, more prominent white around the eye than what I think typically shows on a laughing, a smaller bill than I think a laughing would have, and in flight a mostly clean underwing. The other guys obviously saw it differently. I suppose it is the identification challenges such as this bird posed that make studying gulls
 either exceedingly frustrating or alluring, depending on one's disposition.

  -- Gabe Hostetler, Wooster




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