This afternoon at Mentor Lagoons in Lake County, I found an adult winter Thayer's Gull on the frozen river, all the way down by the lake viewing area. I took the marina overlook trail to this spot. It was with a group of mixed gulls composed of R-B, Herring, Bonaparte's, and a juvenile Lesser Black- backed. The Thayer's was a lifer bird for me, and what a great way to start off the new birding year with a lifer. Also present around the lagoons were Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, & PB Grebe. http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S16165288 Later in the afternoon, my dad and I relocated the Snowy Owl on 535 in Painesville. However, it wasn't on a telephone pole. We saw it fly behind the railroad cars (almost at the beginning of Fairport Nursery Road) for no more than 3 seconds. Also along the road were American Kestrel and a Northern Mockingbird. http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S16166382 I ended with 38 species today to start of 2014 birding. Cole DiFabio Lake County ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]