As a response to the question from Bruce Glick, my wife Denise and I visited The Conneaut Harbor Area yesterday afternoon, Monday April 8, from about 2PM to 3:30PM. Amazingly, when we left our home in the town of Damascus, in Mahoning County, the temperature was 71 degrees. Upon our arrival to The Conneaut Harbor Area, 93 miles later on a choppy Lake Erie, it was 43 degrees, windy and cold, with light rain. The gate access to "The Sandspit", has not been opened to the public yet; requiring a walk out to the observation platform to view the thousands of noisy gulls. The #1 highlight, was our first of the year, 56+ Caspian Terns resting on the beach. Gull highlights were 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and about 60+ adult Great Black-backed Gulls. Unbelievably, a sandspit completely covered with gulls, produced no Bonaparte's, no Little, no Glaucous, and no Iceland Gulls. Lined up on the breakwall were no less than 650 Double-crested Cormorants. Black, black, and more black. There was still a nice variety of waterfowl in the harbor, but no rarities. The only shorebirds were 4 Killdeer, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, and 1 Greater Yellowlegs. Unusual was that there were no Turkey Vultures, Hawks, or Eagles seen during our visit. It was the usual productive Conneaut, but without rarity.
 
Bob Lane / Mahoning County
                                          
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