Just because the bird was not found yesterday does not necessarily mean that the
bird is gone.  It may have been missed or overlooked (it may have been sitting
in the water or in a cove not visible from the stops we made).  One of the
things I noticed is that the amount of water going into the spillway was less
yesterday morning than it was on Monday morning.  Yesterday the spillway was
devoid of gulls most of the 3.5 hrs we were there.  On Monday there were maybe
20 or 30 gulls in the spillway most of the time and the tern visited there
frequently.  I'm wondering if the regulated amount of water going into the
spillway had something to do with the lack of birds there yesterday?

And if it did leave, then where did it go?  Winds on the ground seemed to be
coming out of the Southeast yesterday.  Winds aloft were out of due South.  If
the bird continued Northward, one would think that the closest and largest body
of water available would be Lake Erie.  This bird is used to *oceans*, not
reservoirs.


So if you happen to be birding up along Lake Erie today, it would probably be
wise to keep a lookout for the tern.  And for those birders near Hoover, it
probably would not hurt to check again for this bird today.

Yes, it's raining today, but that only makes it less convenient for birders.
Terns seem to do quite well in inclement weather.  Hopefully, this bird will be
found again in Ohio for all those who missed the opportunity to see this rarity.

-Greg Miller
Sugarcreek, OH

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