Hello, birders.
I had a fun time visiting Ohio this weekend despite
the frigid weather.
The birding was good. Highlights were LONG-EARED OWL,
LESSER BLACK-BACKED, GLAUCOUS and ICELAND GULLS. Also
HORNED GREBE.
As I was driving out of the motel parking lot in
Independence on Sunday morning, I spotted a flock of
AM. ROBINS. This flock included 1 leucistic
individual, the only leucistic wild bird that I've
ever seen (except Rock Dove!) This Robin's head
feathers were normal but the rest of it's feathers
were white with some dark gray parts that looked like
smudges. The gray was less prevalent underneath. It
was beautiful and also was kind of camouflaged with
the patchy snow on ground which was covered with
woodchips, I believe. I can't remember the bare parts
coloration of this bird but they were probably normal
or close to it, as I'd probably remember if they were
pinkish. The flock fed on berries under an ornamental
tree. I tried to get a picture but couldn't relocate
the bird after it flew.
I headed to Caley Reservation in Lorain Co. to try for
the Long-eared Owls. The thermometer read 5F at
8:45am. I found 4 LONG-EAREDS snoozing in the one
pine grove that I checked. Three of these birds were
toward the top of one pine, less than 1' away from the
trunk and from each other. The other bird was just a
couple of feet away in an adjacent tree, also close to
but not against the trunk. All were facing the same
direction. Another birder said that he found one in a
different grove. They were lifers for me so I'm
grateful that the location was posted and I hope that
birders continue to exercise caution at this site.
Also, 2 or 3 RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES were in the pine
groves.
Next I drove to Headlands Beach SP and the Fairport
Harbor area in western Lake Co. I should have heeded
the Blowing Snow Advisory from the NWS as the
conditions were pretty bad. Visibility was not good.
The wind was extremely strong and made using a scope
impossible. Still, it was cool to see thousands of
gulls along the lakeshore flying into this gale over
the choppy waters. Most gulls were RING-BILLED but
smaller numbers of HERRING and GREAT BLACK-BACKED were
present along with 1 BONAPARTE'S. Seeing these gulls
seemingly at ease in these elements make one really
appreciate them more. I didn't find any rare gulls.
I didn't see any Shrikes or raptors at the fields in
Fairport Harbor while I drove through there. A
glimpse of Lake Erie showed thousands more gulls
heading west.
Back to Cleveland for a look at the lake at East 72nd
Street and Marginal Way. Wow, what a scene. Again,
thousands of gulls were flying into the strong west
wind with thousands more on the water. I picked out 2
adult and one 2nd winter GLAUCOUS, 1 adult and 1 1st
winter ICELAND and 2 adult LESSER BLACK-BLACKED GULLS
amongst the abundant Ring-billed and Herring
(thousands each) and Great Black-backed Gulls
(hundreds). Also, there were 8 BONAPARTE'S GULLS.
Another birder that I spoke with reported seeing a
Thayer's that afternoon.
The weather along the lake was the roughest that I've
ever birded in, with temps in the low teens and that
very strong westerly wind.
I went to E. 72nd on Monday morning hoping to find a
Thayer's but I didn't find any. There were still
thousands of gulls but the numbers were less than the
day before. Thankfully, the wind was merely a breeze,
which made the outing much more comfortable. Most
gull activity occurred where the water was being
discharged from the plant. Many dead and dying fish
were floating there. Just before I left, I found 1
1st winter GLAUCOUS, and 1 2nd winter ICELAND. 2
adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were present and the
BONAPARTE'S GULL numbers had swelled to 300 or so.
Also present was an odd looking gull that was similar
to a GBB but Herring Gull size.
I found lots of waterfowl of several species (CANADA
GOOSE, GADWALL, AM. BLACK DUCK, MALLARD, NO. PINTAIL,
CANVASBACK, REDHEAD, LESSER SCAUP, BUFFLEHEAD, COM.
GOLDENEYE, RED-BR. MERGANSER, RUDDY DUCK) most of
which were at the W end of the park, near the jetty.
I hadn't walked that far the day before. A HORNED
GREBE, which is rare in January according to the OOS
checklist, was swimming at the E end of the park.
Happy birding to you and thanks to all who offered
advice. Please feel free to email me if you are ever
in the DC area and need birding help.
Scott Baron
Fairfax, Va.
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