Hi Folks, Jerry Talkington and others report that as of noon today, Tuesday the 17th, a molting EARED GREBE is still present at Veterans Park in Mentor. Veterans Park is on Hopkins Road just south of Rt. 283 and Mentor Lagoons. The park is north of Rt. 2. A super easy way to grab a quick online map would be to www.google.com "Veterans Park, Mentor, Ohio". Eared Grebe is annual but still RARE in Ohio, showing up moreso during spring/autumn migration periods (I would go on a limb to say there's between 1 to 4 (the latter is very max!) confirmed in the state each year). Horned Grebe, on the other hand, is common during both periods. In spring, when both Eared and Horned Grebes (which can be tricky in basic/winter plumage as well) are undergoing molt into breeding plumage, a vast concoction of plumage variability can arise within each species. Some look downright patchy, unkempt, and altogether odd as they go through transition. Key: study *bill shape/size* among other characters. EARED GREBE REFERENCE PHOTOS (NOT the Veterans bird) - Copy and paste these addresses into your address bar and hit return. Links should pop up & you can view photos if interested. 1. Winter plumaged and molting birds http://www.ejphoto.com/eared_grebe_page.htm 2. Molting bird http://home.btconnect.com/bt-uk-connect-012/BB_Black-necked_Grebe_3945_THM.jpg 3. Winter plumaged bird (good profile/shape reference) http://www.bird-friends.com/pics/EaredGrebe/EaredGrebe1LR.jpg best of birding, and cheers jb Jen Brumfield Akron, Ohio [log in to unmask] Birding America / www.birding-america.com Illustrator/Naturalist, Cleveland Metroparks Nikon Birding Optics ProStaff/ nikonusa.com Editorial Advisor, A Bird's-Eye View / ABA personal site: www.meadowhawkart.com "Journeys, like artists, are born and not made. A thousand differing circumstances contribute to them, few of them willed or determined by the will." - Lawrence Durrell "Blessed are the curious for they shall have adventure." - L. Drachman _________________________________________________________________ Download Messenger. Join the i’m Initiative. Help make a difference today. http://im.live.com/messenger/im/home/?source=TAGHM_APR07 ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]