After much searching I spotted the red-throated loon previously reported at Clearfork Reservoir on Sunday afternoon.  It was only visible from the western picnic area and was in the middle of the reservoir.  It was constantly diving, and once it dove was very difficult to relocate (stayed under for a long time and traveled far from where it went under).  Patience is the key for observing this one!  Thankfully there were lots of other waterfowl on the reservoir to observe while you were waiting, including lovely alternate/breeding plumaged ruddy ducks and horned grebes (plus hundreds of mergs, scaups, some buffleheads, et al).  Another couple said there was a white-winged scoter further west on the reservoir but I didn't have time to check it out.
 
I also visited Pleasant Hill lake.  All the waterfowl were concentrated on the extreme western end of the reservoir (nothing spectacular).  There was also a flock of about 60 bonapartes on the extreme eastern end of the reservoir.  I hesitate to even mention this, but I got very excited when I saw a small flying gull that seemed "different" (almost like a mini white-winged gull) mixed in with the bonas.  As I was watching it I called off field marks to Matt- no black on wings, white trailing edge, pale gray upperwing, no black on head, very small black beak, longish all-white tail.  I gave the scope to Matt for a look but he lost the bird (sorry, no photo).  We tried driving closer to the flock for a better look, but all the birds I observed at that time had black wing tips and black (often full hood) on the head.  I think I've been staring at my "gulls of the americas" book for too long and may have hallucinated the bird (or -more
 likely- at a farther distance overlooked the black on the wings/head). I didn't notice a neck ring, and the idea of a Ross this far inland and this late is crazy, but if anyone is going to Pleasant Hill Lake anyway I would suggest giving the bonas a closer look, just in case.  Perhaps it was leucistic bona?  Other thoughts?  Anyway, please don't ask me for gas money if you dirve out there and don't see anything unusual.  I am still relatively new to this obsession!
 
Cheers,
Heather
 
  
 
  
 

 




______________________________________________________________________

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]