The lakefront at Lorain was alive with activity.  I looked for the little
gull a bit with no luck.  What I did find interesting was how much a lot of
the Bonaparte's gulls were in active molt.  A lot really looked odd flying
with a lot of their flight feathers half grown.



I went over to the impoundment and sat on the rocks on the north side for a
couple hours.  There were quite a few Bonaparte's gulls, ring-billed gulls,
cormorants and terns flying west.  The first jaeger I spotted was really far
out and flying very low over the water.  The buoyant flight made me think it
might be a long-tailed, but it was just too far out.  The second bird passed
by about 5:30 and was an immature long-tailed jaeger, (light phase).  It
also was flying low heading west.  After passing by me in swung through the
northern end of the harbor and quickly exited over the west breakwall just
west of the lighthouse.  It disappeared after heading over the wall.
There were a lot of terns flying west of the harbor.  They were just too
distant.



There was a single Hudsonian godwit in the center of the impoundment.  It
was  sitting on a small patch of mudflat.  It was with 8 greater and 1
lesser yellowlegs, 11 short-billed dowitchers and several mallards.  The
godwit was sitting amongst the mallards and was partially obscured.  I
figured I'd get photos on my way out.  I ended up watching the lake longer
than I expected and when I was heading out, the godwit was gone.  The only
shorebirds were 2 greater and 1 lesser yellowlegs, and a single dowitcher.



Of interest were the number of green darner and black saddlebags dragonflies
flying west over the open lake.  I figured that I saw well over 200.  I also
saw a couple monarch butterflies over the open lake.  A lot of birds and
insects  were moving today.



I watched the lake from my house for a couple hours this morning and by
contrast saw very little.  I saw a few Bonaparte's and ring-billed gulls and
a couple terns.  Nowhere near the number of birds in Lorain.





John Pogacnik

4765 Lockwood Road

Perry, OH 44081




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