Hello All,

No more news or views of our Kelp Gull suspect in the last week, and with the rivers freezing in a lot of places, that ship might have sailed as a hypothetical bird with no photo confirmation.

Anyways, before a bird club meeting last night, I scoped the river at Pike Island Dam from the Ohio side (Belmont Co.), and also further up in Tiltonsville and Warrenton (Jefferson Co.). There were good ducks in the unfrozen parts of the north, while the large stretch of unfrozen river from the dam south a couple of miles held hundreds of ducks, mainly on the WV side.

Upriver in Tiltonsville and Warrenton, I had Common & Red-breasted Mergansers, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, dozens of Mallards and Black Ducks that were flushed from an ice floe when a barge crushed it, Canvasbacks and Greater Scaup. An adult Bald Eagle was cruising at Rayland Marina.

At the dam and down river, I had Common Goldeneye, one coot, Mallards, a continuing female LONG-TAILED DUCK, Greater Scaup (dozens, in the great majority for scaup), a few Lesser Scaup, Canvasback, Common/RB/Hooded Mergs, Bufflehead and one Horned Grebe. Many hundreds of Canada Geese all along the way, giving me 16 species of waterbirds. 

I had at least 3 more Bald Eagles down river (1 adult and 2, but very possibly 3, immatures). Thousands of gulls on the ice, but I didn't stop anywhere to see them well, and only had Herring, Ring-billed, and one far-away Great Black Back. Michael Dietrich from WV was birding the area as well, and walked into a spot to see the gulls, and added I think 2 Glaucous and 2 Icelands.

The scoters might have leapfrogged us in the last week. Down river should be great these next few days, for both Ohio and West Virginia. Get out and bird (safely)!

Ryan Tomazin - Bridgeville, PA                                          
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