I received a call this early evening from Kentucky birder Brainard Palmer-Ball and he asked me to post the following report. Brainard and friends watched a juvenile Black-legged Kittiwake for several hours this afternoon along the flooded lower Scioto River just west of Portsmouth, Ohio. The bird was seen in flooded fields north of US 52 and east of RT. 104 and west of the Scioto River Bridge. The kittiwake was also occasionally seen feeding in the Scioto River in the stretch south of the US 52 Bridge and north of the 2nd St. Bridge. The gull was fairly active during their 3-hour visit and frequently moved between the two locations. Both spots can be seen from US 52 and the kittiwake flew back and forth over the road/causeway/bridge several times while they were there. The bird was still there when they left in the late afternoon. The kittiwake was in the company of other gulls, mostly Ring-billed but also 10-15 Herrings and a handful of Bonaparte's Gulls as well. Brainard said the Scioto bottoms were still flooded but apparently were quickly receding. Around 300 ducks were also present today and included Mallards, American Black Ducks, Northern Pintails, Northern Shovelers, Gadwall, a single Wood Duck, Ring-necked Ducks, Canvasbacks and Redheads among others. An adult Bald Eagle was also present. On Monday, as many as 3,000 ducks and hundreds of gulls were reported from this site but apparently the lessening flood has dwindled they're numbers. On Monday a Eurasian Wigeon was also seen nearby, but on the Kentucky side of the river and a few miles upstream, in a flooded farm field. Brainard was unable to relocate that bird today.

Brainard has asked that if anyone relocates the Black-legged Kittiwake and sees it out on the Ohio River (which then would also become a Kentucky record), that they would post that information to this list or the Kentucky List, which can be found at the following link.

http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos/listserv.htm

 

Jay Stenger

Cincinnati, Ohio

 

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