A morning flight count at Dike 14/Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve between dawn and 8:30 am was pretty slow passerine wise. We moved the count to Edgewater State Park (lower, eastern end) and immediately started tallying Snow Buntings, American Pipits, goldfinches, and a flock of White-winged Crossbills, all coming off the lake or from the east and heading west and south. 

The Lake was crystal smooth today with few waterfowl moving and low numbers of gulls (350 Bonapartes feeding within a mile offshore). Around 10:20 am I picked up on a Cave Swallow due north from us heading east, 300 yards offshore. A second immediately appeared with it and another two trailed. They milled around very shortly but continued hard east past Wendy Park/Whiskey Island. 

We hit Dike 14 again, doing the full loop. Only a handful of sparrows were present (American Tree, White-throated, White-crowned, Song, Swamp) and a few Red-breasted Nuthatches. 
The highlight of the walk, besides the extraordinarily awesome weather, was three Common Redpolls feeding 30 ft away on seed pods a few feet off the ground.

Tomorrow looks good for another flight of Cave Swallows. Lakefront bluffs (or clear open views of the lakeshore) offer great chances to pick up on passing birds. These SW winds are key.

JB

Jen Brumfield
Cleveland, OH
Bird illustrator and birding tour guide
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www.jenbrumfield.com
www.northnw.wordpress.com

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