Jim McCormac and I birded the Ashtabula Lakefront this afternoon in hopes of
some storm related birds.  There was some great birding, but on real
oddities.  We started at Geneva State Park.  The marina is often a good
place for waterfowl and gulls trying to escape the rough lake.  Today it was
real quiet with no waterfowl and only a few gulls.  At Walnut Beach in
Ashtabula County a lot of gulls on the beach, but nothing out of the
ordinary.  We did have a few fly-by white-winged scoters.  At lakeshore Park
there was a very cooperative female long-tailed duck.  In the harbor area
and all there were cormorants, scaup and bufflehead, but nothing else out of
the ordinary.



Conneaut was good.  As Bob Lane stated earlier it is now gated so you have
to walk out.  We walked out and watched from under the observation deck.  It
was good for a shelter from the rain.  There were 63 brant when we started
and they were joined by 8 more birds for a total of 71 birds.  While we were
watched Jim spotted a red phalarope land just east of us.  We were able to
watch it for 5 minutes before it flew off.  We also had about 15 dunlin and
2 sanderlings.  There were the four common gulls, but nothing out of the
ordinary.  Compared with yesterday when there were lots of Bonaparte's gull
everywhere, today we saw only small numbers everywhere.  We also had a fly
over common redpoll.  There were also 2 snow buntings.



On the way back we decided to stop at Fairport Harbor.  There we had about
50 brant on the beach at Fairport Harbor Lakefront Park.  They were
extremely cooperative allowing some great looks.  They were close enough
that we were able to hear them calling.  We had all three scoters out in the
harbor.  By then it got too dark and we had to finally give up.  It was
great day with a lot of good birds.  The brant are fantastic right now and
worth checking out.







John Pogacnik

4765 Lockwood Road

Perry, OH 44081




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