With the warm weather moving in it means the majority of my favorite birds have left the area. A quick drive up the Great Miami River in Dayton after work today produced very few gulls. If you made this drive in the last 2 days you could count 3500+ plus gulls along the river in various locations. A large percent are ring billed with some herring sprinkled in BUT you could have stumbled across a couple great black backed gulls, a glacous or 2 or even an Iceland within the last week. It amazes me how one or two decently warm days and some wind can make almost all of them leave. I won't lie I wish we could have a deep freeze last all January and February. I love venturing out on a cold and windy day to find what the cold winds from the north push my way. Or making my almost routine drive home up the river after a days work. I know it can't last forever and that's what adds to the excitement. The hurry to find as many gull species as i can this far south in Ohio. Farewell my trash eating landfill friends. I will be waiting for your crazy cycles and and endless shades of white, black and grey when the air turns cold and the lakes start freezing. Cause in Dayton we have a Great river that doesn't stop flowing and very active landfill that my family and I will be contributing to everyday. So with the departure of my landfill friends and frozen water, I welcome all their cousins with webbed feet and open water.
Bird On!!!


Eric Elvert
Dayton, OH

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