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December 2009

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From:
Craig Holt <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Craig Holt <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Fri, 4 Dec 2009 10:41:02 -0800
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I have also found the RBME thread to be both quite interesting and informative.  I got into birding seriously during the mid-80's, and most of my waterfowling was inland during those years, so I never got to see any of the huge lakefront RBME flocks during that decade.  I went through my old field journals from 1990 to present and found these counts: 2500 Edgewater Pk. (Cleveland) 11/18/90; "thousands" Cleveland 11/24/91; 5000 Edgewater Pk. and 1250 Lorain 11/29/92; 10,000+ Rocky River 11/28/93; 5000 Eastlake 12/18/94; 1500 Ashtabula 12/3/95; 10,000 Rocky River 11/5/95; 7250 Eastlake 11/2/97; 1500 Conneaut + 300 Ashtabula 12/17/2000; and 12,000 Perry Park (Lake Co.) 11/13/06.  Most of my lakefront birding has been in Ashtabula Co. this decade; RBME numbers there have never been as large there as they are farther west in the Central Basin from what I can tell.  Max counts are usually in the hundreds at Ashtabula/Conneaut, and haven't changed
 dramatically in recent years.  Farther east on L. Erie at Presque Isle, PA the counts by Jerry McWilliams tend to be in the low hundreds if I remember correctly.  Another factor to consider on current RBME numbers--the vast numbers of invasive mussels along the near-shore areas of L. Erie are said to be filtering the water so much that it is actually too clear for small fish to "hide" easily in those waters now.  Have the gizzard shad etc. moved farther offshore to more murky waters?  Have the RBME flocks followed them out there?  Craig




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