Among interesting sightings yesterday was one of three lesser black-backed gulls at Findlay Reservoir #2 in Hancock County, almost 50 miles inland from Lake Erie. This time of year most gulls are in their immaculate alternate plumages, and it was a rare treat to see this species without all the smudging it usually wears in Ohio. This gull is an Old World species, recently visiting in increasing numbers here in the New one. I don't know of any breeding records for this gull in the US or Canada, other than a mixed nest with a herring gull year before last in New England, I think it was. Nowadays there are east coast reports of flocks of dozens of them every winter. There is a small breeding colony, presumably recently established, in western Greenland. We see lots of first-year birds in Ohio in fall/winter. Are all these birds--thousands of them, probably-- flying back across the Atlantic every spring to breed in the historical range, and then returning here in the fall? Seems highly unlikely. Interestingly, we had seen three adult lesser black-backeds at this same Findlay reservoir back in November, then of course in basic plumage. I suppose they could be the same individuals. Read Peterjohn (2001) to see how rare this species was away from Lake Erie less than ten years ago. I urge observers to report these birds, especially away from the lake and in odd seasons. Because the large gulls so benefit from human garbage, their numbers have increased in recent decades, as have their ranges, as have probably the number of hybrids. It's almost as if the long-term separations of breeding colonies that accompanied speciation are being quickly reversed as species that haven't met one another for thousands of years are having reunions at landfills! Worth keeping an eye on. Bill Whan Columbus ______________________________________________________________________ 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]