I spent about an hour this evening at the south end of Alum Creek Reservoir (park below the dam, take stairs to the top) scanning the gulls coming in to roost. There were approx. 2400 Ring-billed, 100 Herring, and a few dozen Bonaparte's, plus two "Larus sp." that flew in as the light was fading. The first was a small, dark 1st winter Herring-type bird that I couldn't quite call a Lesser Black-backed or a Herring, and the second was a large 2nd winter bird that was probably a pale 2nd winter Herring but could have had some Glaucous ancestry. Despite the lack of rarities it was well worth the trip to see that many gulls down here in central Ohio! The birds were mostly in two groups: one along the beach north/northwest of the spillway and a second larger group out in the center of the reservoir a few hundred yards north of the dam. If anyone is looking for white-winged or dark mantled gull species in the Columbus area, the dam is a worthwhile stop 1st thing in the morning or just before dark. Presumably many (most?) stay out foraging while the sun is up, so I'm not sure how many are around mid-day. Good birding (& Happy Holidays!), Paul Hurtado Columbus, OH ______________________________________________________________________ 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]