Julie Karlson, Larry Jeanblanc, and I were looking over a flock of gulls at the north end of the reservoir. The gulls were mostly Ring-billed Gulls with several Bonaparte's Gulls and a few Herring Gulls. This gull was a first year gull that was mostly brown. The bill was black. The legs were hidden behind other gulls. There were always Herring Gulls near it to compare to. This bird was just a little smaller than the Herring Gulls but the big difference was in the size of the bill and head and shape of the head. The head was smaller than the Herring Gulls and more rounded. The bill was a little shorter and just a bit thinner. We were maybe about 50 yards away and looking through a scope at 55 power so we had great looks at it. After several minutes the bird flew away while the other gulls remained. The wings and tail did not look as black as would be expected on a Herring Gull. From the overlook near the southwest part of the lake we saw a Red-throated Loon. There were also a couple Common Loons on the lake. There were a few ducks but duck season is open today and they were wary. Tomorrow the duck season will be closed here for a couple weeks. Doug Overacker Springfield, Ohio ______________________________________________________________________ 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]