Today, we checked out Lake Erie from Ashtabula to Avon Lake. Someone with greater knowledge of gulls than us would have identified a greater number birds. Geneva on the Lake immature Eagle North Perry and Mentor Headlands were void of water fowl. East 55th-Cleveland Lesser Scuap Canvasback Redheads Cormorants Greater Back Gull Lesser Back Gull Glaucous Gull Blackheaded Gull Bonapart Gull Herring Gull Burke Lakefront Airport We had a couple of birders tell us they spotted a Snowy Owl at Gate 12 across the runway in the weeds. With our scope at full strength, we identified an image we believe to be a Snowy Owl. The birders who told us about the owl indicated they had a decent photograph of the owl. Avon Lake Miller Road Pier We were losing day light when we arrived in Avon Lake. Pintail Duck Coot Rick and Richard Oxley Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry -----Original Message----- From: OHIO-BIRDS automatic digest system <[log in to unmask]> Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2008 00:00:06 To: <[log in to unmask]> Subject: OHIO-BIRDS Digest - 24 Dec 2008 to 25 Dec 2008 (#2008-360) There are 4 messages totalling 176 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Lakeshore Waterbird Survey 12/24 2. Snow Buntings 3. A Birders Christmas Morning Gifts - Hoover Reservoir, Delaware County 4. Red-Throated Loon ______________________________________________________________________ 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] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2008 07:53:03 -0500 From: John Pogacnik <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Lakeshore Waterbird Survey 12/24 There was a moderate movement of birds. The lack of Bonaparte's gulls was noticeable as there had been some pretty impressive numbers recently. Most of the ducks were out pretty far and needed a scope for identification. Three black scoters and two long-tailed ducks were noteworthy. Lakeshore Waterbird Survey Lakeshore Reservation, North Perry December 24, 2008, 745-945 Weather- cloudy Winds- S 15-25, Temp- 39-41 F Barometer- 29.97-29.94, Humidity-91-92, Dew point- 37-38 Waves- 2-3 feet, Flight direction- west Mallard 2 Scaup spp. 85 BLACK SCOTER 3 LONG-TAILED DUCK 2 Common goldeneye 6 Common merganser 67 Red-breasted merganser 1,332 Bonaparte's gull 120 Ring-billed gull 271 Herring gull 146 LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL 1 adult Great black-backed gull 11 John Pogacnik 4765 Lockwood Road Perry, OH 44081 (440) 259-2751 ______________________________________________________________________ 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] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2008 08:02:20 -0500 From: Russowl <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Snow Buntings Day before yesterday ,, we had a dusting of snow on the ground and = there were flocks of snow buntings , horned larks everywhere ya went = ,,, one flock of snow bunting shad at least a 1000 in it ,, biggest I = have seen so far. But yesterday the snow melted and now ya see nothiin' = ,,, none no where ,,, where do they go ????? anyone know , cause as = soon as we get snow again ,, they will be back Russell Reynolds=20 Allen County Lima, 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=3DOHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2008 12:42:55 EST From: [log in to unmask] Subject: A Birders Christmas Morning Gifts - Hoover Reservoir, Delaware County This morning being pleasant, Linda and I checked out Hoover Reservoir to see what was around. This turned out to be a good decision. The upper part of the reservoir, from the Smothers Road Bridge north is mostly iced over with small areas of open water here and there. The reservoir is open from the bridge south to the dam. We started at Oxbow Road where we located the first 2 of 11 Bald Eagles for the morning, both of these were immature's standing on the ice. On the south side of the causeway were about 1,000 Canada Geese, 300+ Mallards, 1 Cackling Goose and 1 Egyptian Goose. The latter is obviously an escapee, but still an interesting looking bird. Along the feeder stream were 4 Great Blue Herons looking for substance with apparent success. In the brush along the edge of the road were a mixture of small birds including many Dark-eyed Junco's, Song Sparrows, a few House Finches and a lone Savannah Sparrow. We next began working our way south along the reservoir on Sunbury Road.At the Baldridge Boat Ramp the water we located 2 more Bald Eagles working over a goose carcass, much to the dislike of the other geese on the ice and in the opening in the water. This location also had a Mute Swan, 4 white morf Snow Geese, and more Mallards. At the Maxtown Boat Launch we located Bald Eagle number 5, about 1,000 Canada Geese, 500 Mallards, 1 Snow Goose and lots of Bonaparte's Gulls. At the East Walnut Boat Lunch we found another 5 Bald Eagles, 2 full adults and 3 immature's. The adults were putting on a show with an aerial dance, talon to talon. There were 100's of Ring-billed Gulls and about 100 Bonaparte's Gulls and 12 Hooded Mergansers. At Area B, the parking lot just north of the Water Department Maintenance compound, there was a nice assortment of waterfowl. This included 1,000 or so Canada Geese, 13 American Black Ducks, 500+ Mallards, 9 Canvasback, 15 Redheads, 27 Lesser Scaup, 21 Common Goldeneye, 50+ Hooded Merganser, 8 Red-breasted Merganser and 5 Ruddy Duck. We also located another Bald Eagle. Checking the gulls along the shore we located a few Herring Gulls mixed in with the endless accumulation of Ring-billed and Bonaparte's Gulls. At the dam there were more gulls, Hooded Mergansers, an American Coot, Canada Geese and Mallards. I didn't get around to checking the spillway for activity. As we headed back north for home a spotted an all black (from a distance) duck with a rapid wing beat, but I didn't get a chance to scope it. A possible scoter? I listed it as the mystery bird. Charlie Bombaci Hoover Nature Preserve **************One site keeps you connected to all your email: AOL Mail, Gmail, and Yahoo Mail. Try it now. (http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000025) ______________________________________________________________________ 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] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2008 14:52:00 -0500 From: John Habig <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Red-Throated Loon Shane Egleston called me at about 2:00 this afternoon to let me know he saw a Red-throated Loon at Caesar Creek at the north pool. This may be the same bird that Rick Asamoto reported last Friday off of Harveysburg Road. John Habig 261 Lantis Dr. Carlisle, Ohio 45005 [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ 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] ------------------------------ End of OHIO-BIRDS Digest - 24 Dec 2008 to 25 Dec 2008 (#2008-360) *****************************************************************