EASTERN HIGHLANDS & UPPER OHIO RIVER VALLEY 
Totally unexpected in northern Pennsylvania was this Snowy Owl that appeared 
on Pittsburgh's North Side 31 March 2009, here on top of a church a few blocks 
from Heinz Field. It was also seen at the U.S. Steel Building plaza and at Point 
State Park during its stay, which lasted through at least 6 April. Photograph by 
Geoff Malosh. 
turneci to the Parkersburg-Belpre Bridge over 
the Ohio R., where a chick was found in a 
nest 28 May (R. & J. Esker). 
A King Rail was reported at Julian, Centre, 
PA 7 May Q- Lee), and one returned to Green 
Bottom 2 May (P. Drescher). A rail fallout at 
Killbuck 6 May included 72 Soras and 43 Vir- 
ginia Rails (SWr, M. Weaver). Single Sandhill 
Cranes in West Virginia were at Green Bottom 
6 Apr (WA) and Beech Fork S.P., Wayne 24 
Apr (JN). Sizable concentrations of American 
Golden-Plovers this spring included 2000 in 
Marion, OH 22 Apr (TSh), 600+ at Ottawa, 
OH 20 Apr (PC), and 500+ in Logan, OH 18 
Apr (BWh). Two in Berks, PA marked a first 
spring record there (K. Lebo, M. Wlasniews- 
ki). Ohio birders enjoyed a Piping Plover in 
Wayne near Funk Bottoms 2-4 May (fide BG, 
SS, m.ob.). One at Presque Isle 4 May was col- 
or-banded (K. Ryan). Another was sighted at 
Maumee Beach S.R, Lucas 6 May (B. Stanley). 
Black-necked Stilt pairs returned to Bellevue, 
Sandusky 28 Apr (DA) and near Killbuck 
Marsh 2 May (BG); singles were in Ottawa, 
OH 23-27 Apr (PC, Vic & Terry Machas) and 
near Annville, Lebanon, PA 15-18 May (R. 
Koury, ph. T. Johnson). A flock of 23 Ameri- 
can Avocets dropped into Ottawa 25 Apr (GLy 
JLh, SD), and singles were in Lorain 12-15 
May (DA, Gly), in Fayette, PA 18 May (W. 
Shaffer), and at S.R.C.F 10 May (BS, CC), 
where 2 had been 26 Apr Q. Book). 
Early Spotted Sandpipers in Ohio were 
found at Paint Creek L., Ross 24 Mar Q- McMa- 
hon) and at Dillon S.R, Muskingum 5 Apr (M. 
Smith). Willets showed well in Ohio, with 43 
at Killdeer Plains 2 May (D. Sanders) and 26 at 
Buck Creek 7 May (RA), while 36 at Presque 
Isle 1 May QM), 6 at Moraine S.E, Butler (S. 
Tirone), and 4 at Fox Chapel, Allegheny 1 May 
(B. Shema) led Pennsylvania reports. Migrant 
Upland Sandpipers were encountered in 
Delaware, OH 18 Apr (SWi); in Madison, OH, 
a nocturnal migrant was heard 
5 May (AB). Three Upland 
Sandpipers were at Pymatuning 
L, Crawford, PA 24 Apr QF)- 
Whimbrels were largely 
missed, although 43 passed 
North Perry, Lake 21 May (JP). 
A rare spring Marbled Godwit 
was noted in Ottawa, OH 25-27 
Apr OLh, PC, m.ob.). The 117 
Semipalmated Sandpipers at 
Armleder Park, Hamilton 14 
May was surprising for sw, 
Ohio (RF, FF). A Western Sand- 
piper, rare in spring, was stud- 
ied at Conneaut 26 May (CH). 
Three Least Sandpipers were in 
Hamilton, OH 5 Apr (B. Hull). 
The 1450 Dunlins near Magee 27 Apr (VF) 
were early for such numbers. Normally limited 
to 2-3 in spring, an Ohio record flock of 11 
Stilt Sandpipers was in Wayne 14 May (AHY et 
al.). Another 3 were in Hamilton 14 May (RF, 
FF). A molting Ruff sporting head plumes was 
diseovered at Ottawa 20 Apr (BTe); it was last 
seen 22 Apr (S. Hites). Another male Ruff was 
at Ottawa 19-22 May (1. Campbell). Single 
Long-billed Dowitchers were noteworthy in 
Logan, OH 1 Apr (TSh), at Funk Bottoms 4 
May (AHY et al.), and at Green Bottom 24 May 
(WA); 3 were in Ottawa 11 Apr QP)- A notable 
flight of Red-necked Phalaropes saw singles in 
Berkeley, WV 28 Apr (MO), in Philadelphia, PA 
1 May (F Windfelder), in Berks, PA 16-20 May 
(fide RK), at Ottawa 19 May (B. Tekin, J. En- 
gel), at Green Bottom 26 May (WA), and in 
Crawford, PA 27 May (M. Weible). 
After a winter visit by a first-cycle Black- 
legged Kittiwake, an ad. at Hoover 1-6 Mar 
(DSr, K. Davis & JD, K. Hall, m.ob.) repre- 
sented another rare inland Ohio record. A 
Black-headed Gull passed North Perry, Lake, 
OH 18 Apr QP), and 3 were on the Susque- 
hanna R., including one in Dauphin 15 Mar 
(A. Markel) and singles in Lancaster 26 Mar 
(CC) and 10 Apr (JH). A flight of 2000+ 
Bonaparte’s Gulls in four sw. Pennsylvania 
counties 17 Apr was unusual (fide PH). While 
Little Gulls went unreported in Ohio this sea- 
son, up to 6-7 were along the Susequehanna 
R., Lancaster, PA 28-29 Mar QH, E. Witmer). 
Additional birds in Pennsylvania were at 
Peace Valley Park, Bucks 8 Mar (AM, J. 
Mirabella), Nockamixon S.R, Bucks 4-5 Apr 
(AM et al), with 3 at Ambridge Res., Beaver 
17 Apr (G. Malosh et al.). Laughing Gulls 
were at Magee 9 May (TB, JBr, m.ob.), Con- 
neaut 18 May (CH), and in Montgomery, OH 
25 May (RA). A Franklin’s Gull in Wood 11 
Apr (BC, JC) and 2 in Ottawa 20 Apr (PC) 
were the only Ohio reports. 
A first-cycle Thayer’s Gull and at least 6 
Iceland Gulls were found at Oberlin Res., Lo- 
rain in early Mar (GLy, JMc), while one Ice- 
land lingered in Ashtabula 18 May (CH). Nine 
Glaucous Gulls for the season within the 
Central Basin included 5 at Oberlin Res., Lo- 
rain 1 Mar QMc). The 431 Lesser Black- 
backed Gulls at Nockamixon L., Bucks, PA 23 
Mar was among the higher counts for North 
America; only Virginia and Florida have high- 
er counts. Twelve Great Black-backed Gulls at 
Oberlin Res., Lorain 1 Mar QMc) made a no- 
table tally away from the L. Erie shoreline. 
The 308 Caspian Terns passing along the L. 
Erie shoreline in Lake, OH 25 Apr (JP) was 
among higher such tallies. Two Arctic Terns 
were at S.C.R.F 29-30 May (BS, CC, J. Book et 
al.). A flock of 65 Forster’s Terns at Yellow 
Creek S.P, Indiana, PA 9 May (M. & E. 
Fowles) was a high concentration. Two Least 
Terns along the Delaware R., Delaware, PA 29 
May (AG) were local rarities. Black Terns 
were reported from seven Ohio locales as sin- 
gles/pairs with the exceptions of 9 at Metzger 
14 May (MA), 7 near Medusa Marsh, Erie 18 
May (GLy), and 4 in Holmes 10 May (SS). 
DOVES THROUGH FINCHES 
The discovery of a Eurasian-Collared Dove 
nest on a grain elevator in Celina, Mercer OH 
18 Apr (TSh and BWh) follows two years of 
^ A As in 2008, the annual overland flight of gulls in late Feb-mid-Mar through Ohio's interior drew special attention. 
When reservoirs are frozen during this window, the resulting large larid concentrations draw much attention from 
birders. This season's counts of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls were even higher than last season's, and there were strong num- 
bers of white-winged and black-backed gulls away from L. Erie as well. The 10,0004 Ring-billed Gulls at Hoover 1 Mar (DSr, 
RLy) set a new state inland record, and 5000 at Berlin L. 5 Mar (BMn) was high but far from the prior record of 8000 set there 
in 2008. Another five inland lakes hosted 10004. Observers picked through these to find 4 Glaucous Gulls during the first 
week of Mar, including singles at Hoover (K. Davis, JD, RLy, DSr), Berlin L. (CH), Deer Creek (RR), and L. Milton, Mahoning (E. 
Kistler). Another 2 appeared 21 Mar in Hancock (RSs) and Richland (GCo). Great Black-backed Gulls had a huge presence, with 
an interior record 6 at Chippewa L., Medina 7 Mar (K. Ostermiller), followed closely by 5 at L. Milton, Mahoning 4 Mar {fide E. 
Kistler), extraordinary for the Allegheny Plateau. Other singles were s. to Deer Creek (RR), Summit 13-24 Mar (G. Bennett), 
Berlin L. 5 Mar (BMn), and Hoover 3-1 9 Mar (DSr, CB). The 1 5 Lesser Black-backed Gulls across the interior was above average 
but short ofthe flight in 2008. 
VOLUME 63 (2009) • NUMBER 3 
427 
