2 Oct. 2012  7 am - 11 am
SW shore Hoover Reservoir (40.121551,-82.885217), Franklin County
David and Patty Tan
Comments:Patty and I decided to take advantage of the poor weather and look
in the south end of Hoover Reservoir hoping to take advantage of the oft
reported Franklin's Gulls at many locations.. In four hours, we experienced
rain and dark passing weather systems but view birds. However, during the
first two hours we noted and observed we a 1st cycle Laughing Gull which
came from the N. moving liesurely S along the W shore and just after 10 am
an ad. Great Black-backed Gull came into view from behind a deciduous stand
patrolling the W shore, activating a number of roosting RBGU's. Lots of
RBGU's were loafing on rocky spits but unfortunately no Franklin's
(although the Laughing, one of 100's of thousand's I've seen, may have been
a rarer sp.)

Common Loon 1
Horned Grebe 1
DCCO 35
TV 27
Osprey 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk 1 (juv.)
LAUGHING GULL   1 1st cycle
Flying south, as close as 120 ft., at 60 - 75 ft, (near eye level due to
elevated position), continuing to approach us, eventually wheeling, landing
among a loafing group of Ring-billed's. An overall, slender,
proportionately long winged, buoyant gull, long necked and head, relatively
long drooping black bill. Plumage a mixture of white (lower body, leading
edge of underwings). grays, brown and blackish. Complex blackish (stand
out) streaks, wash on head, behind eye, over crown, mixing with the overall
smudgy gray-brown nape, neck, breast and upper flanks. Obvious white rump
and base of tail, the outer third with a band to the tip and from edge to
edge. Gray-brown mantle, blackish flight feathers; blackish to dusky gray
flight feathers distinctive from below. It stayed < a minute with the
Ring-billed, seemed anxious and uncomfortable, pacing and picking at the
water edge. Legs long black. Unlike Franklin's which always appears clean
and fresh, its long legs, dirty, smudgy gray brown plumage, extensive black
p's from below and wide edge to edge tail band and its lanky size and long
wings approaching Ring-billed clearly pointed to Laughing. It lacked the
dainty white, hooded pale underwinged look of FRGU.

Ring-billed Gull 220 (all ad.)
Herring Gull (all adults)
GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL
Ad. (at least 4 or 5 years old). Patty spotted it cruising the shoreline,
looking for something to kill. Massive, heavy, powerful. White. Virtually
black upperparts, white rump, tail, and virtually white head. Broad, wide,
wings, white trailing edge, and complex black and white outer p's, as much
white as black. Pink legs. Massive head and breast built for swallowing
anything of = or < size, small eye, deep, bulbous bill, greenish with red
spot. A real burgomaster.


2 pm (two hours) DCGW, Franklin

TV 33
Northern Harrier 2
Cooper;s Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk 3
Mourning Dove  220
COMMON NIGHTHAWK  12
irst one, then three, then a dozen together flying on long bend wings high
over the trail. Seemed to be feeding on high flying insects. Late

Red-headed Woodpecker 5
Merlin  2
Marsh Wren  1
INDIGO BUNTING  1 male
Rusty Blackbird 12

David Tan
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