There were quite a few gulls and mergansers moving this morning at the Bluffs.  Other than the small group of 4 common goldeneye, the only waterfowl seen were red-breasted mergansers.  Gull numbers were pretty impressive with most of the 4,000 birds passing by within the first hour.  Of note were one glaucous gull and two lesser black-backed gull.  Three dunlin flying west were also noteworthy.


The first hour or so of the day (7:15-8:30) is best for gulls as they head west toward the landfill.  By 8:30 or so, their numbers drop significantly.


Lake Erie Bluffs Metropark--Lane Rd., Lake, Ohio, US
Dec 15, 2015 7:10 AM - 9:40 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments:     Strong winds seemed to have the songbirds hunkered down.
27species

Common Goldeneye  4
Red-breasted Merganser  5478
Common Loon  2
Horned Grebe  3
Bald Eagle  1
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Dunlin  1     A group of three dunlin passed by heading west.  They were observed in the scope from a distance of less than 100 yards.
Bonaparte's Gull  256
Ring-billed Gull  3255
Herring Gull  520
Lesser Black-backed Gull  2

Great Black-backed Gull  28
Glaucous Gull  1
Great Horned Owl  1
Downy Woodpecker  2
Blue Jay  3
American Crow  1
Black-capped Chickadee  2
American Robin  4
European Starling  19
American Tree Sparrow  21
White-crowned Sparrow  1
White-throated Sparrow  3
Song Sparrow  2
Swamp Sparrow  2
Northern Cardinal  14
American Goldfinch  2


John Pogacnik

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