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The bright sun and temperatures in the 20s helped open areas for birds to feed. Robins were in a number of places. Where snow had been cleared off the grass was one type and a few of the fruit trees also had good numbers of birds. White-throats and juncos were scattered around the cemetery. We walked through the larger spruce grove where Blue Jays were immitating hawks and generally acting hopeful of finding a raptor, but we had none. Nearby we saw a female Eastern Towhee scratching in leaf litter and may have seen a second one. In the same area we also had a brief glimpse of a Brown Thrasher. If the coming additional snow isn't too heavy, we have prospects for some nice birds on next Sunday's bird walk.
The Merlin was perched in Section 2 at 3:36 but was not seen a little over an hour earlier. |
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With a cold NNE wind at E. 72nd this afternoon we didn't linger. There were not a really large number of gulls close, but there were many more out in the rumpled ice and by the huge open leads off the breakwall. The only special gull we saw was a sub-adult Iceland Gull (Kumlien's) that had light gray on the mantle but patterned coverts, primaries and tail. It appeared only briefly. Ducks were about the same with Mallard, Canvasback, Redhead, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye and Hooded Merganser. There were lots of geese. Along North Marginal Drive we had a Peregrine Falcon come over the Quay 55 building then head south and keep going. Nearer CPP a mockingbird was flying around, but didn't go near the trees in front of the CPP building where we saw a few starlings, one robin and two Morning Doves feeding on the ground where they must have been finding fallen fruit. Burke airport had a red-tail and a kestrel.
In Lake View Cemetery the Merlin was again a no-show both around 2:00 and 3:30.
Black-crowned Night-Herons
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It was a nice sunny day at about 35 degrees and E. 72nd was very pleasant this afternoon with almost no wind. The birds, however, were not much in evidence. Only a few Herring Gulls were in close and not that many were even visible in the open areas we could see further out. There were two Double-crested Cormorants on the edge of the near ice and we saw just one Bonaparte's Gull. Among the ice floes we saw one Great Black-backed Gull. Ducks were: Mallard, 2; Canvasback, 1 female; Redhead, 7; Lesser Scaup, 10; Bufflehead, 7; Common Goldeneye, 1 female; Hooded Merganser, 3; Red-breasted Merganser, 1 male.
A Red-tailed Hawk was perched on one of the utility poles in the landfull behind Cleveland Public Power (CPP - at the whale wall) and there were two American Kestrels at Burke Lakefront Airport. Nothing else was apparent along North Marginal Road. The Merlin was a no-show in Lake View Cemetery about 2:00 and again about 3:30. | 
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At E. 72nd this afternoon the numbers of gulls and ducks seemed up a bit. Great Black-backed Gulls numbered at least 50 and there were more black ducks and scaup. Otherwise it looked to be the same species of ducks as on the 10th. We had one Bonaparte's Gull and one Lesser Black-backed Gull, an adult. We didn't notice any white-winged gulls. Driving the washboard of North Marginal Drive we saw the Northern Mockingbird still defending a crabapple tree in front of CPP and at Burke Lakefront Airport we saw two American Kestrels. One kestrel harassed a Red-tailed Hawk when it flew by.
In Lake View Cemetery we did not see a Merlin at 2:11, but one was perched in Section 2 at 3:46. |
 Adult Glaucous in lower right |
We didn't have sun while we were at E. 72nd St. early this afternoon, but it was fairly mild. The birds were pretty much what was reported yesterday. No big numbers of gulls, but 1 Bonaparte's, about 10 Great Black-backed, 1 adult Lesser Black-backed and 2 Glaucous Gulls, one adult the other first winter. Ducks were not in big numbers either, but we saw 1 Gadwall, 5 Am. Black Duck, Mallards, Canvasback, Redhead, both scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, 4 Hooded Mergansers, and 4 Red-breasted Mergansers. There were a few coots and the usual geese.
In Lake View Cemetery we saw a Merlin at the Section 2 perch at 12:01 but none anywhere at 1:13. We found juncos and 12 White-throated Sparrows feeding where gum seeds were on the snow and where snow was cleared for burials. Robins and starlings were feeding on fruit. About 50 robins were at crabapples near the Garfield Monument and there we also saw an unexpected Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. |
 One of the robins |
| A quick check of Lake View Cemetery turned up a Merlin perched in Section 2 at 9:40 this morning. There were no birds in one of the hot spots from the Christmas Bird Count and we didn't see very much. |
 An unexpected find |
The Lake Erie pelagic sponsored by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory didn't go out into the open lake because of 6 foot or more waves, but we did begin the trip going as far upriver as possible, south by the steel mill. That got us to the current Black-crowned Night-Heron roost where over 70 were counted. We also saw a Peregrine Falcon feeding on a Bufflehead of which there were quite a few on the river. Lots of gulls on the river and out in the protected harbor when we got out there. Reports by John Pogacnik and Steve Cagan on the Ohio Birds mailing list pretty much tell the story of birds seen. Maybe the most unexpected was this Great Egret along the river nearing the mouth. The mid-teens temperature got to some of us, but others stayed in the bow even when coated in spray that immediately turned to ice.
After the trip we made a quick pass by car from Browns Stadium to Burke, E. 55th and Gordon Park's boat basin. There were lots of robins and starlings at the fruits trees opposite the stadium and a Northern Mockingbird was chasing off starlings from trees in front of the Cleveland Public Power plant. We saw more ducks, lots of Red-breasted Mergansers, and lots of gulls including good numbers of Great Black-backed Gulls. Last we looked for the Merlin in Lake View, but at nearly 5:00 pm we were not too surprised that we did not see one. |
 An image upriver |
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We saw even fewer birds from Gordon Park west to Burke Lakefront Airport than on the 23rd, but duck hunters were out with decoys on this very nice, sunny afternoon. We hoped for the Snowy Owl reported at Burke, but had to settle for three or four American Kestrels there. We saw a Belted Kingfisher perched in the Forest City Yacht Club that they sometimes frequent this time of year.
A Merlin at Lake View Cemetery was again perched in the traditional spot this time at 1:24. The recent high winds were probably the cause of a downed tree in the cemetery, a large, old tree that we could see was hollow. |
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There was very little wind on this partly sunny day. Off Perkins beach there were Commom Goldeneye, Greater Scaup, two Bufflehead and the highlight, one White-winged Scoter. From Wendy Park we counted 19 cormorants on the breakwall and just 4 Great Black-backed Gulls. We could see small flocks of mergansers flying further out. The Ring-billed Gulls were thick and we estimated that we could see about 20,000 there. The only Bonaparte's Gulls of the day were one at Perkins and two at E. 55th. There were small numbers of ducks between Burke and Gordon park including Gadwall, Canvasback, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Hooded Merganser, and Ruddy Duck. There were a few Pied-billed Grebes and one Horned Grebe. Mockingbirds numbered three between E. 55th and the police dock. There were three Red-tailed Hawks along the way and one American Kestrel at Burke.
A Merlin at Lake View Cemetery was perched in the traditional spot at 2:36. It looked to be the paler bird. |
Today was the Cleveland Christmas Bird Count! We cover Lake View Cemetery with a friend during the morning and then check some spots in Forest Hill Park, MLK Blvd, the city greenhouse and the Gordon Park playing fields in the afternoon. The nearly constant light snow and very slow activity to begin the day had us worried, but we found some very good birds for the cemetery. We did miss some usual ones though, Cooper's Hawk, Morning Dove, Song Sparrow and House Finch. Just in Lake View here are the 24 species we tallied:
Canada Goose 100 Tufted Titmouse 4 Mallard 15 White-breasted Nuthatch 3 Red-tailed Hawk 2 Hermit Thrush 1 * Merlin 1 American Robin 113 Rock Pigeon 1 Northern Mockingbird 2 Red-bellied Woodpecker 10 European Starling 98 Downy Woodpecker 6 Eastern Towhee 3 * Hairy Woodpecker 2 White-throated Sparrow 21 Northern Flicker 1 * Dark-eyed Junco 62 Blue Jay 33 Northern Cardinal 23 American Crow 4 American Goldfinch 12 Black-capped Chickadee 6 House Sparrow 6The three we don't expect are starred. It has been a very long time since we had towhee on the count so it was very surprising to find one and then in a very different area two more, all females. The Merlin was on its Section 2 perch at 11:36 but not seen earlier. Our observation was brief as it took off when a Red-tailed Hawk came to land in that same tree. We thought this was the lighter, longer-tailed Merlin we've mentioned before. That was important this afternoon at 1:47 when we saw a Merlin perched near some tennis courts at Forest Hill Park. This looked to be a darker bird and we believe we had two individuals. We did not add any species in the afternoon, but did find lots more robins. |
| We went through Lake View on our way elsewhere and found the Merlin perched in its favored perch in Section 2. It was 3:40 pm and the bird was feeding. |
 very rough sketch and notes of the gull |
Returning from a west side appointment we had no scope or camera, but checked along the lake anyway. It was sunny, but only about 18 degrees with strong westerly winds. Off Perkins Beach the waves were really rolling in and there were two surfers in wet suits off the beach. There were mergansers moving further out and about 70 Common Goldeneye in closer, one Black Scoter among them. From Wendy Park we estimated the Red-breasted Mergansers inside the breakwall at 3,000 there. There were still a few cormorants visible on the wall.
The stiff westerly winds created a very quiet area east of the landfill behind Cleveland Public Power and there were other ducks there but not identifiable with just binoculars. At East 55th we finally saw several Great Black-backed Gulls, some coots and two female Lesser Scaup. Six Tundra Swans flew east high and near the breakwall. For about 15 minutes around 4:00 we watched an unusual gull off the parking area. Unusual Gull: At first glance, its dark gray mantle and black primaries suggested Laughing or Franklin's, but it didn't seem quite right. It looked to be slightly smaller than the Ring-billed Gulls with which we saw it. The tail was totally white, normally sign of an adult. The head had no pattern though it was not as bright a white as the breast. There was no white eye ring. The legs were barely visible, but looked pink or red but the bill was black with a yellowish tip and not especially long. The upper wings had no white being dark gray with black primaries and greater coverts, not unlike Sibley's illustration of a 2nd winter Laughing Gull. Underside of the wings showed white coverts and black in the secondaries and primaries. In flight the behavior and head looked just like a Ring-billed though the plumage is most like a Laughing. Lake View Cemetery at 4:35 we saw no Merlin. |
| We went through Lake View on our way elsewhere about 9:20 this morning but could find no trace of the Merlin. Returning in the afternoon, it was back in its favored perch in the oak tree by the maintenance buildings at 3:09. We're still seeing lots of robins and lots of fruit for them. |
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At 2:52 this afternoon we saw the Merlin perched in Section 2 of Lake View Cemetery. A few minutes later it was gone. We still believe it can be seen in the cemetery at any time of day and now seems to perch in various locations. Unfortunately it is just as likely to be away.
It was another beautiful, sunny day, but only in the 30s and heading lower. There is a good fruit crop in the cemetery and lots of robins were taking advantage along with some White-throated Sparrows. We were reminded of a tree that was full of squirrels and birds on the Christmas Bird Count last year. Since this year's count is just two weeks from tomorrow we thought we'd look for it again. It is again full of small brown fruits, a few on the ground looking partly chewed. There was nothing feeding at it however. Last year it was stripped of fruit shortly after the count, so there may be some optimum ripeness of the fruit when everything will descend upon it. We have no idea what it is. Let us know if you can tell. The leaves are small and heart-shaped. Anniversary time! Our first post to this website was on Dec. 3, 1997, twelve years ago. At the time we had never heard of a blog, but eventually we learned that was really what we had created. You can still travel back in time to the winter of 1997-98. |  Tall tree with abundant brown fruit |
Off Perkins Beach - a group of 3 Black Scoters, again
We stopped at Bradstreet's Landing in Rocky River about 2:30 this afternoon. It was in the 40s with bright sun and southerly winds, not what you'd expect for December! Unfortunately there were not a lot of birds to be seen. There were some Red-breasted Mergansers out and in closer and to the west was one small group of interesting ducks. With a few Common Goldeneye we saw at least 3 Black Scoters and about 7 Surf Scoters. We saw very little off Rocky River Park, but from Perkins Beach we could see slightly larger numbers of mergansers and in closer was again a group of 3 black scoters, some goldeneyes and a few Bufflehead. Things were pretty quiet off Wendy Park and we only saw about 20 Double-crested Cormorants out on the breakwall. On the east side the lake was also very quiet with gulls almost entirely absent from E. 72nd St.
In Lake View Cemetery at 4:30 we found a Merlin again perched in its favored tree by the maintenance buildings by the lower pond.
 Looking west at Bradstreet's Landing |
Our highlight on this unseasonably beautiful late November day was at Perkins Beach (the bluff west of Edgewater Park). There we had one Surf Scoter and four Black Scoters. The lakefront was pretty calm by the time we got there close to noon, but Gabe and Emil had a good movement of Bonaparte's Gulls in the morning which included Little and Black-headed Gulls! Not exactly exciting, but we were pleased to see two American Kestrels at Burke Airport in downtown Cleveland.
We went along Lake Erie from Gordon Park, making various stops, to Bradstreet's Landing, but then we went south in Lorain County. At the Wellington Upground Reservoir the water was very still and there were many Canada Geese and coots. We estimated about 200 Ruddy Ducks, maybe 40 Bufflehead and small numbers of Canvasback, Redhead and scaup. We saw one Common Loon, one Horned Grebe and two Pied-billed Grebe. Going east from Rte 58 on Jones Road we saw four Red-tailed Hawks, but only one more in the rest of the afternoon and no kestrels or other hawks. We looked in some of the pines at Caley Woods, but saw no owls. At the Oberlin reservoir there were again about 200 Ruddy Ducks, about 10 Hooded Mergansers, four Horned Grebe, a stray Gadwall and some Herring Gulls. We stopped at the Lorain County Airport as the sun was setting, but saw no hawks or owls. We started our day with a quick stop in Lake View Cemetery but did not see a Merlin (about 11:15). We were surprised to find four female Hooded Mergansers on the upper pond. |
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A little after 2:00 this afternoon we went to Lake View Cemetery to check for a Merlin. We start around the ponds where they have traditionally perched. We were very pleased to see there really was a Merlin perched in the favored tree by the maintenance buildings. There were a lot of other birds around the ponds, especially feeding on the fruit bearing bushes. The mockingbird was right along the road beside the upper pond. While we looked at the other birds, the Merlin disappeared. We tend to think they spend time away from the cemetery terrorizing the neighborhood. Still we drove to some other areas checking for an alternate perch. We saw an adult Red-headed Woodpecker that we hope will stay around for the Christmas Bird Count. We also found a Merlin perched in a tree in a corner of Section 42. We thought it looked paler than the others and wonder if it was a second bird. As we watched it took off and, going higher, began circling. We hope it wasn't leaving!
A nice group of birds seen in a short time, mostly by the ponds were: Canada Goose Blue Jay American Black Duck Black-capped Chickadee (or Blackish!) American Robin Mallard Northern Mockingbird Great Blue Heron European Starling Red-tailed Hawk White-throated Sparrow Merlin Dark-eyed Junco Red-headed Woodpecker Northern Cardinal Red-bellied Woodpecker House Finch Downy Woodpecker House Sparrow | 
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Can you believe another lovely day in November? It was mostly sunny and fairly warm (mid-50s). At Sims Park in Euclid the wind was fairly strong and the waves on Lake Erie made it interesting scoping for ducks. The highlights were one White-winged Scoter and two Black Scoters, but we also saw a few Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Duck, and Horned Grebe. There were quite a few Red-breasted Mergansers here and there and in flight.
We did not see a Merlin in Lake View Cemetery at midday but on our way home there it was! Again in the tree in section 2, it was present at 3:29 pm. We didn't want to disturb it, so Dick's photo was taken from the car at some distance. | 
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While overcast, we had good visibility on the second Lake Erie boat trip this month. The boat headed past 5 Black-crowned Night-Herons, straight out the river and east outside the breakwall. A Peregrine Falcon (Dick's photo at left) was seen perched on the breakwall and later a Purple Sandpiper was seen moving from rock to rock. We continued out past the Northeast Yacht Club (next to the old White City) and further east. An adult Bald Eagle was perched along the shore and a White-winged Scoter was spotted. Again we saw a jaeger. The boat headed back toward Cleveland with one Great Black-backed Gull seen with the many Bonaparte's, Ring-billed and Herring Gulls. This week we saw lots of Red-breasted Mergansers along with a few Common Loons and Horned Grebes. We checked the inside of the breakwall to the west of the Cuyahoga counting about 50 Double-crested Cormorants and 4 Snow Buntings. Another jaeger was seen in the area.
At this point the trip had an unplanned extension. The lift bridge at the mouth of the river was stuck and the boat could not enter the river to reach its dock. Edgewater Yacht Club allowed us to dock there and transportation was arranged. And we all got good looks at a Merlin perched atop a mast nearby! |
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We stopped in Lake View Cemetery on the way home to check for the Merlin which we had not seen yet this fall. There was no sign of it around the ponds, but slightly uphill atop a tall tree in the center of section 2, there it was! Interestingly, we think that is where we last saw one in the spring. Hopefully we now have our winter resident Merlin back. |
| The weather for the Lake Erie excursion was incredible! It was sunny and Cleveland recorded a high temperature of 71. We didn't see many waterfowl, but there were some Common Loons and Horned Grebes. A Black-legged Kittiwake was spotted and land birds on the 5-mile Crib were identified as Snow Buntings. Just east of Dike 14 a jaeger harrassed the gulls. The trip leaders believe it was a non-juvenile Parasitic Jaeger. Along the landfill west of E. 55th St. we saw a White-winged Scoter really well (see Dick's photo). Burke Lakefront Airport had perched Red-tailed Hawks. When one took to the air, it was chased by a Peregrine Falcon that even dove at it. It was a really good time with about 50 birders. We're looking forward to this coming Sunday and doing it again. Below are photos of the day in a layout by Jean | 
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Back home we had sparrows in the yard, three White-throated Sparrows and one White-crowned. As the first actually in the yard, they seemed a sure sign of fall, but at least there wasn't a junco to herald the winter to come.
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Dick was surprised this morning when looking for the return of a Merlin in Lake View Cemetery to instead find a Red Phalarope on the upper pond. Jean also got to see it in the afternoon. It fed actively always remaining away from the shore. The plumage is not well illustrated in the guides, looking more like that of a Red-necked Phalarope. Notice though in Dick's photo the relatively thick and blunt bill. It is the first phalarope we've seen or known of in the cemetery in the nearly forty years we've birded there. |
Cleveland Christmas Bird Count |