This species was noticed in the country in the 90s, when a small number
occupied the Chandeleur Islands off Louisiana, some mating successfully
with herring gulls. A hurricane in 2005 scoured the islands of gulls,
and I don't know if they have resumed nesting there, but they show up
from time to time. Alan Wormington photographed one right across the
lake from Cleveland in 2012, and many of us recall that amiable
panhandler Shrimpy, who spent a winter around a seafood restaurant in
Maryland. Kelps are common in the southern hemisphere--s. America,
Australia, S. Africa--but quite rare here, and if verified would be the
first for Ohio. There have been a couple of reports of kelps here by
lone observers unable to get good photos.
Bill Whan
Cols

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