Alum Lake continues to pull in diving ducks, mergansers, and 'sea' ducks.  Late this morning I found a flock of 10 Surf Scoters floating in a tight group off the Berlin Station Access.  They could also be seen from the campground boat ramp (at the west end of the Cheshire Rd causeway.  The group included at least 6 males, and they could be picked out even when they were tucked in (which was much of the time).  Unfortunately, the warming weather will probably bring out some boaters (Alum is the most heavily boated lake after Erie), so who knows how long they'll get to stick around.  The lake was littered with flocks of diving ducks & mergansers this morning.  Highlights:

Cormorants - a flock of 15 just north of the Berlin Station access
Common Loon - 3 separate individuals (by the dam, Summer Ridge access, and Berlin Station)
Horned Grebe - 30+ in small flocks at nearly every access; most were 14 off Lewis Center access
Wood Ducks - pairs in most coves
Green-winged Teal - 6+at Summer Ridge, another 10 at Berlin Station
American Wigeon - a pair off Cheshire boat ramp
Redhead - 20+ off the dam, with smaller numbers at 3 other locations
Lesser Scaup - 320+ in many flocks; biggest were 120+ off New Galena
Greater Scaup - at least 2 were mixed in with Lessers at Summer Ridge access
Ring-necked Duck - surprisingly few, with only 2 pairs mixed in with the large scaup flocks
Bufflehead - 16+ in small groups of 3-5 birds at several locations; most were 6 off Lewis Center access
Common Goldeneye - 15+, with most of them at Summer Ridge access
SURF SCOTERS - flock of 10 off Berlin Station access (but visible from the Cheshire causeway)
Common Merganser - 3 birds south of the Cheshire causeway (also visible from Summer Ridge access)
Red-breasted Merganser - 230+ birds in several large flocks; biggest was 80+ off New Galena access
Hooded Merganser - pairs at several accesses
Ruddy Duck - 3 off New Galena, another 2 off Berlin Station
Coots - small flocks at several accesses, never more than 10 in one place.
Gulls - perhaps 60-70 Bonaparte's Gulls scattered over the entire southern reservoir; 120+ Ring-bills north of the Cheshire causeway

Raptors were unimpressive (a few TVs, 1-2 Red-tails), but Tree Swallows were in small flocks at several locations.  Negligible landbird migration, with very few blackbirds and only a handful of migrant sparrows (Fields at 2 spots, Trees at New Galena, Fox at Berlin Station).


Rob Thorn
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EarthLink Revolves Around You.

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