A few highlights today from a trip up from Columbus to various points the
south shore of Lake Erie with Alex Hughes, Alex Champagne, and Erica
Szeyller-Macolley:

*Ashtabula: *
The BLACK-TAILED GULL was seen on two visits between 8am and 11am, each
time at quite a distance!  It started on the roof of the buildings visible
from the Lakeshore Park, then flew north onto the water then was later
refound farther north on the breakwall.

Some ID advice for those who go looking for the bird:
1. Don't be fooled by immature Herring or Ring-billed Gulls with tail
bands.
2. Don't be fooled by adult or near adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
3. It's dark, but a touch lighter than Lesser Black-backed and a bit too
dark for California Gull (if you have experience with that species).
4. It's a medium sized gull -- just a tiny bit larger than Ring-billed but
clearly smaller than Herring. (Comparing size helps avoid confusion with
Lesser Black-backed Gulls).

Other birds in the area: Black Scoter (2), Surf Scoter (2) and Snowy Owl (1
imm. male -- age/sex based upon it being only lightly marked with brown,
and showing little to no markings on the crown; see
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/snowy.htm).

*
Cleveland Lakefront:
LOTS* of Red-breasted Mergansers and gulls!  If you want to sort through
gulls, you probably want to head down to Wendy Park, Edgewater Park and
points east to E 72nd St.  The numbers of birds there today was really
amazing!  Among all the Herring, Ring-billed and Bonaparte's gulls were a
half dozen or so Great Black-backed Gulls and 2 Glaucous Gulls (1st/2nd
winter).

Here's a photo from Wendy Park:
 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2750848968964&l=21a9115cc8

*
Lorain:*
Huge numbers of gulls on the river before sundown, including 2 Lesser
Black-backed Gulls.

Here's photo taken from Arizona Ave. along the river:
 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2750849808985&l=0fcd0c285f


Good birding,
Paul Hurtado
Columbus, OH

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