This morning, Friday, Jeff Harvey and I visited The Conneaut Sandspit in Ashtabula County from 6:45AM to 8:15AM. It was a very interesting visit. In an hour and a half we recorded 30 species of birds. The highlight was two Least Bitterns on the backside of the sandspit wetland pool, east of the observation tower. They flew into the open, calling and feeding along the back edge, nearby was a Virginia Rail and a Green Heron. Shorebirds present were 5 Semipalmated Sandpipers, 7 Least Sandpipers, 4 Semipalmated Plovers, 3 Spotted Sandpipers, and 10+ Killdeer. Some of the other birds of interest were Barn, Northern Rough-winged, and Bank Swallows. 4 Bald Eagles, an Osprey, and 3 Turkey Vultures represented the raptors. The only waterfowl highlight was a pair of Northern Shovelers, eventually flushed by a juvenile Bald Eagle. Now for the reluctant to report category. Last Friday my wife Denise and I reported, with hesitation, a Lesser Black-backed Gull from this location. The hesitation was because the legs were pinkish, not yellowish, and the back seemed too dark, but the size seemed right. The same gull was there again today. Better views were available today. Some photos were taken. The very dark backed gull with pinkish legs appeared to be a tad bigger than the nearby Herring Gulls. There were five second summer Great Black-backed Gulls nearby, that made this gull look like a dwarf. Another unusual field mark was that the usual red dot area was bright yellow. As for being reluctant about gull identification, I have some experience at reporting out of the ordinary gulls. On December 28th, 2010 while doing The West Pasco Christmas Bird Count in Florida, I found at the time, an unidentifiable small black backed gull, slightly smaller than a Herring Gull. From the photo that was taken by a photographer assigned to my group of three birders, with nothing for size comparison, the count compiler listed it as a Great Black-backed Gull. I had to reiterate that the bird seemed only half the size of a Great Black-backed Gull. Four days later, with persistence, Florida author and well known birder Bill Pranty, along with another birding friend of ours, refound the bird. Soon after, it became Florida's first recorded and accepted Kelp Gull. As for the Conneaut gull, after examing many field guides, could this be, as crazy as it might seem, an adult Western Gull (larus wymani). If you decide to visit The Conneaut Sandspit, beware of two things, soft sand, and the probable holiday weekend crowd. To reach The Sandspit Area, follow SR7 north from I-90 making the jog thru downtown Conneaut till you reach Lake Erie, at the bottom of the hill, go left thru The Marina to the end of the paved road. Follow the sand road to the right. When you reach the bay keep bearing right out onto the sandspit. I would suggest you walk out, if you are in a car.  Bob Lane / Damascus~Mahoning County

                                          
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