We birded "The Conneaut Sandspit Area", today, November 1st, from 7:30AM to 1:30PM. The water level of Lake Erie was unbelievably high due to the exceptionally strong winds. Over half of the normally exposed sandspit was under water. Waves were cascading over all of the breakwalls. We saw no other birders during the visit. Our highlights of the hunkered down birds at the sandspit were, 22 Dunlins, 120+ Bonaparte's Gulls, 3 adult Great Black-backed Gulls, a Merlin, and a single Tundra Swan with a group of Canada Geese. In the vast sand and grassy area behind the public beach to the west, were 150+ Snow Buntings with a few Horned Larks mixed in. Three half hour each, "Lakewatching" sessions, from the adjacent bluff, in the Conneaut Township Park, provided some interesting sightings. The best birds of the day were 2 Red-throated Loons seen flying west at about 9:30AM. Some of the other sightings giving us identification satisfaction were, a single Long-tailed Duck, 27 Common Mergansers, 14 Buffleheads, 22 Red-breasted Mergansers, 24 Horned Grebes, 32 Gadwalls, 3 Bald Eagles, 8 Lesser Scaup, and 80+ Double-crested Cormorants.

Bob and Denise Lane / Mahoning County                                     
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