Six of us watched this tern flying above and below, mostly over the
spillway, the Hoover Dam 5-5:45 this afternoon. It was fairly distant,
but it was only a bit smaller than ring-billed gulls, had a partial
black cap that was punked out at the rear but fell well short of the
bill base, a bill the color of an orange, and underwings that appeared
nearly all white, lacking the conspicuous black across the primaries.
I've asked folks who got good photos to post a way to see them.
        If accepted, this would be Ohio's second record of this southern
species; a bird seen 8-26 July at Lorain and later on 8/17/1995 in
Ashtabula County was the first. Interestingly enough, I believe this
would be the earliest record of ANY tern species in Ohio--if this was
the bird Ken Davis found on 3/3.
        It was nasty cold this afternoon, and this bird set a personal record
for the coldest conditions under which I've seen a bird I expect only on
trips to Florida!
Bill Whan
Columbus

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