The lake was really ripping today so I decided to watch the lake.  All in
all an interesting day, however, in the past I knew days like this could
have limited movement.  It seems like it gets too windy and a lot of the
birds find sheltered spots and this seemed like that kind of a day.  

 

I started out at Stanton Park, a small township park in Madison only ¼ mile
from my house.  I birded there from 7:00-8:30.  There were decent numbers of
red-breasted mergansers with an estimate of about 800 seen.  The only other
waterfowl was a young male HARLEQUIN DUCK that passed by close to shore
heading west.  There were very few gulls and no loons or grebes.

 

My next stop was at Geneva State Park.  Again a few mergansers passing by
and few gulls, even in the sheltered marina.  The marina had a mute swan and
a few mallards.

 

Ashtabula Harbor was my next stop.  At Walnut beach the waves were crashing
the breakwall, making it hard to see anything.  Again a few mergs and no
gulls.  At Lakeshore park there were several hundred red-breasted mergansers
in the harbor, 2 horned grebes, a common loon, and mallards and Canada
geese.  There were a few gulls passing by out by the breakwall.  Of note was
an immature BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKE.  It quickly disappeared behind the outer
breakwall and was not seen again.

 

Conneaut Harbor was pretty wild.  This is where all the gulls were.  There
were a couple thousand Bonaparte’s gulls flying and feeding in the eastern
half of the harbor.  I was able to pick out an adult BLACK-HEADED GULL.  I
was able to see it pass by once and when it turned to head back I lost it.
I was able to relocate it again about 45 minutes later.  It was difficult to
relocate, but when you did you were able to follow it easily until it would
fly back to the start of the flock.  I also saw an adult and an immature
FRANKLIN’S GULL in the mess.  There were a lot of herring gulls in the
marina but no black-backed gulls.  All the great and lesser black-backed
gulls were on the sand spit.  Most of the waterfowl passing through were
red-breasted mergansers and a few common mergansers.  I did see some hooded
mergs  at the south end of the harbor and one group of redheads.  Also, 1
horned grebe and 1 common loon.

 

On my way back home I stopped back at lakeshore park and most of the
mergansers had dispersed.  There were a few gulls, but no kittiwake.  I did
see a RED-THROATED LOON out by the breakwall.

 

It was an interesting day.  Most of the gull activity was at Conneaut
Harbor.  Ashtabula and Geneva were pretty slow for gulls.  Most of the
waterfowl on the open lake were red-breasted mergansers.  No swallows were
seen.

 

When I got home, I had about a dozen pine siskins and a single COMMON
REDPOLL at my feeder.  Also a couple red-breasted nuthatches.

 

John Pogacnik


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