A couple of notes from today and yesterday: I was somewhat surprised
to see a tad early Great Crested Flycatcher hawking insects at
Bradley Woods Reservation, Cleveland Metroparks (western Cuyahoga
Co.) on 4/26. I typically don't detect them in NE Ohio until first
week of May, though there are sometimes April sightings.

Otherwise, today there was a interesting movement of raptors over
Chardon, Geauga Co. this afternoon. Chardon is not a Lakefront
migrant trap. Around 11:30 a.m. there was a big downpour, and after
it cleared I was in town and happened to look up and see a Broad-
winged Hawk cruising over fairly low. Winds were out of the WSW.
Then, I saw a couple more, and as these birds started to soar and
move ENE, one Broad-wing after another joined them until I had about
20 in the air kettling in two groups. Further scanning revealed about
10 more as I drove to another site. An Osprey was also seen high up,
taking the same bearing. These birds quickly gained altitude and
became "pepper-flecks" in the sky. I think that the heavy rain or
accompanying downdraft brought them down to naked-eye viewing level,
and after the rain they quickly rose into the stratosphere again.
Unfortunately I did not have time to scan the clouds with binoculars
or I suspect there were more broad-wings moving high up.

Kevin Metcalf
Chardon, OH

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.

You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]