We took our fourth visit to Ashtabula County in search of the Black-tailed Gull, only to come up empty-handed yet again. Plenty of Herring Gulls, Common Mergansers and fewer Ring-billed Gulls. Also 1 Common Loon, 2 drake Ring-necked Ducks, 1 female Hooded Merganser, about 40 Red-breasted Mergansers, 1 Bufflehead, 17 Common Goldeneye & 7 Double-crested Cormorants. Many unidentifiable Scaup farther out, out of spotting scope range. Not a total wash though, as we did pick up the Snowy Owl perched atop the tugboat "Rhode Island", which is just left of the tugboat "New York", north of the railyard bridge.
   Headed back towards Akron & stopped at Medina Lake off of Rt. 18. Mostly frozen, but a few open pockets of water held 1 drake Canvasback, 16 Ring-necked Duck, 3 Bufflehead and about 40 American Coot.
   On the way home we picked up an unusually colored Red-shouldered Hawk that scored a vole along Everett Rd. in Medina County. I will try to post the photos Michelle shot from our car later. Instead of the usual horizontal, rusty-colored barring on the breast, this bird in question had vertical brown striping on a chestnut-colored breast. A pattern on a Red-shouldered I had personally never seen. Very unusual, and any input from others will be greatly appreciated. We should get the photos out by tomorrow evening.
   We also stopped at Bath Nature Preserve on the way home and we were able to locate the Northern Shrike along the treeline near the Creekside Trail. And much like the 41 American Tree Sparrows that flooded into the brush at dusk, we're off to roost as well.

Douglas W. Vogus & Michelle Zager - Akron, Ohio.

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