While visiting several access points along Alum Creek Lake, I had small groups of Surf Scoters at 2 different points.  One group of 5 mostly adult males were off New Galena and Plumb Rd accesses, while another group of 2 females and 2 juveniles was off SummerRidge Access, about 1 mile further north.

Other birds at Alum included
N.Pintails - small flocks at several locations
Lesser Scaup - flocks of 10-15 at 4 different locations
Bufflehead - 10 total, in 2s and 3s at different locations
Common Goldeneye - 15 at Plumb Rd, and another 12 off SummerRidge
Common Mergansers - 6 far to the west of the Cheshire boat launch
Red-br.Mergansers - 2-4 at nearly every access visited
Ruddy Duck - 6 off the Cheshire boat launch
Horned Grebes - 65+ scattered in small flocks across all 4 accesses

I did a quick tour of Hoover on my way back, stopping at the Galena boardwalk, Sunbury causeway, Maxtown boat ramp, and Walnut St. boat ramp, and found a different set of migrant waterbirds, including

Wood Duck - 1 pair flew squealing past the boardwalk at Galena
Ring-necked Ducks - the flock around the boardwalk bays is down to 300 birds
Redhead - 10 were in a small flock off the boardwalk
Lesser Scaup - 130 were mostly in 2 flocks off the boardwalk and the Sunbury causeway
Bufflehead - only 5, with 2 at the boardwalk and 3 at Maxtown
Red-br.Mergansers - 100+, with the biggest flocks of 35 and 40 off the Maxtown launch ramp
Hooded Mergansers - 20+, with pairs at many different locations
Ruddy Ducks - 12+ floating north of Maxtown boat ramp
Cormorants - 1 off the boardwalk and 2 off the Sunbury causeway
Common Loon - 1 north of the Maxtown boat launch
Horned Grebe - 55+, mostly in flocks off the boardwalk, Maxtown, and Walnut St.
Pied-billed Grebe - 1 off Walnut St. ramp
American Coots - 40+, with most of those in the bay off the boardwalk

The Galena boardwalk had a pair of Osprey calling and being shadowed by a juvenile Bald Eagle.  2 more Eagles were perched on a sandbar in the bay between the Sunbury Causeway and Oxbow Island.  Gulls were generally scarce, but were highlighted by 2 Bonapartes off the Walnut St. boat ramp.  I didn't stop at Oxbow, though, missing the Lesser Black-backed.

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.

You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]