Inland gulling at Oberlin Reservoir (Lorain Co) this afternoon was again ridiculously and inexplicably productive.  Emil Bacik and I arrived here around shortly after noon to find ~3000 or so gulls lolling on the reservoir's now-open waters.  We immediately began picking out "white-winged" gulls by the handful - SIX Glaucous Gulls were clustered within a scope-view of each other, and an astounding SIX ADULT Iceland Gulls were in the closest group of birds to shore, including a stunning adult "Kumlien's", with charcoal grey webbings to the primaries.  I cannot stress enough what a spectacle this is to behold, and how ridiculously easy the viewing is here compared to the typical lakefront conditions we endure.  Our total of 24 "WHITE-WINGED" GULLS at an INLAND RESERVOIR is something utterly shocking to me in the realm of Ohio's birding history:

THAYER'S GULL  2  1st, 2nd
ICELAND GULL  11  four 1st, seven ad
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL  9  1st, eight ad
GLAUCOUS GULL  11  seven 1st/2nd, four ad

As a side note, Oberlin Reservoir does have a past history of attracting odd gulls, notably multiple Lesser Black-backeds.  The hypothetical reason for this is its proximity to a BFI landfill site - less than 1/2 mile north and visible from atop Oberlin's dike.  The gulls do filter back-and-forth from the dump site, and it seems that afternoon hours see the highest number of gulls at the reservoir.  A pair of Bald Eagles in the area occasionally spook the birds, but otherwise the gulls are rarely in flight, allowing for outstanding viewing opportunities.

An above average number of white-winged species in the state (especially where Iceland Gull is concerned) throughout the winter has no doubt contributed to the record-number of inland sightings of late.

Oberlin Reservoir is at the southeast corner of Parsons and West Rds, just off US 20 (take the Parsons Rd exit).

Other Lorain Co. notables included Rough-legged Hawk (3), Northern Harrier, Lapland Longspur (65), and Purple Finch (35).

Good birding -
Gabe Leidy
Cleveland

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