PLEASE ..DON'T MISS IT !!! At 1030 this morning..with a strong gale wind from the north and the Huron River at flood stage, we witnessed a gathering of at least 100,000 (+/-) gulls of various species in the dredged turning basin of the Huron Harbor. No question..this was, by far, the largest single mass of Bonaparte's Gulls which we have seen in over 60 winters of birding at that site. Huge congregations of these birds were in the water, fluttering over the turning basin (and in the river north and south of that location), on the limestone piles on the east side dock adjacent to the basin and on the calmer waters to the west of the Huron Pier itself. Additionally, there was a huge grouping on the west side of the Pier in the lee of the dredged fill area farther north toward the lighthouse. Even more birds were resting on the fill area on the west side of the parking lot serving that area. What a huge birding bonanza for those still participating in Christmas Bird Counts! It doesn't get better than this.... Dean Sheldon Greenwich (Huron County) 419-752-1451 ______________________________________________________________________ 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.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]