A group of us began at Conneaut early this morn. The ad fem Surf Scoter remains
within the harbor, but other highlights included a tight flock of 41 Dunlin on
the spit and a briefly appearing juv Black-bellied Plover. Only a few
Bonaparte's and gulls in general were present. At the observation deck, two
young Black-crowned Night-Herons were roosting, but the most intriguing sighting
was a flyby flock of 20 something large finches. Unfortunately these birds were
strangely silent, and not as close as I would've preferred, but overall
coloration, size, structure, angular wings, etc. seemed to suggest none other
than Red Crossbill...I would certainly keep an eye out for this species along
the lakefront (and elsewhere) in the near future.
On to Wake Robin Trail (Lake Co.), which was surprisingly devoid of sparrows.
However, amidst the small quantity there was quality and the now "local" juv.
LeConte's Sparrow put in an unforgettable appearance (unfortunately after two of
our group had split!). This bird has been present here since 9 Oct, and seems a
bit tamer in nature than the typical Lecontei...an unaltered image of the bird
today can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28939750@N05/
I dropped by Erie St. Cemetery on the way home, and stumbled onto a nice-sized
sparrow flock - containing Chipping (10), White-throated (20), Fox Sparrow (1),
and Dark-eyed Junco (25).
Good birding -
Gabe Leidy
Cleveland
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