A group of us began at Conneaut early this morn. The ad fem Surf Scoter remains within the harbor, but other highlights included a tight flock of 41 Dunlin on the spit and a briefly appearing juv Black-bellied Plover. Only a few Bonaparte's and gulls in general were present. At the observation deck, two young Black-crowned Night-Herons were roosting, but the most intriguing sighting was a flyby flock of 20 something large finches. Unfortunately these birds were strangely silent, and not as close as I would've preferred, but overall coloration, size, structure, angular wings, etc. seemed to suggest none other than Red Crossbill...I would certainly keep an eye out for this species along the lakefront (and elsewhere) in the near future. On to Wake Robin Trail (Lake Co.), which was surprisingly devoid of sparrows. However, amidst the small quantity there was quality and the now "local" juv. LeConte's Sparrow put in an unforgettable appearance (unfortunately after two of our group had split!). This bird has been present here since 9 Oct, and seems a bit tamer in nature than the typical Lecontei...an unaltered image of the bird today can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28939750@N05/ I dropped by Erie St. Cemetery on the way home, and stumbled onto a nice-sized sparrow flock - containing Chipping (10), White-throated (20), Fox Sparrow (1), and Dark-eyed Junco (25). Good birding - Gabe Leidy Cleveland ______________________________________________________________________ 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]