I enjoyed Carol's blip about the Tennessee Warbler and its status in the east-central region this spring.  Tennessees have seemed particularly abundant along the north coast this year too, in contrast to several other usually abundant species.  That being said, this weekend was most remarkable in my neck of the woods for another long-distance migrant with an equally reverberant voice - the Blackpoll Warbler.  These birds were literally everywhere along the Lake Erie shoreline the past couple days - as the wife & I lounged at the beach, as I washed my car, as I left the grocery store...and singing at all hours of the day.  Yesterday, I counted eight birds singing while driving Lake Rd. between Lorain Harbor and Sheffield Lake, along with seven redstarts and a Nashville.  This morning, 15 more were tallied passing along the lakefront in Sheffield Lake, including five birds in a single tree at once.  This is especially cool from our seventh floor
 balcony, where the birds were right at eye level.
 
Other cool "balcony birds" included Green Heron, Blue-winged Teal, Red-headed Woodpecker, Cliff Swallow, Alder Flycatcher, and Bay-breasted Warbler.
 
Down at Lorain Impoundment, the water dropped drastically in the past week, which allowed for small numbers of common shorebird species.  This spot has been great for lingering ducks the past couple years, and in the past couple weeks I've had both teal, shoveler, Gadwall, Ring-necked Duck, and a hybrid American Black Duck x Mallard fraternizing with a hen Mallard. Seven Red-breasted Mergansers also passed home today.
 
At Pickerel Creek Sat., ~500 Dunlin were still present along with two Short-billed Dowitchers and 33 Semipalmated Plovers.
 
Good birding -
Gabe Leidy
Sheffield Lake

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