Greetings - 
After a full morning of MANY observers searching Lorain Harbor for the Black-headed Gull, the bird finally showed at 2:30 p.m. for a host of folks. Odds are the bird was offshore or off to the west bay during the morning. WNW winds picked up around 1 p.m., and the skies clouded up with some light precip. The Bonaparte's moved back into the harbor en masse around 1:45 p.m. By 3 p.m., at least 4,500 Bonaparte's were present in the harbor, compared to the morning's 1,500. 
A single adult basic FRANKLIN'S GULL (found by Larry Rosche) gave great views as it sat just inside the west breakwall. As it darkened, around 45,000 Red-breasted Mergansers lifted up off the horizon and headed west into the bay and towards Huron. Around 60,000 gulls (Ring-billed/Herring/etc.) did the same. Quite a spectacle. 
Photos of the Black-headed from this afternoon: http://www.jenbrumfield.com/?page_id=384
Tomorrow's conditions look rough on the lakefront. Check weather before hitting Cuyahoga/Lorain Counties. A severe weather alert has been issued for several counties for lake effect snow. Whether or not that actually will pan out remains to be seen. Just a heads up. 
best of birding-Jen


Jen Brumfield 
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Cleveland, Ohio
330-701-6452





                                          
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